Friday, January 28, 2011

Posting Day

I listed more absolutely GORGEOUS hand-made crochet hooks on eBay today! (And the second set will be up on Sunday!) Check them out!


(Click the photo to make it larger and the hooks in all their glorious detail!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Published Article

First, I've got new work! Check out these gorgeous crochet hooks on eBay! (I also have lots of new nostepindes, thimbles, and beads on Etsy, including my famous "Sun Rainbow" colorway!)

The hook in the photo, furthest to the right, is the largest hook I have ever made! A size S, 17mm, for only the most ambitious crochet projects! (In contrast, the hook furthest to the left is a Q, the largest most of us ever attempt!) Both beauties are listed now on eBay.

Without further ado, I give you a photo, then on to the main topic of the day!



It all started one day when I was asked to give a demonstration on how I did my crochet hooks... I was absolutely terrified, but when the time came, everything went very well indeed, and I gained huge confidence in my ability to present a woodturning topic. I also found out one very critical thing that had not occurred to me previously -- people were interested in what I did... !

I thought everyone knew how to make a crochet hook! After all, they've been around for hundreds of years! Well, turns out that it's relatively specialized, and by making very high quality hooks, I had developed even more specialized techniques.

Later, it was suggested that I write an article about making crochet hooks. And again, it seemed to me that the world probably already knew everything I would have to say... but to my great surprise, my idea was preliminarily accepted to be published! So I wrote, took photographs, and turned. And, at length, (the publishing industry has a long lead time), my article has been published in the February 2011 issue of American Woodturner!

You can view it at my web site here: Creating Crochet Hooks article by Katherine Kowalski

We all have our own ways of working, and sometimes it seems so normal to us that we don't even bother talking about it. I would heartily encourage anyone, everyone to share what you know, even if it seems commonplace to you. Give a presentation to your group, write an article for your art/craft magazines.

How do you get started? E-mail the editors of the relevant publications, and ask for their submission guidelines as well as what types of articles they are looking for.

When you hold that magazine in your hand, see your work in full color, and your name on the article, it gives an unforgettable feeling of pride and satisfaction, along with a strong dose of je ne sais quoi! :-)

And, on a more personal note, it was an absolute joy to work with the editor of American Woodturner, Betty Scarpino!