Blog Feed Etc...

Ok, because I am still wrangling with the blog ring, and because I know many of you are on blogger, for your convienience I've put a feed from the wordpress blog onto this blog, so that you can keep tabs easier ;)

Yes, it's redundant. But, it's how I can manage things with the limited time I have at the moment. Life's a little bit crochet crazy :)

CLF Blog moving...

So, I've crocheted some moving boxes, packed up the posts, and am working on making sure all the links are set (you know how much I hate them), so that the Official Liberation Front Blog will have a nice new home.

Yup...moving to wordpress. Why?

Cause I have other blogs over there, and I prefer wordpress from a technical standpoint.

I will leave this baby up but as of tonight this is the last NEW post here...

The new blog? http://www.crochetliberationfront.wordpress.com

Yup...Now to get all the feeds and linkages finished.

Sorry to be a bother and all, but really, it's just that much easier to do it all over there, besides the webcrawlers like wordpress better, including Googles!. Isn't that Ironic?

Website update, video tutorials, and other stuff

Well, I updated the CLF website. The front page is changed, I added a page of video tutorials that will be added to from time to time. The offerings on the page are diverse from folks within and without the industry! Rock on folks! We are the hooksters (you know like hipsters) and crochet is very cool...as is evidenced in the videos.

I get really frustrated working on the website, mostly because of stupid broken links, everything else is easy. I can do the buttons and scrolling dancing monkies (if I wanted to, but they won't load on my computer at home on dial up!), but broken links, they are my bane. So, when I whine about building the site, just know it's the dang typos that are killing me ;) LOL...I just don't have all the hours in every day to do all that needs doing ;) No rest for this wicked wicked woman.

Speaking of no rest for the wicked, I am working away on the adult book. I extended the deadline on the third book, folks will know if they got in by the 12th of June. I'm taking my time with these things.

Remember, though I have "help", I am doing the book production as me/myself/ and I. I can have folks look over and do some editing. But, ultimately I take on the whole enchelada :) WHOO HOO! Instead of giving myself and ulcer, like I did last year, I am taking it easy.

So while you wait for the second and third books, why not get the first book! You can get it from our website http://www.crochetliberationfront.com/clfbookhome.html if you are outside of the states order your book from http://www.gailsyarns.com/ and if you just want the .pdf download get it from http://www.lulu.com/camanomade it's only $9.99 there ;)

So, folks we're plugging away working, juggling, running, and hooking...Thanks for the thoughts and offers of assistance. It's all appreciated. Oh and I will leave you with this:

We're planning the CLF retreat for October 2010. Yes, that is right!

Confidence & Crafting...

Now that I've been home a few days, I've had a chance to get resettled, catch up on some home and business "things" and also reflect back on the weekend that was to be forever known as "The Portland Experience."

I took my second and third crochet classes ever in Portland. I've never been one of taking classes, having figured out most of what I do through a) trial and error (mostly error), and b) copious volumes of magazines and books. I have to say, I like taking classes, if I had just done that to start with (had I known they existed!) I would have saved myself a great amount of time, frustration and yarn!

I witnessed something rather sad in one of my classes, and I find it so because I've felt like the poor person I observed. In fact, I used to feel like she felt an awful lot once upon a life time ago.

There were two of us in the class who crochet for a living, or have crocheted for a living, or at the very least use a hook EVERY SINGLE DAY of the year. This poor person was having a hard time with figuring out how to do the lace, and was feeling slow, behind, and not "as good" as the others in the class.

The truth of the matter, was that I had made just as many mistakes on my learning piece as she had. Her real problem was, a) the yarn she used was rather unforgiving and b) her self confidence.

I can't count the times, I see messages on Ravelry.com or meet handworkers of all stripes (but ESPECIALLY crocheters) who knock themselves and their skills. "Am I doing it right?" "I wish I was as good as you!" "I'll never be able to do THAT!" It makes me really, really sad to see this. We have so over achieved, and have stupid perfection expectations that we become discouraged when we make errors when we are LEARNING something new!

I made tons of mistakes in my first Broomstick Lace project. I missed a few stitches, had a few less loops in places, it's not quite the "hour glass" shape described in the pattern, but hell and darn it holds together, and since I'm not entering it into a competition and it's a learning piece, I don't care about the mistakes. I learned from them...YES do you HEAR ME!

MISTAKES ARE SOMETHING FROM WHICH YOU LEARN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The world will not cease turning on it's axis if you make a mistake. And frankly that's the worst thing that could happen to us, besides the sun going Super Nova on our collective hinneys; and that ain't gonna happen either.

I still haven't finished the little bag, which is about four inches high, and four inches wide (ish)...

Why does mine look delicate. Cause I broke the rules, instead of using a worsted weight as called for in the class description. I decided to use a cotton sock yarn that's fingering weight instead. I know from years of experience that if I want my lace to be "lacey" then I need to use a finer yarn. Especially since the instructions called for a size 19 needle, and as I'm not the proud owner of a needle stash, other than a size 17, 30 and 50 (bought for the purpose of making broomstick), that if I was using a size 17 I'd need finer yarn.

Yarn: It is the beginning and the end of your project. The same pattern worked in different hook sizes and yarns can be amazingly diverse :)

So, folks...STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP if you goof, OH WELL...

Fearless Leader says to repeat after me: "What I make is beautiful, including my mistakes. I will learn from them, and be better at what I do because of it."

You are only a failure if you believe it; I do not believe in the concept of failure. I believe in the concept of learning. The only time you fail is when you never ever try.

25 Reasons I love Crochet...

1) I can make anything I can imagine with a simple instrument (hook) and something that can wind around it (fiber, wire, plastic, roving, feathers, yarn, string, twine, fabric).



2) I love the reactions I get from others when I wear my hats, scarves, sweaters.



3) I love the reactions I get when I gift my loved ones with my "latest" and "greatest" creations.



4) In less than 10 minutes I can mystify a child by making a wiggly worm or a hair scrunchy.



5) I love how my husband watching me as I take yarn and hook, and whispers "It's like magic when you do that..."



6) I love how it eases my stress levels and gives me yoga like levels of relaxation.



7) I love that when I was a struggling single mother of two small babies, I could afford some thread and a steel hook and make their Christmas happen. (I couldn't afford ornaments for the tree).



8) I love that now I can afford exotic fibers and get to use my glass hook with my camel/silk yarn...and it feels orgasmic as the hook slides through the soft, delicate fibers.



9) I love that I am never bored.



10) I love that I can whip up an instant gift when I have a birthday/wedding/anniversary/baby gift I've forgotten to buy.



11) I love that young children ask me to teach them how to crochet...



12) I love that I can make socks that look like socks, feel like socks and act like socks.



13) I love that crochet has helped me meet some of the most generous, creative, talented, and loving people.



14) I love that I am doing something that women have done in my family for more than four generations.



15) I love that I taught my daughter and she loves crochet as much as I do.



16) I love that my daughter and I had the common ground of crochet to get through the worst of the early teen snarky stage without killing each other.



17) I love that each time I pick up a hook, I feel like I'm sitting with the woman who first put one in my hands. My great grandmother.



18) I love that I don't have to use a pattern to have something turn out fabulous.



19) I love that I can use a pattern if I'm feeling lazy.



20) I love that with over 32 years of crocheting experience that I can still learn something new.



21) I love crochet because it taught me patience, perspective, and helped me find my artform.



22) I love crochet because it allows me that "me" time, I wouldn't normally take in my daily life.



23) I love that I can make son laugh by making him puppets.



24) I love the feel of a hook in my hands.



25) I love knowing that I am doing something she did, even though I never got to meet her, her work inspired me to be every bit as good as she was...




Who is she? My grandmother, Grace Rogers, she died in 1956 when my mother was 8 years old. People say I look like her, sound like her and act like her, she was only 36 when she died. When times were hard crochet helped feed my uncles, aunt and mom. I have some of her things, they have always inspired me. She is one of my favorite reasons that I love crochet, because through the hook I have a connection to the woman I supposedly resemble in many ways, but never got to meet.

A Saturday of Quiet...

Ok, so I was supposed to go help Gabrielle and Thomas with their food booth in NW Portland. I would have loved to do so, but I wasn't so capable of finding my way there.

I'll tell you the reason in a minute, but this reason is also why I'm starting another blog about my own liberation process...The CLF is part of that process, but I have tried to keep my personal journey, and beliefs aside, so as not to confuse the issues, or seem like I'm trying to convert anyone to my process or ideas or belief structures.

I try to value all ways of human expression, if not value, perhaps accept. Sometimes people just have to be where they are, and feel what they feel, and be what they are, whether I like it or not...and since crochet is not about belief systems, or feelings, or strictures, I want to keep it that way as much as I can here on the CLF Blog.

But, I would be a liar if I didn't admit to having my own spiritual journey, my own belief (and be-life) systems. I've had an unusual journey and believe it or not I've been asked by four separate Christian Denominations to be ordained, I just can't do it though,because I've chosen to service humanity as a whole, and in MY belief system, if I choose a denomination or a particular religion then I'm excluding someone...

So, anyway, I was raised in a Christian household, so most of my spiritual understanding is couched in Christian language. But I am also a student of many other faiths and religions, and spiritual practices. I want to serve and understand people, as they are, why they are, and well, that's really my big trip in life.

The CLF is sort of part of that...my little joke, fostered in my own particular crafting frustrations, has ended up being a place to explore my own ideas and accept others from over 3400 people! I know in the past two years my own thought processes and ideas have morphed, I have grown, and I have watched other folks blossom and expand. Crafting in crochet being our "foil", vehicle through which we find new ways to be creative, create community, serve our fellow humans, grow as people and expand our understanding of the world. Or in the most simplistic and joyous of ways; have fun.

Oddly enough, I'm not the irreverent smart ass that I constantly portray here, I'm rather academic and studious and shy. I try to tone that down because it's not so entertaining, and really all study and no play makes Fearless Leader a dull girl, and no one wants to read about that...

If the CLF has taught me anything, it is to "Lighten Up"...Be light, be joy, enjoy the process, stop taking myself and the world so darn seriously, because in truth we're only as stuck and oppressed as we allow ourselves to be...really and truly... I knew that before I started it, I just wasn't as good at being silly and having fun...and things seem to work better for me when I'm having fun...and poking fun at myself!

So, if you are interested in my own journey, and some of my wackier spiritual adventures, with my wacky spiritual friends...Crochet and Creativity are included in this journey, because it's all connected, everything matters and everything doesn't... Anyway..".Adventures with a Fearless? Leader" is the name of the new blog and possibly the start of something I've always wanted to do; but you'll have to read about that there... http://www.adventureswithfearlessleader.wordpress.com


What does this mean for the CLF? Nada... CLF is it's own creature, it's own being, it's own entity made up of over 3400 individual, beautiful, creative, talented, curious, and fabulous souls...It's not about me, I'm just it's "Mom"...As with all children, it grows and develops with it's own personality, and I'm only here to be the guide on the side not the sage on the stage...That's for the new Blog ;) And rather than Sage, I'm thinking Fool is more appropriate.

Hookalicious Yarn!

Curious Creek Yarn owner, Kristine was on Getting Loopy, Monday night with Mary Beth Temple...

I so enjoyed listening (via telephone, because of my damned dial up situation!) that I had to call in and award her a HOOKALICIOUS award!

1) Because she learned crochet and loves it for awesome reasons!
2) Because she gave honest and great information about "handpainting" yarn.

As you may or may not know, I'm a handspinner and dyer, and I have often gotten annoyed when people try to claim that handspainting isn't dyeing. Yes, it is. It's just a matter of definition and techique, and when Christine said the MAGIC words of "It also makes it sound prettier"...I wanted to hug her ;)

So check out her site here! http://www.curiouscreek.com/


AND DON'T FORGET TO TUNE IN TO GETTING LOOPY! MONDAY NIGHT, MARCH 16th at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific! FOR THE FLAMIES! 2009 Crochet Awards!

Grammar Police Where Are You?

Dear Grammar Police,

I would like to entreat you to accost those who list handwork out of alphabetical order. You have no problem letting me know when spell check has missed my homonyms, or typos, or my over use of commas, and semi-colons. You, the Grammar Police, love to point out incomplete phrases, and run on sentences, you have skills, and I wish you to put them to good use. You can correct me any time you want, and often do, but why oh why don't you get a hold of yarn companies, and catalogues for writing "Knit and Crochet" instead of "Crochet and Knit" ?

A list should be in alphabetical order: point blank.

Now, here are my reasons: I recently contacted a yarn company regarding their use of "Knit and Crochet" and politely asked them to revise their website to reflect the alphabetical listing. I wrote stating that it was obviously an oversight, because they have not ignored crochet as a market, but that we (the consumers) often feel like we're getting second billing.

Their response was less than desired; I felt talked down to, I felt like was I was patted on the head, and frankly I was really annoyed.

To paraphrase what they wrote me; they use knit and crochet because of how the phrase flows.

Hmmm... I had years of voice lessons, classical voice lessons; if you've ever studied classical voice then you will understand that learning to enunciate while singing is a skill that requires years of practice. In fact, "electrocution" (elocution) lessons were a great part of my classical training. Did you know it's easier to sing in a Latin root language than in English? Did you know why?

Vowels and consonants. Sound is carried on vowel sounds, and soft consonants (m, n, s,z), hard consonants end sound, (t, p,k,d)...So I want you to pronounce with me...let's say this together phonetically, and if you think I'm wrong, that's okay. I just think if they are going to say it's a word flow issue, we should test it out :)

NihT anD croshay

Croshay and nihT

Which has the smoother flow?

See I find when I pronounce the "t" in knit that the t is a hard sound which breaks up the flow of the sounds in the phrase. When I say crochet (ay) this flows with more liquidity with two consecutive open vowel sounds and you'll find you may pronounce the d of "and" softer too, with the t at the end of knit softer but still final. T is always a final sound when you pronounce words in English; It's a hard, staccato, versus and open legato... :)

So next time someone says, it's for the flow of the sounds and not about billing, I'll just have to point out how very wrong that is....

You can fool part of the people, part of the time; but you can't fool all the people, all of the time.

I think saying crochet and knit sounds more equal and less of a billing issue than vice versa...not because of the alphabet even, because of how the word sounds flow.

But pronounce it yourself and see what you think for yourself.

Ok..I done did it...

Hello Minons!

Ok, I finally decided to go with google Adsense... I've avoided it because even though you can specify your subject matter, many companies that don't really serve crochet tag their ads with the word crochet...and we end up with you know, pointy stick ads.

So, the way we avoid this is thus, if you see an ad in your search with the K word in it, and want to bring it to my attention, leave me a comment or PM me on ravelry with the URL and I'll block said ad :)

Again, I remind you I am not against pointy sticks, but we're cheerleading for the underserved crochet market, and the other market is way bigger than us, so you know it's not like they are going to hurt NOT being here ;)