Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

Sometimes it takes a while to come down from the near-nirvana from attending a Crochet Guild of America (CGOA) Chain Link conference. This year was no exception! It's been a little over a month since I returned; and I'm now ready to share. Firstoff,  I was officially named Founder and first President of CGOA in 1994. That came after 2 years of planning and developing the concept of a guild exclusively for crocheters. Twenty-five years later, we long-time members had cause for celebration; and that it was! From left: Sue Medinaceli, crochet groupie; Claudette Newhall (her sister; Carolyn Calderon , and Sarah Sullivan One of the highlights of the weekend, especially for newbies, is the opportunity to sit and stitch in the hospitality suite or the lobby of the hotel. While doing so we met new friends and re-united with old ones. Nancy Nehring and Me Margaret Hubert, Designer, Teacher, Author and member of the Hall of Fame Committee with me There was a...

My trip continued to Portland, OR where the 24th Annual Chain Link Crochet conference would begin on July 26. I arrived early on Tuesday evening to take care of some committee matters and my dear friend Bonnie Meltzer picked me up at the airport and shuttled me to here home in Portland where I was the guest of her and husband, Richard.

Amidst making lists; checking lists; packing; resisting to pack too much, I must stop for a minute to tell you how excited I am to be leaving in two weeks for a crochet tour to Tuscany, Italy!

"Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul." Samuel Ullman The Northwest Chicago suburbs had been my home for over 30 years when we moved to Indianapolis in 2015; I am always ready to return for a visit to play "tourist." My friend Sue from Boston comes to conferences but not for crochet. Sue and I have known each other since 1988 when our children were at the American School in Quito, Ecuador together; and we began to connect more regularly when the CGOA conferences were in Manchester, New Hampshire. It is an easy drive from Boston for Sue and her sister, Claudette, who registers for knit and crochet classes. We also "hooked up" when the conference was in North Carolina where Sue's daughter was living. This year my friendly duo decided to come to Chicago because they had never been there. Yay, we met again! From having dinner with my dear neighbor, Gerry; to taking the Metra to the Art Inst...

You may have already read some other blog summaries about the CGOA-sponsored crochet conference that took place July 26-29 in Itasca, Illinois, but everyone's perspective is different. So, better late than never I share my reactions to our fun and fabulous weekend. "Fun & Fabulous;" that's one reaction I would say ALL attendees would have in common!

Landscape Cowl on Cover This book just goes to show that "there are always 2 ways to skin a cat"! I've done a significant amount of tapestry crochet work crochet during my "crochet life," and have also taken classes from the experts at Crochet Guild conferences. Alessandra has solved some quandaries for me that I have had about the technique. Provisions Tote Full of good information about tapestry crochet, beautiful photography and twenty, mostly fashion projects, that explore the basics of the technique, the reader will be inspired and encouraged to do more complicated projects after trying some of these patterns. Aptly named, every project inside is gorgeous and on-trend for the fashionista and the home! Distant Mountains Throw To avoid the usual bulkiness of tapestry crochet, which is not desirable in clothing, the author makes a point of only including 2 colors in each row of her fashion motifs. Her design rows line up perfectly with h...

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, April 8, 2014 Cute Crochet World: A Little Dictionary of Crochet Critter, Folks, Food & More By Suzann Thompson Cute Crochet World Starting with the intro, readers will get the feeling that Suzann is right beside you to help with whatever crochet needs you have! Frequently crocheters are tempted to jump in and immediately start to crochet, but she pleads with us to pay attention to the “read me first!” section found in bright red letters at the beginning of the book. I’d say it is well worth the minimal amount of time needed to read these thirteen pages. They are chock-full of valuable tips not only for making the motifs in the book, but for a lifetime of future crochet projects as well! Suzann draws her inspiration from her daily life, but often consulted illustrated children’s books or Google images to find out things like “Where exactly do a sea turtle’s flippers attach to its body?”  The resulting motifs show the immense imagination and almos...