12 in ’12 Charity Crochet: February Plans
by Kathryn on February 12, 2012 · 13 comments
in 12 in '12 Charity Crochet Project
I’ve launched the 12 in ’12 Charity Crochet Project with a commitment to make crochet donations to one charity per month throughout this year. People are welcome to join me for just one month or throughout the year.
My February Group: Compassionate Creations
Compassionate Creations is the name of one chapter (the MA chapter) of Threads of Compassion. This group accepts handmade scarves to be “given to a survivor of sexual violence when they enter the hospital for emergency treatment or at their initial meeting with a counselor at the rape crisis center.” This gift provides warmth and care to people at a time when they really need it. Another goal of the project is to provide a tangible way to start opening up the conversation about sexual violence so that people don’t remain shameful and therefore silent.
Why I Chose This Group
I used to intern in the sexual abuse unit of Child Protective Services. I also used to work in a group home where many of the kids’ lives had been affected by this type of abuse. And as a woman in today’s world I think it’s always an issue that you are aware of. I wanted to do a little bit to help this month.
I chose the MA chapter simply because it’s the Threads of Compassion website I found first. I did try to find a CA chapter because I’m sure there is one but I couldn’t find one through Google so I decided to just go with the MA group. People everywhere can certainly use this help and it seems like a strong group that’s really doing a lot with the donations they receive.
My Plans for the Month
I am going to make one scarf to donate this to organization this month. Scarves have to be at least 5″ wide by 65″ long. I learned last month that it’s not necessary to stretch yourself thin but putting together a huge donation. It’s okay to make a small donation. This organization also accepts wristbands, though, and those seem to especially go to younger folks so I may also make a few of those to send along with the scarf.
Are you donating any crochet items this month? If you blog about it then leave a link to the blog post in the comments below!
Tagged as: 12 in 12 crochet, charity crochet, crochet for a cause
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365 Ways to Wear Crochet: Same Neckwarmer, Different Way
by Kathryn on February 11, 2012 · 2 comments
in 365 Ways to Wear Crochet
You saw this crochet neckwarmer yesterday looking very different. It’s a red/orange item but yesterday I had the red facing forward and wore it with a brown/black outfit for a very autumnal feel. Today I’ve got the orange side up front and am wearing a more spring-inspired outfit.
The Outfit
Orange Crochet Neckwarmer, Orange Graphic Tee with Lace Back, Light Denim Jeans with Flower Pockets, Red Boots
Crochet Detail
The Shoes
This post is part of 365 Ways to Wear Crochet.
Tagged as: 365 ways to wear crochet, crochet accessories, crochet fashion, daily crochet
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One Year Ago in Crochet 2/5 – 2/11
by Kathryn on February 11, 2012 · 0 comments
in One Year Ago in Crochet
Patricia Waller, Twinkie Chan, Urban Outfitters and Missoni crochet
This post shows what was happening on this crochet blog during this same week in 2011 … and includes related updates where I can. You can follow the links to the original posts and additional information.
Crochet Art
The crochet artist I profiled at this time last year was Patricia Waller. I was (and still am) fascinated by how she can take super cute things (like Bambi) and put a really dark twist on them (like Who Killed Bambi? shown above) all using her crochet skills. In September I wrote about the Knot After Knot online art exhibit that Patricia Waller was a part of. She also had 2011 exhibits in Poland and Germany. I recently mentioned her because of some similarities she has to another crochet artist I profiled: Andy Aguilar of The Dope Fiends.
In other crochet art news, I had mentioned the Build It With Yarn contest that was about to start, a collaborative project by @lionbrandyarn and Instructables. I never did remember to come back and mention that the winner was indeed a crochet art work showing How to Build the Roman Aqueduct in Spain with Yarn:
Crochet Books
First off, I won a crochet book from a @CraftGossip giveaway. Which one? Twinkie Chan’s Crochet Goodies for Fashion Foodies: 20 Yummy Treats to Wear . I used the book a lot, did a crochet book review and then offered my copy for giveaway at the end of the year. @twinkiechan continues doing cool stuff that I follow on her blog.
The book I actually reviewed this week last year was Crochet in No Time by Melody Griffiths. One project I really liked here was the granny square fingerless gloves and I’ve seen versions of those many times since online. She continues to have designs published on Ravelry and in various books. The most recent book I know of is a 2011 knitting encyclopedia that she did in collaboration with Lesley Stanfield.
Crochet News
The big news of the week was about eco-friendly fair trade crochet aluminum tab accessories from Escama Studio.
Escama Studio artisans continue to produce cool new green products using innovative techniques and incorporating crochet. One that I really love right now is their spiral bag:
I have since written about quite a few other fair trade crochet projects that offer crochet work to people in other countries. Examples include AHA Bolivia, CordoBags, Same Sky and Jishike Social Couture.
Other interesting news stories from this week last year included:
- Woman loses her fingers, continues to crochet
- Winning word in spelling bee is crochet
- Eco-friendly crochet trail markers make sense
- College students use snow days to crochet
- 7th Annual Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival (the 8th annual event is happening there right now)
Crochet Fashion
Urban Outfitters was featuring a lot of crochet at this time last year. They continued to do so. Take a look at some of their current crochet items I like:
Of course, we’ve since talked a lot on this blog about the many problems (and some benefits) of chain store crochet.
Another brand I talked about was Missoni. Many crocheters weren’t too familiar with this designer crochet and knitwear brand. That changed later in the year when Missoni did a collection for Target that was so popular it immediately shut down the Target website from traffic overload.
Crochet on Etsy
The Etsy crochet features that I chose for this site during this week of last year were:
- Watermelon Purse by Pomquat
- Vintage Crochet Doily from ThreeVintageLadies
- Crochet Cupcake Coin Purse by Skymagenta
- Heart Shaped Crochet Rug by Gramsheart
- Crochet Corset from AnniesWearableArt
- Felted Gege Bag Crochet Pattern by Pomquat
- Red and White Crochet Apron from ThreeVintageLadies
- Sewing Machine Crochet Pattern by Skymagenta
- Crocheted Heart Coaster by Gramsheart
- AnniesWearableArt appears to have closed down
Crochet Quotes:
The crochet quotes that were featured on this site during this same week last year were:
“What more do you need besides a crochet project and some hot cocoa?” – ChompCake
“In my career, designs have come from all different types of inspiration. Sometimes I fall in love with a stitch pattern, sometimes with the yarn, and sometimes I see something I really want to replicate.” – @traciecrochets
“Vintage clothing is different. Wearing vintage is like wearing an haute couture original, as nobody else will have the same thing. What’s more, you usually get a quality that is rarely found these days, which means luxurious fabrics, hand finishing, unusual buttons, hand embroidery, handmade lace, crochet, appliqué and beading.” – Lisa de Silva
“A good crochet design is not a garment that uses cheap, stiff acrylic yarn that makes your design stand up on it’s on or one that feels like a straight jacket when worn!” – Mary Jane Hall
And there was a nice long quote from Vickie Howell.
Crocheters on Twitter
At this time last year I recommended following ten crocheters on Twitter. Let’s check in on them:
- @RebecaVelasquez. Still active on Twitter. Check out her website of crochet designs.
- @crochetnmore. Frequently links to free crochet patterns.
- @nothingbutstring. This one isn’t on Twitter anymore.
- @AnnettePetavy. Fairly active on Twitter but I stay particularly up to date through her crochet blog.
- @stormyzcrochet. I haven’t been following this amigurumi maker as much on Twitter but do know she is active on her Etsy store.
- @SherylMeans. Doesn’t seem to be on Tw