As many members of the crochet world are aware, Jean Leinhauser, crocheter and crochet advocate extraordinaire passed away earlier yesterday.

While there are many crocheters in the world, the world of crochet is, in its way, quite small. I first became aware of Jean Leinhauser from the many books and leaflets she edited. She was, bar none, my favorite editor. The way she explained crochet is the way I understand it, and I found her directions to be clear, precise, and easy to follow.

On a more personal level, Jean was the person assigned to evaluate my crochet portfolio for the CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) Master in Basic Stitches which I finished shortly before the course underwent a redesign. When I learned that she would be evaluating my work,I knew that no matter what the outcome, I would be getting a thorough and professional evaluation of my work.

I was beside myself with joy the day I got this email from Jean:

Hi Leslie,

I just wanted to let you know that your portfolio passed the evaluation and that you are being awarded
the CGOA Master in Basic Stitches. The portfolio will be shipped back to you this week. I am attaching a copy
of the review, which will also be included in the package.

Usually your printed Certificate is included with the portfolios, but we have just run out of them. I will reorder
this week, and your Certificate will be sent on to you separately as soon as we receive them.

Congratulations on being a Master in Crochet Stitches.

Jean Leinhauser
Chairman, CGOA Education Committee

I could not have been happier

So to remember Jean on this day and honor her many contributions to the world of crochet, I worked on a square from the 101 Crochet Squares crochet-a-long that I am participating in.

Using a 5.0 mm hook, and my Red Heart Super Saver yarn, I used shocking pink to make the first round:

After weaving in the ends, from there I continued using delft:

Then, after changing my mind several times, I settled on bright yellow for the third round:

For any crocheters who want a way to honor Jean Leinhauser’s memory, she is said to have loved her dogs even more than she loved crochet, and her business partner and long-time friend, Rita Weiss, has suggested that a contribution (be it cash, time, or crochet) to an animal shelter in Jean’s name would be a fitting tribute.