Six-Month Check-up

There is a thread connecting us all as humans. A loop of crochet has me intertwined to many in different and satisfying ways. I am all about crochet. It lays on the coffee table in the living room and drips from the arm of the couch ~ works in progress abound. To-Do projects fill a basket and UFOs wait on my desk.

As the introduction of my blog says, "My life and my crochet are inextricably linked." It is uncanny how I can often weave a connection between mylife experiences and how my crochet is a part of it. First off, I so firmly believe in the value of crochet as a therapeutic tool and healthy activity.

I learned to crochet 46 years ago and I had been married to Alan for forty eight and a half years when he died on July 1, 2016. We were together when I learned to crochet while serving as Peace Corps volunteers in Honduras, Central America. I learned from the aides who worked with me in the clinic I started in our small village.

Although Alan is no longer with me physically, my crochet cetainly is. I know he is smiling down because he knew how important crochet is for me. He enjoyed seeing me make things and seeing the smiles of others when they received my gifts or admired my creations. He was proud of me for starting the Crochet Guild of America. I know he is smiling down and is glad that my crochet has helped me through these last 6 months.

Not only did Alan and I started a new life in Indianapolis before he died;but I then also entered a new chapter of my life called "widowhood." It may have taken a little courage to leave the home we had lived in for over 30 years, but selling our primary house and downsizing to condos in 2 different Chicagoland neighborhoods was a gradual way to accept our new reality. Moving to be near our grandchildren seemed like the best way to go. Alan had 6 months in our new home; and he knew that I was very happy here and glad to have the comfort of family nearby.

I now have a new house,new friends, new neighbors and new places to explore. One of the finest yarn shops around, Mass Avenue Yarns, is here and a long-time chapter of CGOA as well! I've started a weekly meet-up at Panera and I am crocheting non-stop. I still have fantastic support from Hospice and a woman much wiser than me explained that during the bereavement process, 6-months is a pivotal time. Much of the flurry of activity, including boring mandatory paperwork and errands, has slowed down. At this point, one's mind pays more attention to the new reality and lonliness begins to set in. I've been feeling lonely for a few weeks, and it was good to be able to talk it out. I keep busy; I don't dwell on what could have been. I check in with Alan most days and I remind myself to remember the positive and fun memories.Shown here are some components I have finished. I don't know where it will lead me

Throughout my bereavement process, I have been slowly creating a tribute to Alan using found objects from his journey and crochet. Shown here are some of the completed components. I don't know where it will lead me and that is okay. I do know Alan's loving spirit is guiding me every day!

If you have found crochet to be comforting or therapeutic during chllenges times, I would love to hear your story. Please share her in the comments.

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Craft vs. Fine Art: How is Crochet Blurring the Lines

I was awakening to the world of crochet in 1972,a time of immense artistic expression through fiber arts; and crochet was not the “ugly stepchild” at the time. In fact, Ferne Cone Gellar who I admire as a successful fiber artist said in “Knitting: The Stepchild of the Fiber Arts?” ( Fibercraft Newsletter 1978), “Has knitting been slighted among the areas of the fiber arts? The very word ‘knitting’ evokes images of the little old lady in tennis shoes. Over the years, I’ve learned to ignore all those jokes.” Cone Gellar went on to publish Crazy Crocheting in 1981 and encouraged her readers to create more than bedspreads, providing ideas such as “things to play with or to display on a shelf or hang on a wall.” A photo of single crochet from bread wrappers served as inspiration. In 1972 in her book, Creating Art from Fibers & Fabrics , Dona Meilach wrote: “Why are fibers and fabrics becoming increasingly appealing to artists? Most artists agree

Wartime Crochet With Attitude, Part I

Wednesday, October 30, 2013 Karen Ballard and I have a mutual love of free form crochet. We met for the first time in a class taught by Prudence Mapstone of Australia at the Chain Link Crochet Conference 2011. I admire Karen's vast knowledge of needle work history and am grateful for her willingness to share with us as my guest blogger this week. Karen wearing a World War II-era knitting hat with stubby needles on top Karen's Heritage Heart, with flowers symbolic of her heritage, is currently on tour with Prudence Mapstone's traveling "Hearts & Flowers Exhibition" in Australia and New Zealand World War 1 Attitudes About Crochet by Karen Ballard In 2008, I coined that term, "Workbasket Campaigns" to describe the organized efforts during World War I (WWI) and World War II (WWII) coordinated through the American Red Cross {ARC} and the Navy League to create needle crafted items. These items were mostly knitted but also sewn, qu

What is Free Form Crochet?

Monday, January 6, 2014 This topic came about from the title of my article recently in Fiber Art Now magazine. "Crochet As Art: A Conversation with 5 Free-Form Crochet Artists." Yes, the 5 artists I wrote about, all of which are in my book The Fine Art of Crochet , are free-thinking when it comes to their creativity. They are free-wheeling with the hook and use unique fibers in many cases. Once you read the article, tell me what you think? Are these artists doing free-form crochet? In order to define free-form crochet, we must look way, way back to it's origins: Irish crochet. A brief history of crochet, including the Irish method, written by Ruthie Marks is available through The Crochet Guild of America . Unfortunately, there are no images on the site. On her blog, Nancy Nehring has a beautiful montage of Irish Crochet in reference to a class she taught in 2013 at Lacis . I wrote an article in Old Time Crochet Magazine (Spring 1998), "History of Irish Croc

Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

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