NatCroMo 2016, March 20: Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten

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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.

Today’s Posts: Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten | Melinda Miller | Darleen Hopkins | Yarn Asylum | Daily Giveaway

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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Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten

Crochetville is very proud to have designer Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten with us today, March 20, 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 more about Andrea, read our post about her from the 2015 blog tour.

About Andrea:

Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten is a Professional Member of the Crochet Guild of America and has designed patterns for publishers and yarn companies alike in both the United States and England. Her fiber arts work has been on display at Lafayette College, the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum, and Peters Valley Craft Center in Layton, NJ. Her website is www.alvbfiberart.com and her blog is www.thefiberforum.com. She lives in New Jersey with her husband Glenn and her cockatiel, Mendelssohn.

1. Tell us about your favorite travel destination:

I love going to the Catskills! My husband and I love to fly fish and Roscoe is the perfect place for it. One of my favorite things after an early morning of fishing is to head back to the cabin and crochet on the front porch with a cup of tea listening to the river right nearby.

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

I would love to go to Italy and visit the villages of my family. Nothing would make me happier than the chance to crochet where my grandmother and her mother crocheted.

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

As a true Jersey girl, I love going down the shore! A favorite yarn shop is the Fiber Arts Yarn Shop in Cape May, NJ. It is a great little shop with a wonderful staff!

4. Packing: Tell us about any crochet clothing or accessories you pack when traveling. Do you have any cool packing tips to share?

The best trick I ever learned was on my honeymoon. My husband and I took a cruise and then planned on a few days in Florida. I wanted to make sure I had enough space for all the presents we wanted to bring back. Once we arrived in Florida after the cruise, I stopped at the local post office, picked up a box, and shipped home my laundry! Then we had plenty of room for presents!

5. 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?

I generally try to take one project with me so I don’t have to worry about taking scissors if we are on a plane.

6. Do you have any stories or anything else travel-related that you’d like to share with our blog tour readers?

Bring a journal with you when you travel. Whether I use it to note the address of a yarn shop I like or to record random thoughts, I am always happy I have it on hand!

Visit Andrea’s Site: NatCroMo Specials

I’ll be posting a book review and FREE GIVEAWAY, so be sure to head on over to my site!

Andrea’s Designs:

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

Incredible Ribbon Belt/Scarf | Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten

1. Incredible Ribbon Belt/Scarf, $3.00

This simple belt is a great accessory for any outfit! Also, if you make it a little wider, it can be used as a fashion scarf! A versatile accessory that works up quickly . . . the perfect project!

This is an unusually skillful combination of yarn, stitch, application, and trend awareness. This belt alone can bring your outfit into up-to-the-minute style, just because of its openness and the yarn’s character. Fashion is increasingly about texture combinations, and this one simple piece adds a lot.

Three Crochet Dishcloths | Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten

2. Three Crochet Dishcloths, $5.00

These dish cloths only take one ball of cotton yarn each and work up quickly. The great textures will get those dishes clean and look great in your kitchen at the same time!” It’s a funny thing, but people who have used crocheted (or knitted) dishcloths generally want no others. For decades they have been both very effective and extremely eco-friendly (toss them in a hot washer when yucky, and they come right back up). Here are three fine designs for them, which not only give you practical gifts, but can teach various crochet stitches to newbies.

Lisa's Prayer Shawl | Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten

3. Lisa’s Prayer Shawl, $6.00

The idea of a prayer shawl is to create a garment with a repeatable pattern that doesn’t require a lot of focus. This way while crocheting, prayers, good thoughts and healing energy can be “fused” into the shawl to help the wearer heal–whatever the trouble may be!