Ginny, Barbie, American Girl: Influences Through the Generations

My dear crochet friend, Dee Stanziano (www.crochetwithDee.com) started a lively chat this week about her experience with her "Barbie" doll and how "she" was the inspiration for many creative hours of crocheting for Dee. BJ responded passionately about how she is "anti-Barbie" as a feminist who worked hard to climb up the ladder of success. BJ doesn't like the iMarisol dressed in crochet, 2005mage projected by Barbie about women. As a feminst mom myself, I didn't allow my girls to have Barbie's. I even refused to get caught up in that 80's marketing ploy for the "Cabbage Patch" dolls. I refused to stand in line and pay that kind of money. To this day, my girls tease me about how they were traumatized by not having an "official" Cabbage Patch Kid. (I bought the plastic heads and made the bodies myself!)Finally, I did break down and give in and buy them each a Cabbage Patch baby, but by then there were no lines to stand in!

I grew up in the fifties and my doll was the "Ginny" Doll. To this day, I still remember so clearly the Christmas I received her along with a complete wardrobe sewn by my grandmother, Myrtle. I suppose I was 8 or 9, but even then I sensed something very very special about this gift. Scraps from dresses my mother had made for me were used for Ginny's clothes, so we had matching outfits. My grandma was ahead of her time, wasn't she? I still have everything I got that Christmas: Ginny's carrying case, all her clothes and of course, Ginny herself! At one point, when I was an adult, I replaced her hair and bought her a new "wig." I know some many years later they came out with a new version of Ginny and I bought one. I have the box in the basement; what haas happened with the doll.Me wearing the dress my mother made. It is brown fabric with texture, but the type of fabric is unknown to me.
Ginny's Matching Dress



My girls had baby dolls, porcelain dolls, "Strawberry Shortcake", and lovely (and expensive) stuffed dolls from craft fairs, but it was always me who enjoyed dolls more than they did. In 2005 I bought my own American Girl Doll, the "American Girl Today" version which is supposed to look like me. I love her and boy, was I thrilled when a catalog came and I found that she has accessories that are crocheted! As I was chatting with Dee today, I checked on her in the guest room and good thing I did! She was stifling in her poncho from the winter and looks so much "cooler" in her cargo pants and baby blue t-shirt that matches her eyes! I also discovered an article from Associated Press I had kept and it has some interesting things to say:" In buying dolls, parents must decide what message they want their children to get from their toys. Girls used to have one doll on whom they projected any kind of fantasy. Now there is a doll for almost every mood or personality that the little girl might imagine," says independent toy consultant Chris Byrne. Patricia Farrell, a psychologist says the choice of a doll will tell you what the little girl's aspirations are, how she is being pushed by her family. Sociolgists stress how important a role dolls play in shaping a girl's values. Patricia Leavy, a sociology porfessor, 'Dolls are part of one's identity.'While observers are heartened that more dolls are multicultural-a big contrast to Barbie, who dominate fashion dolls for 40 years-its still hard for dolls that don't fit the American ideal to be accepted."

This is a pattern I designed for Himalaya Yarns: It's called "Best Friend and Me Ponchos" and is available for purchase at my Etsy store: www.etsy.com-crochetkween1 or on my website: www.crochetqueen.com

American Girl dresses some of their dolls in crochet and that's a great thing! Maybe we should start a letter writing campaign to get them to include crochet in the stories that come with the dolls. They are historical and surely there could be a mention of crochetsomewhere back in history. Will an Irish doll be coming out soon? Dee had her daughter, Mini-Dee, do some research and she found that crosstitch or needlepoint is mentioned already along with sewing. Equal opportunity is needed for crochet, as always.

Marisol dressed in crochet, 2005




Kit dressed in crochet, 2004




Another dear crochet friend, Noreen Crone Findlay is the consumate doll person.
http://www.blisstree.com/hankeringforyarn/ She lives, breathes and sleeps dolls and has written many wonderful books on how to make them. What I love about Noreen is she combines the best of both-hooks and dolls- and makes crochet hook dolls! She gifted me a very special one which I named "Prin" (short for Pincess) and sometimes she travels with me. She is a member of the little mutual admiration society Noreen and I started, "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Hook." I'm bringing her to Buffalo, so maybe you'll get to meet her.Prin in the Dominican Republic with Gwen, April 2008

Currently my dear artist friend who uses crochet in her art, Bonnie Meltzer has an exhibit in Portland, OR called "Clothing Chronicles: Biography in Very Mixed Media." In this new body of work she ponders our connections to clothes. To see photos of the works and read more, go to http://portlandopenstudios.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/bonnie-meltzer-at-beet-gallery/

Oh, and now that I am going to be a GRANDMOTHER, you can bet that whichever it is-boy or girl-it will be sure to have lots of dolls!! We're so excited about our FIRST
grandchild brought to us by Nicole and Jeff around November 29, 2009!

A Crochet Newbie's Orientation to the LYS

Recently I have been teaching a bright young woman friend how to crochet. She is a clleague at work so we have spurts of time when I can teach her a stitch or answer a her cro-quandries. She is learning quickly and very apt at understanding the concepts. On her own, she explored JoAnn Fabric and Crafts and found some yarns to make a special scarf for her mother. After her first lesson, mom requested the scarf, so the pressure was on! I talked to her about the differences between acrylic and natural fibers and also the price point differences.

Her new exctiement about crochet and her carry-along project revealed to her that she also knew others who loved to crochet. She saw some other neat projects friends were doing and Two or three scarves later, I thought she was ready for her orientation to the Local Yarn Store. I chose "I'd Rather Be Knitting" in Long Grove, IL not because I have any allegiance to this store but because of its convenient location for us both to meet there.

Knowing that the vast array of textures, colors and prices could be overwhelming to this Newbie, I invited to take her and give her the rundown. We were greeted warmly by the owner who had no other customers in the store. She asked if she could help and I explained I was giving my friend, the new crocheter, an orientation. We wandered around the store and I pointed out the various brands and fibers. Luckily, the store has two rooms and we were in the "other one" when Newbie asked me, "Now, didn't you say I can get this Debbie Bliss yarn at JoAnn's?" I cringed and said, "I think that was Debbie Mumm."

I felt I had to whisper when I showed her the Plymouth Encore. I wanted her to know that this is the best equivalent of what she will find at JoAnn for basic crochet and that the store was offering an incredible variety of color and shades. I explained variegated and hand-dyed and showed her some of my favorites. Of course, she was attracted to a gorgeous hank that cost $56.00. Sticker shock was setting in.

We made our way to the front room where the owner was busy at the front desk. I think newbie commented on a swatch and I explained it was knitted. At this point the owner jumped in and declared, "You can make knitting look like crochet, but you can't make crochet look like knitting. I tried to refute her and said that there are books that show how to make crochet look like knitting stitches. "NO" she said in an even louder voice, "YUou can't make knitting look like crochet." I continued and explained that my freeform crochet often fools knitters because it is so textural and colorful, but knew I had to let it drop.

So with the shop owner now standing within earshot, Newbie says, "So would this skein be like a number 4?" Yarn shop owner pipes up with "What do you mean #4?" I explained that it was a way of designnating yarn weights and she started to roll her eyes back in her head realizing we were talking about cthe Craft Yarn Council and their campaign to standardize Big Box (Michaels, JOAnn) yarns, but she thought better of it and caught herself.

She went on to say that she doesn't crochet much but has two wonderful crocheters who work for her. I knew that because I taught one of them crochet when she worked in another LYS. At this point I had an opportunity to tell her I am with the Crochet Guild of America and she recognized my name. So now she decides she's going to be a little more hummble. To her credit, she was friendly for the most part, but I just felt like she was eavesdropping the whole time and really hoping to snag a sale in the last hour of her day.

So now we're there past closing time and newbie didn't buy anything but I bought 3 skeins off the sale table! I told her thank you and that we appreciated her help. She made sure to tell us she is a "crochet-friendly" yarn shop. Did she feel she needed to explain that because we might not have figured it out on our own because of her behavior? The name of her store, "I'd Rather Be Knitting" instead of "I'd Rather Be Stitching" was our first clue and maybe that was why I felt like I had to measure each word I used to Newbie.

Over coffee afterwards, newbie mentioned that she felt the dis-cromination. Had I mentioned that Newbie is a quck study?

3rd Annual Crochet Buffet: May 9, 2009

The Northern IL Chapter of CGOA proudly presents its third annual "Crochet Buffet" Open to the public, we strive to bring attention to the wonder of crochet and to introduce our group to whoever might be interested in immersing themselves in our world of sharing and caring about our favorite craft. When I conceived the idea 4 years ago, all our chapter members were enthused about displaying their work and we had a great response from the community. Many of our members were just as amazed as the non-crocheters when they saw the "delicous" variety and beauty that crochet can be.

Come and enjoy a "feast" of crochet techniques, ideas and displays! A free gift will be given to the first 30 guests! Rolling Medows Library, 2nd floor from 10 AM to 3 PM

You'll be glad you came to see the "tempting" array we have prepared for you: fashion, accessories, beads, afghans, free form, thread, filet, granny squares, double end, Irish and more!

My Etsy Store is Open

You're invited to shop at my new Etsy store. Go to www.etsy.com and search for Crochetkween1. Thant's me and you will find the whole line of patterns I designed for Himalaya Yarns, most use "Tibet" which is recycled silk made from saris. Reasonably priced at $4.00 per pattern, I hope you enjoy!

HAPPY 15TH ANNIVERSARY, CGOA!!

Many, many thanks to my wonderful Jubilee Crystal Celebration Committee, Dee Stanziano, BJ Licko Keel, and Sharon Devrol. Also much appreciation goes to Vashti Braha, our liaison from the board of CGOA. We pulled off a wonderful online contest to get a logo designed for our 15th anniversary festivities and for a commemorative pin that will be available at the conference in Buffalo in August. Big congratulations to the winner of the online voting by members of CGGO: Mary Servillo!! Mary designed a logo that is fabulous and conveys our excitement about the upcoming celebration; and she won a year's membership in CGOA, an autographed crocheted book plus, of course, a pin!


May 19, 2009 Thanks to Dee Stanziano (crochetwithdee.com) for getting the 15th anniversary celebration blogs started all over the world. It is indeed the 15th year of CGOA and that is cause for celebration.

June 4, 2009-WE'RE CELEBRATIONG WITH A LOGO DESIGN CONTEST!
I am delighted to be working on the Jubilee Crystal Committee to plan the 15th anniversary celebration for CGOA. Yesterday we posted everywhere about our logo design contest. We are hoping for many entries and a fabulous final winning design to use for promotion and fun mementos for our members during this 15th anniversary year! See below and join in the fun!
CGOA is Celebrating Fifteen Years!
With an Online
Jubilee Crystal Anniversary Logo Design Contest
The Northern IL Chapter of CGOA and the “Crystal Jubilee” Celebration Committee invites you to create a logo in honor of the Crochet Guild of America’s Fifteenth Anniversary! It is an important milestone and there is no better way to celebrate than to tap into the great talent & passion of our wonderful members! We've accomplished so much since the simple “Chain Link” newsletter in 1993 and first “Chain Link” Conference in 1994!

The Premiere chapter of the CGOA, the Northern IL Chapter (NIC) held its first meeting in June 1994 -- even before the first Conference that year in August. The NIC, also celebrating its 15th Anniversary, is proud to sponsor this design contest for the CGOA. The winning logo design will be used for a commemorative pin that can be purchased by each member who attends the annual conference in Buffalo this summer!

Rules:
1) Submissions must be created by members of the CGOA*. Due to time constraints, this contest is offered to those with online access.
2) Entries will be accepted from June 2nd to June 14th, 2009 and are intended to create a memento for a lapel pin to commemorate 15 years of crochet camaraderie. The lapel shape will be oval; please keep this in mind while designing your entry.
3) Colors: No more than 4 colors are to be used.
4) Entries may be computer generated or hand drawn (& scanned). All must be in .jpg format for Yahoo to recognize, and then uploaded to the CGOA-Membership yahoo group by midnight (Eastern Time) June 14th, 2009 to be officially entered into this contest.
5) Entries must be placed in the “JUBILEE CRYSTAL CONTEST” folder located in the Photo section of the CGOA-Membership yahoo group.
6) From June 16-18 there will be a CGOA member online vote via a poll in the CGOA-Membership yahoo group. The three entries with the most votes will then move onto the final round of being presented to the CGOA Board where a Winner will be announced.
7) The Winner will receive a year’s membership in CGOA, compliments of Happily Hooked on Crochet Club, Connecticut Chapter of CGOA, an autographed book compliments of a NIC member, plus a free lapel pin. There will be no monetary prizes/exchanges/compensation.
8) All competition entrants will agree, if chosen as The Winner, to grant the CGOA the right to use their winning design to be used on commemorative pins, the anniversary cake at the 2009 conference and much more!

As part of the conference festivities in Buffalo, attendees will have an opportunity to have lunch with Past Presidents and members of the NIC to share memories and ideas of how we can continue to advance the cause of crochet into the next decade. A limited supply of pins will be available for members unable to attend the conference.

* Not a member of the CGOA? It is easy to join! Visit www.Crochet.org to process your membership application online – it’s a snap!


She must have been reading my mind (or my blg) because last week, Rita Weiss, President of CGOA asked me to take charge of getting an Anniversary cake ordered for the annual conference in Buffalo in August. Hey, no problem; but we deserve more than cake (not that I don't just love a great cake). We've come so far in CGOA and have miles to go. Fifteen years is an important milestone and the members deserve to be pampered for their contributions to bringing our organization into the forefront of what it means to be the only organization for crocheters. Since then, a lot of brainstorming has taken place and we have a "Crystal Jubilee Celebration Committee" in place. Thanks to BJ Licko-Keel for the title! Thanks to dee Stanziano for being on the committee with me. We'd love to have afew more people on the committee, if you're interested. There's not a lot of time to pull this together but we are off to a rousing start. We're pulling together the details and working out the kinks, so stay posted and we will let you know what surprises we have up our collective sleeves.


The Beginnings......Who would have ever thought back in August 1994 that a gathering of 90 entusiastic crocheters from all over the US and a few countries would turn out to be The Crochet Guild of America that very weekend? Well, I for one knew that it was something that I very much needed and wanted. I was a lonely crocheter and had no one else to sit down with to chat and chain. I was caring but there was no sharing. That weekend, I found out that there were 89 others who felt the same way!

Our teachers that weekend taught pro bono because they were so thrilled to have a large group together just itching to learn more. Everyone was willing to help throughout the weekend and many volunteered to do tasks that were necessary to get the guild off the ground.

Fast forward: We now have an international guild for crocheters (CGOA whose membership ebbs and flows. We have an annual get-together, "Chain Link" Crochet Conference,at the Knit and Crochet Show as well as yearly regional meetings. These bring classes, fashion shows, prizes and crochet comaraderie. We have a magazine, a website, a newsletter, a management company, contests and prizes, a chat group on line plus fifty-something chapters around the US. Are you a member?

In 2003, we marked an important milestone for the organization, The Tenth Anniversary of CGOA. A "Celebration Committee" was formed and I had the honor of being the Chairperson. I had marvelous support from the yarn industry and some talented people on the committe. We worked for a year to highlight crochet and the wonderful people that make up our organization. Thanks to DRG, the committee created an official celebration logo and had pins and t-shirts made.



Most exciting was the traveling juired crochet art exhibition, "Rhythm of Crochet" which premiered at the Chain Link Crochet Conference, "Sweet Home Chicago" where it all started in 1994. The exhibit traveled all over the US for one year and again, it was made possible by great support from industry leaders. There were ads and articles throughout the year about the exhibit. Melodee MacDuffe, crochet designer and author, was chosen as a "travbeling teacher" who we promoted to chapters for a special event in their own hometowns. Melodee traveled to several locations and taught her inspiring workshops.

What's missing? What more do you want? In this fifteenth year, can we say we are the go-to organization when someone thinks crochet? No, not quite. I am celebrating, though, about how far we have come and I am celebrating all the talented volunteers/crocheters who contributed their ideas and creativity along the way to get us this far. CGOA is the ONLY organziation for crocheters and it is a fan-tabulous experience for those who can attend chapter meetings or go to a conference. CGOA still has a way to go. It can be so much more for so many more with an enhanced on-line presence.

Let's chat! I want to hear your thoughts. "Friends of the new and modernized CGOA-online", we can make it happen!

I did it in public!

Last Thursday, March 26, I attended the gathering of the Midwest Folk and Fiberfest Art Fair at Barnes and Noble bookstore.I had been a few months ago and the crowd is growing. Everyone is so friendly and fiber-fanatic. Every imaginable needle art is represented and the group is so interested in what everyone else is doing.

I am in the process of making a free-form crochet creation to celebrate National Crochet Month, playing along at NatCroMo on Ravelry. That's what I was working on. When I held it up to show, a knitter in the corner, exclaimed, "Them crocheters got better drugs than we do!" Oh, funny young man who just leanred to knit a hear ago!
See my creation on my post about National Crochet Month.

I offered to teach kids classes at the fair last year, but they didn't fly. While I was at the meeting, the organizer Carol approached me to submit crochet classes again this year, but for adults. She said she didn't have luck with any kids classes last year. It's understandiable: parents need a day out to themselves once in a while.

National Crochet Month 2009

It is halfway through the month of March already and I have been celebrating the annual "National Crochet Month" that we started many years ago for the members of CGOA. I am enjoying a "Crochet-A-Long" with my Friends at Ravelry and the party group, NatCroMo. Each day our extremely creative Kaet sends us a little clue and we use that to create our free form piece. If it is anything like last year, it is just entirely amazing how crochet can turn out to look so wonderful, different and exciting at the hands of each individual following the same prompts!Here's what I have done so far.