As I continue to work on the myriad pieces needed for my 2011 North Carolina State Fair project, I occasionally find myself trolling the internet seeking inspiration and guidance, and today I found something so awe inspiring, I was filled with both admiration and envy.

Admiration of what this woman has accomplished; envy that I didn’t think of it myself

Located in Joshua Tree Village, Shari Elf’s World Famous Crochet Museum is inspiring on many levels, not the least of which is the audacity of the enterprise.

Housed in a former Fotomat booth (which in itself harkens back to a time when photos were taken with film which was then processed), the museum collection was originally comprised of crocheted objects Ms. Elf had collected over the years. It has since grown to include donations that have been made by the many fans of the museum.

If you are lucky enough to be able to travel and see this museum live and in person, it is located at 61855 Highway 62, Joshua Tree, California. However, if, like me, you find yourself too many thousands of miles away to make the trek, you can view Mark Pritchard’s Flickr album that showcases many of the museum’s holdings.

Based on my initial viewing of the album, I was astonished at both the breadth and depth of the work and would guess that the museum houses the most complete crocheted poodle collection to be found anywhere in the world.

If you want to learn more about Shari Elf, her World Famous Crochet Museum, and her many other endeavors, you can start your exploration here.