Another Nice Day and Evening on the Deck

Elaine is almost finished with her cute blue baby sweater. Seams need to be sewn and buttons applied and it will be ready for our inventory. Kathleen finished the scalloped detail baby sweater we saw last week. Good Grief! She's a quick knitter!

Liz's feather and fan afghan is coming along, slowly but surely. It's such a pretty stitch and she knits it so evenly.

I picked up an entrelac afghan to make for my granddaughter to be. I spoke with Amanda, my daughter, this morning and she said the midwife examined her right in the middle of a contraction and she didn't even feel it. I better knit faster! Eliana might not wait until July 31st! Maureen is picking up on a pink and white baby sweater that sat in hibernation while she finished the blue sailboat afghan.

One of Cate's friends is expecting soon so she is making a pink, heart embossed baby blanket and Joyce is working on one of her favorites, the 8 hour baby blanket.

And look who stopped by to say hello! Ali and her sweet baby Ellie. Ellie had a good time playing with Nana Joyce and then shook hands with everyone when it was time to go home.

Karen "The Crochet Queen" is in our spotlight this week. It amazes me how quickly she can crank out a project and she boggles my mind with all the stitches she knows.

Interviewer: Karen, at what age did you learn to knit?

Karen: I learned to both knit and crochet at 13.

Interviewer: Who taught you?

Karen: My mother and grandmother taught me and my three sisters to knit and crochet but it stuck with only two of us.

Interviewer: What was the first item you completed and for whom did you make it?

Karen: Way back in the 1960's I crocheted a brown, tan and orange afghan for myself. It took 8 years to finish!

Interviewer: What was your favorite item you made?

Karen: I made a white crocheted christening dress ensemble to tuck away for any future grandchildren I might have.

Interviewer: What was your most challenging project?

Karen: There is this baby afghan that I crocheted and I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I also find the feather and fan pattern a challenge.

Interviewer: What took you the longest to make?

Karen: There was this purple, lilac and pink queen size afghan that I worked on for 10 years and finally threw it out because I put it in a plastic bag and it grew worms. YUK!

Interviewer: What do you like to make now?

Karen: I like to crochet blankets and I can make them much faster now. For the longest time I crocheted only the ripple stitch or shell stitch designs, but now I know more stitches.

Interviewer: What is your favorite fiber to crochet?

Karen: I use only acrylic.

Interviewer: Where is your favorite place to crochet?

Karen: Sitting on my couch with music or the TV in the background for noise and at Jody's of course!

Interviewer: Where is the most unusual place you ever crocheted?

Karen: I take my work with me all the time...doctor's waiting rooms, vacations, retreats, but I can't think of anywhere that is unusual.

Thanks Karen for some insight into your world of crochet. Next week will be our last interview...me!