table of contents

Letter from the Editor

Meet Our Staff

Crocheting for Charity

COVER STORY: Nicole Harris - HGE Designs

Feel Better Friends

WEAR CROCHET Winter Fashion 2015

Sheryl Novick - Handmade for the Homeless

Pattern: Cranberry Cowl

All Around Warmth - Two North

American Blanket Charities

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http://www.craftwich.etsy.com

STAFFLaTonya “Keturah Ariel” Malinconico

Founder/Creative Director/ Blog & Social Director

www.knitfabulous.org

Rhonda “TurquoizBlue” DavisEditor-in-Chief

www.thisiscrochet.com

Julie-Sarah DesjardinsFrench Editor & Translator/ Blogger

www.accrochet.com

Aldonia SecessionStaff Assistant/ Charity Director

Karen ThistleCopy Editor

Lamira FieldsFeature Writer

Isabelle BarretteAssistant French Editor & Translator

www.thewanderingspiderr.blogspot.ca

Crochet Savvy Magazinewww.crochetsavvy.com

Facebookwww.facebook.com/crochetsavvymagazine

Twitterwww.twitter.com/crochetsavvy

Ravelryhttp://www.ravelry.com/groups/crochet-savvy-

magazine

letter from the EDITOR

We are happy to officially announce the new staff changes for 2015. I finally get to retire

in peace from my post as Editor-in-Chief knowing that the magazine is in great hands!!!!!

Congrats to the new Crochet Savvy Magazine Editor’s staff for 2015: NEW Editor-in-Chief,

Turquoiz Blue; NEW Assistant Editors, Aldonia Secession and Karen Thistle; and French

Editor Julie Desjardins.

You know, it’s hard starting up any company, brand, or anything for that matter, and for a

while, it was me alone doing everything. Then I got two awesome ladies to help ease the

burden, Akua and TurquoizBlue. Akua retired last year, but TurquoizBlue has been behind

me all of this time. So, I am proud to announce that she will be stepping up as your new

Editor-in-Chief of Crochet Savvy Magazine for 2015.

In addition to this, we now have two new English Assistant Editors — my ever-faithful

Aldonia and Karen along with my lovely and savvy French Editor, Julie. Everyone please

wish them a Happy New Year and blessings for the new Crochet Savvy! I personally have

seen from this past year the growth and future potential of this magazine because of all of

my staff, Lamira, Aisha, and Isabelle included. I am so pleased and blessed to have them

and so happy to also step down and enjoy crafting while watching and helping them now

in a different capacity.

I will now enjoy the fabulous title of “Creative Director” and continue to grow our brand on

the business level. So, I suppose it’s not retiring in the sense of leaving everything alone,

but I do get to enjoy it from the behind the scenes! And I really needed that after the

death of my father and after my husband and I stepped up our duties at our local place of

worship. Love you all, and remember to wish the staff blessings for the New Year! Keep

supporting Crochet Savvy and supporting the new staff!

–Love,

LaTonya Keturah Malinconico, Founder/Creative Director

Crochet Savvy Magazine

meet our STAFFKeturah is a debut author and has been in the hip-

hop industry for more than 13 years. An advocate

for charity and having joy through trials, she teaches

through motivation and inspiration a message of

hope and balance for people, especially stay-at-

home-moms, who feel that they are completely lost

tending to children, husbands and house duties.

She currently has a BA in Liberal Arts and an MBA

in Business Administration and is a graphics design-

er and networker. She loves to use her creativity

through arts, music and crafting (crocheting, knit-

ting & sewing) to encourage others. Keturah cur-

rently resides in Toronto, ON with her family. For

more info about her and her designs check out:

www.knitfabulous.org.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rhonda Davis aka TurquoizBlue lives in Atlanta, GA,

where she is a multimedia designer specializing in

creating experiences with fiber and digital media.

She has been designing professionally since 2007,

and her background includes degrees in Web Design

and Visual Communications, along with a MFA in

Digital Media Design.

TurquoizBlue’s mission is to help users to have

meaningful encounters with design. She is an

accomplished designer whose work has been fea-

tured in top fiber design magazines. She can be

found on her blog at http://www.thisiscrochet.com,

as well as most social media sites @TurquoizBlue.

Aldonia has always been creative. To escape life she

would find something creative to keep her occupied.

Just last year she came across the world of fiber arts;

and thought, crocheting looks like fun but refused

to make your everyday blankets. With no one willing

to teach a left handed person to crochet, she taught

herself. After practicing and rewriting patterns she

saw online she decided to write her own.

She is an active volunteer for the children’s festival

and fundraiser of Cochise County and is crocheting

winter hats for the teens. She is from Bridgeport,

Connecticut and has two loving children.She is also

a self taught Left-handed crocheter since 2012 and is

the owner of Barnwell’s Delight in Arizona

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Barnwells-Delight

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Copyeditor Karen Thistle’s Aunt Blanche was the

first person to show her the joy and beauty of cro-

chet. During one extended visit, her aunt made a

zig-zag afghan to keep Karen’s mom cozy and also

a matching skirt, top, and hat created with the same

yarn for Karen’s doll.

First lesson learned: crochet means love.

Even so, Karen became a knitter around 1999—

blame it on a failure of nerve; at the time, she felt

she needed the security of two needles. In 2011,

however, she got tired of having to pass up perfect-

ly lovely patterns just because they were crochet.

She grabbed a Boye hook, the book Crocheting For

Dummies, 2nd Edition, and a ball of yarn, then start-

ed learning the craft in earnest. She’s loving it!

Mom now has a rectangular shawl to cuddle up in

as well.

Lamira is born and raised in Washington, D.C, she

began crocheting at the age of 14 and was bless-

ed to have two aunts that taught her this beautiful

craft. Lamira started out making granny squares and

that quickly turned into blankets. Unfortunately, she

stopped crocheting around the age of 17 but quickly

began again when she became pregnant with her

first son at the age of 22.

Now at the age of 46, Lamira loves crocheting and

cannot see herself without a hook and yarn. She

loves to crochet blankets, hats (infant, children,

and adult), and scarves. Her craft goals are to learn

“Crochet By Numbers” technique by Todd Paschall

and the Tunisian stitch. You can find Lamira on

Ravelry.com in several groups there!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I’m Julie... aka ACCROchet! I am also mom (& step-

mom) to 2 teenagers, almost-wife to a fantastic

man, and a communications professional. I live with

my family & too many pets in the suburbs of Montre-

al. I’ve been an avid crocheter for over 10 years, and

hope to make you an addict too!

ACCROchet. In French, ACCRO means addict. I am

a crochet addict. And am I attempting to hide it?

Gawd no; quite the opposite! I publish my personal

brand of crazy everywhere and for all to see! And I

trust/hope you’ll join me.

10 years ago today (no matter when you read this,

it’ll always be 10 years ago today) I picked up 2 knit-

ting needles and some yarn my mom had laying

around, and I decided to teach myself to knit. 22

minutes later, stressed and discouraged beyond

belief I threw the needles across the room and

wallowed in self-pity. But then… then I talked to

an American friend who was crazy about crochet

and she showed me that all I needed was one less

tool! Crochet has evolved, has made itself over

and is the current up-and-coming fiber star. It is

modern and trendy. And so tragically misunder-

stood.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hi! My name is Isabelle and I am the proud mother

of two wonderful little ladies of 3 and 4 years old

and the wife of an equally wonderful husband.

My family supports me by patiently letting me fill

our apartment from top to bottom with various

types of gorgeous yarn.

I learned knitting and crochet with books and

YouTube about 8 years ago to satisfy an increas-

ing desire for creation. I always have a hook

and yarn in my bag juuuust in case I have a cro-

chet emergency (you never know!). I crochet

hats, scarves, slippers and mostly softies which

I share on my blog L’araignée Gambadeuse at

http://thewanderingspiderr.blogspot.ca/

crocheting for CHARITY

By Julie-Sarah Desjardins

You love to crochet. You crochet all day. You crochet

for you, your home, your kids, your friends, your ex-

tended family, and so on. Crochet makes you feel

good, and you want your crochet to make other

people feel good too. Crocheting for charity is an

awesome way to extend your talent for good, and

double the warmth you feel when you complete a

project.

There are so many opportunities to crochet for char-

ity: newborn hats for hospitals; hats, scarves, or

even blankets for women’s or homeless shelters.

You can go traditional by finding organized chari-

ties and asking them what they need, or you can go

all out quirky such as the yarn bombings in which a

scarf or a hat is left on a city statue with a note telling

the reader to take the item if they need it. There are

an infinite number of ways to donate your crochet!

Crocheting for charity doesn’t have to cost much,

if anything at all. Dig into your stash! I’m sure there

are balls there that have been hiding away far too

long. Leftovers from another project are perfect for

newborn hats or stash buster blankets. We all have

a stash just waiting to be crocheted into an awe-

some item for someone who very much needs it,

we just don’t always realize it.

cover story

Nicole Harris is an enterprising crochet designer. What began as a hobby has evolved into a busi-ness and a growing philanthropic mission for au-tism awareness.

Q: Congratulations on being selected as the winner of our Summer Video Contest. How did you learn about Crochet Savvy magazine?

I was introduced to the magazine when I saw an article that featured another crochet artist I am familiar with.

Q. When did you learn to crochet and start as a designer?

I have been crocheting for about 8 years now. If it can be made with yarn, I can crochet it. I have moved from apparel and accessories into crocheting portraits and artwork.

Q. Tell us more about HGE Designs.

We currently have a line that includes hats, scarves, mittens, shrugs, ponchos, halter-tops

Nicole HarrisRaising Autism Awareness with Her Crochet Fashions

by Aldonia Secession

and dresses. The dresses are custom designed and always have one or more special touch that keeps you styling in an “HGE” original. We also have a “do-it-yourself” series where we adjust existing patterns to fit our “curvy fluffy divas.”

Q. Why did you start your crochet line?

I started my crochet line when I realized I needed another source of income to support my son living with autism. I was already creating accessories, hats and dresses just for fun. It didn’t become a business until I realized it would help pay for his therapy and support our family.

Q. How does HGE Designs support char-ities?

HGE Designs is currently creating a non-profit specifically to raise awareness and help families and children living with autism. We have held

fashion shows called Puzzling Disorder where we donated 100% of tickets sales to the For-bush Pre-school in Towson. We donated pro-ceeds to their playground and donated iPads for the preschool classroom. Upon completing those shows we realized the non-profit status was important so that we could reach our full po-tential and truly help families living with Autism. There are so many national foundations but we wanted to reach families and children on a more grass roots level. With future shows we hope to be able to donate iPads, camp or respite scholar-ships, vacations and meet any other needs these families may have.

You can learn more about HGE Designs’ charitable contributions and crochet fashions by visiting the links below:

www.hgedesigns.com

http://hgedesigns.wix.com/

https://www.facebook.com/HGEDesignsFanPage

https://www.pinterest.com/hgedesigns/

http://hgedesigns.tumblr.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3kFg5CZWaQ

hgedesigns@hotmail.com

www.ThisIsCrochet.com

http://kimguzman.com

Shanon Fouquet Crochets Dolls Filled with Love by Lamira Fields

Q: Shanon Fouquet, according to your web-site, in May of 2014, you were inspired to provide dolls to sick children after seeing a picture of a little girl name Berkley battling cancer. What was Berkley’s response after receiving her doll?

A: After I sent the doll to Berkley, I was on pins and

needles for days waiting to hear back. I was both

excited and nervous to hear what Berkeley and her

family would have to say about her new friend since

feel better FRIENDS

they didn’t know me, and I hadn’t told them that I

was making her a doll. I just sent it as a complete

surprise and waited for their reaction. Then one

day I got a message from Berkley’s aunt Corky,

who runs Berkley’s support page (https://www.

facebook.com/BerkeleysBattle). She said the doll

was AMAZING, and [she] was so touched by the

project and that Berkeley was the inspiration behind

the whole thing. Soon after they posted a photo of

Berk with her new FBF doll with their matching hats,

and everyone who saw it just loved it.

Q: How long did it take you to create and pro-duce the pattern for the dolls?

A: I worked on and off for about 2 months trying to

get it just right. I had made dolls before so that part

wasn’t hard, but I had never made a doll wig, so that

I wanted to get perfect.

Q: How did you come up with the name Feel Better Friends?

A: Lots of thinking and asking fellow crocheters for

suggestions. I was originally going to call them War-

rior Dolls as Berkley is often times referred to as a

Warrior, or Princess Warrior, but decided the term

warrior might not be appropriate for all sick children

who would need a doll. Eventually, I came up with

Feel Better Dolls but it didn’t quite have the right ring

to it yet. After asking for suggestions in a crochet

Facebook group page Feel Better Friends was sug-

gested and I thought it was perfect!

Q: Is the size of the doll based on the size and/or age of the child receiving the doll? If not, how is the size determined?

A: Well, it’s funny because since I mostly crochet

amigurumi (dolls and toys) I don’t pay too much

attention to gauge and final product size. When I

created the pattern I did not create a gauge, which

is what determines the final size of the item created.

At the time I didn’t think it was necessary to have

one as I figured that the dolls would only vary in sizes

by an inch or two...obviously I was wrong! lol We

have FBF dolls that vary in size from anywhere be-

tween 10 inches tall to lifesize. In the future I plan to

make some changes to the pattern, including adding

a gauge to hopefully make it so that all of our dolls

are around 12 inches tall. Until then, the doll size is

completely random, just depending on which volun-

teer makes the doll.

Q: According to your website you have over 200 volunteers; is there a pre-requisite for someone to become a volunteer?

A: Anyone who crochets is welcome to join our

group as a volunteer. Some crafters like to join so

they can make FBF dolls on their own for sick chil-

dren they know in their area. But once they join if

they would like to become an “official” doll maker

they are required to create a sample FBF doll as a test

to see if they are able to easily follow the pattern in a

timely manner. This helps us be sure we have qual-

ity crafter who understands the pattern and can be

sure to get a doll to a child in need within just a few

weeks.

Q: You provide anyone the ability to fill out a form to request a Feel Better Friend for a child with any major health condition that is either serious in nature or somehow makes the child feel ‘different’ than other kids. Each doll request is determined on its own whether a doll can be created for that particular child. Is there any reason a doll could not be creat-ed for a child?

A: The short answer is no, as long as the child has

a major health condition that is serious in nature or

somehow makes the child feel “different’ than oth-

er kids, then we will make a doll for him or her. The

key word is that it needs to be “major”, so nothing

like a cold and nothing that will be “fixed” such as a

broken arm. Each doll request is evaluated and de-

termined whether or not it meets our specifications,

and if we can complete the request. Once deter-

mined, we let the family know either way.

Q: How long did it take your organization to grow from the first Feel Better Friend recip-ient, Berkley to having multiple recipients in different regions (Northeast, South, Midwest, West, and other countries)?

A: The first FBF doll was completed in May of 2014.

On May 29th, 2014, the Feel Better Friends project

officially began with dozens of eager volunteers and

only a handful of doll requests. Today, Dec 28th, al-

most 7 months exactly we have about 100 active vol-

unteers with about 75 dolls currently in production

and over 200 dolls completed and delivered. We

have volunteers all across the US and in 13 countries

with “official” branches in Canada and Holland. A

LOT has happened in just 7 months! :)

Q: How many volunteers does it require to complete one doll?

A: Usually there is only one volunteer matched to

each doll request. There have been a few times

where one doll maker will help another with stitch-

ing eyes, or making a wig for another volunteer’s

doll. But the majority of the time one volunteer

makes one doll at a time.

Q: How many Feel Better Friends have been distributed to date?

A: We don’t have an official number as there are

many volunteers who make dolls for sick children

they might know personally or find locally, so they

don’t always go through our system, but from our

numbers we’ve distributed over 200 FBF dolls to chil-

dren all across the US and around the world.

Q: What is your goal for Feel Better Friends for 2015?

A: I have so many I’m not sure where to start. lol

One of our main goals right now is to find more

volunteers. We currently have

a waiting list on our doll re-

quests since we are receiving

more and more requests on a

daily basis. We never want to

keep a child waiting for their

doll, so we prefer to not have

a waiting list, and more volun-

teers would help fix this prob-

lem for sure. In the New Year

we would like to start match-

ing our doll requests with vol-

unteers who live in the same

region of the US. Our hope in

doing this is to help save on shipping fees and re-

duce the number of days it takes for a doll to be de-

livered to a child. Unfortunately, due to the nature

of the project, some of the FBF kids are terminal, so

our goal is to get quality dolls made and delivered

to the child as quickly as possible. Also, since we

just recently became an official non-profit 501(c)3,

our hopes are to find ways to help the organization

with tax exempt doll making supplies and reduced

shipping fees, and eventually pay for all of our dolls

delivered instead of leaving this as the volunteers re-

sponsibility. Other than that, we are always looking

at ways to make the project run better and plan to

continue to do so in the New Year.

Feel Better Friends are handmade dolls stuffed with love and well wishes, crafted by volunteers and donated to children battling cancer and other illnesses. The pattern is available on Facebook (Feel Better Friends Doll with Wig by Shanon Fouquet).

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/feel-better-friends-doll-with-wig

https://www.facebook.com/FeelBetterFriends/info

http://fbfdolls.org/

http://shanonigans.com/2014/05/29/feelbetterfriends/

https://www.facebook.com/BerkeleysBattle

http://www.knitfabulous.org

Colorwork, textures and patterns dominate these Winter looks. Try

Polyvore today; it’s a great website that lets you create sets of looks

that you love! Special Thanks to all the folks out there who came up

with the sets and collections we decided to feature!

http://www.polyvore.com

Winter 2015

wear CROCHET

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Winter 2015

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f

f

Winter Style

Handmade for the Homeless by Lamira Fields

Q: How did the idea or concept to provide crochet and knitted items to the homeless evolve?

A: Back in 2007, at a D25 Planning Committee

meeting (learn what D25 is in question #2), one of

the volunteers, Miriam Miller Wolk, had the idea of

knitting hats instead of just purchasing more warm

winter items. She volunteered to knit hats, and using

the “hat in two hours” pattern, which she could

complete in 45 minutes, she did three a night until

December 24th. She ended up making 100 hats

and suggested that others might also want to knit

(or crochet) hats and other warm winter items, and

some meetings were organized at the [Washington

DC Jewish Community Center]. She and I went to

college together and had mutual friends, and we

bonded at a charity craft project. When she ended

up traveling a lot for her new job the following year,

two volunteers, myself and Ilana Lampell, took

over the project, and eventually, Handmade for the

Homeless became an official part of the DCJCC and

D25.

Sheryl Novick

Q: I love the name D25 Day of Service. How did you come up with the name and the date December 25th as your day of distribution?

A: D25 is short for December 25th Day of Service. D25

began as a volunteer day at the DCJCC 28 years ago.

Christmas is a holiday that a majority of the country

celebrates. While Jews generally don’t celebrate

Christmas, we found it a great day to give back to

the community through volunteering. Because

it’s Christmas and we are working with vulnerable

populations, we found it was nice to hand out gifts

(this is where the hats and scarves come into play).

Though the D25 project was initiated for the Jewish

Community, it has grown over the past 28 years to

truly be a community project, drawing volunteers of

all religions and backgrounds.

Throughout the year, the DCJCC’s Morris Cafritz

Center for Community Service (MCCCS) runs

volunteer projects. Handmade for the Homeless

is one of our fabulous monthly projects. The past

several years, the group has been able to make

over 500 items per year for us to distribute. This

year, about 1/5 of those items (maybe more) were

made by volunteers not in the DC area. They read

about our project, made items at home, and mailed

them to us. It’s very exciting to know that we really

can have such an impact locally through support

nationally.

Q: The pictures you have on your Facebook page show an overwhelming response for support of D25 Day of Service. How do you solicit volunteers? Also, do you have a permanent staff that crochet and knit specifically for D25?

A: As for the volunteers specifically for Handmade for

the Homeless, the DCJCC advertises our meetings

in their various newsletters and marketing materials,

we have a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.

com/DCJCCHandmadefortheHomeless), and a

Ravelry page (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/

washington-dc-jcc-handmade-for-the-homeless),

we recruit friends who knit and crochet, and often

people see us knitting and crocheting at the DCJCC

and ask what we’re up to. We had some people

send us items from as far away as Hawaii last year

because they found us on Ravelry! Since we don’t

have specific rules about sizes, colors etc., we’re

very accessible.

We’ve had many friends tell us their mom knits or

crochets and ask if they can send us handmade

items. We also take yarn donations--Looped Yarn

Works in Washington, DC has generously donated

lots of yarn from their yarn drive, and people are

constantly dropping off yarn they no longer want

when they clean out their closets. People often

purchase yarn they wish to use as well. We have

also participated in Knit in Public Day (http://www.

wwkipday.com/) and Good Deeds Day http://gdd.

goodnet.org/

Handmade for the Homeless is a project of the

DCJCC, but there is no dedicated staff. It is run by

volunteers who coordinate with DCJCC staff. The

volunteers who run Handmade for Homeless are

also part of the D25 Planning Committee.

Q: As of December 12th your organization has collected more than 500 crochet and knitted items for the homeless. How far in advance do you start collecting items?

A: We collect items year round. We meet about

once a month throughout the year to knit together,

and more frequently as it gets colder (especially

since some people only like to knit and crochet

when it’s cold outside). People do not need to

attend our meetings to contribute items--they can

mail them or bring them in to the DCJCC at any

time. Our Facebook page has all the details on

where they can be sent as well as Frequently Asked

Questions. (See https://www.facebook.com/

DCJCCHandmadefortheHomeless under “About”

and “Page Info” and “General Information.”) Any

items that come in after all the gifts are already

wrapped for D25 are used throughout the winter

months as volunteers engage with the homeless

community...or they are saved for the following

year. We should keep it simple!

Q: Do you set a goal for the year? If so, how do you determine the number?

A: We’ve been doing this for about seven years

now. The first few years, we hoped to collect 100

handmade warm winter items and as we built a

following, we’ve increased the goal each year. We

were shocked last year to receive more than 400

items, some from volunteers outside of DC as well,

from as far away as Hawaii and this year we were

thrilled to receive more than 500. We even had a

wonderful volunteer crochet more than 100 items,

and she even included a spreadsheet detailing what

she made!

We make thousands of toiletry sets every year

that get distributed as part of D25, and if we could

include a handmade warm winter item with every

single one that would be fabulous! We appreciate

every item we are given--whether a volunteer only

makes one handmade warm winter itemor makes

100 of them.

Q: What is the process for the day of distribution?

A: Throughout the fall months, the DCJCC’s

Community Service staff organizes volunteer

projects for D25. As they work with each homeless

shelter or senior center they request the number of

residents and gifts needed. Throughout the month

of December, volunteers come in and help wrap

the handmade items with toiletries and other gifts

and mark them for where they will be distributed.

On D25 volunteers come to the DCJCC and pick up

the gifts for the clients at their assigned site. Then

they get the honor of delivering them and hopefully

helping to bring cheer to everyone they meet.

Q: To date, how many items have been made and/or donated and given to those less fortunate?

A: We estimate that about 2000 items have been

made and donated to those in need throughout

the DC area. Since donations continue to come in

after our official count, it’s hard to know the exact

number. The first few years we were just an informal

group gathering to knit and crochet occasionally, so

we didn’t do an official count and set goals until a

few years ago.

Q: What are your goals for DCJCC in 2015?

A: We’d love to see another 500 handmade warm

winter items this year. As I said, if every toiletry

kit (2000 each year are given out) could include

a handmade warm winter item, that would be

ideal, but we know that’s not realistic. We accept

handmade hats, scarves, mittens/gloves, socks, ear

warmers, and cowls--although we find homes for

any other handmade items we are given too! Adult

sizes are preferred in neutral colors/patterns, and

the warmer, the better!

http://washingtondcjcc.org/volunteer/days-of-

service/december-25th-day-of-service/about-

december-25th-day-of.html

https://www.facebook.com/

DCJCCHandmadefortheHomeless

http://www.accrochet.com

http://www.crochetsavvy.com

Beginner/Inter LevelMaterials: 1 Skein Chunky Yarn & AHuge ButtonJumbo Hook (N/P) SizeGauge: None (Measure Your Neck Lol ... )Abbreviations: Tc-Treble/Triple Crochet, Hdc- Half Double Crochet

INSTRUCTIONS

Chain 34 stitches with loose tension. Then Chain 4 extra.

Row 1-2: wrap the yarn on the hook 2x and then hook the 5th chain from the end, creating a treble or triple crochet (TC). Continue to TC for the rest of the row. Turn work, chain 4, wrap the yarn 2x and hook into the first stitch to TC. TC entire row.

Row 3-4: Slip stitch the entire row, turn work, slip stitch the entire row. (this creates the knitted like ef fect in the stitches on both sides, making the cowl reversible.)

cranberry crochet COWL

Repeat Rows 1-4 for the rest of the project.TIP: Make sure to pause at the end of the rows to count that you have 34 stitches in each row or the cowl will be uneven. If you find that you are shor t or have too many stitches, gradually increase or decrease at thebeginnings or ends of the row. The pattern repeat is always 2 rows of TC and 2 rows of slip stitches.

Once you are finished crocheting your neck size (whatever is a comfy fit for you) take the two short ends, turn inside out and join the two ends. I choose to HDC to join the ends together to create a double seam in the frontof my cowl that looks even and effortless. But you can join them however you like. What makes this cowl special is that the join seam is at the front and shows how the pattern is mirrored on both sides. Grab a great buttonand stitch at the bottom of either side. Now you can fasten the cowl down through any of the TC stitches to turn it into a buttoned cowl. Or wear the button as decor. Enjoy!

http://w w w.ravelr y.com/patterns/librar y/cranberry-button-crochet-cowl

By Keturah Ariel

all around Warmth

Two North American Blanket Charities

By Karen Thistle

Everybody needs a little comfort-crochet, something easy on the mind to keep the fingers working and hold worry at bay. Such work can also provide real warmth and com-fort to folks in need.

The Warm Up America! Foundation, start-ed in 1992, offers crocheters and knitters a chance to give back through their favorite crafts by making and donating 7x9 inch rect-angles that can be sent singly or assembled into afghans that are then donated to needy people throughout America.

They offer free patterns to get you started, but you can crochet a block in any stitch you like as long as it meets the size requirement. Beginners, fear not! Plain single-crochet is welcome. You might find their suggestion to cut out a cardboard template as useful as I did; I could not make recommended gauge even when I changed hook-size. Ultimately, I did some estimations based on the gauge I

was actually getting and found the 7x9 inch cardboard block a life-saver to measure with. Don’t panic; they are aware that some blocks will be a little bigger or smaller depending on the maker.

Warm Up America! accepts everything from unassembled blocks, to joined strips, to ful-ly-assembled and single-pattern afghans. If you wanted to, you could make it a local social event, with crocheting (and knitting) circles and joining parties (see http://war-mupamerica.org/join.html for assembly in-structions and tips). In addition, they encour-age folks to find organizations and people in need within their own locales to donate to.

Don’t like afghans or rumors of afghans? You’ll be pleased to note that they will accept any crocheted or knitted item that provides warmth. If scarves, hats, or mittens are more your thing, then go for it!

By the way, Canada has a blanket charity of its own. The Blankets for Canada Society was established in 1998 and earned charity status in 1999, well before Warm Up Canada and Rechauffons le Canada! were introduced last year. Note that Blankets for Canada pre-fers 8x8 squares and, in addition to knit and crochet squares, strips, and fully assembled blankets, also accepts quilted blankets. They offer patterns, too.

For more details, including yarn requirements and submission information, see the web-sites listed at the end of this article.

http://warmupamerica.org/http://www.blankets4canada.ca/

http://www.cre8tioncrochet.com

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