My friends all know I am pretty much a slug, much happier hanging around here in my pjs than out in the world.  Don’t get me wrong.  I am not agoraphobic.  It’s not a matter of fear of going outside.  It’s about being an at-home crochet designer and having the temperament for flying solo. I venture out only for basic necessities: yarn, food, family maintenance, yarn, toilet paper. So only the most compelling fiber events can coax me out of my nest, chief among them are the Crochet Guild of America conferences.

Although volunteerism does not run freely in my veins, I do stick my neck out occasionally and assume some noteworthy CGOA committee tasks, since most of the work can be done in my pjs. So why should you be surprised that I am taking another crack at running the CGOA Design Competition.

I appreciate that March is National Crochet Month, meaning that special attention is being paid to all things crochet.  That makes this a serendipitous time to post the following announcements, updating the status of the competition and sending love to our sponsors.  The event is six months away, but now is the time to get your crochet mojo on and consider sending us your creations.

CGOA 2011 Design Competition Celebrates (and rewards) Crochet

Be a part of this singular event celebrating the beauty and artistry of crochet, the only competition of its kind.  Thanks to a bevy of magnificent sponsors we have thousands of dollars in cash prizes to award to our winning guild members for the best of the best in crochet design.  With a huge $1000 grand prize plus first, second and third place prizes of $300, $200 and $100 respectively in each of seven judging categories plus special prizes, this promises to be the most rewarding event ever.

Here are the design categories for 2011 and their sponsors as of this writing:

—Fanciful Fashion (sponsored by Tulip Co, makers of exceptional tools including Etimo cushion grip crochet hooks and Carry T); fancy adult garments and accessories, including gowns, dresses and evening wear.

—Fashion (sponsored by Tahki Stacy Charles, bringing you fine yarn lines Tahki, S Charles, Filatura Di Crosa and Loop-d-Loop); garments for women or men, including sweaters, tops, jackets and skirts.

—Accessories (sponsored by WEBS, America’s Yarn Store); wearables including shawls, socks, scarves, hats, bags, belts and jewelry.

—Small Wonders (sponsored by Boye and the Crochet Dude brand of crochet tools and accessories); anything small scale, including baby items, toys, amigurimi and small décor items.

—Afghans (sponsored by Caron International and BuyCaron.com); any and all afghans, throws, blankets and bed or sofa covers.

—Thread Crochet (sponsored by AllFreeCrochet.com and FaveCrafts.com, offering diverse crochet e-newsletters, e-books and patterns); anything made with crochet thread, including doilies, décor and accessories.

—Artistic Expressions (sponsored by Leisure Arts, bringing you the art of everyday living); artistic rather than functional in nature, including free-form and mixed media pieces, hangings, sculpture and wearable art.

$1000 Grand Prize, sponsored by Creative Partners (the publishing empire founded by Rita Weiss and Jean Leinhauser) and by  Interweave Press.

$100 Special Technique Award from DesigningVashti for outstanding use of alternate crochet techniques and construction including Tunisian, Broomstick and Hairpin.

$100 Peoples’ Choice Award from the Crochet Liberation Front to be chosen on site by attendee voting.

We are thrilled to welcome this year’s panel of judges: Marcy Smith, editor of Interweave Crochet magazine; Kathleen Sams, ambassador for Coats & Clark; and Drew Emborsky, the Crochet Dude. Judging will take place on location at the CGOA Conference in Greensboro, North Carolina, 21 September 2011 and winners will be announced during the Awards Ceremony on 22 September 2011. You do not have to be present to enter or to win but you will want to be there to marvel at the awesome display of entries and unveiling of the winning designs.

Please use the links provided soon at www.crochet.org to download the complete Design Competition Information package and access the electronic entry form. Deadline for entries to be shipped to the receiving location is 31 August, 2011. Please do not submit a form until you ship your entry in August.

Please frequent our sponsors through the links provided and if you can, let them know their generosity is much appreciated.

For fun you can see the results from the CGOA 2010 Design Competition in this post.  To see winners and images from the CGOA 2009 Design Contest, visit the CGOA page here.  The first such event was in 2008 and not nearly as well organized, but you can see some images here.