Ginormous Giveaway!
Stef over at Craftside is having a great big giveaway and asked me to help spread the gifty love! So we are both giving away some stuff and here are the details:
We have 2 Holiday Goodness Giveaway prize packages of The Crochet Dude hooks, stress relieving gloves, stitch markers and tools along with some great crochet books for you to enter to win today.
To enter to win this first prize package that includes The Crochet Dude Hooks and tools with a copy of the super cute book Hello My Name is Amineko answer the question below over in the comment section of Stef's blog Craftside by Midnight ET Dec 28, 2010 and you're in the running.
The Question:
What is your favorite crochet stitch? Or If you aren't a crocheter, your favorite crochet item you have seen?
But Wait, There's More!!
To enter to win this second prize package of The Crochet Dude goodies and the book The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet: Basics, Stitch Patterns, Projects for All Methods of Crochet
just leave me a comment below and tell me your favorite holiday crafting memory!
The fine print:
You may enter once at each location.
Open to US residents only; winners must provide a physical address (no PO Boxes).
More about the books:
By
The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet is a comprehensive reference book on all aspects of crochet. This book provides a reference for all methods, including:
- Tunisian
- Filet
- Intermeshing
- Broomstick lace
- Bruges lace
- Freeform crochet
It includes step-by-step instructions for all the basic stitches and swatches of hundreds of stitch patterns with complete instructions. This handy guide also provides instructions and patterns for 50 projectsfor garments, accessories, and décor items!
Margaret Hubert designs for yarn companies and book and magazine publishers including Crochet, Interweave Press, Quick and Easy Crochet, Crochet Fantasy, andBelle Armoire. She teaches at yarn shops, retreats, and national gatherings and rarely misses a national conference in the needle arts field. A world traveler, Margaret pays close attention to the fashions in Europe and spots style trends as they hit New York. She is equally as passionate about knitting and crochet, and can design patterns for either, in any size or shape. Among her specialties, she is a master at free-form crochet.
She is the author of 11 other books including five books in our Hooked series, Knits for Men, Plus Size Crochet, and Knit or Crochet: Have It Your Way.
And
by
Hello My Name is Amineko follows the journey of Amineko the Crochet Cat and his crocheted friends as they eat, sleep, and have lots of fun and adventures. The book comes with complete step-by-step photography and instructions for creating an Amineko of your very own and personalizing this cute cat with different facial expressions, clothing, and even bedding. Hundreds of color photographs tell the adorable tales, and mischief, that Amineko and his friends find themselves in, with complete instructions for knitting adventures of your own.
Born in Tokyo 1967, Nekoyama has been a life-long lover of cats. Cats and their endearing mischief have never failed to cheer her up. She created her first Aminekoby accident and has never looked back. Today, she and her husband are the proud parents of many Aminekos. Nekoyama’s first book, A Day In the Life of Amineko, was published in Japan in 2005.
Good luck everyone!
Well this is memory of something that was Crafted for me when I was 6 or 7 years old - my grandmother (who taught me to needle point and embroider) made me a rag doll in a night gown and a matching nightgown for me - she also did wonderful decorating of boxes for Christmas such as making them look like gingerbread houses.
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My favorite holiday crafting has always been making things with my granddaughters. We have baked goodies, made cards, made Christmas trees from pine cones and many other things. When I say made pine cone Christmas trees I'm talking about 70 of them and then taking them to a Veterans Home in our state and giving them to the residents. Teaching them to give to others less fortunate than themselves has always been something that they have done.
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My grandmother taught me to crochet one Christmas day in between gifts and dinner. I was the oldest grandchild so it was nice to get some special time with my grandmother. I miss her and my grandfather terribly.
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Please enter me to win. I really need HOOKS!! My favorite crafting memory??? hmmmm....crocheting christmas tree ornaments, and family loving them.
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Cooking with my mom is my favorite crafty memory.
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My favorite holiday crafting memory goes back to '05 which has now been dubbed "The Year of the Afghans". I was working a job where I had time to crochet (and great light as well as the temp staying at 63 degrees), so I decided to make my sister's new family afghans. Twin afghans for my niece and my new step-niece and step-nephew, and a king size afghan for my sister and her new husband. Got the yarn in October 'cause I knew I had plenty of time. Then I got a promotion, and didn't have time to crochet at work like I thought I would.
I finished the girls' afghans in plenty of time, made my sister one big granny square and finished it in time (with the sliding glass door open at night to keep the room cold while this thing was sitting on my lap). But I was up until 2am trying to finish the new nephew's afghan (stupid popcorn stitches and single crochets). Ended up having to finish it a few days later since they weren't going to be over until later.
Everyone in the family knows they don't get afghans now. My niece was surprised last year when she got the sample for Josalynne's Garden Afghan and even stated "but I thought you don't make afghans anymore for Christmas". I told her if I hadn't gotten the sample back, she wouldn't have gotten one. lol.
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My favorite holiday crafting memory involved pipe cleaner antlers, 100+ candycanes and little red dots for noses. They made SUPER cute reindeer.
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my favorite holiday crafting memory has be the early years when my kids were in school and I decided to give out ornaments to each kids in school. then I ran out of money and it became what can I make for 100 kids and doing it right down the last minute fun, fun fun!
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I unwittingly started a Christmas tradition in my husband's family long ago...I made quilted Christmas stockings for all our nieces and nephews with their names cross-stitched on them. Now, over 20 years later, I am making them for their children! So far, I've made 16 and counting!
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Thank you for offering this lovely gift and for the opportunity!
My favorite crochet stitch is anything that has to do with CABLES. Love creating my own designs using cables!!
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My favorite holiday crafting was making red, white, and blue bands and flowers to go around poles in my aunts neighborhood for this past fourth of July. I made dog collar for her dogs and I even made a small American flag for my grandfather when is a vet.
I would like to win this gift for a very good friend of mine whom wants to learn to crochet. Thank you!
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My favorite holiday crafting memory... a few years ago I crocheted several scarves and let my family members pick one on Christmas Eve to keep. That's when my nephews started asking me about old-fashioned crochet slippers, and they kept putting in orders - slippers, hats, scarves, etc. Being the only crocheter in the family, it made me feel good that my family appreciated my talent and would like me to make something personal for them.
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Favorite Christmas crafting memory: making the 3 wise men out of dishwashing liquid bottles (sprayed with gold spray paint), felt (for capes) and shiny gold, ball-shaped ornaments (for heads)! They were definitely of the 60's, but they were fun!
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Growing up my family always made the bead ornaments and as our sewing skills improved we made felt projects. Now I love to crochet ami animals, scarves and hats
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double crochet is my favorite stitch
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Each time I visit my mother, I'm reminded of the joy of designing, and weaving and constructing a pillow in colors that I knew my mother would love. It's been 34 years and many miles of fiber since then, but it still rests invitingly on her living room couch. That pillow was my first woven piece worthy of sharing and my mother was suitably impressed!
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My sisters in law and I have started our own tradition of making crafts at each holiday we spend together. It's been lots of fun!
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My favorite holiday crafting memory is finishing my SIL's fingerless mitts in the car...in the dark...on the way to my IL's house on Christmas. Thank goodness she loved them, so they were worth the stress!
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My favorite Holiday crafting memory is being very young and helping my mom paint a Nativity scene with these pearly craft paints. she let me paint, even though mine came out pretty messy. i bet she still has the set, but i haven't seen them in years.
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Favorite holiday crafting memory is making one of those ugly Christmas wreaths made of pasta and sprayed gold. We did it in Girl Scouts and I thought it was so BEAUTIFUL. My late mom put it on our dining room table at Chrismas for the next 20 years, at which point it was hardly gold any more, more dust colored. I could just not persuade her to get rid of it. Nothing like a proud mom.
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My favorite crafting memory is this holiday season! We've made gingerbread men, felt ornaments, and knit scarves all week long! ^_^
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One of my best holiday crochet memories comes from many, many years ago -- post divorce, when funds were low and space was small. No room or money for a regular tree, so I crocheted one in Red Heart green yarn to tack onto the wall.
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My favorite stitch...hmmm..
post stitch, I love the way you can change direction with it.
Don't laugh but my best memory of crocheting is the day I was about 7, my Mom saw a mistake in my crochet, and looked at me and as she said "If you're going to do it. do it right" and just started ripping! I just sat in shock! LOL
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I think my favorite holiday memory was the party I sat and cranked out little star ornaments for everyone as they came up. I'm not exactly a party animal by nature, but people were going out of their way to come by and chat and it was quite fun.
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Making little ornaments with my Mom when I was about 8 or 9. We had no money and my Mom took felt, googlie eyes and sweetgum balls and we made these funky little ornaments for our tree. I still have a couple of them. Thanks for bringing back such a sweet memory.
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My favorite holiday crafting memory is making hand ornaments of my children's hands. We still have them to this day. It's amazing to see how their little hands grew over the years.
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My Nana Marie and I would make homemade cards and ornaments by "gluing" cutouts of old Christmas cards to construction paper (using a paste made from flour & water). We also made a lot of Christmas wreath & candy cane pins using pipe cleaners, lace ribbon and beads.
I loved it!
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Favorite crafty Christmas memory....My first crochet lesson. My paternal grandmother, now deceased, teaching me to make a crochet chain with my fingers (no hook), to use as the garland on her tree and seeing that garland in use for several years before the next grandchild was old enough to make one.
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My favorite holiday crafting memory isn't a holiday crafting one. My memory is of my very first chevron afghan I made. I stopped crocheting for a very long time. I learned to crochet from my grandma when I was very young and as I grew older I got away from it. But in the past year or so, since I've been unemployed, I decided the time was right to take it up again. I saw a picture for an afghan and decided to make one for my queen sized bed. It took me about a month to finish it, but I love it and it looks good on the bed too.
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I remember my grandmother crocheting my sister and I a hot pants outfit.. which would have been great if they'd not been variegated polyester...
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Favorite crafting memory would probably be stringing cranberries and /or popcorn for the birdies!
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Are there really no comments yet? Hope this ups my chances
So many crafting holiday memories to name - I always come up with some kind of unattainable crafting goal every year.
But I guess my favorite would be years ago, crocheting my mom a scarf on Christmas Eve morning with a log in the fire while watching really tacky Christmas movies, probably on Lifetime. Isn't that what Christmas Eve morning is all about, anyway?
Or maybe when I was crocheting my tree skirt over Thanksgiving while watching Gone With the Wind. I'll always remember how hard I worked on that every year when I put it under my tree.
Merry Christmas!
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wow what great giveaways, well i'd have to say my favorite holiday crafting memory would have to be when I was a kid, my mom and I would make and paint little wooden and ceramic ornaments for our tree and to give to our friends and family over the holidays. We also you to make our own Stockings every year to hang up.
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just before the holidays, I was given a knitting machine. For my first projest I decided to make a stocking cap as a gift. Being intensely engrossed in the wee hours of the morning I misread the pattern and ended up with a 3 foot long hat. This incident has become one of our holiday legends that I can laugh about--Now.
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Unfortunately, culturally we didn't have any holiday crafts to do, however, I now enjoy simply making yarny gifts for people on my list. I try to have at least two or three every year!
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My favorite Christmas crafting memory is this year's Santa hat for my first Granddaughter, Leah Rose. I had made a christening sweater that didn't fit and I was really upset about it. This hat fit perfectly. You are welcome to see it at:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1726330078277&set=a.1714444381142.96691.1239168593
I really want to win!
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Oh, that is easy, my favorite crafting memory was of Grandma Ruthie teaching me to crochet in the car. I miss her.
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Hi Drew!
I hope I'm posting in the right spot!!
My favourite crochet memory was just about 3 years ago. My husband was working out of state and the kids and I were visiting my mum. I crocheted gifts for everyone...scarves, fingerless gloves, hats, doilies, afghans and it was really wonderful!
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My favorite memory isn't really my memory, but is perpetuated through the years because the end result has been handed down through the years. My maternal Grandmother and her sister made our tree ornaments. They are masterpieces. Plain styrofoam balls transformed with pins sequins, beads ribbon and jewelry finds. Every year when I open the box, my grandmother and her sister are with me as I carefully unwrap each ornament and hang them on the tree.
Now my memory is my son's first christmas, I made his stocking to match the ones the same grandmother from above made for my siblings and I. That is how I broke the news to my sister I was pregnant, she had the pattern!!!
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My favorite holiday crafting memory is crocheting with my grandmother after Christmas lunch. She would cook these awesome lunches and then while everyone else cleaned up she would take me aside (I was the only girl grandkid and the boys couldn't be bothered) and would teach me to crochet, knit, embroider. We did that every Christmas until the alzheimer's got to be too much for her. I still make her something crocheted for Christmas even though she barely remembers me. It's my way of keeping the tradition alive. I plan on teaching my kids as soon as they are old enough.
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Awesome contest!! Some of my favorite projects are your purses!
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One year my Mom gave me a Christmas present that I was not expecting. I quickly went home and got a couple of dish clothes that I had made, wrapped them up and presented them to her. She was so excited to receive them...LOL Mom was a knitter and loved making her dish cloths, but arthritis in her shoulders and elbows has made it impossible for her to knit these days. I never knew something so simple would make her day.
Merry Christmas!
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My favorite crochet stitch is shell stitch, since it so versatile. It gives interesting and sturdy fabric if shells are stacked on top of each other. But in more open version it is very drape-y and lacy. And it makes nice edging!
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My favorite crafting memory was with my grandmother at Christmas. We would make cut-out cookies and she'd let us decorate any way we wanted to - using as much candy/decos as we felt like. She would ooh and aah over each one like they were treasures and would take pictures that we could take home with us at the end of the day.
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My favorite holiday crafting memory would be last year when my sons and I made hats for the hat drive at school. We spent alot of time together making those hats.It was fun to give them away when we were done knowing our hard work was going to help warm kids we didnt know.
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My favorite holiday crafting memory is making candy canes with pipe cleaners and those three sided beads at school.
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My favorite holiday crafting memory is trying to finish pillowcases for each of my girls (the night before Christmas Eve) craziness!!
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My favorite holiday memory was knitting a scarf and hat from the book, Charmed Knits, for a special friend. I ended up finding the yarn in a beautiful yarn hop on a trip to Ohio (I live in NC).
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I would LOVE the complete photo guide!
I'm relatively new to crocheting, so my favorite holiday crafting memory is from last year, when I gave my mom the first scarf that was worth giving. It was, by no means, perfect, but she loved it anyway, and it made it a very happy gift-giving moment.
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Actually, I have two memories. When my older son (now 30) was 2, I cut out and stuffed pre-printed tree ornaments. They're still his favorites (go figure). Secondly, I treasure the time my younger son and I made paper chains for the tree. Both the chains and my son are both gone. (My son was killed in 2006.) Thanks for the chance to win. I like to crochet amigarumi (sp?) and Amineko looks so much fun!
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I don't know if this is my *favorite" holiday craft memory, but it certainly is the funniest. Last year, I was attempting to make each of my four little children a sweater for Hanukkah. I didn't make it in time. However, I did give them what I had finished up to that point. One got the back of the sweater, one got a front and part of a back, etc. The looks on their faces was priceless!
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My favorite crafting memory is when I used to go to my friend Tammy's house every Tuesday. All the ladies had a different type project: some scrapbooking, some painting, others sewing... I didn't like any of those things as much as crochet. She would help all of us, because she is the craftiest and most artistic person I've ever met. It was so much fun! I miss those Tuesdays...
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Making Ornaments with my Grandma and Mom. Also baking cookies.
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My favorite holiday craft memory is the year my mom popped a bunch of popcorn & we strung popcorn & cranberries for garland for the tree. Then we made construction paper snowflake ornaments and glued glitter on them while signing Christmas carols.
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My favorite stitch is Tunisian because I'm a knitter and crocheted and the finished product looks like both combined. Plus it's super fast to work and makes beautiful scarves.
My favorite Christmas crochet memory is my teach mother crocheting round picture frame ornaments and putting her students pictures in the middle. I still have one with my picture that hangs on the tree that reminds me of the love she crocheted into such a simple gift. It's also a reminder of what a goofy looking kid I used to be!
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When I was 10 years old I made a candle for my dad for Christmas. We poured wax into a milk carton and tied the wick to a pencil perched atop the carton. While that was solidifying We whipped wax and I think soap flakes to make a texture on the outside of the candle. I carved a space in the side of the candle and put a tiny reindeer in the niche. What was the question you asked? Oh making a candle with my Girl Scout Troop.
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I hope it qualifies as a favorite crafting memory, mine is my grandmother making crocheted vests for each of her grandchildren for Christmas. I loved that vest!
Personally, I make afghans every year. I love afghans!
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My favorite holiday crafting memory was when my daughters & I made "Kris Moose" ornaments from my hubby's old plaid flannel shirt and some felt. We put little scarves on them and gave them to friends & family. A close second was last year when I crocheted 8 pairs of slippers ranging from size 5 to 12 for family members. What fun I had mixing colors, etc! and everyone had warm feet for Christmas!
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Being Christmas the first memory that comes up is a wild sparkly red tree skirt ... I loved that yarn so much I made ornament covers out of it too!!
That year I also etched my own designs into various glass items ... totally homemade crafty Christmas!!
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Happy holidays crochet dude!
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the year I asked my gramma to make me a fisherman sweater and she actually made it. And she's the one who taught me how to crochet.
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My husband a I have been married almost 20 years. My craziest Christmas crafting memory was when we were engaged, I wanted to cross-stitch an appliqué on a sweatshirt for him. I had never worked on regular fabric with waste canvas before. I was up all night long, first cross-stitching a jingle bear, and then pulling out the waste canvas threads with a tweezer for hours because I stitched way too tight. He still wears it for Christmas!
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I'm pretty sure I made a comment because there were none here when I came, so please don't disqualify me...
My grandmother was a ccrocheter, seamstress and a knitter. I begged and begged one year for an Irish fisherman's sweater. I never saw any evidence of her working on it, but on Christmas day, it was there. She's also the one who taught me to crochet, but I never got a grasp on knitting.
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My second favorite crochet stitch is a shell stitch - it's always pretty for edging and also makes pretty rows for afghans.
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Making ornaments with my Mom when I was little. Even though some have broken over the years, I still love them.
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I just love seeing what you are up to Drew; whether it's your cooking or your crocheting and knitting. I am proud to know you!
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My favorite holiday crafting memory would have to be crocheting a afghan for my son in shades and tints of green. his favorite color. i used the green glow in the dark yarn and he loved going into the closet just to see his afghan glow.
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One year, at my aunt and uncle's house, we made little ornaments using pecans in their shells. We used paint pens to make little faces and little scraps of knit fabric to make little stocking caps. Everyone joined in and they came out so cute!
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My favorite memories are making ornaments and cookies with my two boys every year. One of my boys likes to crochet.
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Wow can I count baking and frosting cookies with all the neighborhood kids? My mom and I making dozens of needlepoint ornaments for gifts,... crafting since i could hold something in my hand, it is too hard to pick just one.
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My favorite holiday crafting memory is making hats, mittens, and scarves for low income families in the area. The kids get to pick what they want off a wrought iron tree. Thats cool knowing what I did will keep someone warm this winter!
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favorite memories would always be making paper chains with my brother and now my own children. also love getting hand made pictures and other items from my kids
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My favorite holiday crochet memory would be opening the 2 crocheted gifts my mother has given me; and finally finishing the struggle to make a red & white scarf for my son's Moose last year. Only thing I've ever managed to make...
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I remember not having much money for decorations when I got my first apartment in the 70's but my roomate and I made paperchains out of construction paper, glitter and decorated with felt shapes we cut out. It was like kindergarten but we loved it and we kept our little crooked tree up until April!
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this year would have to be my favorite crafting holiday ... for the first time, my 22 year old daughter decided to pick up a hook and see what it's all about. watching her get frustrated, pull all her stitches out, and start over again has been the best holiday laughter i've had in years!
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My mom says I've been interested in crafts since I learned crayons were for drawing and not for eating! I'm hoping my 15 month old will be the same! Anyways, my favorite holiday crafting memory is one Passover, my dad had requested that I crochet 13 stuffed bunnies as an Easter gift for his office staff. I was crocheting bunny limbs and clothes every second I got in order to complete the order before I went home. I had my siblings stuffing limbs and attaching body parts, my sister learned to make chains and my mom dressed the bunnies and attached the tails! It was non-stop crocheting and my dad said his staff still talk about what a unique and special gift they were!
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My all time favorite crocheted item is the christening dress my grandmother made for my oldest daughter almost 45 years ago. Everything my grandmother crocheted was timeless. Thanks for the opportunity to win this great prize.
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My favorite crafting memory is when I made crochet snowflakes for the Christmas tree with my kids. I did most of crocheting but they applied glitter ... liberally. We also did walnut and milkweed pod nativity scenes to go with them. Now I don't have tree or time, so memories are nice. Thanks for giveaway!
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I love thinking back to when my mother would crochet gifts every year. She passed away in 1997 but right now I'm looking at her granny square tree skirt, and have a crocheted red longjohns ornament on my kitchen tree. =) Gotta love that!!
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Hi Drew, I think my favorite holiday crafting memory occurred three years ago when I was making my sister-in-law and her husband an afghan for Christmas. They had picked out the pattern and the colors. I loved the pattern and diligently worked on the afghan for weeks, until I broke a finger and all crocheting came to a halt for awhile. Agony. No crocheting for a month!
I was finally able to crochet again, but alas the afghan wasn't quite finished by the time we were to fly east to spend the holidays with my SIL and her family.
So what did I do? I stuff it all ... hooks, scissors, tapestry needles and yarn...lots of yarn.... into a duffel bag, and checked it along with the rest of our luggage. It was slightly scary watching that duffel bag disappear into the baggage maze. Will it arrive okay?
Once we got to NC, I continued to work on the afghan when I could in my room, but come Christmas morning, it STILL wasn't done. So I put the duffel bag under the Christmas tree.
My SIL & her husband opened it, feigned surprise, posed for pictures, then handed it back to me to finish.
I spent the rest of our visit working on the afghan and I finally finished it at 4 in the morning of the day we were flying home to CA.
It was quite the adventure, but my SIL and her husband loved the afghan.
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My daughter and I decided to make handmade ornaments for a small live Christmas tree I had purchased to place in the den. We used dog biscuits to make the cutest reindeer ornaments for the tree. It was so much fun. Now we had a one year old dachshund named Solomon. Unlike the biblical king our Solomon was not the brightest individual around. But he recognized the beauty of the handmade ornaments on that Christmas tree. While my daughter and I were baking cookies in the kitchen, Solomon discovered the Christmas tree,quickly ate several ornaments and lifted his leg to the tree to bathe it with his greatest appreciation!
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My favorite crafting memory is painting Christmas ornaments with my 5 year old niece. Very messy.=)Thanks for the great giveaway!
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My favorite crafting memory is crocheting different items for my friends for Kwanzaa last year.
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My favorite holiday crafting memory was the year my Nana came to visit from England and she taught me to crochet and knit. I remember sitting beside her and making yards and yards of I-cord on a little knitting spool she gave me. It was red. I still have it and the I-cord.
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My favorite Christmas Crafting memory was made this week! My sister is visiting me for Christmas and we have been working on crafting scarfs. I crochet and she does loom knitting. We are in our mid-sixties and this is the first time we will have Christmas together since we were small children. Lucky me! Now if only I could win this lovely book!
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I love the tunisian crochet stitch. It's easy to learn, and I love the way the finish product looks and feels. It's denser than some other crochet stitches and looks more woven.
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We use to cut out circles and make slashes like cutting a pie and then roll them up on the point of a pencil and glue. We would thread 5 completed layers on needle and thread then pull tight and knot. It madwe a pretty porcupine like globe out of recycled wrapping paper. I think I was 5 yrs. old and awed at my mothers idea.
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I started knitting and crocheting around Jan. last year. I pretty much taught myself with books and by watching certain stitches on youtube. I started when my mom asked me if I could stitch up some granny squares she had picked up somewhere and turn them into a blanket. At the time I had NO idea how to crochet or knit and decided then and there that I was going to learn. As of this time, I have all the squares stitched up and am learning how to put a border around it. This is my first major project and I love how it turned out so far. I am almost done with it. I think my favorite stitches are the double, single and sometimes the triple. This blanket uses all three. I'm hoping I can finish it in time for Christmas, so I can give it to my mom. I hope she likes it.
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It would be the knit dress I made for my Mother a few years ago. She's 84, a child of the depression and too darned frugal, so she won't properly heat her house. I'm the first to admit the dress isn't attractive, I was just learning to knit, but it is warm. She now wears it around the house daily, just about the whole year round. We laugh that I'm singlehandely trying to bring back the "house dress", because nobody would wear that thing outside the house! But for inside, it's nice and cozy.
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I used to be a crocheter. I want to be a crocheter again and I know this book would be a great incentive. Thank you so much for a chance to win a copy! (Merry Christmas!)
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I think my favorite was easter when I made a basket out of construction paper put in the easter grass fuzzy chicks (one with a flower on her head the other with a top hat) and other goodies so my parents could have an easter basket too.
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I have been making scarfs and cowls the past few years. I love doing it!
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Wow, what a fabulous giveaway - thanks to you and the Craftside folks for the chance at some great goodies! My fav holiday crafting memory - does cooking count? When we were kids we always made and decorated sugar cookies and spritz, and I loved using the spritz cookie press. Of course I made a horrible mess.
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No chance of winning as I'm in the UK, but I thought I'd tell you anyway. About 3 years ago we went up to bring our younger daughter home for Christmas from her University student house. She had commented that she and her friends all had cold noses, so I took appropriate yarn and needles to make the nose warmer pattern from Knitty. The memeory is of Ann and 2 of her friends learning to knit making nose warmers, short rows and all, while drinking mulled wine and singing Christmas carols. It was magic!!
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Not sure if this is still open but wanted to share a favorite craft memory.
Its of my grandmother and I making doll furniture out of clothes pins. I had the barbie doll house but not all the furniture. She was determined to give me the best doll house set up in the neighborhood once she was done. And she did!!
I miss those pieces but at least I have pictures and the memories of us together working on them. Thanks for letting me share
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Hi Drew!
Although EVERY crafting memory is joyful, one of my favorites is when all three of my kids were too young to write, but old enough to color, and we sat together at the kitchen table coloring hearts for handmade Valentines cards we were sending out to family. Ten years later, and that kitchen table has been the source of many joyfully created cards, decorations and gifts!
Thanks for hosting this awesome giveaway! My daughter and I are VERY good sharers and would put each and every item to good use if we won! =D
~ Lola
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My favorite stitch is a basic hdc and aI am a sentimental fool for ALL crocheted items but lately am liking the stuffed animals.
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Merry Christmas to you and yours, Dude! My favorite holiday crafting memory is from a couple of years ago when, being on a tight budget, I crocheted small gifts for the whole family using all stash stuff, and even had time left to make Santa hats for everyone (each with a different stitch pattern for the white cuff part), which they actually enjoyed wearing at our get-together. Very satisfying! Thank you for this contest, too!
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My favorite crochet item I have seen is Amineko! Too cute. I would love to win this for my daughter who crochets.
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Most years I have made felt handprint ornaments for each of my children. I embroider their name and the year on each ornament. It is so sweet to look back at how small their hands were.
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The one memory that sticks in my mind is making a wig for my Raggedy Ann Halloween
costume as a kid.
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Favorite regular stitch is the half double crochet. I like the rhythm of it. For a fancy crochet stitch it is the trinity stitch. I like the texture and the look of the completed piece. Happy Holiday!
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My happiest crafting memory was when I crocheted a rainbow pinwheel granny square afghan for my grandma. She always had trouble keeping her feet warm. I stayed up all night Christmas eve to finish it. She was so excited when I gave it to her. She always kept it on the foot of the bed. She turned 102 on her last birthday.
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My favorite holiday craft memory... are ones I'm still making with my daughter. When I was a little girl I loved making gingerbread houses. Now I make them with my little girl, and we both look forward to it every year.
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Love your stuff. Maybe now that I am stateside I can get a hold of your new book. Thanks for creating such wonderful crochet!
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I made a mini backpack for a friend with leftover yarn and she was really overjoyed. This was a friend who lived a more posh life with Coach handbags and such!
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My favorite crafting memory ... too many to count! I think the year I gave a knitted afghan to my dad (my first knitted project), or the crocheted fingerless gloves/hats I gave my son & nephew two years ago. I enjoy crafting for my family & friends (crochet mostly), and need to plan better so that I'm not coming up with grand plans around Thanksgiving, then stressing over how I'll get it all done by Christmas!
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I can't really choose one favorite holiday crafting memory, I have several. Every year I procrastinate and wait until the last minute to start work on my holiday gifts. I think it's because deep down I LOVE the month of December and all of the mad stitching that I have to get done. It's also an EXCELLENT excuse to let the mundane daily tasks fall by the wayside because I just have to finish those gifts LOL!
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As a pre-teen I was fascinated with doilies. Not sure why - nobody in my family crafted. I could find no one to teach me so, with precious money from strawberry picking, I spent a bit of it on a "how to" book but did not really understand how to begin so started with the center of a plastic doily and went from there. Much has progressed since then but that was the beginning of my tactile/textile fetish!
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My favorite memory was the first year I learned to crochet and I made scarves for Christmas gifts. They were horrible--uneven at the ends with the tension totally off. Everyone acted as if they loved them, and my Dad did laugh under his breath. Although, I'm proud to say 8 years later my husband still wears his when he shovels snow and looking at that scarf reminds me as a crocheter, how far I've come.
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Please, how do I stop getting each of these comments as a seperate email? I just got over 100 of them all at once----HELP!!!!!
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When I was in kindergarten we made *so* many Christmas crafts, it's kind of hard to believe now. I do remember having a lot of fun making pom poms, braiding yarn and making picture ornaments out of canning jar lids and curtain rings! My mother brings them out every year, 30+ years later
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Has to be this year when my autistic son was able to help make holiday cards for one of his grandma's and our favorite barista. He is fascinated when I knit or crochet, so a kit for boys would be a great way to help him focus enough to get started
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I have two favorite holiday craft memories. One was when I was in girl scouts and we made Christmas trees by folding pages down of a Readers Digest and then spray painting them gold. The other is making Christmas ornaments - made little drums with two lids from milk gallons on each end of a piece of plastic canvas made into a tube, with a q-tip cut in half glued on top!!
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Oh wow! my family didn't really do crafty things for the holidays, but I rememeber making cookies all on my own for the first time when I was a teen ager from my gread granmother's recipe. scribbled in my grandmother's handwritting in my mom's cook book
This year, I made notebooks (designed the covers too) for all my girlfriends at work and designed matching holiday cards for all the guys and my other acquintances.
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This year I made half of the presents. One that I loved doing was a USB Flash drive. Got a great deal on 4gig flash drives and crocheted a cover around it and embellished with crocheted flowers, a little super glue to fix it in place and presto! It was a hit! Just had time to make one so I guess I'll spend the rest of my winter perfecting it. What can I say... making new memories. Thanks for offering such wonderful prizes... they are waaay cool. I would give my right hand for those.... Oh wait.. scratch that... I'm a righty. Have a great Holiday Season, Drew and everyone!!!!!
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Many, many years ago I crocheted a Christmas stocking for our little son complete with Santa with a loopy beard, from a pattern found in a women's magazine. He was thrilled with it, and 30 years later it's still a family tradition, proudly hanging and being stuffed each Christmas.
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Howdy, Drew, from your neighbor is B'town! o/ My favorite crochet stitch has to be the double crochet because I seem to always be doing them in most of my projects.
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My wonderful Aunt Mamie, who taught me to crochet at age 5, made me a poncho for Christmas. I was probably 8 or 10 and it was the 60's. It was red, cream and black. I loved that thing and wore it often and thought of her. I am an avid crocheter, but I liked that question more than the stitch one!
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My favorite holiday crafting memory is sitting down with my Grandmother to make anything from crocheted ornaments to sewing. She taught me how to do so many things that have benefited me in more ways than I can say.
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My favorite holiday craft memory was making Christmas wreaths and trees out of old computer punched cards. You'd staple together the corners at the short end, and then staple them to a frame of cardboard and spray with gold paint. It was finished off with a garnish of plastic Christmas greenery. See photos at my Facebook photo album; public link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2071965&id=1110631830&l=53fa603e60
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When I was eighteen, I was living on my own and working three part-time jobs to pay my rent. I really wanted to give my family (being from a family of 9) members each a Christmas present. That year, I made crocheted hats for my 4 sisters, crocheted gloves for my 4 brothers and a crocheted rug for my mom. I know that some of my siblings didn't care that I had worked so hard, but I would do it all again because making crocheted items with my hands is so satisfying to me. Every year around this holiday, I think about working on those wonderful gifts. I'm so grateful I know how to crochet. And...I love it so much.
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my favorite memory is all the cats we've had who snuggled under the tree on the crocheted tree skirt over the past 36 years! Most are gone now but they all spent many hours purring under the tree on that skirt. Currently we have Glinda the Good Witch and Pippin the Great under there.
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My favorite Christmas memory is when my grandmother and I used to make ornaments - with styrofoam cups, ribbons, sequins... it was all so much fun. We still have a few of the ornaments and they mean so much to me.
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I love the Popcorn Stitch. So fun and provides lots of lovely texture.
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Unfortunately my family never did any Christmas crafts. But now I have started my own tradition! I have started crafting something silly and fun for someone each week in December. It keeps my hands busy and brings joy to others!
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My favorite holiday crafting memory is crocheting ice skate ornaments with my grandmother when I was 7. We filled the entire tree with them.
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My favorite holiday crafting delight was when I made a box full of tiny turtles for my great niece and nephews.
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My favorite holiday crafting memory is of when I realized the Thanksgiving turkey's breastbone looked like Santa's sleigh. I spray painted it gold and glued the wishbone to it so that clothespin reindeer could be attached to that to pull the sleigh. Add some tiny presents and a small wooden Santa and, "voila!" My mother displayed it prominently over the fireplace for several years. Now, just the idea of it sounds disgusting!
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One year, when I was particularly broke, I knit up dozens of santa hat ornaments and gave sets of 6 of them as gifts. I kept a set for myself, that hangs on my tree. Every year I'm reminded of that Christmas, and how well those ornaments, that I made from Sugar and Cream yarn were received.
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Favorite memory-learning to crochet with my mom, grandma and aunts.
Favorite stitch-the just learned "single crochet thermal" stitch!
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I would say that my most memorable holiday crafting experience was the year that my great aunt gave me a project that she knew she would not live long enough to finish. It was a rag rug. Back in the days when you threw nothing out, and only had those old black-handled thick scissors for cutting, she had made hundreds of yards of cloth strips from old clothing. They were about 1 1/2 " wide, and were sewn together on the ends to make continuous strips, then were braided together to make the cording for the rug. The two balls she gave me were about a foot thick. She had started the rug by crocheting green cotton string around the cording with a double crochet stitch.
When she gave this to me, I was about 7 years old, and had could do granny squares only, but she knew I would figure it out. The sad thing is that it was the only time in my life that I met her. She had come to stay at my grandmother's house because she couldn't remain in her home, and she passed about a month later. I have to admit that I never finished that rug. I got it to about twice the size that she had gotten it, but it just didn't match my style, so it remains unfinished. I take it out now and then and have thought about giving it away. But then I look at all the work that she put into it, and can't bring myself to do that. Some day I will finish it and use it, but though I have only one memory of her, I don't think I'll be able to bear anyone walking on it.
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My favorite holiday crafting memory doesn't really involve me. My grandmother made my uncle a pair of slippers for Christmas. He wears a size 13 shoe, so my grandmother made them 13 inches long. Once the stunned silence broke, the laughter went on for quite a while.
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My favorite holiday memory was when I taught my Junior Girl Scout troop how to crochet caps to send to St. Jude's Children's Hospital for the holidays. We started in time for Christmas, but decided to also collect yarn to donate to the Caps for Kids organization as well, helping them to earn their bronze award. The girls collected over 200 lbs of yarns and made over 500 hats by Easter. The sense of accomplishment they had was priceless. They not only earned their award, but learned a skill they still use. They are now all Seniors in High School and I still get e-mails from them showing me their newest projects. It was my absolute favorite project by far!
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My favorite holiday memory is of this holiday, when I learned to crochet.
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I have been holiday crafting for over 20 years at our annual advent celebration through our church. I think my all time favorite would have to be this year when we took some cheap plastic champagne glasses, had the kids color all over them with permanent markers and then put them in a toaster oven to melt. The kids LOVED watching their glasses melt into neat, and sometimes strange, shapes and colors. While still hot we punched holes in the melted plastic to be hung on their Christmas trees. The excitement from the kids was priceless and it was so very easy.
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This is the first year we have had a full sized tree and watching our oldest girl draw pictures of each family member to hang on the tree is my favorite crafty memory now.
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CONTEST IS OVER - THANKS FOR ENTERING! ANY COMMENTS AFTER THIS ONE WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE DRAWING!!
However please keep leaving your stories, I'm enjoying them all!!
Happy New Year everyone!!
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I know the contest is over but I wanted you to know that my favorite holiday memory involves DREW.
My mom was dying & in hospice house when my then 8 yr. old girl said " Grandma will you teach me something only you can teach?"
Mom sat up in her bed, patted the side & grabbed a bag that we hadn't noticed. She pulled out a some yarn, a hook and a book. As she held my daughter in front of her and guided her hands, Mom shared how she had learned to crochet when she was very young but over the years had given it up due to life's little mishaps. Mom said that she was at the Senior Center a few years back when she picked up a book someone had left on the table. It was one of your first books. She thought that some of her Granddaughters would love the Quirky, Hip styles, so she went out to buy the book. That was the book that she pulled out when my daughter sat on her bed.
My Mom passed 4 days later but she left the Love of crocheting & a wonderful memory with her youngest grandchild.
My daughter who is now 10, crochets a lot. She has even been able to give away and sell some of the items that she has made.
I want to Thank You for sharing your talents with us so that people feel inspired to pick up crocheting again and passing it on.
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