Flowery Sneak Peek

Ok, so I have been really quiet this week on the blog. I didn't want you guys to worry that I was feeling icky again. Actually, I am finally starting to feel like myself again (minus the growing belly), and I tried to get a jump on work. This week I had a deadline for a summer crochet magazine and I really wanted to get moving on the dreaded taxes. (Why does it always seem like they sneak up on you?) So checking my books is no fun to blog about, and takes up way too much time; so hence my quietness. At least, I do have a sneak peek for you before the week was out!

This little project was a tight turnaround. I got the assignment about 3 weeks ago (that's pretty tight, I usually have more like 6-8 weeks). Of course, I putzed around and really didn't make any progress until Monday. So in 3 days I designed and crocheted this little top. It was a crochet to the wire project. At 3pm, I decided I didn't like the edging, and ripped it out and re-did it. (Those to the right are all my ends.) Luckily, I made it to UPS by 6pm, so all was well.

As always, I will let you know more about the design as soon as I can.

Looking for some fabric?

Looking for some fabric that is totally awesome with some never before seen designs?



Well, go check out my friend Qiana's etsy shop. She is a graphic artist that turned some of her artwork into fabric. It is really modern and totally fabulous. I have been patiently waiting for her to post them, because her flickr stream was SO tempting! (Is her work just not totally inspiring? That Flickr set is so awesome!)




She's offering them in fat quarters (18" by 21"), if you want more; just email her. I can totally see these turning into amazing bags, pillows, dresses, curtains, and more and more.

Inside Crochet Uncovered

Have you seen the preview for the new magazine, Inside Crochet?

It is a UK based magazine that is headed by two of my favorite people, Amy O'Neill Houck and Julie Holetz. Both of who have tech edited my books, Amy on Mission Falls and Julie on Blueprint Crochet. So even though I love them anyway, I can say too that they are awesome editors and this magazine I just know will be great.

I feel extra special, because they let me contribute a couple of articles that I hope you all will love. One will be a series in the magazine, but I won't say more until you get it in your hands. Which you should be able to do either by ordering it online, or at B&N or Borders here in the US. Check with IS just to be sure, first. You can also join the Ravelry Group, where I am sure they will have lots more info on the magazine.

There are a couple of designs I can share with you though. I have 2 designs in the first issue.

River Road Cardi is a combo of granny flower yoke and a top down cardigan. Yup, I combined my 2 favorite methods in one sweater. It is made with Debbie Bliss, Rialto DK yarn (very nice to work with). Here are a few more pics of the cardi before I sent it out. And of course the sneak preview (I know I was super sneaky with that one!) My preview was correct, I did whip this out quick. Mainly because I must have fiddled with the next line at least a dozen times, so in the end I had to move quick to ship it over to England in time.


Meadow Scarf is another granny motif project. This one is bright and fun with different colors on each round of the granny flower. Here is my pic of it before I shipped it out, you can see the colors a bit better. This one didn't have any sneak preview, or at least none that I can find. My wonderful cousin whipped this out for me over the holidays when I was designing the rest for the magazine. The yarn is Sublime, which (and I know Rebecca would agree with me) is sublime to crochet with. It's a cashmere, wool, silk blend- what's not to love?

I can't wait to get a copy of it. I really love the look of Chloe's Kimono and Monica's vest; and I can't wait to see what else they have in store for us!

Secret Project Revealed

If you have been following this blog for a while now, you know that I have been talking about sending in my next book proposal for a good 5 months. I know! I talk and talk about it, but have I done it? Well, no. And for a really good reason.

See we have some big news around here, that has shaken up the CBF Headquarters for the last few months. What's that big secret news that I have only slightly offhandedly hinted at?

CBF headquarters will be adding its newest member of the team, oh around about Mid September. That's right, we're having a baby.

So not moving on any book proposal, starts making more sense, right? It certainly would if you have been around me the last few months, because I have been miserable. Just terribly sick. It is also the reason, I have not blogged much or chatted on Twitter or been at Ravelry or anywhere really. (For those of you who have taken classes from me in the last few weeks, it is also the reason I was sitting down a lot and nibbling on snacks constantly.) Basically my goal most days the last couple of months have just been to get through the day, get some work (really any work) done and go to sleep. I have just recently (like in the last few days) started to feel better, so I thought it was perfect timing to let you all in.

Now, don't worry. If you aren't a big baby person, I am not going to turn my blog into constant baby chatter or anything. This blog is still for crochet and Crochet By Faye designs. Actually, I don't plan on mentioning it much more here at all. See, I am super duper superstitious and don't want to jinx anything. That also means that I don't plan on sharing too much details until the little peanut is here. But if I do need to share, it will be on Facebook or Twitter.

Still, I wanted to let you all know what was going on here at CBF, since it has really rocked our world. We are super excited for CJ (Crochet Jr) to join the staff and wanted to let you all know our thrilling news.

2009 Crochet Awards

Did anyone get a chance to listen in to the Live 2009 Crochet Awards show on Getting Loopy last night?

If so, then you know how absolutely tickled I was to win Best Tech Crochet Book and Best Crochet Instructor. (if not, click the link above and you can listen to the show) Tickled may not be the word, Astounded may be better.

Not only for winning the awards, but for being nominated for 6 of them. (Besides the ones I won, I was nominated for Best Crochet Pattern Book, Best Crochet Blog, and Best Crochet Designer of Women's and Men's fashions). Being nominated for so many really touches my heart, especially since I really respect everyone I was nominated with in the categories. It must really mean that a number of you like my work, which is just so wonderful to hear. Every designer has days when they just don't think their work is up to snuff, and I am so lucky that I will be able to look back and say hey- people do like what you are doing- so keep doing it!

I have to say winning the Best Crochet Instructor is really amazing. I love to teach, and having my students vote for me was just incredible. Winning the Best Technical Book makes me beam. Knowing that so many of you love crochet symbols as much as I do. So thank you guys so much for taking the time to fill out the survey and vote! And thanks for asking if Blueprint Crochet Two is in the works- that is just so sweet of you. On that last note, all I will say is that stay tuned to the blog and later this week all will be explained. It's been a secret for months now and I am looking forward to spilling soon!

Behind Interweave Crochet Spring

If you have checked the IC website lately, you will have notice they have posted the new Spring Issue.

In this issue, I did a light spring cardigan called the Blossom Kimono.

The backstory to the kimono starts at the call for designs. For this issue, Kim was looking for garments that would flatter women from small to plus-size. I got really inspired by this and turned in a bunch of designs. Granted, I am a big believer that garments should not be designed from XS to XXXL, since it really does a disservice to all the sizes. Every woman's body is different and should be treated as such. It would be really cool if we could design for the busty or hippy woman instead of grouping them into "standard" sizes. Still, I knew I really wanted to turn in so designs that would look nice on everyone.

I researched really hard, and must have come up with a dozen sketches. I weeded them down to 4 designs that I was confident would look great on any woman. The Blossom Kimono was one of them. The design is a straight hip length cardigan, that can be left open or belted closed. Being that if you are busty, you can belt it and get some waist definition. If you don't want to show your waist, you can hide it without a belt and let it just hang open.


The fabric of the kimono came from swatching last summer with my then favorite stitch the X and P stitch. The motif looked like an exploded blossom, hence the name. Since the cardigan was for spring, I knew that either cotton or wool would be fine. With this lacy motif, I knew either blends would work and not be too hot or cold. So I proposed it both ways. We ended up going with Blue Sky Alpaca's Skinny Dyed Cotton. It comes in an awesome array of colors, muted and sophisticated. Since we went with cotton I made sure that my wide 3" border was going to be just as lightweight as the rest of the fabric (no rows and rows of SC here). It is a simple repeat of extended sc and ch-1 spaces. The stitch pattern looks really nice with little "V" everywhere and not like a grid. The contrasting colors are added last with SL ST embroidery on top.

Even though it does have P stitches, extended stitches, and embroidery. The shaping is straight-forward. But really, isn't it fun learning new stitches anyway?

The wonderful part is that Interweave posted all the diagrams online to the pattern. So once you buy the magazine and get all the info on the layouts and yarn, you can switch to the diagrams and fly.

Hope you enjoy this Issue. Be sure to check out those bonus photos. A number of the projects have more then meets the eye to them, which is really cool. Like Marly's Tote with hidden pocket, or Jodi's blanket with incredible cables, or Kristin's Pullover with Lacy Linked stitches, and more.

Baby Sweater in a Minute

Tina's Baby Sweater
Originally uploaded by rchach

Ok, so it did take me longer then a minute...

This weekend I went to a Baby Shower for my cousin. On Thursday night (about a day and a half before the shower), something came over me and I decided I had to crochet her another baby sweater. Yes, you heard me correctly, ANOTHER. What can I say? Crochet just took over my reasoning ability, and I could not resist. (My reasoning went like this: the baby sweater I made was more for a year old size, and the baby wouldn't be able to wear it for a while. And the newborn robe I made her, she would grow out of fast. So in the between time, she needed something handmade to cover her little body, right?)

So Thursday night, I grabbed some Sirdar Baby Bamboo I had extra from another project and my hooks and got started. Half way through the night, I wasn't happy with the drape so I ripped and re-started in a bigger hook. By morning I only had about 3/4 of the back finished. But since our car ride is about 4.5hours, I could whip through the fronts and joining in no time. Saturday morning, I spent 1.5 hours adding the border and tie, and still had plenty of time to help our Aunt set-up for the shower.

Mission Accomplished!

The size is about 3-6 months. I used the Rock Wrap pattern from my Mission Falls Goes Crochet booklet. I skipped the sleeves and just added a little border edging there instead. The baby bamboo yarn is much lighter then the MF cotton, and by using the smallest size written (12 mths); I got the smaller size I was looking for. (I should note that I added a few extra rows to the body and arm areas, to make up the difference in my gauge.) Complete stats: 2.5 balls of yarn, H hook, one button (on the inside).

I couldn't be happier with the outcome. It is cute and soft and will be great for spring through early fall.

Work in Progress

51.365
Originally uploaded by rchach

It's been a quiet week around the CBF headquarters. I had a few proposals to get out and not much time for making progress on any of my projects. (Mainly due to dealing with Faye, she has developed some foot infection and we are at the vet all the time now. Poor Baby- since all she wants to do is go play, she couldn't care if her paws are hurt, she just wants to go go go. Keeping a 80lb GS settled is a full time job in the spring.)

I have been trying to crochet a few blocks of this new project each time. More for me to get to touch some yarn. Its going to be a new pattern in the Crochet By Faye line. I'll be posting pictures from time to time as it grows.

Hope the week has been more productive for you guys!

Professional Development Day at CGOA

For all you crochet professionals and aspiring professionals, we have finalized the schedule of events at this year's Professional Development Day (PDD) at CGOA's National Convention. This year it will be on August 5th at the Buffalo Convention Center.

Those of you who have not been to a PDD it is a day devoted to helping you grow and success in the crochet industry. I should say that even though it is crochet-centric, everything we will discuss is easily transferred to the knitting profession as well. PDD is my favorite day, and probably the foremost reason why I am an active guild member. I have been to a number over the years, and each time I come away with something new I did not know before. I have found that the cost of the day and traveling, have far exceeded what I have gained by attending (and I'm not talking about the freebies and yarn that is given away, but the advice and networking that I would have never gotten if I stayed home!)

This year our theme of the day is all about everything you can do with a crochet career. From designer, to editor, to yarn store owner, to teacher, to yarn company rep, to podcaster, and more!

The morning will be a panel discussion from a great group of professionals willing to share their keys to success with everyone. Panelists include: Edie Eckman, Author of Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs; Drew Emborsky, Author of The Crochet Dude's Designs for Guys; Cari Clemens, Director of Fashion and Yarn at Caron International; Brett Bara, editor of Crochet Today! and host of Knit and Crochet Today; emcee by me. (I know, I told you they were a great group!) We will be discussing everyday life situations and how each of us individually handles them. Even though the panel will not be giving out legal advice, they will be telling you how they deal with things like: taxes, negotiating a contract, advertising themselves, juggling deadlines, organizational tips, and much more.

The afternoon is divided into break-out sessions which will delve deeper into some of the topics we will discuss in the morning. Each attendee can choose to go to any 3 of the 8 classes offered. Classes range from contract crocheting, teaching, design inspiration, self publishing, designing for a magazine, owning your own shop, using the internet to your benefit, and the ins and outs of schematics.

You can get more information on how to sign up and about the day here. Hope to see you there!

Book Review: Weekend Sewing

Weekend Sewing: More Than 40 Projects and Ideas for Inspired Stitching by Heather Ross

A few weeks ago I received this book in the mail from STC to review. I get a few books from them from time to time to review, and I don't always have a chance to even crack the cover sometimes (which makes me so sad since I LOVE new books). This time the fates must have aligned because not only was I free to open and check out the book, but I was also able to stitch up one of the projects (and to really test drive the book).

The book contains 40 quick sewing projects for an advanced beginner (meaning you know how to sew a straight line on your sewing machine, but may have no idea how to do anything fancy.- aka ME). The projects are divided into 3 groups: Projects for the home, Projects for Women, and Projects for Kids. The home section has projects from pillowcases (which are more handy to have then you might think) to tote bags. The women's projects are anything from dresses to skirts to shirts to PJ pants (which is my next project to try). The kids section has dresses and play clothes. You can see a gallery of some of the projects here.

The project that caught my eye was the Lucy Kimono, the very last project in the book. It looked like a simple straightforward project, that would be unbelievably cute and a smash at a baby shower I am going to next weekend. So I ran upstairs to my fabric stash, pulled out some choices and got to work.

First thing that you'll notice when creating most the projects in the book, is that the blueprints cover one of 2 sheets. Yes, that's 40 some projects over 2 sheets. So right away, you know you will not be cutting them out of those sheets, but copying them on to trace paper first. No problem. After cutting out my first set, I went and read the directions (I know- bad, but hey I am still a newbie). After figuring out that the wrong side of my fabric might show through while wearing, I decided that I needed some lining fabric too. Now that I was all cut out, I set to work. The directions are written out, but also illustrated (which you know I found infinitely helpful). Besides the illustrations, Heather gives you a number a tips from substituting other fabrics to how to deal with bias tape. In the Lucy Pattern, I noticed a few typos which did no more then cause me a moment of pause before figuring it out and moving on. (One that you might want to write down: Under Materials: they call for a 1/2 yard of 1/4" bias tape. To make the project as shown you need 1.5 yards of 1/2" bias tape. I used 1/4" which you can see to the right. Or here too. It turned out fine, but the 1/2" would be much easier for a novice like me). All in all, I found the pattern easy to follow and fun to sew. And making me want to dive into another in the book, which is a sign of a fun book in my opinion.

Now that I got to test drive this one so fully, it really makes me wish I could do that with all the books I get to review and otherwise. So I can say with confidence, that if you are looking for a fun sewing book with quick projects, this one is great.

Bumpy Sneak Preview

Bobble Sneak Preview
Originally uploaded by rchach

Here's the last preview I have for you guys for a bit.

It's also for a fall magazine, so you'll have to wait a bit till it comes out.

It was a quick crochet. I crocheted it on and off for weeks (but only 5-10 mins at a time), since it pretty much stayed in my purse. I crocheted it waiting in line at the grocery store, at the bank, at the doctor's office, at Jo-Ann's (they have the worst lines- you know, only 1 person in front of you and it takes 20 mins- I never walk in without a project to work on); anywhere I needed to keep my hands busy.

Coming up this month, I have 3 little projects that I am working on. One I started over the weekend, and it is looking really cute. If I get any farther on it, I'll have to take a picture for you guys. Which reminds me, 2 of the 3 are for the crochet by faye line. Which is awesome, b/c then I get to take as many pics as I want and can take you all with me as I work. I like being able to do that!

Till then, I have a few other tidbits I want to share. Now just have to run off and take some pictures.

Hope you all have a great week!