New Classes for 2011!

Class Schedule for Kim Guzman

Current 2011 Schedule. Will be updated as classes are added.

April 8, 2011  Online Class Registration Closes: April 10, 2011 Crochetville	Learn Broomstick Lace  Called “jiffy lace” for a reason, you’ll quickly find that broomstick lace is a fast and fun new project! You can use the techniques learned in this class for a scarf, shawl, or throw. Don’t let broomstick lace scare you anymore! Students will learn all tlhe tips and tricks to make their own special project whether they choose to do a scarf, shawl, or throw.
April 15, 2011  Online Class Registration Closes: April 17, 2011 Crochetville	Learn Tunisian Crochet Shaping with a Kitchen Set  This class comes packed with a large variety of creativity in Tunisian crochet. You’ll be working in an easily-memorized stitch pattern and practicing your skills first with a hanging towel. Once you’ve mastered the stitch pattern, you can then move on to the oven mitt which incorporates the same stitch pattern. The oven mitt also incorporates three different methods of shaping in Tunisian crochet. You’ll quickly master all of these techniques and then have a cute little kitchen set to use in your home or as a cute house-warming or shower gift.
April 29, 2011  Online Class Registration Closes: May 1, 2011 Crochetville	Crocheting From A Graph  Are you interested in working from a graph, but don’t know where to start? This class is definitely for you. I will be covering many different ways to crochet from a graph so that you can make a decision about which technique you’d like to use. This is a technique-based class. There is no actual project. It will solely be a class in which you will learn these different techniques: 1) Solid color work. We’ll start with crocheting in one color. You will learn how to use a graph to work in filet as well as how to use textured stitches in both regular crochet and Tunisian crochet. 2) Multi color work. Next we’ll learn how to change colors in a multi-color graph for both single crochet and Tunisian crochet. You’ll practice crochet intarsia as well as working over stitches in more of a Tapestry crochet technique.
May 13, 2011  Online Class Registration Closes: May 16, 2011 Crochetville	Beginning Knitting  There are times when a little knitting is desired and will make a crochet project look really sharp! The most obvious use of knitting would be ribbing. Knitted ribbing is perfect for so many crochet projects! And, why not add a nice rib around the neck? Perhaps a turtleneck? Learning a few handy knitting skills will help add just the right finishing touch to your crochet. Learn directly from a crocheter, in the style most popular for crocheters. Learning to knit doesn’t mean that you’ll need to hold your yarn any differently. You can learn in the Continental style and still be able to hold your yarn in your non-hook hand. Business as usual. See step-by-step how this is done. Learning directly from a crocheter makes it so much easier to learn.

2011 Flamie Awards: Have You Voted?

It’s time to vote for the CLF Flamie Awards if you haven’t already! Voting ends soon!

I have been nominated for these categories and it really won’t hurt my feelings at all if you would like to vote for me.

Vote HERE.

Best Crochet Instructor

If you’ve enjoyed my online classes, please be sure to vote for me!

Best Crochet Pattern Book

Best Crochet Video (Amateur)

You may want to have a look at my videos at my YouTube Channel here.

Best Design in Home Décor

The Bargello Throw, available from Caron here, is a really interesting and unique alteration of a well-known, traditional stitch pattern, for a completely different look.

Best Design for Adult Accessories

Mariposa is a gorgeous, light-as-air shawl created in Tunisian crochet. Yes, you really CAN have beautiful lace with Tunisian!

Best Crochet Designer for Home Décor

This is the overall award in this category. In addition to the Bargello Throw above and the Reversible Ripple Afghans book, here is another design to consider. It is the Pennsylvania Dutch Afghan, available on the Caron site here.

Best Crochet Designer for Womens Wear

In this final category, I have been nominated for best women’s wear for the year. If you appreciate my design style and my designing for a wide range of sizes, sometimes small up to 6X, please vote for me. Here are a few.

And to all nominating me and voting for me, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You are terrific and I appreciate you all so much!

New Design: Easy Does It

I want to introduce you to my newest knit design, Easy Does It, available in the May 2011 issue of Creative Knitting magazine. I designed this in a lovely merino blend by Universal Yarns called Dolce Merino.

The lace portion is worked in the round. I find it so much easier to work in lace when I can work always from the front. Very fun and quick design. Enjoy!

Errata: I have some errata to report for this design. It applies to the size small only.

Try a cast on of 174, then when you bind off the underarms, bind off 12 instead of 10. This looks like a typo when I was doing the spreadsheet, unfortunately.

Whn doing the sleeves, cast on 63 instead of 61 and bind off 6 stitches when you start the decreasing instead of 5.

Sorry for the confusion.

Post-Book-Writing-Catch-Up

If you’ve been following my progress on Facebook, you will know about the book I’ve been writing for the last couple of months. If you’re not following me on Facebook, please feel free to friend me here. Don’t be shy.

The last couple of months have been so busy. I worked like mad crazy on this book and I just know that you’ll love it! Although I can’t really say anything in particular about the book yet, at least it won’t be too very long. The book is due to be published around November.

I believe that I slept, off and on, for about two days after finishing last week. I was EXHAUSTED! I put everything I had into that book and I was completely drained. But, fortunately, I’ve recovered and already started on my next project (as well as submitting another book proposal LOL).

Here is one teeny tiny sneak peek from the book. ;-D

In Other News

In the last month or so, we have started to show some really big signs of Spring being on its way. Just look at these!

I’ve been checking the fruit trees pretty frequently. I was most concerned about the trees I purchased online. Call me crazy, but purchasing trees online seemed kinda scary. I mean, how do I KNOW the trees are going to be okay? Right?

I’m happy to report that they are starting to bud out and so are obviously alive and going strong. The three new fruit trees I purchased online are:

Autumn Royal Apricot

Blanheim Apricot

Ranier Cherry

I’m trying not to get too excited about the Ranier Cherry. I don’t think we live in a zone cold enough for it to fruit. But, it’s my daughter’s favorite and I wanted to at least try it. Ranier isn’t a self-pollinating tree. So I’ve got it close to the wild cherry tree and a North Star cherry tree. Probably over-kill, but still!

This morning, I checked the plum and fig trees. They’ve both got little blooms. The 20-year-old grape vine isn’t doing anything yet. The Red Haven Peach is doing really well. I’m sure the apple trees are just fine. They’ve been there so long that you just can’t worry about them much. I didn’t check the other peach or the pear, but I’m sure they’re fine too.

I’m really looking forward to going to buy some tomato plants. I’d like to can a lot of tomatoes this year. Last year, I made WAY too much jelly! I had to give a lot away. This year, I’m going to try to find more creative ways to use what we have here. I may even try pickles for the first time.

And About Christian

I can’t help but show you this cute photo of Christian all cuddled up in the Brocade Ripple from Reversible Ripple Afghans.

New Crochet-Along: Sweetheart Ripple Afghan

Beginning March 15, I will be hosting a crochet-along for the Sweetheart Ripple Afghan. If you would like to participate, even if you are unable to start right away, please visit my YahooGroup here to request membership.

To participate in the crochet-along, you will need the pattern which can be purchased on the Annie’s Attic website and you may also find it at your local hobby store (JoAnns, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc.).

Reversible Ripple Afghans leaflet from Annie’s Attic, available here in both hard copy and PDF download.

I hope to see you there!

New Design: Lacy Little Cardigan

If you’re a digital subscriber to Crochet World magazine, you may have already noticed this design which is included in the April 2011 issue.

If you think you might be interested in making this project, you may be interested in the topic I’ve started on Ravelry here. I’ve been asked whether there would be a crochet-along for it and you can post in this forum with questions/notes/etc. Sort of an impromptu crochet-along for those of you who want to get started right away for Spring.

04/14/2011 ETA: Errata alert!

The shoulder of this pattern needs some errata. The stitch counts are incorrect.

Shoulder

Row 1: Sl st in ch-3 sp, ch 4 (counts as dc plus ch 1), 3 dc in same ch-3 sp, * [sc, ch 3, sc] in ch-1 sp, [3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc] in ch-3 sp, rep from * to last ch-1 sp, [sc, ch 3, sc] in ch-1 sp, [3 dc, ch 1, dc] in last ch-3 sp, turn—1 (1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2) ch-3 sps.

Row 2: Ch 1, * [sc, ch 3, sc] in ch-1 sp, [3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc] in ch-3 sp, rep from * to last ch-1 sp, [sc, ch 3, sc] in last ch-1 sp, turn—2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3) ch-3 sps.

Rows 3- 11 (11, 10, 10, 9, 13, 13, 12, 12): Rep rows 1-2 consecutively. Fasten off.

There is NO decreasing in this section. After the final row for the shoulder, you will have the same stitch count as row 1 (1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2).

ETA (2): When you get to the upper back, if you are doing anything but the small, there is a section where you continue decreasing (rows 3-4). Because these rows aren’t included for the small, there is no stitch count for the size small. If you, for instance, have been doing the size large and you’re using the 3rd number in the stitch count, you will be using the 2nd number in that section. The small is not listed because it’s not being used.

Ordinarily, I think this would be very noticeable when there are only, say 4 sizes provided in the pattern. I think it would be readily seen that there are now only 3. However, since this pattern is written for 9 sizes, it’s not so easy to tell that there are only 8 numbers there.

New Design: Salsa Party Skirt

Recently, one of my designs was made available on the Caron website. I made this adorable little girl skirt using Simply Soft Party. If you’ve not seen Simply Soft Party, it’s a yarn with all the softness you’ve come to expect from Simply Soft except that it includes a bit of “bling”. And, unlike other yarns you may have tried in the past which include a metallic strand, this one is very soft and you almost don’t realize that it’s there except, of course, for the pretty bling.

You can find the pattern for the Salsa Party Skirt on the Caron website here.

After putting the information into the Ravelry database, I noticed that someone had made the skirt and it’s shown here, modeled on her kitty!

She suffered through the humiliation quite valiantly. And, the idea of a kitty cape is just too cute. You can see the project information on Ravelry here.