With the Craft & Hobby show in town some of the biggest names in the crochet and knit community are around. But I never would have guessed that one of the premier male crochet designers, Drew Emborsky (aka The Crochet Dude) would be spending the evening with me. Actually, I’m quite certain that he never would have guessed it either.
I think he was lured over by the possibility of playing on the Wii, but we never seemed to get passed the hor d’oeuvres1 and martinis. The absolute highlight for me was the moment he asked to see the Perfect Fit V-neck sweater vest I made based on his pattern in Crochet Today. It’s one thing to get complemented on your work from other people, it’s quite another to get complemented by the designer himself. Now that I think of it, I guess he was complementing himself too. I mean really, he did all the hard work, I just followed along. So in reality, I was being complemented as a great follower. That works for me!
If you haven’t purchased Drew’s latest book, The Crochet Dude’s Designs for Guys, I highly recommend it. There are twenty-six highly fashionable crochet designs devoted to men, but not exclusive to men. It sells out quite often, so secure your copy as soon as you can.
My favorite city is Portland, Oregon. My favorite crochet designer is The Crochet Dude (Drew Emborsky). When my favorite designer told me of an amazing yarn store in my favorite city, I wanted to go through the wardrobe real bad.
Yarnia, nestled in Southeast Portland, is a whole new concept in a yarn store. YOU get to design your own custom blends of yarn from the extensive selection of fibers and colors they stock. But the best part is you get to watch it being made right in front of you.
From wool, cotton and silk, to bamboo and hemp, they have a huge selection of fibers that you can combine to make any weight yarn you need. The yarn is sold by the pound, so there is little chance of purchasing more than you need, but there is a distinct possibility of buying all that you want.
With the Spring Knit and Crochet Show coming up in Portland, I know one of the first places I’m going to visit while I’m there…Yarnia!
Check them out at their website: yarnpdx.com, or keep tabs on all their events via their blog.
No. Not really. I’m going to go on for a bit more.
This is one of those patterns that I got a little advanced notice on Ravelry that it was coming out in the Nov/Dec issue of Crochet Today. I fell in love with the preview pictures I saw from Drew Emborsky (the designer). I knew the issue wasn’t going to hit the shelves for a couple of weeks but I immediately asked him for the yardage needed so I could scope out yarn (you can read about the yarn scoping/buying pain here).
Once all the Christmas gifts were completed I was finally able to get started on the vest. The pattern worked up fast and easy. It’s the perfect introductory pattern for your first garment piece. Just six strips created by a nice non-coma-inducing alternating stitch (Don’t you just hate those patterns that use one stitch for a long-ass time?). Stitch the strips together, edge those suckers and bam, a vest.
I chose Lamb’s Pride worsted-weight yarn in Sable and Roasted Coffee colors. It’s a great wool and mohair blend, easy to work with no splitting.
, T
, Amy
, drew Emborsky
, Glen
, Leslie
