Cold Weather Crochet by Marlaina Bird Book Review

Cold Weather Crochet by MarlaIna Bird

I love winter and was immediately drawn to the front cover of this book, full of cozy crochet garments and accessories. Oh yeah, and some afghans to snuggle up with too! For 35 years before I became a professional designer, I mostly worked on crochet during the winter months, because being indoors most of the time drew me to working on those warm accessories I made as gifts. After becoming a designer, I began working every day of the year on projects since it was a big part of my income.

But this cozy looking cover with the warm hooded scarf, white background and soft lights brought me back to those magical days of big snowflakes falling while gazing out the window. As an adult I moved from the deep south to northeastern Ohio, known as the “snow belt”, and even though I live in southern Ohio now, we get plenty of snow. People don't understand why I love snow so much especially growing up in the deep south. I love cuddling up on the couch with a warm afghan, and hot chocolate, sitting in front of the fire with loved ones. Winter was also the time I'd get together with a group of ladies once a month on a cold day, to visit, eat lunch and crochet. The older women helped the younger women, not only with our crochet, but giving us much needed advice on being a young wife and mother. I give those women, who've already passed on, much of the credit for me becoming a designer.

Sorry I got on a nostalgia trip, but those are the thoughts that affected me while browsing through this book. Marly has so cleverly come up with such an interesting variety here. These is something for everyone to keep them busy for years to come. Read more about Marly, her YouTube Podcast, and other books at the bottom of this post.

Thrummed Slippers - Slipper is inside out at right

My favorite project in the whole book and what immediately got me excited were the cute, quirky Thrummed Slippers. I love anything that's multicolored, not to mention they remind me of gumballs, a favorite childhood memory. I actually like the slippers best when they are turned inside out!

Another favorite is the green Cabled Shawl, not only because I love textured cable stitches but because green is one of my favorite colors.

Cabled Shawl

If you've never made cables before, I believe  this would be a good one to learn on.

The Favorite Socks look so comfy and are calling out to me even though I don't have time to make them right now.

The Hooded Scarf reminds me of a fantasy world and maybe that's why they chose the magical font for the titles. Very unique.

I'm happy Marly added the Lace Motif Wrap simply because I love lace!

Another thing you don't see much in books are men's items. You'll find 2 hats for your hubby or boyfriend.

African Flower Afghan

The colorful African Flower Afghsn is beautiful and I just love the colors.


Other perks of this book that Marly and Interweave have put together are:

1. Plenty of beautiful pictures
2. Much needed stitch charts and schematics
3. Instructions for hats include sizes sm, med and lg (up to xl on slippers)
4. Extra notes with each pattern
5. Variety of yarn weights from # 1 (fine) - bulky
6. Variety of stitch patterns - cables, shells, open lace,  lose stitch projects and lots of color!

More projects!

Hat and Chevron Cowl

Lace Motif Wrap

New Favorite Socks

A Little About Marly Bird

My Ravelry username is MarlyBird and my website is marlybird.com

Marlaina “Marly” Bird fled the world of financial services to launch her Yarn Thing podcast and hasn’t looked back since. To Marly, a bi-craftsy girl who both knits and crochets, the yarn is the star, not how you work with it.

She’s the co-author of Curvy Crochet (Leisure Arts, 2011), I Can’t Believe I’m Knitting Entrelac (Leisure Arts, 2014), and Knitting for Dummies 3rd ed.(Wiley, 2013). Marly is also creative director for Bijou Basin Ranch Yarns and you’ve seen her designs in Love of Knitting, Love of Crochet, Knitter’s, Knit Simple, Interweave Crochet, Knitscene, Inside Crochet, Wild Fiber and Petite Purls, and in many collaboration knitting and crochet books. In her spare time she raises three kids with her husband in suburban Denver.

Marly has 3 classes available on Craftsy.com-- Curvy Crochet, Curvy Knits, Mittens & Gloves Galore.

I guess the one typical thing for me is every Tuesday at 10am I do the live podcast. It can be found atwww.blogtalkradio.com/yarnthing or on my website www.MarlyBird.com

Review of Broomstick Lace Crochet + Giveaway!

Designer and Author Donna Wolfe proudly showing her book!
See my interview with Donna and info on the GIVEAWAY at the end of this post.

The first thing that caught my eye when I saw this book were the pretty colors on the cover. I'm intrigued by the book because I've never seen a crochet book based solely on Broomstick Lace. I have a collection of over 300 crochet books and magazines, which includes vintage as well as modern contemporary books. I learned to do broomstick lace many years ago but all I ever made with this easy to do unique method was a scarf so its great to have a whole book of projects! You'll love it!

Donna has come up with at 20 different projects including accessories, a skirt, little girls ballerina dress and a darling baby outfit. I would say the skill level on most of these are easy enough for a beginner but others will be challenging enough if you've been crocheting for many years!

Patterns for these projects include how to make an infinity scarf, a pillow cover, boot cuffs, tote bag, baby sweater, baby hat and booties to match, an evening bag, a cell phone case, a skirt (or swimsuit cover), a wide headband, a lacy wrap/scarf, fingerless gloves, a hoodie scarf, a dishcloth (or hot pad), a ballerina dress for a child, a blanket, a triangle kerchief scarf, a slouchy hat and a valance curtain. Each project can be adapted to custom fit a larger size such as the cell phone case being made larger to fit a tablet or laptop cover, a larger or smaller tote bag or a longer, wider scarf made into a wrap.

All the projects are unique but I think my favorite is the pink baby sweater, hat and bootie set shown above. It is just adorable and one of the cutest baby pictures I've ever seen! I also love the triangle kerchief scarf at right. Most items I've seen over the years are made from squares or rectangles and this is unique in that it is a triangle. You could easily make it into a larger triangle shawl or make 2 of them to form a poncho shape which would be seamed at the shoulder. I designed a triangular poncho in a book I did in 2005 this exact way. It's 2 large triangles with the lover's knot stitch sewn together to make the poncho. You can make a short or long poncho this way.

The patterns are written so that they are easy enough for anyone to understand and there are numerous, colorful “how to” photos with detailed instructions for anyone learning this for the first time. If you've dabbled in broomstick lace in the past, you probably already know the story of how it got started by using a broomstick to form the stitches, but in today's times, most people would use a very large knitting needle and a crochet hook for this craft, as Donna shows in the book. 

I think Broomstick Lace would be the perfect craft to get a young girl started on. Just think of all the fun and bonding you can have with your daughter or granddaughter. And if you're a crochet instructor, this is a great way to get others introduced to crochet.

The author, Donna Wolfe, has come up with a book that I think will be around for years! She's been able to fill a void in the crochet community with her ideas and patterns. Well done and good luck on the success of this unique book!

To see all the projects go to Donna's website here: 
http://naztazia.com/books/broomstick-lace/index.html
Other Free Patterns here:
http://naztazia.com/index/patterns/01.html

Interview with Donna

1. Mary Jane - How long have you been crocheting and how did you get into designing professionally?

Donna - I have been crocheting since I was 5 years old, which would make that about 37 years. My grandmother insisted I learn to knit, crochet, sew, embroider, quilt, bake, cook, garden, and do many other hands-on things at a very young age. In her world, crochet wasn't really viewed as a fancy art form per se. Instead, it was a very useful skill everyone should know early on so you can make hats, scarves, blankets and baby booties for friends and family.

2. Mary Jane -  What are your favorite items to design and what is your all time favorite?

Donna - I started designing on a  professional basis around 2000. At that time the Internet was becoming more photo-intensive, as opposed to the text-based service most of us used since the late 80's, and I began displaying my work online. As you well know, when people see something they like online, the first question they ask is, "Where can I find the pattern?" My initial pattern writing was actually quite complex - I enjoyed the intricate lace patterns that took 25 rows just to complete one motif. However I soon realized not everyone is accustomed to working with size 5 crochet thread and directions that take up 10 pages. Instead I focused on creating patterns that are relatively easy and quick to make, yet have an interesting visual flair to them. And these types of written patterns are much easier to film for my YouTube videos. YouTube tutorial videos open up the world of crochet to many more people, most especially the younger generation.

Mary Jane - I completely agree Donna, that if we want to be successful as a designer we need to design patterns that are in demand!

Donna - My favorite type of items to design are those that are very meaningful to people. I designed an awareness ribbon scarf that can be made in any color (e.g. pink for breast cancer, yellow for our troops). The positive feedback and photos I receive from people wearing their pink ribbon scarf for breast cancer, or purple for pancreatic cancer, or lime green for lymphoma is truly amazing. I also like to design items for children for the holidays. There is nothing cuter than a crocheted Santa hat on a newborn baby. And these types of crochet items are guaranteed to be treasured by the recipient for years to come.

Adorable Free Patterns - Click Here

3. Mary Jane - I read book about how your grandmother taught you to do hairpin lace. Is this your favorite technique or do you have other favorite stitches too?

Donna - As far as stitches, I have a love/hate relationship with the half-double crochet stitch. You will find that I use it quite often in my patterns, especially when I need to fill an area with stitches rather quickly. It creates a nicer, softer drape than the tighter single crochet stitch, yet it doesn't create the large spaces and holes like the double crochet stitch. But for some reason I have a heck of a time actually crocheting it! And yet I continue to use it in my patterns, because it's one of the nicest stitches, visually speaking.

As far as techniques, one of the common denominators you will find in my early YouTube videos is I demonstrated all of the more unique crochet techniques, including broomstick lace, hairpin lace, solomon/love knot, tunisian crochet, etc. I don't have a favorite technique, but tunisian crochet interests me the most. The stitch variations, many of which look like knitting, and visual effects you can create with tunisian (like picture blankets) is just mind-boggling. I really need to design more patterns using tunisian crochet.

4. Mary Jane - What are your interests other than designing? Hobbies, talents, collections?

Donna - If you were to poll 100 of my Facebook friends, 90 of them know me as a fiber artist. However I have spent almost 25 years in the IT/computer world. My main occupation is a business consultant specializing in the tech industry, and I also teach IT-related courses at colleges. This background sure has helped with using photography and video editing software, designing my website, and using all the social media outlets to promote my work.

5. Mary Jane -  How do you manage your designing career and deadlines with a family? I

More Free Patterns!

didn't start designing till my kids were grown and on their on and I 
know it would have been difficult for me back then.

Donna - I am very fortunate to have a lot of help with my kids, with a huge portion of the credit going to my parents. It also helps that I am a late-night owl, and can get more work done between the nice quiet hours of 10pm and 1am than most office people do during their not-so-quiet 8am to 5pm workday.

Mary Jane - We must be kindred spirits Donna! I also do my best work in the evening! It's amazing how much more I can get done when everyone else is asleep!

6. Mary Jane - What is your proudest accomplishment in your career?

Donna- In my fiber-art career, achieving over 7 million views on my "Basic Crochet" video on YouTube definitely made me smile. Good thing I paid close attention to all the chains and single crochet stitches Gram had me make. It's too bad my grandmother isn't alive today to see the impact she has had on so many people around the world.

Mary Jane - Wow! I am amazed at that! I know your gram would be so proud of you! 

7. Mary Jane - What is your next crochet venture? What are you working on?

Donna - Right now I am focusing on designing more free patterns and making corresponding YouTube tutorial videos based upon the requests I have received from current viewers. I have over 120 items on the request list. That should keep me busy for quite some time!

Mary Jane - I'd say so! Thank you Donna, for a very interesting interview and especially for your beautiful book! I'm so happy I found you and hope this post helps to spread the news!

See some videos with Donna below!

Marie from Underground Crafter runs a podcast show, so I did a Broomstick Lace podcast for her online article:  http://undergroundcrafter.com/blog/2016/01/12/guest-post-donna-wolfe-tells-all-about-broomstick-lace-and-her-new-book-broomstick-lace-crochet/

My editor at Stackpole asked me do a YouTube video on the Broomstick Lace book, which they give to their distributors to link to and such:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJX9gA6h9dA

                               BROOMSTICK LACE CROCHET GIVEAWAY!

To have a chance to win this book in this GIVEAWAY, all you have to do is leave a comment saying you'd like to be entered. I will leave this contest open for 2 weeks from today and then I'll choose a winner. Please leave your info because when I've done a giveaway in the past, I could not contact the winner because she didn't leave her info. I had to chose another person, and that's what I'll do here if I'm not able to contact you. 

Cute Crochet Chat withe Jocelyn Sass - Next Stop on the Book Blog Tour for Colorful Crochet Lace

Jocelyn Sass
of Cute Crochet Chat

I have never met designer, Jocelyn Sass, in person, but feel a real connection with her and am honored to announce her participation in this blog tour. She was having designs published in magazines way before I got into it, and you really should go to her Ravelry Designer page to see her creations. You'll be amazed at her many unique designs! When I first started my designing career, she was one of the persons who welcomed me and supported me in my career. She is a super sweet person and I think I told her once if we lived near each other, she would be one of my best friends. She has made a real impact on me, and I appreciate her for supporting everything I've done in the designing world.  Thank you Jocelyn for being the friend that you are, the wonderful review of my books and for participating in my book blog tour for Colorful Crochet Lace! I really appreciate your for everything!

To connect with Jocelyn and have a chance to win a copy of Colorful Crochet Lace, in her giveaway, please go to her blog HERE.
Next stop on the book blog tour is at Hot Lava Crochet with my designer friend, Tammy Hilderbrand. See her link below.

Colorful Crochet Lace Book Blog Tour Schedule

1. Knit Crochet Craft – Vickie Howell (Mary Jane will be Vickie's guest blogger that day, kicking off the tour 8/4)
2. Outstanding Crochet – Natalia Kononova (review and promotional giveaway 8/5) +photos of her project
3. Bonnie Bay – Bonnie Barker (review, interview, and promotional giveaway 8/6) She's making a project
4. Crochetville – Amy Shelton (she'll show the Au Naturel Top she made, review, promotional giveaway 8/7) Amy made the Au Natural Cropped Top and will share her picturesj
5. My Little City Girl – Alla Koval (she'll show the Juliette Scarf she made , interview, and review 8/10). Alla made a project which she will share.
6. Yarn Thing Podcast – Marly Bird (author interview podcast 8/13)
7. Hook & Needle Designs – Lisa Gentry (8/14)
8. GoCrochet – Ellen Gormley (review and author interview) (8/17)
9. Turquoiz Blue – This is Crochet - Turquoiz Blue (8/18)
10. Cute Crochet Chat – Jocelyn Sass (review and promotional giveaway 8/19)
11. Hot Lava Crochet – Tammy Hildebrand (interview, review, and promotional giveaway 8/20)
12. The Crochet Architect – Susan Lowman 8/21
13. Crochet Renee – Renee Rogers 8/24

  To order Colorful Crochet Lace click HERE. To see all the designs in the book of 22 lace garments and accessories, please visit my Ravelry designer page HERE.

Vogue Knitting Crochet 2013 - Sneak Peek!

Okay, the cats out of the bag. I have been waiting for this moment several months now. Isn't the cover stunning? I'm really excited about Vogue Knitting's 2013 Crochet Collectors Edition coming out because they chose one of my designs for the magazine. You may want to order your copy ASAP, because they sold out pretty quick last year! If you know the history of this magazine, you will understand why.

Vogue Knitting Crochet 2013 Collectors Issue

  For those who don't realize it, Vogue Knitting had not published a crochet magazine since 1994. I bought that issue way back then and it's been one of my favorite crochet books for many years.

That crochet version was very successful, so I have no idea why the publishers waited 18 years to do another crochet version. They finally put out a VK Crochet 2012. Since it was such a huge success, they immediately started making plans for their 2013 crochet version. Keep in mind they only published one crochet issue last year, and as far as I know this is the only VK Crochet magazine till 2014, making the book well sought after. Also popular for their gorgeous background settings behind the designs and models, you will not be disappointed!.

1994 Vogue Knitting Crochet 
Collectors Issue

 Their crochet issues are just as classy as other Vogue Knitting magazines, so I have been coveting a spot for one of my designs. Scroll down to see several projects featured in the 2013 issue. You're eyes will be drawn to the colorful pages of designs

You can only imagine how thrilled I was when I got the email saying one of my designs had been chosen for Vogue Knitting Crochet 2013! To read more about the magazine and order it online before it's on the news stands, go here. You'll see designs of top rated, well known designers of today, of which I am proud to be among. Some include Jill Wright, Vickie Howell, Robyn Chachula, Mari Lynn Patrick, Carol Ventura, Charles Voth, Mary Beth Temple and many more you may recognize. Check back tomorrow when I reveal my design in the book. If you're familiar with my design style, why don't you take a guess?

Nice Variety of Vogue Knitting Crochet Designs (magazine 
showcases 33+ fabulous patterns you will love!

Two Color Scarf by Mary Jane Hall - Recently Published

I'm excited to share a photo of one of my scarf designs that was recently published in a book called Go Crafty Crochet Accessories. In fact I have 2 scarf designs in this book. The first one is a scarf with small circles, not much bigger than a quarter, called the Two Color Scarf. The second design is a Lavender Flower Scarf with Dark Purple Trim. I will feature that scarf in a separate post. The publisher is Soho Publishing in New York City, which is the same publisher of Vogue Knitting and Knit Simple magazines. They also used to produce Crochet Today! magazine.

Photo from the Book (scroll down to see front cover)

My artist daughter, Jamie Vaduva, did a sketch of a scarf with circles about 5 years ago and this year was the first time I submitted it to anyone. I really liked Jamie's color combination, which was more of a medium green and medium blue. After my submission was accepted, the editor wanted me to do the scarf in the light teal, and lime green, as pictured in the photo above. When she sent me the yarn, I didn't like the color combination at all, but as I made the scarf it started to grow on me. I really do like it now and hope you do too! If you'd like to order this book with 11-12 accessories (scarves, hats, bags, wrist warmers), you can order it at Knit Picks here. Go to Knit Picks homepage to see their beautiful, but inexpensive yarns.

This Accessory book is sold at Knits Picks

Another view of scarf in the book

Crochet for Barbie by Nicky Epstein

Crochet for Barbie by Nicky Epstein

w

Crochet Then and Now - We've Come A Long Way Baby!
If you were Barbie, which outfit would YOU rather wear? Whatwould Ken think? 
Scroll down to see more modern, fashionable Barbie clothes.

I found this black and white picture of Barbie wearing some hideous crochet outfits, in an old magazine, and was reminded of why some people in the past did not like crochet. I understand! I don't want to make fun of the person who designed this, and I'm sorry if it's you or your grandmother. But if the person had only used a small thread to make the clothes, wouldn't it have been much better? I just could not ever embarrass Barbie in this way. I can just hear her now saying "This dress makes me look so fat!" Or "I really don't want to be seen in public at the beach with this thick diaper on!" Poor Barbie, I'm afraid she's had to endure many unflattering garments over the years. She probably sobbingly said, "What were they thinking? Ken will never like me in this!" I believe, as you will too, that the standards of publishers and designers everywhere have skyrocketed since this old magazine was published. I found the aqua and white outfit in the customer gallery of  Creative Yarn Source. (formerly Crochet Style, Etc) The outfit was made with Hilos Omega # 2 nylon thread and # 10 cotton by Barbara.

I was never privileged to have a Barbie doll when I was growing up, but my daughter had several and I excitedly made clothes for her Barbies. After I started designing, I had thoughts of doing a Crochet Barbie book, but Nicki Epstein beat me to it! She did a fabulous job and nothing could ever top what she did! I have always been impressed by Nicki and her designs, (both knit and crochet), and have most of her books.

                           Modern Barbie Crochet

You'll love this book by Nicky Epstein!

 Nicki Epstein has been one of my favorite designers for a long time and she did such a superb job on her Crochet Barbie book. See some of my favorite Barbie outfits in her book. (scroll down) To buy her book, click on the small book cover below to be directed to Amazon where you can buy it. If you click from my blog, go to Amazon and buy something after being directed there from my website, I'll get a percentage, so thanks ahead of time if you do that!

This outfit is SO chic!

Designs from Nicky's book. Her sweater looks so much like the one I designed for Positively Crochet! This book came out before mine, but I didn't see this until 3 yrs after my book was published. I told you she's a "girl after my own heart". We have some of the same ideas. The granny square outfit is much like some I've seen on the runways for 2011. Sorry about the poor scan!

Design from Nicky's book. I found this on Ravelry.

Design from Nicky's book. I found this on Ravelry.

Design from Nicky's book. Love the modern Barbie outfits! This knitted top looks like it could easily be done in crochet with my Graduated Stitch Method in Crochet That Fits. (w/o having to use increases and decreases)

Karen Whooley (featured Designer) and her new book - "I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting Socks!"

Today I'm featuring fellow designer, Karen Whooley,
(see her bio below) and her new book, I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting Socks (Leisure Arts #5263)

Karen has authored several books and designs for crochet magazines as well. Even though she's been designing since 1998, I've just gotten to know her recently and love her bubbly, enthusiastic personality, which really shows through the book. She's passionate about her work and loves to share her experiences in crochet with her fans and anyone looking to learn new techniques.

I'm kind of embarrassed to say this, since I've been crocheting for 38+ years, but I have never made crochet socks! Now the cats out of the bag, but what a better way to reveal this fact than to tell you how excited I am to learn! I never really had a huge desire to make socks because I thought it would be boring and time consuming. Not! I found out that's not true at all and I owe my awareness of this to Karen. I've had so much fun working on my socks and it's been hard to even put them down! The fantastic new sock yarns that are available, with gorgeous color combinations, make it impossible to be bored! I was so wrong and now I'm addicted! You can stick this tiny project into your purse and take it anywhere. Thanks Karen for giving me the confidence I needed to start my very first sock project!

The minute I got my copy  in the mail, I anxiously looked through it to find just the right pattern for me. Since I love lace, I had initially decided on the Lace Socks, but thought I'd better start at the beginning with one of the basic sock patterns. First of all, the book tells you how to measure your foot to get the perfect fit, followed by a Toe Up sock, and a Cuff Down sock. I played around a little with each one, and finally decided on the Toe Up sock. I don't have it completely finished, but want to show you a sneak peak of my very first sock! Karen's instructions are very clear and easy enough for an advanced beginner, but challenging enough if you are experienced at crocheting. I love the colors of the yarn I chose. It's ONline Supersock 100 in "Candy" color, which I bought at my local yarn shop, Fiberworks. It's sold here also.

My first sock!

Another helpful tool is that Karen has a section in the book on the best
fibers to use for socks (stretchability) and the best yarn weights. Since crochet is denser (thicker) than knitting, she has you use hooks that will make the sock nice enough so you can actually wear them in shoes!

 Other features of this book are:

All photos used by permission

1. Each part of the sock (toe, heel, cuff, foot, etc) is shown in different colors, making it very easy to understand. An example of this is in the photo at the right and below. I LOVE  that  feature and I'm sure you will too!

2. One of the best features of the patterns is that there is no seaming whatsoever! I like that a lot!
3. There are step by step explanations
4. Large print
5. Easy to follow charts and diagrams
6. Lots of colorful photos
7. Nine different patterns (including patterns for men and young children)
8. Wide variety of stitch patterns (Cable st, Lace st socks, Ripple st socks, Tube sport socks, Ankle socks, Ribbed Cuff socks, Cobblestone st, etc)

 My Favorite Socks in the book are the Lace Socks

All the patterns are great, and it was hard for me to pick a favorite! My second choice is the Ripple socks. I highly recommend this book if you have never made socks before! You will not be disappointed! I hope you'll check it out and have as much fun as I am having with my very first socks! Now I can say, "I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting Socks!"  This is so exciting to me!  Thanks Karen!

 About the Author - Karen Whooley

Karen Whooley learned to crochet at age 7. She was taught by her Italian “Nonna” (Grandmother) and learned all the stitch names in Italian! Since Nonna didn’t know how to read patterns written in English, Karen had to teach herself.
Karen didn’t start her career as a designer until 1998. Up until that point she would follow patterns she bought in the store. If something didn’t work out to her satisfaction, she would modify it. Then in December of 1998, she met Terry Kimbrough through one of the many crochet lists on the Internet. Terry, who has always been one of Karen’s favorite designers, encouraged her to try her hand at designing something. Her first designs were Flower Dishcloths and to her amazement, Annie’s Attic liked them! From that point her career took off! When her design career started, Karen also opened the doors of Crochet Legacy. Crochet Legacy grew from just offering a few patterns, to including accessories, classes and workshops and a whole lot more. In 2004, Karen finally learned to knit. In January 2007, Crochet Legacy became KRW  Knitwear Studio, to include her patterns in knit as well as crochet. Karen lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest (Washington state) with her husband, David, of 20 years and her two children.

   To find out more about Karen, her designs and books go HERE.

  Karen Ratto-Whooley

  President, Creative Design and Development
                  

   www.krwknitwear.com

Crochet That Fits - Review from a Knitter!

WOW! This review made my day! It was posted on Amazon by a Knitter, and it sets me on high. If you are a crocheter, you know what I mean. She doesn't even crochet and she says my books made her want to learn. We have never met. She looked me up on Facebook and Ravelry, and I feel like I should be paying her to say this stuff! Thank you SO much Fiddlestickchic !!!!

Customer Review on Amazon

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

THIS DESIGNER CHANGED MY VIEW OF CROCHET !, January 11, 2011

By

Fiddlestickchic

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Crochet That Fits: Shaped Fashions Without Increases or Decreases (Paperback)

I own the first book MS Hall wrote and was SO inspired by that book ,,,,I bought this one also.

What makes this unusual is that I am a knitter( self taught by books and trial and error) and I only know the very basics of crochet!!!!!!! Add to that the fact that I buy very few knitting books and its a double whammy.

So impressed was I by this incredible designer~ that I wanted to understand more and learn this method of fitting w/o increases and decreasing ( do you *KNOW* how many forms of increase and decrease there are in knitting??????)

This has opened up an entirely new world for me,,,,,I am practicing by making skirts for my grandaughters and YES YES YES (!) I do intend to make the little black dress on the cover!
We will be going to Italy to celebrate an anniversary( and visit relatives) and I see myself on a sidewalk cafe drinking my cappacino in that dress,,,,but eating VERY little pasta while wearig it!)
The vertical lines are flattering,and I can already see myself tweaking things to make it my own (never did follow a pattern 100%! It's the rebel in me!)

But,,isnt that the beauty of learning these techniques as opposed to always following patterns??

Once you get this technique downpat,,you are FREE to design to your hearts content! And* THAT* is why I purchased this book,,,it was all about design for me!!!!!

Somewhere along the line I forsee using this technique to make a coat,,yep,,a coat.

I have a lovely white mink coat from my grandmother that I want to repurpose and I want to use the sleeves and the collar on a black coat( and make a teddy bear too,,,,,)
(I think I hear people gasping now )


I did spend some time in the crochet section of our local book shop and looked at many many different books ( OK I was looking at knitting books too,,,,,)
I saw NOTHiNG CLOSE to this book in any crochet pattern book,,,,,,,and by that I am comparing this to other clothing crochet books ,,,,,so its apples to apples here

MaryJane Hall is very talented,,,,,I plan on joining the crochet guild of America b/c there is a show ooming up this spring in the Midwest this year ( at this point my Stitches Midwest knitting friends think I am loosing it,,,,)
Wait till they see the pretty dress when we get together,,,,,,that'll be a fine day yes??

I only hope that I can someday take a class from her,,,,,her designing mind is incredible!
Great book,,,,,,,,FANTASTIC technique! This will be used for many many garments !
And if you are a * knitter*,,,,its OK to cross that line and learn something new,,,,,who knows you just may grow to love it as much! You have nothing to lose and EVERYTHING TO GAIN!!!!!

Great Review of Positively Crochet! Book of 50 trendy designs

WOW! This is one of the best reviews ever! It really made my day, especially since she is a knitter!

Positively Crochet! By Mary Jane Hall

Customer Review

This book made me want to learn to crochet !, January 4, 2011

By

Fiddlestickchic

This review is from: Positively Crochet!: 50 Fashionable Projects and Inspirational Tips (Paperback)

I had done some crocheting in my life( very little) but I know the basic stitches and I was happy to be a knitter,, learning to design my own sweaters at this point~
I kind of felt smug about where I was in needlearts.
Lo and behold,,,,,,, I picked up this book at a bookstore and was totally SHOCKED b/c I have NEVER seen such lovely designs in crochet,,,,,, * ever*!!!!!!!!

It was my ( mistaken) belief that crochet did not produce the same pretty garments as knitting does even tho I think it is a far quicker method of getting mittens done ( if you need to make as many as I do in a year!) or even hats,
I worked quietly on my trusty double points and took my time knitting LOADS of mittens!

While I will ALWAYS love knitting( and my all time favorite Fair isle knitting),,,,,,Mary Jane Hall's 2 crochet books have changed my fiber life to include learning to absolutely LOVE crochet...... and its lovely lacy effect even more than knitting at times! ( did I REALLY just write that?????? me?? a tried and true knitter??) Guess I did!

I LOVE the cover sweater( and can see myself wearing this in black) and the oh so gorgeous tangerine sweater in this book and plan to make several of the those amazing sweaters in different colors for the summer~
Once I make something that I really really love I tend to make several in varied colorways~ green would be a second choice for this gorgeous pattern) but I am SO excited to learn this new art b/c I have 5 granddaughters and they ALL love lacy items

This in no way is saying that all the items in this book are lacy ~ they are not.
Clearly I fell in love with this book,, and while I will write a review for her other book,,,,,,BOTH of them are absolutely incredible to me,,,,,,a die hard knitter!
THANK YOU for opening my eyes to the beauty of crochet Mary Jane Hall!!!!! You are one VERY talented lady!!!!!! I truly hope to see more books using your incredible talent!

To see the book on Amazon click here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0896895173/ref=cm_rdp_product

Bella Online - Kate Pullens Review of Positively Crochet
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art4571.asp

Crochet Today Review of Positively Crochet

Interweave Crochet Magazine Review of 

Positively Crochet