Lady McCrady for Louise McCrady
My blogs
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Industry | Education |
| Occupation | Author Artist Designer Professor Curator |
| Location | Madison, CT, United States |
| Links | Wishlist |
| Introduction | Louise McCrady, the originator, created the word Shirret, to describe the combination of SHIRRing fabric and crochETing through it. She developed numerical and stitching methods and a book of instruction and patterns of Shirret rug making. She lived in Connecticut half her life. She was from a large family in Indianapolis, 1/3 Irish, 1/3 German, 1/3 English, mostly redheads. She was one of the first Annies when it was called Li'l Orphan Annie, by the poet James Whitcomb Riley (an Irish name) on the Indianapolis stage. Indianapolis was a large cultural center, with the Scottish Rite, the Indiana Roof a large music and dance concert venue, a richly cultural black neighborhood of musicians, artists, and intellectuals which was known nationally for jazz. A performing accordionist and tap dancer with her father Ben, she ws known as Toni Benson. She was a jazz vocalist for, and managed, the 12-18 piece Big Band called Harry McCrady and His Orchestra. She a book reviewer for the Indianapolis Star newspaper, later a high school English teacher, and author of articles and The Art of Shirret. She graduated 5th in the first Purdue University class to admit women as a Bachelor of Sciences. |
| Interests | I paint large oil paintings: I'm a colorist. I crochet string through colorful fab scraps with a special crochet hook designed in the 1930s which I manufacture and sell. I have kits with all the ingredients needed to Crochet Shirret, a book of patterns, 12 online how-to videos for $8 for a month. Many of my Shirret have traveled the country in Museum exhibitions, and I have a collection of antique Shirret. Crochet Shirret is fashion, it's art, it's mesmerizing, it's good for the brain, it's how I problem solve. The crossing of the hands in motion brings on brain wave states that naturally allow thoughts to float to the surface and to solve issues we are thinking about. Plus, I get a reward for my time. Plus I create a beautiful cultural object that is proof of time well-spent. I feel productive when I have an exciting idea of art to make, gather all the parts, begin to play and make it, adjust it and change it to my liking, put it up, photograph it and share it. A great feeling of prosperity overwhelms me. |
| Favorite movies | Bridges of Madison County, Out of Africa, Julia. |
| Favorite music | Jazz and pop, good singers |
| Favorite books | anything by Isak Dinesen, F.Scott Fitzgerald, Boothe Tarkington, Kurt Vonnegut |