Earlier this month, the show Sticks, Hooks & Mobius: Knit and Crochet Go Cerebral opened at Lafayette College. I was honored to have four pieces accepted for inclusion in the show. I went to the opening and was excited to not only meet other fiber artists, but to see the amazing creativity that was part of the exhibit!

When you first pull up tot he Lafayette College campus, you see the organized yarn bombing event. The exhibit kicks off with a “yarn bombing” at noon on Sunday, Jan. 8 led by guest curator Susan Huxley of Easton. Huxley has been collecting afghans from thrift shops for the past six months. Members of the Lafayette and Easton communities are invited to help attach the afghans to the handrail of the staircase that links North Third Street to Lafayette’s campus as a symbol of unity. The colorful afghans will also add beauty to a stark urban landscape, a primary goal of the worldwide “yarn bombing/knit graffiti” phenomenon.

The exhibit itself shows the amazing creativity of those who work with hooks and needles. I certainly enjoyed wandering the exhibit and looking at all the different works that were accepted into the show.

One of the most amazing pieces is a lap-blanket-size Albert Einstein. When you look it at straight, it looks just like a brown and off-white blanket. However, when you look at it on an angle, you see Mr. Einstein. I have no idea how that works, but it is amazing!

Of all the pieces I had accepted, I think my favorite is my motherboard. Someone once described me as a "digital personality with analog hobbies." While I never liked the person who told me that, the description definitely fits. My motherboard allowed me to artistically combine my two sides.

I am in complete awe of the pieces that are a part of this show. Guest Curator Susan Huxley has done an amazing job pulling this show all together. All the photos I took at the show can be found at my Facebook page. The show is open until February 5th. I hope you consider going to see all the amazing creative pieces that are a part of the show.

On Sunday, January 8th, an interesting exhibit opens at the Williams Center Gallery on the campus of Lafayette College in Easton, PA.

Sticks, Hooks, and the Mobius: Knit and Crochet Go Cerebral will begin with a "yarn bombing event" at noon and then the exhibit opens at 2:00 p.m. I am very excited about this exhibit, as this is my first juried exhibit! I have four pieces that will be on display.

My wonderful husband Glenn and I will be attending the exhibit opening on Sunday and I will be posting photos afterward. If you have time to check out the exhibition, I hope you do! The exhibition will be open until February 5th.

So, stay tuned. It is going to be a great year!

OK, we are are familiar with the term SABLE (Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy) when it comes to our yarn and fiber. Chances are you are also a bibliophile as well, as we all love to collect books on our favorite fiber art subjects!

Well, I am going to (gasp) clean out some of my book stash. Yes, I know, it's tough. But I feel much better knowing that I am going to make sure my loyal readership gets in on the fun!

Different publishers send me their books for my review here on The Fiber Forum. I am now going to pass these amazing books on to you!

The first book is Ethnic Knitting Exploration: Lithuania, Iceland, and Ireland. For the post on the Fiber Forum about this book, I was lucky enough to have the author, Donna Druchunas, provide a guest post all about the book and her knitting inspiration!

OK, so here are the rules. Leave a comment here about what you would do with the book and that will get you one entry. If you "like" my Facebook page, you'll get a second entry! Follow me on Twitter and you'll get a third entry! If you take part in these other entry opportunities, make sure you note that in your comment here on the blog. On Friday, August 26th, Every entry will get a number and I'll use random.org to pick a winner!

About a week after, I'll put another book up for the winning!

Good luck!

Over the years I have tried to share useful websites and other interesting fiber-art-related information. Well today I have an announcement I am very excited to share. I am now an official contributor to the crochet section of About.com!

For those of you not familiar with About.com, they provide great information on a wide variety of topics - including crochet and knitting. The crochet guide for About.com is Amy Solovay and I am excited and humbled she has asked me to be a part of such a great source of information for crocheters of all levels.

My two latest articles review two different bamboo crochet hooks: the ChiaoGoo bamboo crochet hook and the Clover Takumi bamboo crochet hook.

I hope you will check out all About.com has to offer and I look forward to hearing your feedback on my articles!

Several years ago, a discussion group I belonged to decided to do a "study" of different breeds. Each member picked a breed, did research on its history, purchased raw fiber, spun some up and sent everything to another member with a small amount of money ($10-$20 if I remember). That good soul took all the information, printed it out, added a small amount of fiber to each page, created complete binders and shipped them back to each member that participated. It was a huge undertaking, but it has been an invaluable resource, as there was really nothing like is available in print...until now.

The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook: More Than 200 Fibers, from Animal to Spun Yarn from Storey Publishing is an amazing resource! This book has information about over 200 different breeds that can be used for crochet, spinning, knitting, and weaving. Its photos are amazing and I know this is going to be an invaluable resource in my fiber arts library for years to come.

The authors are certainly not new to the fiber arts industry. Deborah Robson is the former editor of Spin-Off and Carol Ekarius is the author of multiple books on livestock farming. Both Deborah and Carol live in Colorado.

I expected a hardcover reference book like this to have a list price of $50-$60; but I was pleasantly surprised to find it has a list price of $35! Storey publishing certainly kept pricing in mind, making this an easier purchase for fiber fanatics during this tough economy.

I will definitely be using this book often and will probably wind up reading it cover to cover, as I am finding all the information provided very interesting! It is definitely worth a look if you are a fellow fiber fan!

It is with great sadness I must report the passing of an icon - Jean Leinhauser. Jean was recovering from several pelvic fractures that occurred recently when she suffered a major heart attack.

She leaves behind a legacy in the fiber arts world that may only be rivaled by her long time partner, Rita Weiss.

Whether you may know it or not, you learned from Jean. She founded Leisure Arts, which became the largest independent needlework book publisher. Later she founded the American School of Needlework (ASN Publishing).  She was Editor and Publisher of CROCHET! magazine for two years, and created and wrote the internet newsletter, TALKING CROCHET! We are all better fiber artists because of Jean. She was one of the "partners" of Creative Partners.

I had the pleasure to meet Jean a few years ago at the CGOA convention in New Hampshire. She was incredibly gracious and was very open with suggestions on how to proceed as I started to develop pattern designs.

Following Jean's wishes, she has been cremated and her ashes will be strewn over the water.

She was a great dog lover, especially rescue dogs, so family and friends are asking people who would like, to consider making a donation to to their local dog rescue group in her memory.

You will certainly be missed Jean...

As many of us celebrate the unofficial start to summer this weekend, it is important to remember what this weekend is really about - remembering those who serve and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice so we may live in a free and great country!

There are many ways you can show your patriotism this weekend in your crochet. For example, a great simple project you can work up quickly and wear today and tomorrow is the Red and Blue Metallic Beaded Crochet Bracelet.

Lion Brand Yarn has a few great patriotic water bottle patterns that are not only functional, but will show off your love of country. Maggie Weldon has a great free pattern for a stars and stripes dish towel that can double as a trivet during your picnic or bbq.

If you are planning on heading to the beach or a friends house and need to carry a lot with you, then consider this great beach tote. I may have to make one of these. I really like this pattern! Sugar and Cream is a nice strong cotton, so I have no doubt this would make a great sturdy tote.

Most importantly this weekend, remember our troops and if you see a service member, make sure to thank them for keeping us free!

First, I want to apologize for my lack of activity the last few weeks. I have been experiencing ongoing Internet connection issues recently. As a result, I haven't been able to post my latest activity on my Great Sock Project. The long of the short of it? I have turned the heel...and a corner.

Now, I will say I can't remember a project so challenging for me. I have been learning new stitching (some fun, some not so much), watching my sock skills improve, and frogging more than I care to admit. As I reminder, I am doing what is considered the "basic" pattern in Crocheted Socks: 16 Fun-To-Stitch Patterns. I will say after I completed the heel turn and the gusset, it is starting to click. I am ready to move on to the foot and toe shaping and hope to have that complete this upcoming week.

What I have noticed in this pattern is that there are some issues with the stitches and directions in the book. For example, I needed some help with the lssc, because I had a hard time making sense of the diagram in the book. I could find a "split single crochet" and I could find a "long single crochet," but I couldn't find a "long split single crochet." So, I watched some videos of the two different stitches on YouTube and then merged them together. For what it is worth, I am not a fan of doing the split single crochet, but it does have a nice look.

Next up...foot and toe. Stay tuned!

So if you haven't been getting your RDA of crochet, now is the time to pick up that hook! March is National Crochet Month. Many wonder what they could do to mark the occasion? Here are a few suggestions.

Plan a "Stitch and Bitch"
Crochet and being social go hand-in-hand. Plan a get together at a local coffee shop, book store, library or even your home and enjoy sharing each other projects and future crochet plans.

Teach a child to Crochet
Today kids are bombarded with "high tech" products like MP3 players, video games and cell phones. Teach a child to appreciate a "low tech" and creative process like crochet.

Donate Projects to Charity
There are plenty of charities out there that ask for crocheted items. From chemo caps to baby blankets to pet blankets, reach out to a local or favorite charity to see if they are in need. If you aren't sure where to donate, call your local pet shelter, hospital or cancer center to see if they accept crocheted items for those they care for on a daily basis. I will be making chemo caps to donate to a local cancer center.

Start a New Project
Try making something  you have never made before. A perfect example is my sock project . I have tried several times in the past to crochet socks with zero success. I am doing a long-distance sock crochet along with my buddy Tonya and it is going very well! We are able to help each other when we get stuck and discuss our progress. It is great fun!

These are just a few different ways you can celebrate National Crochet Month. So pick up that hook and get stitchin'!