For the Love of #Crochet

So you get to tweeting, pinning, tumbling, facebooking, and raveling, and all of the sudden it's almost like you don't have a blog anymore!  This is not good, folks.  It should not be so.

Life is great in Mexico City. There's much going on - far too much to enumerate here.  What has inspired me to write today is a pretty cool magazine I picked up on a recent trip to Florida.  The name of the magazine is Love of Crochet, Spring 2012 (Ravelry Link) and it is published by Creative Crafts Group, LLC.  I bought it at a local chain bookstore for $6.99.

What I like about the magazine is the variety of projects and techniques.  There are projects for yarn of many weights, from size zero on up.  One example is the Time for a Cure watchband by Kristen Hein Strohm that is also a beading project. :)

I've totally hopped on the ripple train, so the Feather and Fan Scarf by Kristen Hein Strohm is a beautiful and fresh approach to that with a few pretty bobbles thrown in. 

Cowls are always great, and with the rise in popularity of post stitches, the Cabled Cowl by Pauline Fitzpatrick is a great gift option.  Depending upon the yarn you use, it could be a one ball project.

Oh my gosh! The Harland Hoodie by Tracey Ann Shears is so totally cute! It's a child's pattern, but I am thinking of sizing it up for myself!!


One thing I really loved was the Any Gauge Beret by Kate Bird.  Slouchy berets are so on trend right now and they're not going anywhere anytime soon.  I love that I now have this super-pattern to stitch one up in any yarn I happen to have on hand.

Finally! Someone who does granny square garments I would wear!  Don't get me wrong, I'm totally supportive of the resurgence of the granny, but the bold color matching is definitely not my thing.  For me, granny square garments need to be in subtle, coordinating colors, or solid colors.  That's why the Granny Skirt by Emma Varnam is pretty awesome to me.  In solid black, it's chic and even sexy.

The final thing I wanted to tell you about is a cool article about How to Cro-tat by Helen Free.  To me, it was worth it to buy the magazine just for that article and the accompanying cro-tat patterns.  One of my stitch group buddies is super into tatting, but I haven't taken the plunge to try an entirely new craft.  So this crochet/tatting hybrid is right up my alley.
I haven't made anything from the magazine yet, but I'm super happy to have it in my library. In fact, I've only mentioned a few of the patterns in the issue.  I'm sure that when I do hook one up I will enjoy every moment!

All photos from Love of Crochet. Thanks!