>And the winners are….

Posted on August 12, 2009 by dorischancrochet

>Never in my life have I seen so much stellar crochet all in one place. I am talking about the CGOA National Conference this past week in Buffalo, NY, and in particular about the 2009 CGOA Crochet Design Contest. I had the gut-wrenching experience of taking part in the judging. We had four hours to examine all one hundred entries and come up with this short list. We could have been there for days.

I’m posting the winner list now, but plan to write more about some of the high points and hopefully have a mess of images soon.

2009 CGOA Design Contest Winners

Grand Prize ($1000 from Coats & Clark)

“Crochet Confection Evening Gown”, designed by Renee Barnes

Peoples’ Choice

“Wedding Gown”, designed by Paula Bennett

CATEGORY: FASHION

First Prize ($300 from Coats & Clark) “Flamenco Dancer Dress”, Patricia Williams

Second Prize ($200 from the Boye Needle Company) “Ocean Fiesta Dress”, Andrea Graciarena

Third Prize ($100 from DRG’s Crochet Magazine) “Sophisticated Spring”, Paula Bennett

Honorable Mention

Baby Dress Set by Carol Carlile

Short-sleeved Jacket with shawl collar by Margaret Hubert

Wedding Dress by Paula Bennett

Double-breasted Jacket by Mary Jane Hall

Bruges Lacy Dress by Hyacinth Thomas

Corset Top by Tracie Barrett

Playing the Angles Cardigan by Deborah Burger

CATEGORY: Home Decor

First Prize ($300 from Coats & Clark) Doily by Ferosa Harold

Second Prize ($200 from Interweave Crochet) Freeform Pillow by Shelby Lynn Allaho

Third Prize ($100 from DRG’s Crochet Magazine) Victori Africana Footstool by Rhonda Davis

Honorable Mention

Tamara’s Trail Throw by Tamara Gonzales

Avalon Doily by Kathryn White

Irish Lace Mat by Kathie Earle Doily by Ferosa Harold

CATEGORY: Accessories

First Prize ($300 from Coats & Clark) Spring Handbag by Jerry Rigdon, freeform bag

Second Prize ($200 from Boye) Black and White Headpiece and bag by Kathie Earle, DMC cotton #80

Third Prize ($100 from DRG’s Crochet Magazine) Butterfly Necklace by Sonja Hood, done in wire and glass

Honorable Mention

Evening Clutch Bag by Diane Moyer

Silk, Silver and Lace Purse by Julia Bryan

Beaded Evening Bag by Sonja Hood

Freeform Hat with Earflaps by Leslie Nelle-Urinyi

CATEGORY: Crochet as Art

First Prize ($300 from Coats & Clark) Heartrock Hotel by Gwen Blakley Kinsler

Second Prize ($200 from Interweave Crochet) The Harvest by Carol Ventura

Third Prize ($100 from Martingale & Co) Pop Top Bowl by Denise Royal

Honorable Mention

Crochet on a Rock with a Twist of Lime, Gwen Blakley Kinsler

Crochet Cabernet, Andera Van Benschoten

Prayer Flags by Martha Furman Kosro

Hearty congrats to all. Personal thanks to Cari Clement, to Lori Fuller who sweated all the pre- and post-show details at Caron headquarters, and a HUGE standing ovation for Caron International Yarns for their support and generous sponsorship of this year’s contest.

>What ME… judge?

Posted on May 16, 2009 by dorischancrochet

>Doubledogdangit. I was psyching myself up for the 2009 CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) Crochet Design Contest, culminating in the awarding of prizes at a ceremony during the CGOA National Conference in Buffalo, NY, 6-8 August. Yup. Cash prizes. And the best part is you don’t have to write a pattern for your submission. Piece of pie!

Stupidly I missed the deadline for last year’s contest due to procrastination. So this year I vowed to set aside plenty of time and yarn and get started early. One of the prototypes I considered was this simple seamless dress with a peasant string-tied neckline and tiered, slightly ruffled trim. Not quite the rumba ruffles I wanted. Honestly, it looks scary the way it hangs on the mannequin, but the deep tiers have plenty of movement and swing. Fun to wear and twirl.

But much to my astonishment I got drafted to be a contest judge. CGOA Design Contest Committee Co-Chairpersons Cari Clement and Jean Leinhauser probably thought having a designer on the panel of judges would be a good thing. I accepted the honor, but on one condition; I could consider bribes. I never said I would take any bribes, just consider them. I believe Cari thought I was kidding.

I join a most distinguished group of crochet luminaries: Cari Clement, representing Caron International Yarns, Jean Leinhauser of Creative Partners publishing, Michelle Maks of DRG, and Brett Bara, editor of Crochet Today!. But the true stars of the contest are your entries. So get on it.

Here is a link to the 2009 Design Contest Announcement pdf with rules and information. The first rule is you must be a CGOA member, so if you are not, visit www.crochet.org to join. Briefly, there will be four categories this year: Fashion, Home Decor, Accessiories, and (thanks to the efforts of Vashti Braha on the CGOA Board of Directors) a new and exciting division, Crochet as Art. There is a small entry fee. Deadline for entries is 15 July 2009. Prizes of $100, $200 and $300 will be awarded in each category, with a special Grand Prize of $1000.

Good luck! I hope to see your best stuff there when we hunker down to choose the winners in Buffalo in August. And, FYI, I like chocolate.

>BACKSTORY: KDTV Episode 208

Posted on April 7, 2009 by dorischancrochet

>Today online registration opened for The National NeedleArts (TNNA) summer 2009 show in Columbus, Ohio. This is the place where industry exhibitors show off their wares to needlework retailers, where yarn shop buyers get to preview and order the new yarns and products over which we will all be drooling next season, where editors and publishers keep tabs on what’s happening. TNNA shows are not open to the general public. But they let us designers hang out. Hokey smokes, they even throw yarn at us!

This show is a must-see for the sheer sensory overload of so much yarn. I swear I go home with a stiff neck from days of whipping my head around every time someone exclaims “Oh My God, look at that!”. Aside from the primary yarn objective, for me TNNA is also about people and opportunities, the chance to grab quality face-time with colleagues, yarn company reps and editors. You’d be surprised (or maybe not surprised) how many industry relationships are created and cemented over drinks at the Big Bar on Two at the Hyatt Regency Columbus.

My happy anticipation for this year’s event is way different from the angst I experienced last year. See this post from June 2008, my post-TNNA recap. I have not yet seen this episode of Knitting Daily TV, on the topic Seamless Construction containing the segment we recorded last June. But I understand that it has aired and is available for purchase.

Here’s a still taken right before the shoot. On the right that’s Kim Werker, host of the segment and editor of Interweave Crochet at the time, looking so poised and prepared. The other one is me, like a rabbit gone “tharn” or a deer in the headlights. Please, please, please tell me I didn’t look so completely petrified throughout the entire thing.

The yellow top next to me is the design we featured during the segment, the Bell Sleeve Pullover taken from the now legendary Tahki Crochet 2006 book. When I was working on that garment in 2005, I was not yet sensitive to the need for extra pattern sizing nor was I skilled enough to provide it. Thanks to KDTV and segment sponsor Tahki Stacy Charles I was given a rare gift; the chance to go back, revisit the design and make up for such a shameful omission.

The revised pattern with re-proportioned sizing to fit up to 3XL (55″ finished bust circumference) is now available as a free download from Knitting Daily TV. You will need to sign up before you can click through.

BTW, here’s a link to the TNNA application form for Affiliate membership, the category which includes designers, teachers and publishers