DesigningVashti Website: Doors are Starting to Open!

You can actually see most of my website now, as long as you promise to ignore typos and "under construction" notes, and a few links that don't go where they should yet! (If you can't promise that then please don't click yet. I have more polishing to do today & tomorrow.)

http://www.designingvashti.com/

As of yesterday the site has its own cute search box! AND, the links to my patterns work! (See "Crochet Pattern Shop" in the left menu.)

I don't think I've shown off my pretty logo here yet. My fantasy is to see it on DesigningVashti Swag (project bag, stationery, crochet hook case, my morning coffee mug, & stuff), so I needed to have a logo I could love and I do.

I'm adding downloadable pattern PDF's to the shop on a daily basis. They are sorted into twelve project categories (it started off as six)! The benefit of this is that when I go on to add hundreds more crochet patterns, the shop pages won't become slow to load or too much to scroll through. Also, I just plain like to see patterns grouped by specific project types. The downside right now is that until I get more loaded, it looks like each project category has only a few patterns. In the For the Beach and the Shawls & Wraps categories, it looks like there's only ONE (The Weightless Tunisian Wrap is downloadable now!), but I've designed way more than that, so I don't like how empty it looks right now!

The site has its SSL (secure socket layer) Certificate installed, so it's safe for shopping.
Another thing I'm doing today is setting up a pattern support forum, and choosing the best way to create my new newsletter. (The sign up for the newsletter at the website works great by the way.)

I hope to add the logo to this blog as part of a gentle facelift! Maybe Blogger templates have gotten easier to customize since I checked about a year ago.

Weightless Tunisian Stole

#89 Weightless Tunisian Stole
Originally uploaded by dorisjchan

Pattern for this design called "Weightless" is available now! You can see it in my new crochet pattern shop. It requires 2.5 balls of a lightweight mohair-silk blend. I used SR Kertzer's Ovation, which is discontinued, but there are several other similar yarns available. The best known is probably Rowan Kidsilk Haze.

This Tunisian wrap won Third Prize in CGOA's annual Design Contest. A big thank you to Leisure Arts, sponsor of the cash prize! I'm very proud, and kind of dazed because I didn't start out expecting that I would enter it this year.

With this blog post I'm trying out a feature in Flickr. I just spotted this photo in the CGOA Flickr Group and I noticed that Flickr offers the option of composing a blog post with photo, and then I can have it posted straight to my blog.

More soon! Am currently loading more pattern PDF's into the pattern shop of my new website!

Fashiony Fearlessness

I aim to live up to this Fearless Leader Award for High Fashion! Isn't this year's award by Darlisa Riggs a soul-stirring design?

Behind the scenes here at chez DesigningVashti, I've been whipping up a crochet pattern menu. Some appetizers, some meaty main courses, an odd side dish or two (wouldn't be DesigningVashti otherwise), and some pure confections for dessert. By my next post or two I'll have a new lovely logo to unveil. Also probably a fun surprise by then.
pictured: "Mesmer"

So what's the main course and what's the side dish? Funny to think of crochet patterns this way, but it works (I love analogies and metaphors). For me, fashion designs are the main courses of my dream crochet dinner. For other designers and publishers, the meat and potatoes might be, say, afghans and baby layettes, right? I design those too sometimes, but a Fearless Leader Flamie for High Fashion? I feel a calling. Someone tapping my shoulder. A lightning strike, even.

Renee Barnes just posted an interview with me as part of her online Industry Insider Interviews series. I really enjoyed Renee's range of questions, so if you've ever wondered what strange skills I possess, or what my absolute first design proposals looked like, this interview tells all.  pictured: "Arrowhead"

For some reason I felt particularly free to spout off about some stuff--to come clean, to speak my truth, to tell it like it is from where I sit. I don't try to be provocative, but you know, just saying what one really thinks can be provocative by nature. If you like this sort of thing, esp. in the interview where I get on a roll about why I'm self-publishing, then you'll also enjoy the interview I did with Mary Beth Temple for her Getting Loopy podcast!

I suppose I'm feeling freer because I'm not actively seeking freelance work--traditionally in crochet world, freelance designers have had to be models of discretion. (By 'freelance' I mean selling all rights to my crochet patterns to publishers for a lump sum).

Surely I'm feeling freer because my 4-year term as national guild director ended on Jan. 1, 2010, so I am no longer an officer, representative & emissary of an organization.

And then there is the 6-year factor. Six years in crochet design: a lot or a little? Depends on who you ask, but it's definitely enough to know what I think about some things!

Here's a complete list of Flamie winners. Thank you to the Crochet Liberation Front and its Fearless Leader, Laurie Wheeler!

First Crochet Book Review of 2010

I'm turning over a new leaf (so to speak): among my usual designing life posts I'll be sprinkling in a crochet book review here and there for 2010 (I'm not being compensated for this, not even through Amazon). If you've been visiting this blog for long enough to remember my reviews of '70's crochet books, well, thank you for being here over the years!

It's been awhile since I reviewed crochet books here and for CGOA. There was quite a flood of new crochet books, many of them by friends of mine. I didn't want to pick and choose among them and leave someone out! Recently,
Amy O'Neill Houck invited me to join her blog tour with a book review and it feels like a fresh plan for a new year.

Crochet for Bears to Wear by Amy O'Neill Houck, published by Potter Craft, 2010.

I use a formula for reviewing crochet books: I pay attention to how I feel as a crocheter paging through it and how much the author's voice is present (especially if s/he's a friend of mine). I read it cover to cover because I've noticed that the initial impact a crochet book has on me can be very different from the longer-term impact. I also like to let readers know the range of crochet skills, yarn weights, fibers, and techniques covered.

Crochet for Bears to Wear is delightful to flip through. It's lighthearted and whimsical--but of course! it's about crocheting for teddy bears! To see what I'm talking about, check out what Drew said. (He and Robyn appear in the book as guest designers.)

Well, get this: it turns out that this cute book has impressive scope. Crocheting clothes requires a different skill set than crocheting, say, afghans for example. Amy's book makes it so accessible and charming that I expect readers to acquire valuable new skills without even realizing it.

Some of these skills are:

• how to crochet a Fair-Isle style sweater (stranded jaquard in the round)
• classic ('70's) modular construction a la Judith Copeland
• how to construct a raglan garment from the top down, seamlessly
• side-to-side construction (worked in vertical rows)
• a dress of lacy motifs the easy way: joined as you go
• with the aid of handy sidebars, how to customize any of the above (Julie's review elaborates on this nicely; and PlanetJune's in-depth post about it is not to be missed!)
• pleating....patch pockets....armhole shaping....ribbing....

 Amy's voice shines through in her step-by-steps and in references to life in Alaska. I see her designer sensibilities in yarn and stitch combos. Yarns range from fingering to worsted weights found in yarn shops and craft store chains; a nice range of fibers and blends too--wools, cotton, alpaca, bamboo, soy.

I salute Amy for the work that must have gone into making the building blocks of fashion crochet this clear, simple, and entertaining. It's a valuable contribution to learning different ways to crochet real clothes that fit.

p.s. I'm with Natalie at Craftzine on how expensive doll clothes can be. My son orbited the Build-A-Bear phenomenon years ago and I wanted to crochet the accessories I saw in the 'Workshops'.
p.p.s Free pattern from Crochet for Bears to Wear is at the above Craftzine link.

Really Happy Crochet Design News!

Behold two newsy items!
First, my Tokyo Jacket design (above right, in green) has been nominated for a Flamie Award for Best Crochet Design (for Adults) of 2009! I'm honored and excited to be included in a category of many excellent designs. For more photos of the Tokyo Jacket (and the full free pattern), click here. 

Second, the Five Peaks Shawl (above left in plum), is now officially revealed in the Spring 2010 issue of Interweave Crochet magazine. It's my recent experiment in cornerstart Tunisian crochet.
Check out the bonus views, such as at left. I took lots of my own photos--of the construction process, blocking, and different wearing styles (in different kinds of lighting!). View them in my Flickr album and on its Ravelry design page. I've previously blogged about this design here and here (concerning new Tunisian hook options) and here, but I had to be sneaky about it :-)

If the Tokyo Jacket looks familiar, it might be because it has appeared in this blog twice before. One post announced the release of the free pattern at NaturallyCaron.com, and another offered tips for making good-lookin' tall crochet stitches, which I developed while working on this design.

Please cast your votes for the Flamies by March 22, 2010 by clicking here; this takes you to a blog post that includes a link to the ballot in survey format. (If I give you the direct ballot link here, I'm told it might not work; it might think you've already voted).

For the Annual Flamies Awards FAQ, click here.

A Be-Ruffled "Craft Fail" in Slip Stitches

I love the CraftFail site! It has taken oh, 5 years or so for me to get ruthless about this craft fail:

It's a shrug crocheted in somewhat loose slip stitches. The 3/4-sleeves end with unusual linked and unlinked triple trebles--a swingy ruffled fantasy. In my mind.


The big reason for the fail is that I used a large crochet hook to make stretchy slip stitches in novelty chenille yarn. I can't think of a bigger invitation for chenille yarn to "worm". Even before the worming began, the stitches stretched unevenly, also thanks to the texture of the yarn. It was especially noticeable on the shoulders (ugh!). To top it off, the angora look turned into a ratty look.
After wearing once or twice, it looked as if an animal had chewed on it 20 years ago.


I couldn't face how fast it went downhill because the ruffles were so time-consuming! As a useful design experiment for me at the time, this makes the ruffle the same as a research swatch, but should I save the whole shrug for one ruffle?


OK yes, there's that whole "turning lemons into lemonade" virtue, and the CraftFail site inspired me to try every which way to make lemonade with this lemon. I tried blocking it, adding black velvet ribbon accents (see photo at right), even going so far as to consider: might this shrug be turned into capri pants? LOL, nooo!

But I will always have my memory of Marty trying it on one night at the 2005 CGOA conference in Oakland, CA. It looked better on her than on me!

More Crochet Pattern Eye Candy

Can't keep the Whipped Cream Apron to myself anymore, just can't:

And why not get the full effect of the Lovepod Boa?

Patterns for both of these (the 'Thirsty Twists' bathmat too) are written and professionally tech edited. My next step is to see that my Ravelry pattern store is in working order, and start uploading some of these patterns.

All About My Crochet Pattern Line: TONIGHT'S Podcast

Please tune in with me & my DesigningVashti Crochet Pattern Line tonight at 9:00pm EST for the Getting Loopy podcast episode! Phone in and ask me questions! (646-915-8371) If you can't tune in then, you can listen to the episode any time on your computer, iPod, etc.

I'll be adding info and links to this blog entry so check back here. 
For example: I created a new pattern companion blog just now. Still setting it up, has a sample entry now. You can see it here: http://crochetpatterncompanion.blogspot.com/ 
Also, added a few more pattern photos this afternoon.


Pictured at top: the magical Lovepods Boa.
Below it: Thirsty Twists Bathmat.
(Both are new DesigningVashti crochet patterns. Listen to podcast or check here for details and links for downloading these and other patterns.)