Meet Susan Lowman, our expert crochet guest today!

 Today is our last guest author and last chance to enter our summer class sweepstakes.  Be sure to head over to Susan's site (link at the end) to enter as well.  Susan is a crochet extraordinaire, she designs and tech edits for all the major publications.  I know Susan's work for her thread and jewelry designs.  I got to demo one of her necklace's on Knit and Crochet Now, and I have to say it was so fun.  I hope you enjoy getting to know her better.  Make sure to leave me a comment or send me an email by Saturday, and I will pick a winner Monday and send them an email next week.  GOOD LUCK!

Susan Lowman, on set of Crocheting with Thread

 What is it about crochet thread that makes some people cringe? It’s really not that scary! Trust me! It really can be an enjoyable process to create beautiful doilies or other items with cotton crochet thread. If I can do it, anyone can! The process of making the stitches is identical to crocheting with yarn. The only difference is smaller hooks and fiber. Yes, it can take a little while to adjust your tension to be able to make your stitches smaller. But once you do that, you’ll be off and running on some fabulous projects with crochet thread (there are some “knock-your-socks-off” gorgeous thread crochet projects to be found these days, too!).

After learning to crochet as a teenager back in the 70’s, I quickly progressed to using crochet thread. Since I’m a frugal person by nature, I love the fact that I can buy hundreds of yards of crochet thread for just a few dollars. And with those hundreds of yards of crochet thread, I can make quite a few projects, especially gifts for others. I love to give crocheted gifts and when I use crochet thread to make them, it doesn't break the bank or my budget!

Starlight Filet Coaster

So what can you make with crochet thread besides doilies? Well, you can make just about anything you want, such as bookmarks, coasters, towel edgings, pins, wiggly crochet hot pads & coasters, Christmas ornaments, lots of jewelry, garments and much more! The sky’s the limit! Yes, you really can make garments with crochet thread, too! I made the jacket that I wore in the video with 2 strands of size 10 cotton crochet thread and a Japanese pattern! It’s one of my favorite crochet garments!

I had a blast preparing for and filming my Annie’s class last year in Berne, IN in January, 2013. In my class, I demonstrate how to make 7 projects: 2 bookmarks, a filet coaster, towel edgings, a flower pin, a necklace and earrings and a beginner’s doily. All of these projects make wonderful gifts for others. And they’re really fun to make, too! You can see all of the class projects here.  

I also made symbol crochet charts for each of the 7 class projects and explained how to read symbol crochet charts in the class. All of these patterns and charts are yours when you sign up for my class. So if you love reading and following symbol crochet charts, you’ll be right at home! And if you've never followed a symbol crochet chart before, you may fall in love with symbol crochet charts, just like I did many years ago!

Flower Pin

Another thing I love about crocheting projects with thread, especially projects for the home, is the fact that I don’t have to make them fit! That’s a HUGE plus for those of us who have “gauge issues”, like me! If a coaster comes out larger or smaller than the target size, will it really matter? How about a bookmark or a set of crocheted jewelry? Heck, NO! Obviously, the towel edging should be the correct length to fit the width of the towel. But if it’s slightly taller, it really won’t matter! And unless you have a specific size that your doily needs to be, it probably won’t make any difference if it comes out a little larger or smaller, either.

Of course, I still crochet some garments and accessories, too. Who doesn't? But I keep coming back to crochet thread to make lovely, lacy projects!

There are so many beautiful crochet techniques that are best made in crochet thread because of the delicacy that can be achieved, such as Irish Crochet, Filet Crochet and Bruges Lace, too. I've never regretted for one day learning to crochet, especially with crochet thread!

If you’re already a “threadie” (a threadie is someone who enjoys crocheting with thread), but you've never crocheted a doily before, check out my Annie’s class called “Beginner’s First Doily”. It’s a shorter class that will teach you how to make your first doily worked in rounds, plus I will demonstrate how to weave in the ends. This is a special class that costs just $4.95. And if you decide to take my “Crocheting With Thread” class afterward, you’ll get $5.00 off the full-length class! With any knit or crochet class purchase at Annie’s, they include a special class on Crochet & Knit Blocking Techniques that will teach you how to block garments, doilies, lace and more! And if you have any questions while watching the class video, you can ask me, just as if we were face-to-face in a classroom!

Easy Elegance Necklace and Earrings

I hope you’ll give crocheting with thread a try! It will open up a whole new world of crocheting possibilities to you that you've never dreamed of (or have you?)!!!

Happy crocheting,

Susan Lowman