Fastest Crocheter Contest - I won!

Can't believe it's been 4 years ago, but the ladies in our local CGOA coaxed me into entering the fastest crocheter contest. You see, I said they "coaxed me" because I do not crochet fast. I prefer to work at a leisurely pace unless I'm working on a design for a deadline. Even though it's my work, I still want to enjoy what I'm doing and I'd be a nervous wreck if I had to go at a really fast pace all the time.

Don't let this certificate fool you! I'm probably not half as fast as Lisa Gentry or Lilly Chin! I'll have to ask Lisa how many stitches she did in 5 minutes to win the title of "Fastest Crocheter in the World"!! (Guinness Book of World Records)

 Anyway, since we only had around 10 people there that night, it was difficult to get the 6 or 7 of us to agree to entering the contest. I decided to go all out and give it a shot, and to my surprise, I won! Pam Frye, who had won all the previous years, probably felt sorry for me and allowed me to win. I don't know why I felt guilty, but maybe it's because I'm a professional crocheter? I have been crocheting for 42 years now, but some of the ladies have crocheted more often than I did through the years. I mostly made things for baby showers and Christmas gifts, until I started designing and actually making money from it. So now I do it just about every day!

Crochet Flamie Award Nominees for 2010

To see this years 

nominees, 

go to the 

Crochet Liberation 

Front website  

here

It's that time of year! I was awarded the Flamie award for "Best Crochet Pattern of the Year" in 2008 for my book, Crochet That Fits. I found out I had won while I was recuperating in the hospital after having emergency esophagus surgery. I was in the hospital for 16 days (March 09') and Mary Beth Temple had to interview me on "Getting Loopy", while I was on Morphine and in my hospital gown! I was a little nervous to be live on the air, while on medication, but was thrilled for the great honor. I believe my book won because of the new method I came up with that shows you how to make fitted, shaped, & flattering crochet garments and accessories without having to use any increases or decreases. I called it my Graduated Stitch Method. There are people all over the country (and world) writing me almost daily saying they made a garment for the first time ever and it was easy and fits perfectly. This is what the book is all about and it thrills me!

Click on the photo (left) to be directed to Amazon where you can read a description about the book and to see some of the projects in the book If you are a member of Ravelry, go to my page there to see most of my designs in the book. You'll see other people's projects made from my designs as well.

Stylish Blogger Award

 I've Been Awarded!

I'd like to thank  annielizabeth for bestowing me with the Stylish Blogger Award! What a nice person. Go to her blog here and see all the creative things she does. She runs a small retail/service business, she creates craft and art projects, talks about crochet, cooking, recipes, and organic gardening.

With this award, the following applies:
Post linking back to the person that gave you the award.
Share 7 random things about yourself.
Award 15 recently discovered bloggers.
Drop them a note, and tell them about it!

7 Random things about me:

1) I grew up in the deep south in a family of 5 children. I'm the middle child and was super shy. I live in Ohio now, but have lived in Texas (where I was born), Tennessee, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. (where I graduated) I have been across the Pacific ocean twice and my parents were missionaries in the Philippines and Lima Peru when I was young. I was taught the first grade in Spanish and my teacher couldn't even speak English.

2) When I was growing up my sisters and I had a singing group and we got paid to perform at events weekly and had our own radio show. We sang Folk songs and were called the "Harmony Folk Singers".  I have been performing solo for the past 30 yrs at festivals and fairs in a 3 state area. I sing songs of Karen Carpenter, Anne Murray, Amy Grant, Gloria Estafon, Linda Ronstadt, the Judds, Patsy Cline, and lots of others. I have a CD that will be for sale soon on my blog.

3) I manage a free clothing store that my church owns. It's huge and we give nice clothing away to around 1,000 individuals each year. I work there 1 day a week. In the past (before I started designing), I have been a Realtor, a supervisor for Christmas Around the World, and child care in my home, but the most important job was being a stay at home mom when my kids were growing up.

4) I have been crocheting for over 30 years and started designing professionally in 2005. I love it! I have authored Positively Crochet!, Crochet That Fits (voted "Best Crochet Pattern Book of 2008"), Crochet in Style and Crochet Young and Trendy. I also design for crochet magazines and some yarn companies. I love to cook and have a huge cookbook and crochet book collection.

5) I am a very positive person and try to look for the good in others. It's hard for me to be around negative people or people who complain constantly.

6) I was married for 38 years to the love of my life, until I found out one day that he was having an affair with another woman. This devastated me and it's been the worst time of my life. That was 3 yrs ago and I finally filed for divorce, which isn't final yet. I'm trying to live "one day at a time", and depend on God, friends and my family to get me through.

7) I have 3 grown children. They are: Brian (married to Anca from Romania), Jamie (married to Virgil, Anca's brother, from Romania), and Tracy (married to Ashley from Nashville).
They have given me 5 precious grandchildren! (Jade, (age 9) Chloe (age 7) Sophia (age 7) Coen (the only boy-age 4) and Amelie (age 16 months) They are double first cousins!


15 recently discovered blogs. They are in no particular order:

I'll have to come back and add these blogs when I have more time! If anyone has suggestions please let me know.

 Have a wonderful day!

Mary Jane Hall