NatCroMo 2016, March 2: Shelby Allaho

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The Crochet Express National Crochet Month Blog Tour

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Welcome to Crochetville’s fourth annual National Crochet Month (NatCroMo) blog tour, taking place each day of March 2016. Join us as we take a virtual tour on our passenger steam train, The Crochet Express, visiting crochet designers, crochet-friendly local yarn stores, and yarn companies, and offer some fun giveaways.

Want to Chat about the Tour?

Part of the fun of taking a passenger steam train trip is talking with your fellow passengers. This year, we’re providing two locations where our passengers can get to know each other. We’d love to hear about your favorite things you’ve discovered on the tour and see photos of your current crochet projects. You’re invited to join us daily for virtual cocktails/appetizers and dinner. (We’ll be sharing links to some fabulous recipes!)

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Shelby Allaho, StitchStory

Shelby Allaho

Crochetville is very proud to have designer Shelby Allaho with us today, March 2, as one of the featured designers on our 2016 Designer Blog Tour in honor of National Crochet Month (NatCroMo). If you’d like to know even more about Shelby, check out our post from last year’s blog tour.

About Shelby:

Shelby Allaho has won numerous design awards, and she specializes in designing unique accessories for women and children, in traditional and freeform crochet. Her work has been published in Interweave Crochet, Inside Crochet, and Crochet! magazines, as well as in books from Creative Publishing International, Sixth and Spring Books, and Sterling Publishing. She co-authored Crocheting Clothes Kids Love with Ellen Gormley. Shelby also collaborates with her woodworking husband on the eWoodStory line of crochet kits with wooden elements and wooden items to stitch.

1. Tell us about your favorite travel destination:

London is one of my favorite places in the world. It is like a second home to me, as I spent many summers there when I was growing up, and I also went to college there. It holds a special place in my heart and I just can’t visit there enough!

2. Tell us about a “dream” travel location that you’d like to visit one day:

Sri Lanka is next on my list of places that I want to visit. Beautiful scenery and delicious food! Everyone I know who has been there has such wonderful things to say about their trip!

3. Do you visit yarn stores when traveling? If so, tell us about one of your favorite finds.

I always look for unique yarn and craft stores. One of my favorite finds was on a road trip to Khobar, Saudi Arabia. It is a small city on the sea front, and it has a wonderful family owned store selling all kinds of craft and sewing supplies. They had a lot of vintage things in the shop. A real treasure trove!

4. Tell us about any crochet projects you take with you when traveling: How many projects do you take? How do you decide which ones to take?

It depends on how I am traveling and how long the trip is. Usually, I pack small projects that don’t require too much concentration. When I have a long flight I like to take my laptop to work on any pattern writing I may have to do. I always take more projects than I can possibly complete, so I have some to choose from. I get more accomplished that way! I hate to waste a minute of stitching time!

Visit Shelby’s Site: NatCroMo Specials

I will be offering a free pattern for crocheted bangles that is an exercise in upcycling. The base of the bangle is a cardboard insert from a ball of crochet thread.

Shelby’s Designs:

If you’re not familiar with my work already, I’d like to share three of my designs with you.

Fanfare Cowl by Shelby Allaho

1. Fanfare Cowl, $2.99

Use simple stitches and surface crochet, to create a stylish gathered cowl to keep you warm on those cool days. A fun project from beginner to advanced crocheters!

Crawford Necklace by Shelby Allaho

2. Crawford Necklace, $2.99

As a collector of vintage jewelry, I adore delicate 1950’s rhinestone necklaces. I designed this necklace by combining simple stitches in a unique way, to create an ornate piece. The use of metallic yarn echoes the richness of fine jewelry that could be worn everyday or for formal occasions.

Raindrops Choker by Shelby Allaho

3. Raindrops Choker, $2.99

Crochet a stunning fine jewelry piece worthy of your best occasion. The metallic yarn sets off the design and gives it a rich, opulent look.

It can also be a more casual statement piece, if you use a non-metallic yarn for the neckband, and a subtle variegated yarn for the raindrops that would emulate stones.