Crochet Aspirations
I got a sneak peak at the Fall catalog before it got mailed out to our eager customers, and it struck me how beautiful the featured crochet garments and projects are. I used to skip right over the crochet projects in catalogs and magazines, because I had a nightmarish recollection of a certain red, white, and blue granny-square vest I was forced to wear my entire 5th-grade school year because some distant cousin had found the ugliest yarn available and dusted off her rusty crochet skills to torture it into a garment for me.
Crochet is far different now; the projects I see are sophisticated and fashion-forward. I know how to crochet but I think I need to brush up on my skills before I follow a pattern (hey, there’s a class for that!). Once I feel more confident, the first thing I want to make is Sara Delaney’s Alexandrium Cardigan. I’ve worn it all over the store whenever I needed something to cover my shoulders from our sometimes-aggressive air conditioning. It’s lovely and appropriate for any season.
Our catalog features some aspirational projects for me: the Crossroads Pullover is ingenious, two squares that start from a center point and increase outward. It’s lacy and could be worn over a tank top or under a jacket. Crochet superstar Doris Chan has created an openwork jacket in Goshen, a smooth, delicious cotton blend Valley Yarn. I love the dolman shape and the sturdy collar that wraps down to the hem. My favorite project of all just might be the Valley Yarns Mystery Crochet-A-Long Blanket that we ran as a class last winter. In several different colorways, each square has its own personality and the blanket can be customized to fit any bed or sofa you make it for.
What are you crocheting this fall? Show us your FOs!
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Tags: classes, crochet patterns, crochet tips, Crochet!, Valley Yarns
September 11th, 2015 at 1:41 pm
Hello! This is kind of a crazy message to be sending to you, but I’ve seen your beautiful patterns and yarn all over the internet! I’m disabled and unable to come by your store. But I would love a job crocheting up some of your patterns for you to show off your yarn, etc…Do you have someone that does that for you?!…Would you be interested in giving a disabled, crochet ‘expert’ a little job for some extra money?! ^_^ If you wanna see my work, check out my Etsy shop (wuglyees) I’m on vacation from selling for the summer right now…a very SLOW period for crochet…but you can look through my ‘SOLD’ items and my ‘feedback’ from customers. I hope I hear from you soon! 🙂 Deb
September 13th, 2015 at 7:12 am
That blue jacket is so pretty! Crochet has come a long way since I first learned in the deep, dark 70s. As a knitter, I’m tempted to re-learn how to crochet!
September 13th, 2015 at 9:54 am
It would be easy to skip over the crochet! There are very few patterns!