The Teacher Is a Student: Mom’s Shawl

My mother taught me to crochet, even though she denies it! Recently she wanted to make a shawl for herself, so she picked my Sonata Shawl pattern. Instead of the mercerized cotton I used, she chose a Plymouth cotton blend that’s a little heavier. The yarn has a nice sheen to it. After a few false starts, Mom completed this beautiful shawl and added some fringe to it. It looks even better on her than it does on this mannequin!

Podcasts and Contests

I had a wonderful time talking with Mary Beth Temple on the Getting Loopy podcast, and an equally enjoyable evening chatting with Marly Bird on The Yarn Thing podcast. Big thank-yous to everyone who listened, and to Kim Guzman (www.CrochetKim.com) and Tracey Rivers for their kind comments about Tunisian Crochet that Mary Beth read on the air. Meanwhile, Jennifer Hansen, a.k.a Stitch Diva, ran a contest last week giving away five copies of Tunisian Crochet to people who commented about the book on her Facebook page. She got almost 200 responses! Here is what Jennifer said in the Stitch Diva newsletter: “Sharon Silverman has written a fabulous book on Tunisian Crochet with some innovative patterns. What we like best about the book is how every pattern has illustrated photo tutorials for the stitches used within the pattern!” The hand-carved wooden hooks I used for some of the Tunisian projects came from Jenkins Woodworking through the Stitch Diva Studios website, www.StitchDiva.com. Jennifer does a lot of creative Tunisian projects, as well as hairpin lace and broomstick lace. Her designs are always exciting and fashion-forward.

Podcast City!

May is podcast month for me. Tune into Mary Beth Temple’s interactive fibercast, Getting Loopy, on Monday, May 11 at 9 pm EDT to hear our discussion about Tunisian Crochet (the book and the technique). Info at www.GettingLoopy.com. Then on Thursday, May 14 at 11 pm EDT, I’ll be joining Marlaina Bird (yes, the famous Yarn Thing!) on her show. YarnThing.BlogSpot.com.

Both of these ladies are overflowing with enthusiasm for all things crochet, so it should be a lot of fun talking to them on the air. I met them at TNNA this past January, when Marly graciously set up a designers’ dinner. What a great bunch of people! The work Mary Beth and Marly do is really impressive, and their generosity to other people in the industry is equally amazing. I’m honored to be included on their guest lists.

Lion Brand Yarn Studio visit

I was in Manhattan today and stopped by the Lion Brand Yarn Studio on 15th St. Between Fifth and Sixth Aves. What a cool place! The current window display shows a NYC scene in yarn, complete with little seagulls floating in the river, Mayor Bloomberg knitting, and skyscrapers. Yarn is used in creative ways everywhere you look. Yarn is wrapped around the door handles. It’s crocheted into baskets that hold hooks and needles. It’s on an amazing wall art piece. The overall decor is fresh and clean. There’s a lot of light-toned wood. Yarn is beautifully presented in all its fabulous colors, as are accessories like buttons and shawl pins. A large table offer crafters a place to sit and work or to take a class.

The staff could not have been nicer. They are excited about the technique of Tunisian crochet and about my Tunisian Crochet book, which is extremely gratifying. My class/talk/signing event is scheduled for Thursday, October 1. Announcements and invitations will be distributed by the Studio via their mailing list. (Go to www.LionBrandYarnStudio.com to get on the mailing list.) The store manager will tell me what the featured yarn for October will be, and I’ll design a Tunisian piece for the occasion. This is going to be fun!