Kudos to Classic Elite Yarn Company for including "crochet" in their Spring Knit-Along!! The back story is this....Fuzzy Wuzzy Yarns in Arlington Heights, IL is a relatively new and crochet friendly store. She was promoting the Knit-Along when one of her more astute crochet customers asked the question, Can crocheters participate." Why, of course, thought the owner, and she checked with Classic Elite to see if they would offer patterns for crocheters so they could participate. Well, they had to have a meeting about it first, but they got back to her with the question, is this national? Are all LYS's wanting to participate? Imagine....it is hard enough keeping a LYS afloat in these hard times without worrying about what other stores are doing! Hopefully, Classic Elite, has done their part to suggest to their network of national clients that it is a good idea to include crocheters in this fun activity. I mean, why shut out a portion of potential business, especially a group that uses 1/3 more yarn!!
Here are the patterns being used if you want to crochet-along:
http://www.kristentendyke.com/patterns/CrochetMotifCard.php
http://mldesigns.typepad.com/Cropped%2Crochet%20Cardigan
One is free and the other is $7.00
I presented myself at Fuzzy Wuzzy Yarns as soon as I heard they had opened and have already taught an intermediate crochet class with a bead-crochet class coming up in April. I promote crochet there in as many ways as I can, wearing it, teaching it, talking about it. The owner is very open to learning any ways she can include crochet. I suggested that rather than labeling her monthly get togethers, "Knit-Night," "Fuzzy Wuzzy Fiber Night" might be a bit more clever and also convey inclusiveness to the crocheters. She liked it and so be it....crocheters are showing up and doing their part to participate and buy yarn!
Sometimes I just get numb to all the non-inclusive thinking that is out there. Maybe I'm just used to being left outand forgotten as a segment of the fiber world. I do have hope, though, because a whole new crop of savvy, young professionals are getting into crochet and they have expectations!Tey see themselves as equal participants in the fiber world and non-defenseively ask questions and question if their needs are not met.
Here are the patterns being used if you want to crochet-along:
http://www.kristentendyke.com/patterns/CrochetMotifCard.php
http://mldesigns.typepad.com/Cropped%2Crochet%20Cardigan
One is free and the other is $7.00
I presented myself at Fuzzy Wuzzy Yarns as soon as I heard they had opened and have already taught an intermediate crochet class with a bead-crochet class coming up in April. I promote crochet there in as many ways as I can, wearing it, teaching it, talking about it. The owner is very open to learning any ways she can include crochet. I suggested that rather than labeling her monthly get togethers, "Knit-Night," "Fuzzy Wuzzy Fiber Night" might be a bit more clever and also convey inclusiveness to the crocheters. She liked it and so be it....crocheters are showing up and doing their part to participate and buy yarn!
Sometimes I just get numb to all the non-inclusive thinking that is out there. Maybe I'm just used to being left outand forgotten as a segment of the fiber world. I do have hope, though, because a whole new crop of savvy, young professionals are getting into crochet and they have expectations!Tey see themselves as equal participants in the fiber world and non-defenseively ask questions and question if their needs are not met.
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