Look Mom, Two Patterns!!!

This week I received my mail and was thrilled to open 2 projects where I have 2 designs. It is such a great feeling to see your work in professional printed form. It is just a bonus that I am here with my parents and they got to see them too (of course my mom thinks designers should get more than one copy - she needs them to show her friends!)

The first is one of my favorite crochet fashion pieces for NY yarns. I blogged about it here. It is so cool to see it. I have looked on the NY yarns website and they haven't updated yet, I'm sure they will soon!

The second one is an afghan I did for Coats & Clark in the Spring, it is a great afghan to make, it is really easy, but looks difficult. I am thinking of making one for our house in 2 different colors of white.

One thing I did for my crochet career this year is join the CGOA. I am thrilled with the help you can receive on the website and there are a lot of opportunities available to you. One of these opportunities is the mentor program. The program is designed to help further your career in any way you want. A mentor is there to help. The mentor coordinator is the very talented Tammy Hildebrand. Want to see what she looks like?

 Here she is (in the purple) with me and Carol Alexander - yes, THE Carol Alexander (if you don't know who she is, Google her, she is an amazing crocheter and is the editor of Crochet! magazine) I had the opportunity at Chain Link to sit with Carol for dinner one night. I thought I would be too nervous to eat, but, I wasn't!!! She is a very nice woman and very down to earth and real. I guess everyone is... Tammy is a great person, very easy to talk to and at that dinner I was talking about, ordered a brownie sundae - for dinner!! Cool man, way cool. I look forward to finding out who my mentor is (it can take some time to get your mentor, so be patient) and learning some new info about the biz!

"Let's go to the beach, MOM!!!"

I have to say, I love the beach. I love the sound, I love the sand and I most especially love to sit on my butt and crochet or knit.  Son #1 has been constantly nagging me first thing in the morning until about 11:30 (when we finally make it to the beach) to hurry up and get ready to go, I really didn't think much of it - I just thought he had the same love of the beach as I do - Yeah, I was WRONG. It seems that Son #1 has his first summertime crush! Are you kidding me??!! Isn't he supposed to still be playing with Thomas the train, or OK ,he is almost 10  - GI Joe then? Holy Cow, I am NOT ready for this. 

I give you my first (of many this summer I tell you) photos taken on the sly:

Do you see? Can you see his face? I am aging as I type! The girl in question is being stomped on by her friend while the other is doing some preteen gorilla dance (is there a new craze I haven't heard of yet?) I remember that smile, I remember wanting to play it cool - It wasn't that long ago, was it? He is going into 4th grade (granted he is almost a full year older than most of the kids in his class - but 4th grade!)

I need to show you projects - that will keep my mind clear. Here is a project that I started in January! I was part of a test knit group for Annie Modesitt and I did as much as I could, made my comments about the pattern and had to put it away because things came up. I love the pattern *and the yarn. The yarn is Colinette Iona in the colorway Velvet leaf. I love the construction of the sweater (it is started at the sleeve and knit to the other sleeve, seamed and then ribbed at the bottom - LOVE IT) I can't wait to finish it.

Here is the crochet project I am working on - it is the felted purse project for my buddy Miki - I hope to have this done soon! 

It is now 11:30, you know, the golden hour - I am getting ready to go to the beach - do you think this look will embarrass him?

Good! I'm going to pack the GI Joe in my beach bag just in case! Next up, my new  CGOA mentor!!

* I am very sorry, but I can't seem to make the link go to Annie's patterns page. The pattern I am referring to is the Sideways Spencer Redux.