Every now and then, I get a sweet email from a crocheter about one of my patterns. Mimi sent me this one last week, about the beginner’s beret (Crochet Today, Sept/Oct 2010) she crocheted for one of her library patrons, Mr. Ripley:

I just wanted to share with you a story about your Beginner’s Beret [...]

I was thrilled to see the latest copy of Crochet Today! magazine–that’s my cowl design on the cover!

The new editor asked me to do something special for the cover, so I pulled out all of the [post stitch, cluster, chain loop, and varying stitch height] stops to create the Blazing Cowl.  I had a LOT [...]

I have a quick + fun pattern in Issue 11 of Inside Crochet (which is the November issue, meaning I think it’s on newsstands now!). I’ve always been intrigued by things that look like they are made up by lots of tiny pieces, when in fact they are not. And, I’m always scheming up ways [...]

Psst, there’s a  new knitting magazine in town, and it’s a sister publication to Crochet Today–which means it’s got a little bit of everything for knitters of all skill levels. The very first issue of Knitting Today officially launched this week, and what do you know, I have a design in it. That’s right, a [...]

The Fall 2010 Issue of Interweave Stitch is out!  This is easily one of my favorite sewing magazines because of the modern, fresh feel of both projects and fabrics.  I contributed one project, a Take-Along Sewing Kit, for the One-Yard Gifts story.  I used an adorable fruit+flower corduroy gem that I found hiding out at [...]

Late last week, after the zillionth request for help finding the  issue of Crochet Today that contains the popular Raspberry Beret pattern, I decided to design another worsted-weight beret. Because who doesn’t love a quick, fashionable accessory? And thus was born the Blackberry Beret. This hat takes just one skein of worsted weight yarn– I [...]

Almost two years ago, I started playing with a shell design while I swatched for something or another. I realized that when I changed colors every two rows, the shells sort-of looked like flowers. Actually, I must have been playing with my Lacy Shells Hat Pattern at the time. The lace pattern reminded me of [...]

The September/October issue of Crochet Today–which is surprisingly already available for preview–has a special section focusing on patterns for those new to the hook. Keeping in mind what I’ve learned through teaching, I designed three of them, each focusing on one main stitch for beginners to practice.  However, you don’t need to be a beginner [...]

When I checked the mail today, I found my contributor’s copies for two magazines that I have projects in–always exciting!

The first mag was Inside Crochet, a UK crochet magazine that has a good mix of garments, home decor and other stuff to crochet (I like a good mix!). My design is the Summer Picnic Wrap, [...]

I’m in that in-between stage where I’m waiting for more projects (which are on the way, but not here yet- argh!). When Betsy McCarthy (author of Knit Socks) was on the Today Show, she said that the challenge of working at home is learning to live with ambiguity. Let me tell you, it still freaks [...]