Category Archives: events

Merry Crochet Gifts

Posted on by
8

>One never knows what to think when the retail community moves Black Friday, the traditional kick-off for holiday shopping, to Black-Week-Before-Halloween, with slashed prices, deals and free shipping in abundance.  I am eternally puzzled about hard-core shopping.  Do people really stockpile gift items that early?  Is it safe to keep presents around too long?  If I were to purchase something really wonderful for a crocheter friend in say, August, with the intention of stashing it until Christmas, what are the chances in the intervening months that 1) I will grow so antsy to give the present that I send it in September thereby necessitating finding another gift for actual Christmas; 2) the intended recipient will switch gears and the item would no longer be so perfectly suited; or 3) that highly-sought-after item wouldn’t become a merry gift to myself?  The latter happens more times than I wish to contemplate. Knowing myself, I now buy two; one to give, one to keep.

So I am more likely to be found scrambling at the last minute for those awesome, meaningful items that are sure to please the crochet people on my list.  But because the dealing starts, like, NOW, I am seeing the wisdom of shopping early.  What I call early.  Mid-November rather than mid-December.

What sorts of stuff do crocheters want for Christmas?  Hey, it’s the same stuff they want all year round, all the time.  No surprise there.  If you are reading here and don’t have a clue what that stuff is, peruse the following short list for a few ideas.  Even if you don’t know what particular techniques or tastes your crocheter favors, you’re pretty safe with something proven universally useful and/or so brand new to the crochet scene that she hasn’t yet purchased it for herself.

  • I said this in a post two years ago and it still holds true.  For us it is all about yarn.  Crocheters appreciate yarn, any yarn.  So you don’t know her favorite brand or weight or fiber or color.  Doesn’t matter.  Even if it isn’t her usual, it will still go into the stash in the sentimental treasure or souvenir category.  You can wimp out and arrange for a yarn shop or yarn site gift certificate.  But if you take the plunge and actually buy special yarn for a crocheter, you might want to pick not her favorite color, but YOURS, and get plenty enough skeins.  Who knows, that yarn might not linger in the stash very long… it might come back to you as a lovingly crocheted birthday or Christmas gift next year.  That’s Karma Yarn.
  • We can never have enough tools.  There is nothing so aggravating as dropping your only whatever size hook and watching it slip through the upholstery of a sofa in mid stitch.  It is imperative to have spares easily accessible for any eventuality.  Whether you supply her with duplicates of her cherished hooks, or take a chance on some of the new products this season, you won’t go wrong.  I am totally addicted to the new Etimo cushion grip hooks, manufactured by Tulip Company and distributed here by Caron. Tunisian technique is now all the rage.  Inexpensive and becoming widely available this past year in shops and online are the Chiaogoo bamboo Tunisian hooks in sizes that were impossible to find before.  Also useful for Tunisian is the set of Denise interchangeable crochet hooks, which are compatible with the Denise knitting needles.  It won’t take much shopping to find products that would enhance anyone’s tool set.
  • It may seem obsessive, but I enjoy having duplicates of certain hard copy books, particularly my favorite stitch dictionaries and technique guides.  I like to sticky certain pages, scribble notes in the margins.  Horrible habit, I know, and deemed sacrilege by book lovers.  But there you have it.  These volumes were meant to be used, thoroughly, completely and often.  If you notice any particular stitch book in her library that’s really beat up, dog eared, with split binding, pages falling out and no cover, then take the hint that she would probably like a spare to stash away.
  • If you’re a bit on the tech-y side, for those who prefer being fed information in electronic form, I don’t exactly know how you’d be able to gift an e-book or pattern download and keep it a surprise.  You could e-mail them, but how do you label an attachment “Do not open until Christmas”? I carry crochet files stored on a flash drive, and it seems that might be a handy way to gift crochet e-books and patterns that you can purchase, download to the drive and gift wrap.  The drive itself is an extremely practical gift for not just tech geeks but for anyone with a USB port interface. And to have it preloaded with crochet goodies would be the cherry on top.  And it doesn’t have to be a monster huge expensive drive.  Even a small capacity (2 GB) stick will hold tons, I mean crap tons of purchased pattern files.
  • Where do we store our stuff?  Can there ever be enough storage?  For stashing yarns in protected places, because these are not air, water or bug proof, or toting mass supplies around, I can’t live without Ziploc storage totes.  They are rectangular, clear blue vinyl, sturdy, handled, zippered, moderately stackable when filled, collapsible when not in use (which is never) and inexpensive.  I use both XL and XXL sizes and they have saved my life on many occasions.
  • Crocheting takes a toll on hands.  In my house, hand cream is never more than an arm’s reach away.  Hand cream falls in the realm of beauty gift, but should be considered a tool of the trade, to be slathered with zeal and abandon.  Many formulas are not happy for crochet if they do not absorb immediately or completely into the skin, leaving a film or a heavy scent that could sully your project.  Two excellent brands, both a bit pricey but worth every penny, are Perlier (available in company boutiques throughout Italy and Europe, but here primarily online and at HSN home shopping) and L’Occitane (available in company boutiques, some beauty chains and online).
  • My vacuum cleaner eats anything smaller than a bread box.  Although it never snacks on larger gauge crochet hooks, it does find tasty anything else loose on the floor, such as stitch markers and safety pins, yarn needles, steel crochet hooks, bone rings, buttons and beads.  Heck, who wants to paw through vacuum cleaner dirt to find those tiny missing notions?  My rule is to have plenty extra.  The thing I can never ever have enough of is those little plastic saftey pin stitch markers, such as the ones from Clover and the new carabiner style markers from Wrights, available pretty much everywhere.  A sweet stocking stuffer.
  • Speaking of sweet, although not techincally a crochet gift, chocolate would nonetheless make the crochet holiday experience complete.  Unless your crocheter cannot or does not eat chocolate (in which case you should really be extra considerate and nice to her because she is totally disadvantaged), a little choco-goodness is always welcome.  I have just begun to appreciate chocolate with peanut butter, which I never really enjoyed together, but now I think the combination is acceptable.  The absolute most heavenly best such bar, the one that takes you from zero to nirvana in the first bite, is this.  Worth every single fracking penny.
    I think I have to go find myself some chocolate right now.  Perhaps more ideas will find their way to this list later.  Perhaps not.  In any case, happy crochet shopping!

>Broomstick Crochet Rides Again

Posted on by
6

>Likely you missed the world premier of my Magical Broomstick: Crochet Lace in a Flash workshop last week at the NYS Sheep&Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY.  My inaugural class might have been small in numbers but huge in terms of enthusiasm and spirit.

Yes, it’s true.  I swatched.
I don’t bite.  Not today, anyway!

Megan, Pam, Jean and Ruth, intrepid crocheters all, joined me for a fantastic and fun flight through three approaches to Broomstick technique, tons of show and tell, umpteen swatches and not enough coffee.  Thanks to my class angel Diane Moyer for capturing the morning in photos.

Pam was wearing a Broomstick scarf she had already made, YAY!
In a pinch, these make awesome drumsticks.

After class I had the honor of sitting for a book signing at the Merritt Books author booth.  I lugged in a dozen garment samples from Crochet Lace Innovations and from my new self-published pattern line DJC Designs.  Scott Meyer, my genial host, thinks I know how to work a crowd.  Little did he realize that the crowd was loaded with ringers, fellow designers and crochet friends from CGOA and Ravelry.  We were all having such a jolly good time that it only looked like I was impressing the assemblage.

Since many of the fans stopping by to meet me already own my books, I sometimes offer to sign book plates, signatures to-go.  OOOPS.  Well, now that Scott knows those people weren’t all paying customers, ya think I’ll get invited back next year?

Next teaching-op for me is the Chester Springs Studio Holiday Fine Crafts event on November 13th for Historic Yellow Springs, a non-profit enterprise in Chester County, Pennsylvania that preserves and promotes the history and arts of Yellow Springs village.  Chester Springs Studio is a vibrant arts center that hosts classes, workshops and exhibitions in the visual arts.  My Magical Broomstick crochet workshop is from 1 to 3 pm, but even if you can’t make the class, please stop by before and after for mini-demonstrations and crochet Q&A.  Hope to meet you there.

>The State of Crochet

Posted on by
5

>My eyes tend to glaze over when reading (well, OK, skimming) the sort of major industry report recently delivered from The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA).  The State of Specialty NeedleArts 2010 (the summary of this report is available to the public) is bursting with information gleaned from surveys from over 11,000 respondents, pre-digested and displayed as summaries, text, pie charts, graphs, lists, spreadsheets.  Gee Whiz.  Good thing they don’t make you wade through the raw data; the summary report is brain-numbing enough.  (It’s one of those little mysteries of life how someone like me, who cringes at the appearance on the page of more than one string of numbers at a time, managed to have a son who became an actuary.  More specifically he is the world’s best beat-boxing actuary, so in some ways he redeems himself.)

Yes, there was cringing aplenty when I first opened the file.  But almost immediately the miasma cleared as I found one fact that lit up the screen.  The single most-requested “fresh and new” product among consumers across the board turns out to be… wait for it…. crochet patterns.

WOWSERS! I nearly fell off my chair when I read that. I can’t remember if I squeeeed or not.  The only witness to that moment was my fat white Chihuahua and he’s not talking.  But I must have made some sort of noise.  The findings of this report completely validate what my colleagues are all about and what has been my mission for nearly a decade, namely providing crocheters with new crochet designs. While it may be a remarkable statement to the needlearts industry as a whole, it’s a total way of life for us hard-core crocheters.

The fact that there is a thirst for fresh crochet patterns isn’t startling news to everyone in the industry.  I am most fortunate to be working with companies, in particular Tahki Stacy Charles and Caron International along with web-based NaturallyCaron.com, who have been and continue to be supportive, appreciative, even pro-active about answering the call for crochet design.  This season, Tahki Stacy Charles unveiled two new patterns of mine, splashed across full-page ads in magazines and on their company website.

On the left  is September Morn, a fresh approach to traditional pineapple crochet, a genre that is dear to me.  Done in Tahki Cotton Classic Lite, this little vest is sweet and so trend-right for fall.

To the right is Song Sung Blue, long, lean and lacy.  It is crocheted seamlessly in Tahki Dove, a luxury blend of extrafine merino wool and alpaca.

It is my hope that this bit of information serves as an industry wake-up call, and not just for the selfish reason that I could always use another paycheck, but because the more crochet there is, the happier we be.  There are wholesalers and retailers who have not yet begun to actively court crocheters, or simply don’t know what interests us or how to reach us.  What you can do as a consumer to make your voice heard is to frequent shops, sites and events, talk and write about your craft, display your crochet on your body, and thus leave your mark of the hook everywhere you go.

>On the Road: Broomstick Crochet

Posted on by
6

>It’s never a good thing to admit that you hear voices inside your head.  What has been pestering me for the past couple of years isn’t quite a voice, more like the tap-tapping of a pipping chick on its shell, the sound of an idea that needs hatching.  On the other hand, it could be the tick-ticking of a timer rigged to detonate a kilo of C4. Whether it’s a bird or a bomb… that sort of depends on you guys. For the voice I am hearing, the one I am poised to heed, is the call to teach.

There is a saying that those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.  That’s total rubbish and a disservice to and denigration of the profession.  For me, doing crochet is natural.  Designing crochet, while not always straightforward or easy, is a pleasure and a passion.  Teaching crochet is ungodly difficult. Teaching is ground not to be tread lightly or hesitantly.  Teaching demands patience, planning, preparation and perspiration, none of which I felt capable of giving until now.

Before I began writing my third book, Crochet Lace Innovations, I was convinced I would never teach.  I disliked school, classrooms and {choke} homework. I could never put myself in the position of inflicting any of that on anyone else.  HA!  It’s amazing and scary how writing a book can lead to self-discovery.  As I went on to write, “The optimal time to teach is when you yourself have just absorbed something so fantastic, are so totally fired up with the process that you simply can’t wait to share it with someone.  Great teaching isn’t about parading you expertise; it’s about bringing someone else to your skill level along the path where you’ve just been.”

I had always assumed that teaching would sap precious time and energy away from my primary mission, to design and share awesome crochet.  What I discovered over the past two years since writing those words in my book is that teaching crochet, explaining and demonstrating for others what I do, getting in touch with crocheters and pattern users face to face, will ultimately benefit my designing.  It is so worth what I will gain in return in terms of solidifying my own commitment to the craft, finding out what makes crocheters truly happy, making myself a better designer. All I needed to push me over the precipice into fully realized teacher hood was the same triumvirate as crime solving:  Motive, Means and Opportunity.  All three have come together in a cosmic confluence that can not be denied.  In other words, I have run out of excuses!

Although the material that crocheters most want to absorb from my brain concerns my chief MO, seamless garment design, I had to face the reality that it would be impractical and likely impossible to cover the subject in a single three-hour session.  And there would be much, much homework.  And I would have to be very strict about who could sign up, as a master-class on this level assumes students possess not only advanced crochet skills but also the stomach for it.  That class must wait for a future set of Motive, Means and Opportunity.

For my first gig I have chosen a more accessible topic, one that I know will be fun for all.  I am so excited about teaching this because it is crochet technique I absolutely love and can’t stop doing (Motive).  I not only dedicated a chapter to it in my last book, but have also been busily writing about it and offering Broomstick designs for publication, which you will see in the coming seasons, so I feel mightily empowered to show others how to do the technique (Means).  And I was asked by a really great guy, founder of the Merritt Bookstore family and genial book signing host Scott Meyer, to put together a demo to go with my scheduled appearance this year at the NYS Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY (BINGO…  Opportunity!).

So, on Sunday morning October 17th, 2010 I present the premier of Magical Broomstick: Crochet Lace in a Flash.  Follow the link to view the details and to sign up.  Registered students receive a free two-day pass to the Festival.  And my students will get, courtesy of Caron International and the Tulip Company, a complimentary Etimo cushion grip crochet hook.

Also, if you’re in my neck of the woods, please join me for an afternoon of crochet at the Chester Springs Studio, a vibrant arts center at Historic Yellow Springs in Chester Springs, PA, Saturday, 13 November, beginning at noon.  From 1 to 3 pm I will be giving the above Magical Broomstick workshop, with a wrap-around of free mini-clinics for crochet learning and Q&A before and after.

I guess I have to bite the bullet and create a blog page for my teaching schedule.  YIKES!  I never imagined doing that.  Never say never.  🙂

>Awards of a Personal Nature

Posted on by
3

>With a week of calm at home to reflect on the Crochet Guild of America 2010 Chain Link Conference earlier this month, I see that I have been remiss. Never is there enough time to thank all who helped pull off events of such magnitude and scope.  I tried to catch everyone during the eight days I was on site in Manchester, including the posse, the geeks, the models, the judges, staff, my book signing host, CGOA kahunas, corporate sponsors and the facilities managers at the venue (who could not have been more accommodating).  But I hope all who helped make this event happen and particularly those who chafed under my unrelenting and at times I am sure annoying bossiness will forgive but never forget how it all came together in the end.

There is a rule, a mantra, that must be expressed and impressed on every conference attendee each year.  Everybody say it with me.  “What happens at Chain Link…. stays at Chain Link”. What I reveal below is not a shattering of the code of silence, but a peek into what makes a code necessary.  No, just kidding.  This is my way of giving due recognition to those who worked so tirelessly yet managed to make it so much fun and to those whose contributions were not necessarily apparent to attendees.

So, here is the list of winners of this committee chairman’s Other Awards, ones you won’t hear or read about anywhere else:

“Unsung Hero Award” — Diane Moyer.  You might not recognize her name or know her face, but Diane was the busiest posse member on site.  She appeared at several major events throughout the conference, quietly and competently working her assigned tasks.  BRAVA!

“Hottest Skirt Model” — Kimberly McAlindin, who regaled us with her interpretation of her favorite Jazzercise routine while wearing my “Felina Skirt” sample from Crochet Lace Innovations during Thursday evening’s Market Preview.  You had to be there.

“Coolest Skirt Model” — Vashti Braha, who floated regally among the attendees that same night in my “Rohise” hairpin skirt.  Here’s Vashti in the skirt with Cari Clement during Awards Ceremony night.  Vashti is claiming her prize for the Weightless Tunisian Wrap design.

“Best Performance by a Tall Person” — Joshua McKiernan, who helped me take down 12 boob dummies (don’t ask) from the design competition display wall at show’s end.   Hey, Josh, I found the 12th set of hanging hardware, so no worries.

“Chicken Dance Diva” — Tammy Hildebrand.  Again, don’t ask.

“Most Appreciated Coffee Rescue by One of the Posse” — Leslie Urinyi.  Hon, I might have perished that afternoon without your timely and kindly intervention.  Why do I bother to drink it?  I should just hook up an IV.  Here’s Leslie and her award-winning design, the Tree Hat.

“Most Appreciated Food Rescue by One of the Posse” — Vashti Braha, who managed to snag the last piece of chocolate cake from the buffet for me, too, which I naturally ate first.

“Geeks Rule!” Award — KJ Hay and her husband Bradley (who also wins the “I could listen to him talk all day” award for his Adelaide accent!).  As the designated AV tech team for the Design Competition Awards Ceremony Gala, KJ and Bradlely cooked up the most amazing Powerpoint show and have raised the bar for what attendees can expect.

“Unstinting Sponsorship by Industry Suits” — This award must be shared by all who gave so generously and made this year’s design competition prize pot the richest ever.  Ginormous cheers to Caron International, Coats & Clark, Interweave Crochet, Boye, Leisure Arts, Crochet! Magazine and KJ Hay for the dollars.

“Catwalk Kudos” to the Fashion Show team of producers Jacque Kurman and Melanie Mays, emcee Karen Whooley and backstage coordinator Diane Moyer. Thanks for putting on such a great show.

The “I Can’t Believe We Are Doing This Again” and the “Best Disco Moves By a Dancer with Questionable Knees” Awards go to Cari Clement, the CGOA Board of Directors Liaison to my committee, emcee of the Awards Ceremony, and Queen of Club Caron.  Cari is a force of nature.  Don’t even attempt to argue with her or micro-manage her.  Best to sit back and marvel at her energy and commitment to crochet and the crochet community.  Sorry about the mess, Cari.

Club Caron, 2010.  Wish you had been there huh?

I sincerely hope to see everyone at the 2011 CGOA Chain Link Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 27-31 July, at which time we will get a chance to do it all again.  🙂