Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

Thursday, May 29, 2014 CGOA Celebrates 20 Years, Part 6A: Where Are They Now? When I began to search for these early CGOA members and dedicated volunteers, they replied with such gratittude and excitement that I received way more than I usually include in a post! I've divided it into two segments and Part B will be posted next Thursday. June 5. Thanks to all who participated and for their enthusiastic responses! John Boggs John Boggs: "I still remember why I joined the CGOA. My company, Annie’s Attic, held Crochet Renaissance in Philadelphia in 2000 and I attended. One of the events included a speech by Annie Potter. After dessert was served and the lights were dimmed for Annie to take the stage, 350 women bent over in unison, pulled their crochet projects out of their bags and started to crochet! At that moment, I was convinced me of the passion that many hold for the craft. Not long after, I joined the CGOA and eventually was elected for a 3-year bo...

Friday, May 16, 2014 I'm happy to introduce my guest blogger for this week, Charles Voth , aka The Stitch Stud . Charles and I are cyber-friends who have never met face-to-face. We connected on Ravelry, not only because of our love of crochet, but also because we are both fluent in Spanish and have lived in various countires in Latin America. I have a great respect for Charles' talents and enjoyed having him as my tech editor for designs I published in the British publication, Inside Crochet.    As we approach the 20th anniversary of CGOA, this type of connection with pure strangers is the most wonderful thing about the guild. The crochet thread tugs us together in a very good way! Charles Voth, aka Stitch Stud   I was wondering during my long drive home from Indianapolis a couple of weekends ago why so many people crochet and knit. I was fortunate to attend the National Needlearts Association’s trade show, where wholesalers of yarn, yarn crafts, and other nee...

Tuesday, May 6, 2014 I am not a hook collector, per se, but I sure do love special crochet hooks: antique, whimsical and commemorative. I have quite a few that I treasure and I am a member of the CGOA Hooks Collectors' Group . Over the years, I have purchased my share of the Commemorative Hooks that the collectors' group finds and offers each year. They are available at our annual Chain Link Crochet Conference . Here's a look a the CGOA Commemorative hooks that I have in my collection: 2001-Turn of the Century, turned Brazilian tulipwood: size I 2003-Celtic Swan Forge, forged brass: size D 2004-Craft Designs for You, aluminum/acrylic, size F 2007-Dodo's Designs, teak, size I 2008-Brainsbarn, chakle kok, cloissonne bead, size I 2012-Knitting Glass Guy, glass, size J For a look at the entire collection of CGOA Commemorative Hooks which started in 2001, go to the very informative website of  Nancy Nehring. I keep my special hooks in...

Saturday, May 3, 2014 From the very early days of the Crochet Guild of America (CGOA), I depended on willing volunteers to give of their time and talents. For me, it was also so exciting to findvolunteers with artistic talents willing to work on such things as our first organization logo, the newsletter masthead and crochet-themed notecards! This is our first logo, designed by Brian Muecke, a budding graphic designer and high school friend of my daughter's. It was presented at our Chain Link Conference in 1995 in Somerset, NJ.   Also that year, another volunteer designed a new masthead for the Chain Link newsletter. It has had many incarnations, especially when Carol Moore was the editor and added color. It has, though, essentially remained the same for all these years. During the first conference in 1994 , participants were invited to design afghan squares that depicted their inspirations from that first amazing experience. By 1995 at our 2nd Chain Link Conf...