Tuesday, December 23, 2008

A Crocheters’ Christmas



A Crocheters’ Christmas
Author Unknown


Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
There was unfinished crocheting not under the tree,
The stockings weren’t hung by the chimney with care
‘Cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
But I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep—he was no help at all.
And the sweater for him was 6″ too small.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my hook to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash.
Tripped over my yarn and fell down in my stash.

The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how far I still had to go.
When out on the lawn I heard such a noise,
I was sure it would wake up both Dad and the boys.

And although I was tired–my brain a bit thick,
I knew in a moment that it must be St Nick.
Yet what I heard left me very perplex-ed
For nothing I heard was what I expect-ed.

“Move Rowan! Move Patons! Move Koigu and Clover!
Move Shelridge! Move Starmore! Move Spinrite! Move over!
Lopi, don’t circle around, just stand there in line.
Pay attention you sheep and you’ll work out just fine!

I know this is hard as it’s just your first year
But I’d hate to go back to 8 tiny reindeer.”
I peered over the sill. What I saw was amazing:
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing!

And then in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa’s big boots stomping on the porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet.
As I turned around, St Nick I did meet.

He was dressed all in wool from his heat to his toe
And his clothes were hand crochet from above to below.
A bright Fair Isle sweater he wore on his back.
And his toys were all stuffed in an Aran crochet sack.

His hat was a wonder of bobbles and lace
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.
The scarf on his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.

On the back of his mitts was an intricate cable.
And suddenly on one I spotted a small label:
“S.C.” in duplicate on the cuff.
So I asked, “Hey, Nick, did YOU crochet all this stuff?”

He proudly replied, “Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to crochet when I was just a kid.”
He was chubby and plump, a well dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I’d thought up a plan.

I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair.
He spoke not a word, but looked down in his lap
Where I had laid my crochet hook and yarn for a cap.

He began then to crochet, first one cap then 2–
For the first time I thought I might really get through.
He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks,
While I sat back drinking a scotch on the rocks.

Quickly like magic his hooks they flew,
Good Grief! He was finished by two!
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.
I heard him explain as he sailed past the moon,
“Next year, start your crocheting sometime around JUNE!”


Thank you to Crystal, cowgirlcrysi, who shared this with our team on our Etsy Hookers Ning network.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to All!


Monday, December 15, 2008

EtsyHooker of the Week --- CharteChic

My friend, CharteChic is one talented lady! I met her quite by accident as I was browsing the "Photos" feature on the Etsyhookers site. I was simply over-taken by her amazing sense of style, design, and yarn/color combinations. Her designs are feminine, elegant and breath-takingly beautiful!
Charte describes herself as a "self-proclaimed fiber freak" whose one-of-a-kind (OOAK) designs are both "sassy and functional". And you know what? She's right! Gotta love it! :) My favorite of her tags is "Wearable Art" and that's exactly what her designs bring to mind... a work of art!
Purchasing most of her "raw" materials from fellow etsians, Charte creates luscious neck warmers, scarves, shrugs, and cowls, to just name a few. I had a difficult time selecting my favorites to share with you so let me encourage you to visit her shop and be WOWed!

A Cirrus Weather Report
A circular scarf in soft, puffs of colors and textures. Handspun yarn by TerraBellaSpun


Fabulous "Minky Stole Scarf" in gorgeous shades of grey, cream and moss green both knitted and crocheted of ribbon, chenille, and novelty yarns to create an extra-long, masterpiece that drapes the head and body beautifully!


Artic Reflections
A study in shades of blue (like turquoise, one of my favorite shades) and accented with white. Done in fluffy handspun marino wool.



Those are three of my favorites! You'll just have to see for yourself what an incredibly talented artist Charte is.

Jacqueline/UniquelyEwe

Saturday, December 6, 2008

EtsyHooker of the Week --- Romantique Junk


Shabby Cottage Christmas Stocking Ornament

Pat, of MountainsideCrochet, had the great idea of featuring one of our members with a newer shop that many of us might not have discovered yet. Romantique Junk is the home of creations by Brenda Geisler, including some adorable items for your Christmas tree like the stocking above.

Romantique Lace Facial Cloth

Romantique Junk has some incredible deals in her shop, like this set of face cloths. These are made with cotton yarn and have a lovely, delicate look to them.

Golden Sheen Wrap

This wrap would make any evening feel elegant. Use it as a scarf to get to your destination, then use it as your wrap to keep the chill off at a holiday party.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Happy Birthday EtsyHookers!



The EtsyHookers Crochet Team is officially 1 year old today, December 1st! Created by Deon, I took over the team in March of this year. Lots of changes have happened on our team since then and I’m happy to say that most of the original members who signed up last December are still with us and active!
To celebrate our Birthday, our Ning network has a brand new look - check it out here:
http://etsyhookers.ning.com

I think most of us, myself included, were tired of the overwhelming pinkness of our original theme we had. This new look is refreshing and will be an easier to read font and color scheme. I created our new banner with the hopes that team members will design something that will look more professional (I've also uploaded the new banner here). We’ll have a contest for a new team banner, and plan some other team events to celebrate.

Thanks so much to a wonderful team! Happy Birthday, and I wish us many more!

Please take a moment to help us celebrate by “signing” this birthday card, by leaving a comment. Thank you.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

EtsyHooker of the Week - lauraslefthook

As a special surprise this week Laura of lauraslefthook is our featured


















tsyHooker of the Week!




Her Etsy shop is filled with adorable stuffed letter pillows like the one pictured above, and are available in every letter! These pillows would be a terrific way to decorate a bedroom spelled out with a child’s name. She also has hand puppets like this very cute frog prince.



Her shop also has many other items, like her gorgeous Christmas ornaments, with hand folded papers and a crocheted top, perfect for trimming your tree.



And for some items that would make great stocking stuffers, don’t miss her Tawashi scrubbers and hair accessories.




Nominated by Nora (noradora) and seconded by myself, Laura is a truly dedicated team member who has been an EtsyHooker right from the beginning. Laura is the creator of the EtsyHooker of the Week, which she so kindly posted on her personal blog until our team blog came about. She now manages our team blog, keeping it current and hopping. Thank you very much Laura for all you do for our team, and congratulations on being named the EtsyHooker of the Week!


Monday, November 17, 2008

The Mighty Oak - winner of the Creative Challenge No. 4 - Congrats valeriesgallery!


Voting ended today on our EtsyHookers Creative Challenge No. 4. Members were asked to create a comfort crochet item for Home and Hearth using autumn colors in their creation. We had some amazing entries! Voted best entry for this Challenge is The Mighty Oak felted bowl by Valerie of valeriesgallery. Her lovely design is a felted bowl on which she hand needlefelted the oak tree with rovings. It captured the theme of this Challenge beautifully! Her listing also includes this description about her inspiration for the creation of this entry.

“As I look out my living room window I am greatful to have a marvelous view of several aged maple tree that turn an amazing color in the fall. Although this bowl is an oak tree, I find comfort in knowing that nature will continue to show us her beauty no matter what life throws at us. For me, the bowl symbolizes rhythm, beauty and consistancy within the ever changing seasons.”

Please take a moment to visit valeriesgallery and see all of the beautiful items she has to offer. From her specialty gorgeous felted bowls to baby booties, hair ponies, clutches, knit items, and more, you’ll be sure to find something lovely that you’ll want to make your own.

Felted Booties



Pussy Willows Felted Clutch



Felted Ponies Set



Congratulations Valerie for winning the Home and Hearth Hooker Challenge!

I would like to thank Doris of SturmDM for creating this theme. And thank you to all the members who participated and entered - you are all amazingly talented winners! And a very big shout out goes to everyone who took a moment to view the entries and vote for their favorite - thank you for supporting our EtsyHookers team!


Monday, November 10, 2008

EtsyHookers Creative Challenge No. 4 - Home and Hearth Comfort Crochet

As the winner of our 3rd Creative Challenge, SturmDM (Doris) chose this wonderfully cozy theme.
For this challenge members were asked to create an item in autumn colors that represents their idea of comfort and that can be used in the home. Each entry also includes a short description of the creators idea of comfort and how it relates to the item that they have crocheted.

These fabulous items are also available for purchase. Click on the item photo to be taken to the members shop for a complete description and purchasing details.

The voting poll is now closed.

Thank you for your votes and for supporting the EtsyHookers team!


1. Sunflower Coasters, Fun Festive Flowers
2. New autumn roses doily

3. Naked Tree Coasters Pair
4. Beautiful Fall or Winter Glitter Coasters 5. Felted Coaster - Orange6. Felted Bowl - The Mighty Oak
7. Simple Autumn's Breath Centerpiece Doily 8. Dancing Leaves Autumn Tablerunner
9. Owl Wristlet
10. Autumn Bowl11. Fireglow 12. Falling Leaves Lapghan Blanket

13. Autumn Harvesting Gnome and Home
14. Fall Leaves - casserole cozy

Saturday, November 1, 2008

EtsyHooker of the Week --- fray


Blooming Vine Scarf in Variegated Orange

Nominated by NoraDora, our new EtsyHooker of the Week seems to find herself on the front page of Etsy on occasion. We can all see why when we check out her shop. Fray's shop is filled with goodies to warm you up in a fashionable way.

NoraDora had this to share about fray:

Her shop has some of the most beautiful and unique scarves that are available on Etsy. One of my favorites is the Blooming Vine Scarf which comes in a multitude of colors. I don't know if her scarves are made from a pattern or if she just picks up the hook and yarn and creates them on a whim. We are lucky to have such a talented person as a member of our team. You can see she is a dedicated team player as her shop name comes up in many forum posts and promotions.

Gnarled Scarf in Merlot-One of A Kind

And look at this OOAK above. When you visit her shop you see that she has scarves in wool and wool blends, acrylic and cotton. Such talent...I am proud to nominate Fray as Etsy Hooker of the Week!



Thick 'n Sketchy Scarf in Spice

Another of fray's popular styles is the Thick 'n Sketchy Scarf, like this rich one. There are various colors and materials used for each of these lovely creations. So, if you really love wool, you are set. However, if you are allergic to wool (like me), fray also makes her incredible items in other fibers, like cottons and acrylics.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

EtsyHooker of the Week --- NoraDora


Vote USA Make a Difference - BLYTHE HAT

NoraDora is a getting a surprise this week with her honor of EtsyHooker of the Week since she believes someone she nominated will be on the blog this week (we will save that honor for later.) Nora is a lovely person who is always willing to help others, is active in many areas of the team, and has many awesome items in her beautiful shop. Fellow team member Valerie (of ValeriesGallery) said this when nominating her:

She is always ready to help anyone on the team and is a sweetheart! This in addition to the impeccible work she sells! Her snoods are an inspiration to us all!



Leave Only Footprints -ELLOWYNE WILDE SNOOD


Nora's shop seems to have taken off with her Blythe creations and now she has added some fashions for Ellowyne Wilde. Above is an example of her famous snoods, which are part of a little joke from one of the team's special promotion nights. Nora is also full of fun, so it is not surprising that something involving her shop would be part of a joke.


Bright and Light - WOMEN'S -TEEN HAT


If you are like me and love Nora's creations, but do not own a Blythe or Ellowyne Wilde, you are in luck. Nora has begun to make her incredible creations on a larger scale to fit the rest of us. Above is just one of the many colorful and unique hats that could be keeping your head warm and stylish this season.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

EtsyHooker of the Week --- AStitchtoWear


La Parisienne cap-Azalea

This EtsyHooker of the Week may be quite surprised when she gets home on Monday from a long weekend to find herself honored on the team blog. Fellow team member Rebecca (otherwise known as adorkable1) nominated AStitchtoWear with the following words:

her shop looks awesome, her photos are great, and her items are really well crafted :)



Zig scarf-Two Teal

AStitchtoWear's shop is filled with stylish hats for both men and women, as well as warm and fun neckwear and a few summery wraps. Her photos highlight the items being worn by models who have on neutral outfits so the items shine on their own with no distractions.

Best Friend Beanie-Gray Blue and Brown

The Best Friend Beanie is a unisex hat that will certainly keep your head warm on a cold, windy day. This is the kind of crochet that most guys would be willing to wear.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Book Review --- Hooked on Murder


With winter coming for us here in the Northern Hemisphere, is a great time to start thinking about how to spent those long dark nights. While most of us will be busy crocheting our fingers off, we might like to take a break and do some reading- with a crochet twist of course.

In Hooked on Murder: A Crochet Mystery by Betty Hechtman, Molly Pink stumbles upon (literally) the body of her neighbor Ellen Sheridan. When the police arrive and find Molly hovering over the deceased, things get complicated. Things get even more complicated when her past relationship with Ellen is revealed. Ellen was once the business partner of Molly's husband. When he died, Ellen pushed Molly out of the business. Although Molly has since gone on with her life, the police don't believe there are no hard feelings. Not to mention Detective Heather has it out for Molly.

Ellen was the leader of the crochet group that meets at the book store where Molly works. To clear her name Molly takes up the hobby and joins the group in an attempt to find the real killer and clear her own name.

I enjoyed this light mystery. It's not going to be the cure for senility, that's for sure, but it was entertaining. Molly is an engaging character, although her inability to grasp the simplest stitches of crochet was baffling. Am I right in thinking Granny squares aren't that hard to master? The ladies of the crochet group were quite funny. I especially liked Adele. Her reaction to two ladies who dared to pull out knitting in a crochet group was priceless:

"We may be the new kids on the block, since crochet isn't nearly as old as knitting, but we will not be treated like the poor stepsister anymore." Adele raised her fist in a sign of crochet power, and you could practically hear some kind of anthem start in the background.

That rivalry is highlighted throughout the book. There were also some little tidbits about the history of crochet that I found interesting. And can you really have your pet's hair woven into yarn? I have enough around here to make a couple of doggie sweaters!

Although there was quite a bit about this book that I liked, I had high hopes for Detective Heather and was disappointed. The author makes her a two dimensional character out to steal the protagonist's man and put her in jail. And unless she has a dog named Scooby-Doo, I don't know how she could have been in charge of a homocide and miss such huge clues. That's my biggest gripe with the book.

If you want a quick entertaining read, I recommend this book.
--
Christina (caperchris.etsy.com)

Saturday, October 11, 2008

EtsyHooker of the Week --- Valerie's Gallery


Nesting Bowls - Snowman

Valerie, of Valerie's Gallery, is the perfect choice for EtsyHooker of the Week this week. She has an awesome shop that she is always working on improving in all areas. She is an everyday participant of the team as she has taken the lead with the team promo thread. Her teammates respect and admire her (as well as drool over her creations.)

Mountainside Crochet had this to say about Valerie:
It has been my observation that Valerie is one of the most active members of the Etsyhooker Street Team. Besides her daily promo on behalf of the team, she participates in many ways and is a real leader. Val has a lovely shop filled with wonderful felted items from booties to pottery which each show off her wonderful talent in this field.

I have a feeling that Valerie is a very busy lady, yet when I needed help recently, she took the time to act as a special mentor to me and her quick answer relieved my anxiety and helped me have a smooth transition through handling my first ever Custom Order.


Sailboat Booties

Diana, a newer member of the team, had these comments about Valerie:
I would like to second the nomination for Valerie Kessler as the "Etsyhooker of the Week".
She contributes a tremendous amount of effort to this team and I think that she is very deserving of this honor. Being fairly new to this team, I look upon her as an example to all of us.
Thank you Valerie for all you do for us.


Felted Ponies - Set of 3 Autumn Collection

Jodi wrote:
Her work is incredible and I drool over it all the time. I also dream that I can do work like hers.


Saturday, October 4, 2008

EtsyHooker of the Week --- RedBerryCrochet


Julie's scarf pattern has been published in Crochet World

Our hard working team leader is a great example to the team. She works very hard for the team, keeping up with lots of administrative type things that most of us never even know about. She has a shop that is an excellent example of great photography, beautiful items, and variety without seeming scattered. She also has a few items in her shop that her fellow crocheters might like to own, like her lovely stitch markers and patterns. She was nominated for this honor by NoraDora.


Paperback book cover


If you look through RedBerryCrochet's shop, you will discover a few bits of information about her by the items she sells. For example, she sells book covers. That gives us the hint that she must like books. In fact, one of her other jobs is working in a library.


Cat Toy Mice


Another section of RedBerry's shop lets you know that she must love her pets. She has pet blankets as well as cat toys. Her cat toys even have her cat as an adorable model.


Crochet Folk Art Patterns


Two sections of RedBerry's shop are dedicated to those of us who also love to crochet, as she does. She has stitch markers available that she created when she could not find ones that she liked herself. I have a set that I use often that I purchased from her. She also has several patterns available, including the folk art patterns above as well as a rug, cat toys, baskets, and a fried egg potholder.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

EtsyHooker of the Week --- LynnsLovelies


The delicate handwork of Lynn's Lovelies is evident in the lovely booties above. Not only does she work with a small hook, she also attaches lovely Swarovski pearls to these booties.


Lynn's Lovelies also has a cute set made with yarn. This one is yellow and blue. It includes a hat and a set of booties. This would make a great gift for a baby shower.


Just in time for some cute fall photos and field trips with baby, Lynn's Lovelies has this set of hat and booties in a pumpkin patch theme. At least half the time I have been to a pumpkin patch I have been surprised at how chilly it was, so these would be perfect to help keep baby warm on the trip.