Articles

Treasures of Bukhara

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Mosaics, Melons and A Mill

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The Riches of Samarkand

Though my main destination was the High Pamirs of Tajikistan, I couldn't imagine coming to Central Asia without seeing the famed exotic cities of Samarkand and Bukhara in Uzbekistan. My trip in Uzbekistan was arranged by Elenatours, represented by a Russian named Boris.

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My Central Asian Adventure Begins

Months ago I saw a photo on ravelry of an amazing slip stitch stock made in the Pamir mountains of Tajikistan.  From that moment I decided to go to the region to find out about more about these socks, their origins and makers. I was most fortunate to obtain a frequent flyer air ticket from New York to Tashkent, in Uzbekistan, and back via Kiev in the Ukraine.  In Kiev I was to meet up with crochet master Antonina Kuznetsova, who invited me for Ukraine's Indendence Day when she learned I was planning a trip to the region.

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WE DID IT!!!

This June in New York City, crocheters set a new world record in the  Guinness Book: for the most crocheters working simultaneously for 15 minutes!

It took 427 crocheters to come together to make it happen. The setting was a Mets game in the new Citi Field, and was an extension of TNNA's Stitch 'n Pitch, a program encouraging crafters to knit and crochet at ball games, helping to popularize the crafts we love. 

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Why Crochet Needs Standards

Recently I've been much preoccupied by the concept of developing standards in crochet.  When the topic is broached in public forums like ravelry, many crocheters' first reaction is unease.  People are fearful of having their work judged, that feedback they get might not be constructive, that those giving it may not be qualified to do so, and a host of other issues, all valid.  Yet I'm certain that there is  way to establish such standards, avoid the pitfalls that many fear, and that doing so would have a tremendously uplifting effect on our craft.

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Reclaiming Crochet, and its American History

The real history of crochet has yet to be discovered. In the United States, there is virtually no written history of crochet. Of the few books providing historical treatment of crochet, only one had a portion dedicated to American crochet history.

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Heirloom Treasures in a New Light

After getting bored with the same old crochet stitches and patterns I was inspired one day by a mysterious package in my friend’s attic. She found an old Irish crochet collar, doilies, handkerchiefs and some funny-looking tools that turned out to be her grandmother’s hairpin lace tool and a pair of wooden size 50 knitting needles....

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Ancient Fibers

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