NatCroMo 2016, March 27: Sara Kay Hartmann

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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: Kathryn Clark | Beth Major | Sara Kay Hartmann | Get Squared Retreats | 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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Sara Kay Hartmann, Sara Kay Knit & Crochet

Crochetville is very proud to have designer Sara Kay Hartmann with us today as one of the featured designers on our 2016 Designer Blog Tour in honor of National Crochet Month (NatCroMo).

About Sara Kay:

Sara Kay Hartmann designs patterns for modern crochet and hand knitting. She is the author of Poetic Crochet: 20 Shawls Inspired by Classic Poems. She lives on the suburban prairie of central Illinois.

Tell us about your favorite travel destination.

Whenever my husband and I have a chance to travel, we look for beautiful landscapes and wonderful food as opposed to bright lights and big cities.

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

I have dreamed of visiting the hot springs in Banff, Alberta, Canada since reading about it in a novel when I was fourteen. I would love to take a hike in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and spend time in such a stunning place.

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

Yes, whenever I can! So far my favorite find has been FiberWild! on Main Street in Galena, Illinois. Since it’s a lovely destination for tourists, the shop has a nice array of finished knits for sale along with great luxury skeins, perfect for souvenirs!

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

I’m usually more concerned with packing my take-along projects than finished clothes to wear. However, we are planning a trip to Hawaii this fall, and I’m set on crocheting myself a beach dress. One great packing tip that really works: spread a layer of tissue paper over your clothes before folding. The extra layering prevents scrunching that leads to wrinkles.

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 usually take 2 or 3 interesting balls of yarn, a stitch dictionary (or two) and stick to swatching out design ideas during trips. Sadly, I get motion sickness from crocheting in the car, but I always take something to work on anyway. I try to keep a small number of projects or yarns on hand since I’m sure to buy some along the way.

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

When I was 23, I worked as an executive assistant to an American boss who was based in Luxembourg and I got the chance to take a business trip to his offices. On the trip home, I stopped over in Zürich, Switzerland to meet up with my brother who lived in Lausanne, Switzerland at the time. I hadn’t had much time to plan this overnight visit other than booking the hotel room, but I figured I’d just wing it when I got there.

I made it onto the airport tram that took me to some -platz train station in the altstadt (old town) where I discovered that Zürich’s official language is Swiss German and not French as I had thought. I spoke no German, Swiss or otherwise, so I hadn’t a clue as to how I would find my hotel. I paced up and down the train platform with my suitcase a couple of times, willing the dozens of long words that all seemed to end in -platz to morph into French, which I studied in high school and college. When that didn’t work, I sat down on a bench to think about what to do.

There was no station attendant, just a few self-service ticket kiosks, and this was before smartphones had gone main stream. The Swiss seemed very reserved and unapproachable, and I was afraid to ask anyone and seem dumb. I noticed taxis pulling away from the curb outside the platz and thought “that’s it!” I waited awhile longer, but no other taxis pulled in.

A long, black limousine taxi had been parked in front of me for the 10 minutes or so I had been sitting there thinking about what to do. It seemed ludicrous to take a limousine ride, but I was afraid of being late and missing my brother. I stammered the name of the hotel to the driver, a gray-haired fellow wearing aviator sunglasses, and smoking a cigarette. He grinned in a way I didn’t understand, gestured as if to say “get in!” and had me swipe my credit card to charge the fare then drove me to the hotel which was right around the corner—it would have been a one-minute walk from the train station. The joke was on me, but it was still the best $25 I ever spent!

Visit Sara Kay’s Site: NatCroMo Specials

I will be offering a limited-time free download of one of my bestselling shawls: Bellamy (the third pattern pictured below).

A Few of Sara Kay’s Designs:

Starry Skies Shawl, in the book Poetic Crochet: 20 Shawls Inspired by Classic Poems

Starry Skies is one of my favorite projects in Poetic Crochet. It was inspired by the poem, “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron. “She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies; and all that’s best of dark and bright meet in her aspect and her eyes…” Remember that you are entitled to a free bonus pattern with your purchase of Poetic Crochet; visit sarakayknitandcrochet.com for more details.

Thisbe Jacket, $8.00

Interesting stitches, simple lines, and just a few decreases make Thisbe the ultimate first garment project! Crocheted lace panels are worked sideways without seams to create the body of this drop shoulder jacket. Thisbe is perfect with skinny jeans or leggings and boots for fall or over a swimsuit and sandals in summer. The ultimate in crochet bohemian chic, make free-spirited Thisbe for an easy wardrobe piece that will carry you through the seasons. Available in 6 sizes: S-3X

Bellamy Shawl, $6.00

Bellamy is a romantic and airy shawl perfect for the transition from late winter to early spring. The unique lace points add a feminine grace to the classic triangle. The shawl is worked top-down from the shoulders with a seamless edging of shell and mesh points worked one at a time along the lower edge.

This pattern includes written instructions and charts!