Hurricane Sandy Relief, Crochet Style

Please help my designer pal Amie Hirtes of Nexstitch help rebuild her Jersey shore communities by donating to the causes she blogged about here and here, and by BUYING HER LOVELY CROCHET PATTERNS. Amie publishes first-rate indie crochet patterns, so these patterns are collectibles (as well as easy to use). She's donating 100% of pattern purchases to the Union Beach Memorial School’s Amazon Wishlist until November 30.

Her blog post "Jersey Strong" had me in tears. I know only some of what it's like to see my community ravaged by a hurricane. You feel like a refugee in your own country, and it's easy in weak moments to feel forgotten. Every waking moment goes by so slowly. But what Amie is going through in the wake of Hurricane Sandy is much worse. The images she is posting remind me of the devastation caused by monster hurricane Katrina, and Andrew before that. Andrew landed just south of where I was living at the time in Hollywood, FL and the destructive force I witnessed still haunts me.

Here's a photo from 2007 of Amie and me crocheting at 2 am in the Crochet Lounge, which was sponsored by the Tahki Stacy Charles yarn company during the Chain Link conference in Manchester, NH:

Winner of Book Giveaway, plus More Stitch Photos

Tunisian Shakti, "Mobi-Dickie" version in bulky yarn

The winner, according to this random number generator, is Colorful Temptations. After I complete this blog post I'll alert the book editor, Robyn Chachula, to release a downloadable copy of the new Simply Crochet book to her. 

Thank you to everyone who entered! I like that my blog visitors from outside of the USA are equally eligible to win because the prize is downloadable.

Tunisian Shakti, "Mobi-Dickie" version in bulky yarn

Meanwhile, here are more photos of the Tunisian crochet stitch I described in the previous post. This one is an experimental möbius (or moebius) cowl--in bulky wool yarn--and a large Tunisian crochet hook! Fast to crochet and pleasantly stretchy. 

Tunisian Shakti, "Mobi-Dickie" version in bulky yarn

I'm adding its pattern details to the Tunisian Shakti Scarves Superpattern in case someone would like to try it.

Undaria Flutter Scarf, New Short Row Design

Check it out: I've just done a whole new kind of blog post, right at my DesigningVashti.com website, and it was easy! It's about my newest crochet pattern coming out very soon, the Undaria Slip Stitch Flutter Scarf. 



You can see a gallery of TEN ways of wearing it over there. 

I'll have more links created after Thanksgiving. For now, here's its Ravelry project page, and its online photo set.


Edited on Dec. 3, 2011 to add: 

• I blogged the story of the "Undaria" name here. 
• You can now download the final pattern at DesigningVashti and in Ravelry.

Being able to blog right from my website is making me irrationally happy and kind of wonderstruck. I've had that website for a little over a year, and it's been slow-going for me to remember how to update it. (I'd rather be designing...) Meanwhile, I know how to blog and enjoy it, and how to create colorful newsletters. 


Wow. A Wordpress-driven website is going to be FUN!