Darla Fanton

Archive for February, 2007

Given the number of times I’ve mentioned crochet hooks during the short time I’ve been blogging it probably comes as no surprise to you that I love crochet hooks almost as much as I love crocheting.

I belong to the Crochet Guild of America’s Hook Collectors group and this morning as I was reading about the Commemorative Hook for 2007 I started thinking about my connection to my crochet hooks. I have a varied collection of hooks. Most are unassuming, utilitarian hooks. I think of them as sturdy workhorses.

I also have a modest collection of artisan made hooks. The first one was a gift. It caused me to look at crochet hooks in a different way. Not just as tools, but as beautiful works of art in their own right. The show horses, you might say. When made by an artist who understands the mechanics of crochet these show horses are not just to be trotted out for special occasions. They earn their keep by working every day and are a joy to look at as well. Because they are each so distinct these hooks tend to hold emotional attachments. At least mine do for me. I remember where and when each came into my possession. Each year since 2001 a Commemorative Hook has been offered at the annual CGOA Chain Link Conference. These are limited edition hooks. Five of the six hooks are in my collection. I was a little slow to register one year and missed out. That won’t happen again! I’ve also purchased hooks in the marketplace at various events. Each hook is intertwined with my memories of the event where it was purchased.

You can learn more about crochet hooks by visiting the Crochet Guild of America web site. You may enjoy browsing through the photos from a special display of Studio Hooks held at the 2001 Conference. I would like to extend my thanks to Nancy Nehring for taking photos of the display for us to continue to enjoy. If you ever have the opportunity to see Nancy’s presentation on crochet hooks, be sure to attend. Crochet hooks have a fascinating history.

And now a photo of the most valuable crochet hook in my collection.

At least it is the most valuable one to me. Yes, it is the hook Mom gave me years ago when I learned to crochet. As you can tell by the fact the red finish is worn off in places it has been well-used and much loved over the years. For the curious among you, it is a size H.

Last Sunday I was diligently working at the computer when the phone rang. It was my friend, Teresa. “Mary is in town and we are going on a shop hop. Would you like to come?” What fun! Of course, I said yes.

How do I know Teresa and Mary? They are a part of that crocheting community I mentioned yesterday. I first met them through the South Bay Crochet Guild. Teresa moved to the Portland area and Mary occasionally comes up from the Bay area for a visit. A couple of years ago Mary invited me to spend a week-end teaching for the Guild. The Bay area has a very active network of local crochet guilds. Members from Amazing Crocheters, Bay Area Rabid Crocheters, and Crochet by the Bay also joined us at Amazing Yarns for two days of fiber fun and friendships that continue to grow.

Back to Sunday’s shop hop. If you have never been on a shop hop, let me explain. A group of friends car pool (or in the case of a BIG group - bus pool) from yarn shop to yarn shop for a day or afternoon of yarn shopping fun. Last Sunday we met at the Knitting Bee, then moved on to the Yarn Garden, followed by a stop at Mabel’s Cafe & Knittery. Yarns, books, or hooks (…for accuracy, make that knitting needles, although hooks rhymes better…) were purchased at every stop. We finished our afternoon drinking bubble tea and talking and oh yes, lots of laughing.

Thank you, Teresa and Mary, for such a fun afternoon! Let’s do it again, real soon.

In the last post I mentioned the DFW Fiber Fest. Not surprisingly last year many of my students were from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Many of them belong to the Crochet Texas! chapter of the Crochet Guild of America (CGOA). The friendship these women have was so apparent it was easy to imagine how much fun they must have at their monthly meetings! Many of them had been in my classes before at the annual CGOA Conference. In other words, even before class started, there was a sense of community in the room. We knew each other. We have experienced the same things - the thrill of finding just the right yarn, the frustration of a row count that doesn’t come out right, the joy in a project that warms you in more ways than one.

If you live in the Dallas area and crochet or want to learn, I know Crochet Texas! would welcome you with open arms. No matter where you live there may be a local chapter of the Crochet Guild of America close to you. If there isn’t one, the Guild is happy to offer suggestions on how you can start one in your area. We are always ready to welcome more people into our crocheting community!

Last week I had a delightful surprise waiting in my e-mail inbox. A photo from one of my students. I’m always thrilled when I hear a student has gone home from class enthused to put their new skills to work. I love seeing the finished projects, whether in person or by photo.

Cheri was a student in my Crochet Illusions class last Spring at the DFW Fiber Fest. Crochet Illusions is a fun method I developed to incorporate an optical illusion into your crochet. Depending on the viewing angle you see either alternating stripes of color or a “hidden” image. I love the way Cheri used bright colors for the hearts in this afghan. She reports her granddaughter loves to use it when she visits grandma! I can see why. What little girl wouldn’t enjoy snuggling up with colorful hearts that play hide and seek? Thank you for sharing the photo, Cheri.

2006 was the very first DFW Fiber Fest. I was honored to be invited to be the featured crochet teacher for their first event. I’ll be having fun teaching at the Seattle Knitting & Fiber Arts Expo this year the same week-end as the DFW Fiber Fest, but I know my Texas friends will be having a good time too!

I’ll be teaching Crochet Illusions at the Knit and Crochet Shows in Manchester, NH and Oakland, CA this year. I’d love to have you in class. And I would love for any of my students to share their photos.

As I teach at different events around the country I always enjoy shopping in the marketplace. I never know what treasures I will discover. The markets almost always include some small vendors from the local area. Artisans with hand-dyed yarns, hand-made buttons, stitch markers, beads or what ever that are produced in small quantities so you just won’t find them anyplace else.

I thought I would share a photo of a few of my treasures from the last trip. There were a few more items that have already been gifted. Staying at my house are two skeins of machine washable merino wool from Fancy Image Hand-dyed Yarn. I wish you could feel how soft it is. I don’t have any idea what I’m going to make with it, but it called to me so I had to bring it home.

I really like the size P Rosewood crochet hook I bought at Crown Mountain Farms booth. I selected a lavender ribbon holder for it. Hmmm…I think I see a theme developing in this photo. I appear to be in a purple/aqua phase.

I’m always looking for lotions that moisturize without leaving my hands feeling greasy. Lew at Harmony Skin Care had so many lovely scents, I couldn’t settle on just one. The sampler pack allowed me to pick three. I still can’t decide which is my favorite.

And then there are Sheila and Michael Ernst’s glass buttons. I’ve taught at many events where they have had a booth in the market. And I’ve come home with buttons every time. They really call to me. So far only one button has told me what it wanted to become. It wanted to be the focal point of a bracelet. One of these days I’ll take a picture of it for you. I know when the project is right the other buttons will speak up. Until then I enjoy just looking at them. I hope you have too.

The memories are so fresh in my mind it is hard to believe three weeks have gone by already. This was my first time attending the Madrona Winter Retreat. It definitely won’t be my last! The event coordinator, Suzanne, seems to have boundless energy. She was always at hand making sure everything ran smoothly - and it did!

The Sheraton Tacoma is a great facility for an event like this. Each of the classrooms I was in had great lighting and the hotel staff was so helpful. As a teacher, I really appreciate a quick response when I ask the hotel for assistance.

As I was getting settled in my 15th floor room I looked outside. The Tacoma Dome and the Train Station were right below. Why didn’t I think of taking the train? I could have crocheted the whole way! Maybe next year. Then the clouds lifted …and wow, there was Mt. Rainier! Of course I didn’t have a camera with me so I could show you. But I know it wasn’t a figment of my imagination. I saw it at least three times over the week-end. Living in Portland you would think I would get used to seeing the mountains. But I still feel a thrill every time. Maybe because during the winter they play hide and seek with our overcast skies.

I didn’t have that much time to look out the windows. I was always busy and loving every minute of it. I taught five classes - all with fantastic students. We double-hooked, hairpin laced, played with crochet illusions and brushed up our crochet pattern reading skills. There were fun evening events every night. From the charity knit in I mentioned before to an interesting presentation by Fiona Ellis on where she finds inspiration for her beautiful knits.

Saturday evening was the Banquet. Tasty salmon (this is the Pacific Northwest, after all) followed by a moving and inspiring presentation by fiber-artist, Anita Luvera Mayer. Her garments made to honor the stages of women’s lives were beautiful and a touching tribute to women of all ages. Thursday evening a group of teachers went out for dinner before the Charity Knit-in. I was seated next to Anita and throughly enjoyed visiting with this delightful lady.

And then of course there was the marketplace. What would a fiber event be without a marketplace? Of course I shopped. More about that tomorrow. Right now, I really need to finish writing a new class handout.

My first trip of 2007 was to The National NeedleArts Association Trade Show in San Diego. This is a wholesale, to the trade only, show where shop owners, designer/teachers, and manufacturers gather to see what is new in the needlework world, take classes, and network. A whole lot of walking is involved as well!

For me, the most exciting “What’s New” product this year is Clover’s Crochet Lite line of crochet hooks. Last year they introduced the Knit Lite. I found the knitting needles were well balanced and the lit tips were nice. But I’m so busy with crochet that I rarely knit. What I found more exciting was they were working on crochet hooks.

This year the Clover booth was one of my first stops. I was not disappointed! In fact the Crochet Lite hooks exceeded my expectations. If you are familiar with the Clover Soft Touch hooks (which I also like), you will recognize the shape of the Lites. The first thing I did was ask if I could crochet a few stitches. I was wary…I tend to not be a fan of plastic hooks. Of course the tips on these are clear plastic so the light can shine through. This was totally unlike any other plastic hook I’ve ever had in my hands. The hook is well balanced and moves easily through the yarn with no snagging or drag at all. And what a difference the light makes! After a “certain” age it becomes difficult to see stitches on dark yarns - even in a fairly well-lit room. My eyes are past that certain age. If yours aren’t past that age yet, well, someday you will understand what I’m talking about. The hook throws enough light right on the next stitch that I can comfortably crochet even with black yarn.

I hope these photos will give you a little bit of an idea of the difference, but I’m not sure the photos really do the hook justice. These were taken in natural daylight on a typical Oregon overcast winter day with no flash.

With light off.

With light on.

Last Saturday I let my students test drive my Crochet Lite. One of them said, “Now I know what to tell the kids I want for Mother’s Day!” Sounds like a great idea to me. It’s what I plan to get Mom. For those of you worried that I just told Mom what she is getting for Mother’s Day - don’t worry, she doesn’t have a computer so won’t be reading this. For those of you who know my Mom - I’m counting on you to not spoil the surprise!

As I mentioned - I had a long wait at the airport on my return from San Diego. But the four hours went pretty quickly as I started a rust and tan scarf. At this point I didn’t know where the scarf was destined for. I just knew that I was enjoying making it and was sure it would find a good home.

The ten days at home between trips were full of activity. Teaching two classes at the Knitting Bee, assembling supplies and printing class hand-outs for the Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat, catching up on mail, un-packing and re-packing the suitcases.

This trip I’m driving, so no crocheting in route. I throw my nearly finished rust/tan scarf in the car along with a couple more skeins of stash yarn. Yes, there will be a marketplace where I can buy yarn at the Retreat. But I’m arriving on Wednesday and the market doesn’t open until Thursday. What if I run out of yarn Wednesday night? Possibly only another crocheter or knitter knows what kind of potential panic I’m talking about here! Okay, so I didn’t finish the scarf Wednesday night. But it could have happened!

I check the schedule of events. Thursday evening: Charity Knit-In and Giving Back - Special Presentations by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and Diane Formoso, Caring for Kids. I know my rust and tan scarf is going to stay in Tacoma for Diane’s kids. I finish crocheting the scarf during her presentation. I have yarn left over. I wonder, is it enough for a hat to match? I might as well start one and see. Well, as it turns out, not quite enough. But if I take out a few rows, add in the green that I brought along, and then go back to the rust and tan it will work.

One more evening of the Retreat left, so I start a green/green tweed scarf. Where will this one go? I have no idea yet. But I’m sure it will find a good home too.

I’m sorry I don’t have photos of either scarf or the hat. I didn’t take my camera with me on either of these trips. When I got home I did take a photo of the beginning of the green scarf along with another Pony cabled double-ended hook in it’s package. I’ve worked some of the stitches off the hook at this point and turned part of the scarf to the other side to give you an idea how the two sides look. This scarf measures about 62″ which might give you some idea of the number of stitches resting on the cable.

Thank you for staying with me as I’ve been learning to insert links and add photos to my blogging adventure. I’ll share a little more about my January travels with you in the next couple of installments.

Once I decided on crocheting for charity during my travels I remembered reading there would be a collection box for The Red Scarf Project at TNNA. A quick look at the website and I knew this was the project for my first trip. A visit to my yarn stash produced a partial skein of red/tan tweed and not quite a full skein of matching red. Maybe I’d better grab that partial skein of tan too. Their guidelines said the scarf should be about 60″ long and 5″ to 8″ wide. This will be the perfect time to try out my new Pony cabled double-ended crochet hook. I’ll work the scarf vertically, alternating red and the tweed. After working a couple of inches if it looks like I might run out of yarn before it is 5″ wide, I’ll add in some tan. Hmmm, what if I have time to make more than one scarf? Maybe I better take that skein of rust with me too.

Friday morning sitting at the airport I chain around 250 with the red and load the hook with loops. I turn the hook and work off the loops with the tweed and load the hook with tweed loops. As I turn the hook, ready to work off with red, a lady sitting across from me catches my eye and says, “At first, I thought you were knitting, but now I’m not sure.” It is a comment I hear often. Double Hook crochet, which also goes by names such as Crochet on the Double(TM), Cro-hook(TM), Cro-knit and Crochenit(TM), combines aspects of both knitting and crochet. When worked with more than one color it produces a fabric with a different predominate color on each side. I particularly enjoy the soothing, repetitive, rhythm of picking up all the stitches and then working them off.

In case you are wondering about that new hook … yes, I do like it! I really enjoy using a cabled hook and this one is satin smooth along the hook and the join with the cable. I can fit a lot of stitches on and never have to worry about them jumping off the unused end of the hook. You can check your local yarn shop for the cabled hook, as well as the 14″ straight hooks. Shops can order them through Muench Yarns.

As the flight nears San Diego I measure and discover my scarf is almost 3″ wide. I’ll have plenty of yarn without using the tan. By Sunday evening my scarf is 6″ wide and finished. Monday I drop it off in the collection box. Good thing I brought more yarn since I will have a long wait between the close of the show Monday afternoon and my flight out Monday night.

One of the nice things about working in the needle arts industry is when I attend meetings at trade shows and conferences I can crochet and listen at the same time and nobody thinks I’m odd or rude. Nearly everybody in the audience has some type of needlework in their hands. And of course there is all that uninterrupted crochet time on the airplane. Preparing for a trip always means organizing some crochet to take along.

About now you are probably wondering what does this have to do with crocheting for charity? I’ll be getting to that in a moment. But first let me admit, with some embarrassment, that until last year I had not done much crocheting for charity. Well, in a way I had because most of the afghans that I have crocheted for publication over the years were donated to charities once they were returned to me after their photo shoots. Most of the hats, scarves, and slippers also found good homes with local charities. What I mean is I had not done crocheting that came off my hook and went directly to a charity.

That changed last Fall when I heard about the Caps to the Capital program. It started with just a few. But the stack quickly grew. They were quick to crochet and as I thought of the babies who would be a little warmer, I would start one more hat. It ended up being over 60 “one more hats” before the mailing deadline.

Last month as I was getting ready for the trip to San Diego I realized my current crochet project was too large to comfortably work on in the plane or carry around to meetings. In the past, I would have struggled to find time in my schedule to design a new project that would “fit” all the requirements. It has to be small enough to carry around, but not so small I can’t see to work in sometimes less than an optimal lighting. Since I am designing this on short notice, the yarn has to already be at my house or at a local store. The list for the “perfect” take along project can go on and on.

But then I remembered how relaxing and rewarding crocheting those caps had been and realized I had my answer. During my travels this year I’ll be crocheting for charity. The projects requested are usually small. Perfect for using up odds and ends of stash yarn and they won’t take up much room in the suitcase. I quickly pulled together a few “kits”. Don’t you just love resealable bags? Throw in a couple of skeins of yarn, a hook, and a tape measure and I’m ready.

So what did I crochet on these first two trips of 2007? I’ll let you know in the next installment.