Not Your Granny's Crochet

As I embark on my journey from an intermediate crocheter to one with more advanced skills, I have been searching for whatever information I can absorb that will help me create the kind of crochet fabric that is supple, drapes well, and refutes the commonly held perception that crochet is all about the granny square (no insult intended to granny squares).

My journey is to produce the handmade, not the homemade, which is why I love the designs of Julia Vaconsin, a German crochet designer living in France. Her work epitomizes the beauty that is crochet. Take for example, her Malabrigo top published in the Spring 2009 issue of Interweave Crochet. Can you believe that ribbing is crocheted?! Check out this crocheted Fair Isle sweater. Sweet! And these delicate hand warmers -- not clunky at all.

Although my love lies first with crochet (I do knit a bit), lessons can be found even among the knitters. Take for example, TechKnitter from Wisconsin, whose blog is dedicated to retrieving "25 years of knitting tricks want out of my mind, and into yours." Her quicktips are full of gems for any fiber artist (want to get rid of the fishy smell of silk? Read this post). Her well-written discourses on negative/positive ease, among a host of topics, stand as testaments to the knowlege of this woman. Here is a link to an alphabetical list of her posts.

So I plan to keep on learning. Wish me luck in the journey. For links to other inspirational and educational sites, check out the lists to the right.