Straight from Today's Designers

I'm thrilled to be involved in this, below the press release says it all.

NEW DESIGNER PUBLISHING GROUP ANNOUNCES INNOVATIVE FIRST RELEASE:
CROCHET BELTS FROM THE HIP: Raw, Uncensored Designs Straight From Today’s Designer

STRAIGHT FROM TODAY’S DESIGNERS (SFTD), a designer-based self-publishing group, announces a new venture that heralds the future of crochet patterns: designers going direct to their public. With its first release entitled “Crochet Belts from the Hip: Raw, Uncensored Designs Straight From Today’s Designers,SFTD offers eighteen original belts from top designers–a veritable treasure trove of wearable art and innovative stitching. The thirty-four-page booklet is available for instant download from www.SFTDonline.com.

The list of participants includes some of the best-loved names in contemporary crochet, as well as talented up-and-coming designers. In alphabetical order, along with their projects, they are:

Amie O'Neil Houck-Chain Ripple Belt
Angela Best - Beaded Lacy Sash
Gwen Blakely Kinsler - Yummy Licorice Belt
Vashti Braha - Barbed Wire Belt
Robyn Chachula - Bubble Sash
Doris Chan - Hip Hemp Belt
Noreen Crone-Findlay - Autumn Leaves Belt
Pam Gillette - Waist Cincher Belt
Lisa Gentry - Beaded Hip Cable Belt
Kim Guzman - a-Maizing Ribbed Belt
Mary Jane Hall - Feminine Lace Belt
Tammy Hildebrand - Easy Beaded Belt
Margaret Hubert - Freeform Belt
Christy McMahon - Lilac Waves Belt
Marty Miller - Spiderweb Sash
Dianne Moyer - Circle on Circle Belt
Dora Ohrenstein - Popcorn Medallion Belt
Carrie A. Sullivan - Pretty Tunisian Knit Stitch Belt
Mary Beth Temple - The Felt Belt

Belts were the project of choice for this launch, as they are a must-have accessory, quick projects with no complex shaping, and ideal for experimenting with new yarns and techniques. The beautiful designs in Crochet Belts from the Hip use a variety of techniques, including freeform crochet, felting, lace, beading, cables, Tunisian crochet, surface embellishment, motifs, and much more. Yarn choices range from perennial favorites to the adventurous, such as hemp, jelly yarn, ribbon and wire.

Each designer writes “straight from the hip,” creating instructions in her own voice, free of editorial agendas, imposed formats or word count restrictions. The personality of each designer shines through in these pages, providing a unique opportunity for crocheters to get to know their favorite designers better.

SFTD is a new model representing the wave of the future in crochet publishing: designers making their own assessment of what crocheters will enjoy making and wearing, eliminating middlemen, and cutting costs by distributing patterns via the web. This new business model also allows designers to realize sales income directly, a promising alternative to the depressed design fees paid within the industry. The savvy designers behind SFTD have combined their considerable expertise in technology, graphic design, marketing, and packaging to bring the project to fruition. Layout and graphic design of the booklet is by crochet designer Amie Hirtes.

Purchasers can buy Crochet Belts from Hip by credit card at www.SFTDonline.com for the price of $15.

Embellished Bracelet Purses

I wanted to show you how easy it is to take a basic pattern and make it uniquely yours.

Pattern: My Hot Pink Bracelet Purse pattern (free here on Knotty Generation)
Yarn: scraps!
Hook: H-8 (5mm)
Embellishments: Pink Purse has black suede I-cording, the Cream Purse has cowrie shells sewn on, the Black Purse has a purple silk ribbon woven in.
This bottom one was a favorite to create, I added this flower with surface crochet, it pops out off the crochet fabric, has a 3-d look, with great texture.

Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Cardigans

My Mom has saved buttons for years, so when I need buttons I don't go to the fabric store, I call Mom! I had unlimited access to my mother's button collection, mind you this was only her white button collection, I have had access to the black button collection and the colored button collection, they are all very impressive!

I ended up picking some solid white buttons for the pink cardigan and creamy buttons for the cream color cardigan, but I'm hesitant to put buttons on baby items, I'm thinking of doing a little tie front or make bobble buttons instead.



This pattern was so fun to design, I'm still testing the pattern, working out which neck line I like better and sizing it. Crocheting baby items are so satisfying because you can completed them quickly. I liked this cute cardigan style so much I'm making an adult size of this, I'll fill you in on that later!

Thanks for stopping by Knotty Generation.