I hope you had a wonderful Christmas/holiday season and are doing well in the New Year!
I’d like to announce that I’ll be teaching an online class for new/aspiring crochet designers on Wednesday, January 19 and 26 for CGOA (Crochet Guild of America). This class will teach you everything you need to know to successfully write your own crochet patterns. If you’re anything like me when I first started designing crochet patterns and writing the pattern up so others could follow them, you struggle with many things, especially how to write repeats! I’ve been writing crochet patterns for over 20 years (and editing crochet patterns since 2004), so I know a lot about writing them and I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with others to help them/you be successful with your crochet patterns!
To learn more about this class, called “Let’s Get Writing”, check out the CGOA website. This is a 2-part Professional Development class. Each part is 90 minutes long and takes place from the comfort of your home. There’s no traveling necessary!
The last day to register for this class is next Friday, January 14. If writing better crochet patterns is one of your New Year’s resolutions, don’t put it off! Register today!
It’s been 3 weeks since I returned home from the CGOA Conference in Manchester, NH. This year is the 25th Anniversary of CGOA! Wow! I’ve been a member since 2002, so I’ve been with CGOA for 17 of their 25 years. Happy Birthday, CGOA!
As always, I had a great time at the conference. I saw lots of friends, made new ones and was surrounded by everything crochet! This year, I taught 5 classes: Shuttle Tatting, Invisible Repairs, Irish Crochet, Intermediate Filet Crochet and Symbol Crochet. I had rooms full of wonderful students, each eager to learn what I was teaching. I even had a blind student in 2 of my classes! She was a treat to meet and teach (and what an inspiration to me!). Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos of the students in my classes. But I still have a few photos to share with you from the conference.
Here are photos of some of my friends:
Carlotta Craig and me at the Banquet/Fashion Show
Bonnie Barker and Carlotta Craig at the Banquet/Fashion Show
Kristin Lynn and me after the Banquet
Carolyn Calderon, Pia Thadani and me with our tatting shuttles the day after the conference
I stayed an extra day after the conference for some sightseeing! My roommate, Shari White, and I went to the Currier Museum of Art that day. It was a very nice museum with lots of beautiful exhibits. They even had a special exhibit about guitars. My favorite guitar was one made from an armadillo shell! Here are some photos from the museum:
My roommate and me at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester
Guitar Exhibit sign
Armadillo guitar at Currier Museum of Art
On the way to the conference, I saw some other guitar items. At Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix, they had an exhibit about making guitars. Here’s a photo from that exhibit:
Guitar making exhibit at Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix
And at the airport in Nashville, where I had a layover on the way to Manchester, there was a Gibson Café. Here’s one of the tables that’s shaped like a guitar pick:
Guitar pick table in Nashville airport
My oldest son is really into music, so I tend to take notice of music-related items!
At the conference, there was the usual Design Competition, which I love! I didn’t have time to make anything for it this year, but I always enjoy seeing the entries from other designers. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Rockabilly Swing Dress by Nancy Nehring
This is the Rockabilly Swing Dress by Nancy Nehring. She won the Grand Prize for this dress! And here’s her daughter, Katie, modeling the dress for the fashion show:
Katie modeling her mom’s dress
These are some other garments in the Design Competition. The one at the bottom left is the Blue Willow Dress by Susan Walsh. She won First Place in the Fashion category for this design.
Garments in Design Competition
Here’s Susan modeling her dress for the Fashion Show:
Susan Walsh modeling her Blue Willow Dress
I LOVE this dress! And it looks fabulous on Susan!
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the yarn bombing at the conference. One of the CGOA members, Jennifer Ryan, who lives in NH, put together the yarn bombing this year, both inside and outside the conference hotel (the Double Tree by Hilton). Here is one of her yarn bombing displays:
CGOA yarn bombing
Of course, there were pieces of crochet almost everywhere you turned at the hotel! I thought this one was really nice!
One of my favorite things to do at the conference is model in the fashion show. I’m not a professional model, but it’s a lot of fun! Here are a few things I modeled there:
me modeling Margaret’s cardigan
This is Margaret Hubert’s Pot Pourri cardigan. Isn’t it beautiful? It was very comfortable! I don’t know where this cardigan is published, though.
me modeling my Frosty Lace Cardigan
This is my Frosty Lace Cardigan (a thread crochet top) that I designed a few years ago. I lengthened it by about 3” in April or May of this year, after the trip that my husband and I took to Japan in March.
If you’d like to watch a video of the fashion show, check out this video on Facebook. And here are some photos, along with the line-up, of entries in the Fashion Show on the CGOA blog.
Another fun event at the conference was the Friday night sign-along, hosted by Bonnie Barker and Jennifer Ryan. It was so much fun! If you’d like to see a few videos from that night, check out Bonnie’s YouTube channel. Some of the song names were “Will You Crochet Friend, Crochet?”, “Ms. MacDonald Had a Bag of F-I-B-E-R”, “On Top of My Craft Bag” and “Ripping Out is Hard to Do”. It was so fun to sing these silly songs!!! Bonnie and Jennifer did a fabulous job that night, along with 2 of Jennifer’s daughters!
As you can see, the CGOA Conference was a ton of fun! It always is! I met some very nice new friends and enjoyed teaching all of my classes. I hope my students enjoyed my classes and learned everything they wanted to learn in them!
I LOVE to teach crochet! And I LOVE to learn new crochet techniques! Don’t you?
I’m happy to announce that I’ll be teaching 5 classes at the CGOA Conference this July in Manchester, NH. Not all of my classes are crochet, though. I’ll be teaching shuttle tatting again this year, too!
First, I’ll tell you a little about the CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) Conference. This takes place every year (sometimes twice a year) in various cities across the US. It is open to CGOA members and non-members. There are dozens of classes taught by many talented teachers, some very well-known! We have a marketplace with vendors who sell everything from luscious yarn/thread to hooks, books and supplies. We also have a banquet and fashion show, as well as some fun events in the evenings. And I can’t forget about Professional Development Day (PDD) where established crochet professionals share what they know about running a successful crochet business. PDD takes place the day before classes begin, on Wednesday, July 10 from 9 am – 4 pm.
For all the scoop about the conference, visit the CGOA conference pages. Here is a list of the events going on at this year’s conference. Read this page to find out about all the classes being offered. And one last thing, CGOA has a design competition each year for CGOA members only. There are prizes in 6 categories ranging from $100 – $300, with a grand prize of $1,000! There have been some fabulous entries each year! It’s so much fun to see the entries at the conference and find it who wins in each category!
Okay. Now to list the classes I’m teaching and when each one is offered.
Thursday, July 11 from 9 am – 5 pm (with lunch from noon – 2 pm)
Tatting the Old-Fashioned Way
Tatting the Old-Fashioned Way class
Tatting is such a fascinating and delicate craft. I taught myself to tat over 20 years ago. I’ve learned more since then and I really enjoy teaching others so they’ll be successful in their tatting projects. In this class, my students will learn the basics of tatting and start tatting this beautiful necklace with buttons, beads or charms. This is the only 6 hour class I’m teaching at the conference this year. Yes, it takes that long to learn to tat and get your head wrapped around how to do it! But I’ll be there to teach my students and answer all their questions. If you’ve always admired tatting and want to learn to tat, sign up for this class early. I’ve limited this class size to only 20 students.
Friday, July 12 from 9 am – 12 pm (noon)
Invisible Repairs
Invisible Repairs class
I’ve taught my Invisible Repairs class at the conference for the past 2 years. This has been a popular class and I’m thrilled to be teaching it again this year! In this class, I teach my students how to repair their damaged crochet projects, no matter where the damage is located. There is homework for this class so we can all do the repairs to the same swatches in class. And I’ll be demonstrating how to do the repairs in class, as well. This technique also works great to invisibly seam the last row to the first row on crochet cowls!
Last year, I filmed a crochet video class for Annie’s on this same topic called “Crochet ER: Fixing Damage and Mistakes”! If you can’t make it to the conference and would like to learn to repair your crochet projects (or someone else’s crochet projects), check out my Annie’s video class.
Friday, July 12 from 2 pm – 5 pm
Intro to Irish Crochet
Intro to Irish Crochet class
I LOVE Irish Crochet and I really enjoy teaching this class to other Irish Crochet enthusiasts (who don’t know where to begin). In this class, I’ll be teaching how to make the Irish Crochet rose and leaf motifs. I’ll also teach how to make the background and the edging that you see in this photo. This is an introduction class, so we won’t get into more advanced Irish Crochet techniques. But once you know the basics of Irish Crochet, you can always learn more on your own or with books.
Saturday, July 13 from 9 am – 12 pm (noon)
Intermediate Filet Crochet
Intermediate Filet Crochet class
This is my Filet Crochet class for those who already know the basics of Filet Crochet (open mesh, closed mesh and lacets). In this intermediate class, you’ll learn to do increases, decreases, diagonals and a whole lot more! Once you learn these intermediate Filet Crochet skills, you’ll be ready to tackle that more complex Filet Crochet pattern you’ve had your eye on for so long!
If you don’t know the basics of Filet Crochet yet, and you’ve been wanting to learn to do Filet Crochet, check out my Annie’s class called “Learn Filet Crochet Using Thread and Yarn”. Then if you want to take your Filet Crochet to the next level, why not sign up for my intermediate class at the CGOA Conference (or before for the best rates)!
Saturday, July 13 from 2 pm – 5 pm
Simplifying Symbol Crochet
Simplifying Symbol Crochet class
This class is always a lot of fun to teach! I learned to read symbol crochet charts several decades ago through Magic Crochet and Decorative Crochet magazines. I love to make doilies and the patterns in these magazines were mostly written in crochet symbol charts. As a visual learner, I find these charts so much easier to follow than a lengthy written crochet pattern! And they look so similar to the finished project, too!
If you haven’t learned to read symbol crochet charts yet, this is your chance! You’ll learn all the basic crochet symbols and lots of more complex symbols, too. You’ll learn to follow a symbol crochet chart, both in rows and in rounds. And you’ll practice what you’ve learned making 2 small projects/swatches in class. Once you learn to read and follow symbol crochet charts, a whole new world of crochet patterns will open up to you! You’ll even be able to follow symbol crochet patterns in other languages including Japanese, Chinese, Russian and Ukranian!
If you’ve taken any of my classes in the past, you know how much I like to have nice, precise class handouts. I print them in color and bind them like a book to they’re a great keepsake to refer to later on after the conference. I charge $5-$8 for these handouts (depending on the quantity of photos/pages), which is what it costs me to print them at home, with the price of toner cartridges, nice paper, card stock and binding combs (to use with my binding machine). Here’s a look at my class handouts:
My Class Handouts
If you’re going to the CGOA Conference, class registration begins next Wednesday, March 13 at 12:00 pm (noon) Central time. Once again, here’s the CGOA website to find out more about the conference and CGOA in general. And if you have any questions about the conference, I’d be happy to answer them for you.
What does that mean exactly? Well, to me it means whether to join CGOA (the Crochet Guild of America) or not. That’s a silly question, in my opinion! CGOA has been the best thing I ever could have done (and I did) for my crochet career! Even if I wasn’t a crochet professional, it still would have been the best thing I’ve done for my crochet skills and knowledge! I’ve learned so much about crochet since becoming a CGOA member!
CGOA has a conference every year. The first CGOA Conference I attended was in 2003 in Chicago. I’ve attended almost every year since then (15 conferences so far) and I’ve taught at 9 CGOA Conferences since 2009!
This year’s CGOA Conference was held last month in Portland, OR. I taught 5 crochet classes there: Symbol Crochet, Multiple Motifs, Invisible Repairs, Beginning Bruges Lace and Intermediate Bruges Lace. I had the best classes this year! All of my students were fabulous! I’ve met so many crocheters at the conference who are just as passionate about crochet as I am! The attendees come from all over the US, as well as a few other countries such as England, the Netherlands, Australia and a few more. Here I am teaching in one of my classes:
Teaching Invisible Repairs
You may be wondering what exactly happens at a CGOA Conference. Well, it depends on the year! Some years we’ve had a Pajama Party or a Fun Night! Those were both lots of fun!
At every conference we have dozens of crochet classes (and sometimes a few other similar crafts) that are taught by very talented and accomplished teachers (I am in awe of my fellow teachers’ accomplishments!). Here are some of the students in my classes this year:
Beginning Bruges Lace class
Beginning Bruges Lace class
Intermediate Bruges Lace class
Multiple Motifs class
Multiple Motifs class
Symbol Crochet class
Every year we have a show floor/market place where we can purchase yarn, thread, hooks, books and lots of yummy fiber goodness!!! This year we had a “yarn tasting” table outside the show floor where you could try out some of the yarns that were being sold in the market place. I really enjoyed “tasting” some of the yarns there!
Yarn Tasting table
Every year we have a banquet and fashion show. That’s so much fun (with yummy food, of course!). You get to see some gorgeous crochet fashions (or be a model yourself)! I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone for almost 10 years and have modeled in quite a few fashion shows over the years! It’s a lot of fun, mixed with some butterflies in my stomach, of course!
Modeling in Fashion Show
Almost every year we’ve had a Professional Development Day (PDD). That’s one of the best investments I’ve made at the CGOA Conference because I learned so much about how to run a professional crochet business. I’ve even presented the topic of Contract Crocheting at PDD a few times in the past!
Every year we hold a Member Meeting where we vote on the minutes of last year’s meeting and discuss new business for CGOA. The meeting is run by the volunteer board members. I was a board member for several years and it was great to learn more about what goes on “behind the scenes” of CGOA!
For many years now, we’ve held a Design Competition that is only open to CGOA members. Doris Chan started this (I can’t remember what year it started, though). It’s fabulous! Thank you, Doris, for working so hard to start the design competition! I think it’s been a great help for many budding crochet designers. I was too busy to design anything for the Design Competition this year, but I saw a lot of really nice designs in the competition! Here’s a look at it for you:
2018 CGOA Design Competition
2018 CGOA Design Competition
2018 CGOA Design Competition
2018 CGOA Design Competition
We have an editorial “Meet and Greet” where designers can sit with a book publisher or magazine editor and show them their designs. Many editors actually purchase (or commit to purchase) designs right then and there! It’s a fantastic benefit for designers who attend the conference!
Almost every year we have a CGOA Masters ceremony where we pin the newest CGOA members who have passed one of the Masters courses. This year, I earned my Fundamentals pin. This was because I helped test the new Masters course, Fundamentals of Crochet. This is a fabulous course and I learned a lot while taking it. I also helped tech edit the course last year, so I earned a Writer pin for that! You can read about the current Masters programs here. Here’s a photo of the Masters reviewers and graduates from this year’s conference:
2018 CGOA Masters graduates and reviewers
Since 2011, we’ve held the CGOA Jean Leinhauser Crochet Hall of Fame. The first inductee was Jean Leinhauser, who passed away unexpectedly the month before her induction ceremony. There have been 8 inductees into the Hall of Fame so far: Jean Leinhauser, Margaret Hubert, Rita Weiss, Gwen Blakley Kinsler (the founder of CGOA), Lily Chin, Doris Chan, Carol Alexander and Pauline Turner. This year’s inductee was Pauline Turner. What an interesting crochet career she’s had!
For new conference attendees, we have a buddy program where new attendees are paired up with volunteers who answer their questions before the conference and help them out, as needed, at the conference. Of course, everyone there is more than willing to help anyone else with their questions at the conference! We have a Buddy Breakfast where the buddies and newbies can all spend time together and meet each other. It’s a fabulous program!
We have door prizes and goodie bags at the conference, as well! These are always lots of fun to receive and they change from year to year! In addition to the goodie bags, I won a door prize this year! It’s a Yarn Pop bag! This bag is awesome!!! It’s HUGE and is big enough to fit a whole afghan while working on it (it measures 17” wide x 15” high x 5” deep)!!! The bag has an outside pocket, 3 grommets to feed your yarn through, if desired, 3 inside pockets, 2 zippered inside pockets, 2 magnetic clasps and a lanyard inside to attach your keys, or possibly even your cell phone (if you have a cell phone cover with a grommet, of course). You can see all the bags that Yarn Pop makes on their website here. You can see (and order) the very big bag here. Here’s a photo of all the goodies I came home with this year:
Goody bags and door prize
But one of the best things about the conference is seeing and spending time with the friends I’ve made over the years! We’re all like-minded when it comes to crochet! We each have our favorite crochet technique and fiber to work with, of course. But we all LOVE crochet and LOVE learning more crochet techniques! That’s where the conference comes into play! The classes are fabulous! I’ve learned so much in CGOA classes!
Brenda and me
Carolyn, me and Kristin
Shari, Kathy and me
Sharon and me
Vashti and me
In addition to the annual conference, CGOA has over 120 chapters across the USA. Chapter members get together either weekly or monthly to encourage each other, teach each other, share their work, attend workshops and more. To find out more about CGOA chapters, check out the CGOA website here.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at CGOA and the 2018 CGOA Conference. Until next time!
Now that I’m back from teaching at the Interweave YarnFest in Loveland, CO last week, I thought I’d write a blog post about my next teaching engagement this year.
I’ll be teaching at the CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) Conference in Portland, Oregon from July 25-28, 2018! I always LOVE teaching at the CGOA Conference! There are so many lovely, friendly crocheters at the conference, both professionals and hobbyists! It’s great to meet new crocheters there and spend time with so many of the crocheters who attend every year (or almost every year)! I’ve been attending the CGOA Conference since 2003 and teaching there since 2009. It’s so much fun! If you’ve never attended, I hope this will be the year you make the decision to go and meet like-minded crocheters who all speak the same language of crochet!
To read all about the conference, check out the CGOA website here. To register for the conference, go to this page.
Here are the classes I’ll be teaching in July:
Wed, July 25, 6 – 9 pm:
SIMPLIFYING SYMBOL CROCHET
About the class:
Symbol crochet diagrams are much easier to read and follow than written crochet patterns. Once you learn symbol crochet, you’ll wonder what you ever did without it! You’ll learn what each symbol means, thus enabling you to read and understand symbol crochet diagrams from any pattern, even foreign crochet patterns with international crochet symbols! You’ll even try out your symbol crochet knowledge by making 2 small projects from symbol crochet charts in class. This class includes instructions on starting/working in the round and making motifs, both techniques found in the CGOA Masters of Advanced Crochet Stitches and Techniques program.
Simplifying Symbol Crochet class
Thur, July 26, 9 am – 12 pm:
MULTIPLE MOTIFS
About the class:
Do you love the look of projects made with crochet motifs, but don’t enjoy weaving in all the ends? Then this is the perfect technique for you! With this method of crocheting motifs continuously, instead of separately, the number of ends is decreased dramatically, saving you time and energy! In this class, we’ll make continuous crochet motifs worked in joined rows. You’ll learn how to follow the necessary symbol crochet charts with this motif method. Once you’ve learned how to make many motifs using one continuous strand of yarn or thread, you’ll feel confident tackling any continuous crochet motif pattern.
Multiple Motifs class
Fri, July 27, 9 am – 12 pm:
INVISIBLE REPAIRS
About the class:
Do you have a crochet project that’s gotten cut, torn, chewed, etc? Do you want to learn how to professionally repair it? Then this is the class for you! In this class, you’ll learn how to repair all sorts of crochet projects, replacing the “bad” stitches and making your repairs “invisible”! You’ll learn how to replace stitches and chain spaces in the middle of a row, locking the top of the new stitches to the bottom strands of the stitches in the row above. Your work will look as good as new! Learn how to bring your damaged crochet projects back to life again! This technique also works great to “invisibly” seam the first and last rows in a crochet cowl!
Invisible Repairs class
Fri, July 27, 2 – 5 pm:
BEGINNING BRUGES LACE CROCHET
About the class:
Bruges Lace Crochet mimics the decorative Bruges Lace made with bobbins in Bruges, Belgium. Bruges Lace Crochet is a fabulous technique and is easy to learn. In this beginning class, we’ll make several different styles of Bruges Lace, as well as curve the lace and join it to make circles, squares and triangles. Once you’ve learned the basics of Bruges Lace Crochet, you’ll be ready to tackle more complex Bruges Lace patterns. If you’re not a “threadie”, don’t fret! Bruges Lace isn’t just for thread crochet. It can be done with yarn, as well. Come and learn to make basic Bruges Lace in crochet.
Beginning Bruges Lace Crochet class
Sat, July 28, 2 – 5 pm:
Intermediate Bruges Lace Crochet
We’ll take Bruges Lace Crochet to the next level in this intermediate class. You’ll learn many more variations of the lace itself, more joining techniques, and how to curve the lace over itself for more variety. We’ll explore more intricate Bruges Lace designs and you’ll learn how to achieve them in this class. Prerequisite: Beginning Bruges Lace Crochet class should be taken before taking this intermediate class (or have knowledge of the Bruges Lace technique).
Intermediate Bruges Lace Crochet class
I’m excited to be teaching these classes. Last year, my Invisible Repairs class sold out and I was able to add a 2nd class for this “technique” of repairing crochet projects invisibly. This year, I’m teaching Multiple Motifs for the first time (this is also called Continuous Crochet Motifs, which I’ve blogged about before)! I always enjoy teaching Bruges Lace Crochet and Symbol Crochet!
I hope you’ll consider attending the conference. If you attend for the first time because of reading my blog, please stop me at the conference and let me know (or leave a comment below)!
If you’ve attended the CGOA Conference before, what do you enjoy most about the conference?
Last month, I learned something new. It’s called “Bobbin Lace” and I LOVE it! Bobbin Lace is made with dozens of wooden bobbins. The thread is wound on the bobbins, then the bobbins are crossed and twisted to make the pattern. Of course, there’s much more to it than that, but that’s the basic idea of how to make bobbin lace.
I’ve been wanting to learn bobbin lace for many years. When the class was offered at my local yarn shop, Fiber Creek in Prescott, AZ at the beginning of January, I jumped at the chance to learn it! The Bobbin Lace teacher, Verla, was very good and encouraging! She supplied everything we needed to use in the class.
Here’s a photo of me learning bobbin lace in the class last month:
Learning Bobbin Lace
Bobbin Lace takes a very long time to make. The bookmark that I made in class took about 4 1/2 hours to make! Here’s a photo of my finished bookmark:
My first Bobbin Lace bookmark
It’s not perfect, but I learned a TON making it!
There are many styles of Bobbin Lace. Two of my favorites are Russian and Brugge (or Bruges) Bobbin Lace. If the words “Brugge” or “Bruges” look familiar, it’s because it’s the original bobbin lace from Belgium that inspired the Crochet Bruges Lace technique that I’ve taught and designed in for a number of years! Here are a few photos from my Bobbin Lace teacher’s board in the class I took from her:
Brugge Bobbin Lace sample from class
Russian Bobbin Lace sample from class
Both of these styles of Bobbin Lace are made with “tapes”, just the same as Crochet Bruges Lace. Here is a photo of a crocheted Bruges Lace piece that I designed in the last 10 years:
Crochet Bruges Lace Doily
Can you see the similarities between the Bobbin Lace and the crochet Bruges Lace? They’re both made with tapes. Of course, the crochet method is much faster than the bobbin lace method, but I love them both the same!
In case you’re wondering, this crochet Bruges Lace doily is published in the book/leaflet called “Crochet Beyond the Basics” by Rita Weiss and yours truly in 2014. This book is still available for purchase in print or as a digital download through Leisure Arts, the publisher, here or in print through Amazon here. I designed another crochet Bruges Lace piece for this book. Here’s that piece:
Crochet Bruges Lace Centerpiece
If you’d like to learn how to do Crochet Bruges Lace, I’m teaching it at 2 places this year:
At the Interweave Yarn Fest in Loveland, Colorado in April and at the CGOA Conference in Portland, Oregon in July. You can read about the Interweave Yarn fest here and register for my Yarn Fest class here. You can read a little about the CGOA Conference and find out who’s teaching classes here, but the class listings won’t be publicized until around the middle of March.
Back to Bobbin Lace! Here’s a photo of the first Russian Bobbin Lace doily that I made a few weeks ago:
My First Russian Bobbin Lace Doily
And here’s a photo of my 2nd Russian Bobbin Lace doily in progress:
Russian Bobbin Lace doily in progress
What do you think? Have you ever wanted to learn to do Bobbin Lace? Or do you already know how to make bobbin lace? Do you want to learn to do Crochet Bruges Lace? I’d love to have you in my Bruges Lace classes in Colorado or Portland this year! And I’d love to hear what you think about bobbin lace and/or crochet Bruges Lace!
Happy crocheting, knitting, tatting and bobbin lace making!
Who loves learning new crochet techniques? I certainly do! And I love teaching new crochet techniques, too!
I’m super excited to announce that I’m teaching 6 crochet classes at the 2018 Interweave Yarn Fest in Loveland, Colorado from April 12-15! Woohoo!!! This will be my first time teaching there and I can’t wait to meet new crocheters, see crocheters who I already know, see the yarny goodness in the marketplace and have lots of fun!
Here are the 6 crochet classes that I’ll be teaching at this year’s Yarn Fest:
Intermeshing Crochet class
Intermeshing Crochet
Thur., April 12 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
I learned this fascinating crochet technique over 10 years ago and I really enjoy it! The front and back of Intermeshing Crochet pieces usually look different because of how and where you make your stitches. It’s a really, really cool technique! It’s the same technique as in the “Interlocking Crochet” book by Tanis Galik. If you’ve tried this technique on your own and you can’t understand it, I’d be happy to help you figure it out in this class!
Beginning Bruges class
Beginning Bruges
Thur., April 12 from 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
I’ve enjoyed the Bruges Lace crochet technique for many, many years! I LOVE anything lacy and this technique is lots of fun! It looks very much like the Bruges Bobbin Lace that’s so intricate and time-consuming. I just learned to do bobbin lace (2 weeks ago) and soon I’ll be able to do “real” Bruges Lace with bobbins instead of a crochet hook! But I still love to do Bruges Lace in crochet! This technique can be done with yarn instead of crochet thread for those who aren’t comfortable with smaller crochet hooks and crochet thread.
Irish Crochet Intro class
Irish Crochet Intro
Fri., April 13 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
I’ve been crocheting doilies with crochet thread for decades now, some of them in Irish Crochet! While my good friend, Kathryn White, was working on her Irish Crochet book for Annie’s about 5 years ago, she taught me some more Irish Crochet (she’s an expert in Irish Crochet)! I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned with you in this class!
Magical Mosaic Crochet class
Magical Mosaic Crochet
Fri., April 13 from 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
I can’t remember how long ago I learned mosaic crochet. There are so many variations on how to work mosaic crochet. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses (like is it reversible, how many stitches can you work in a row, are they anchored, etc). I started working on a new crochet design a few weeks ago with some mosaic crochet in it and I enjoy this technique very much. I’m sure you will, too!
Fantastic Filet class
Fantastic Filet
Sat., April 14 from 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM (6-hour class)
I’ve done Filet Crochet for almost as long as I’ve been crocheting (over 40 years now)! I absolutely LOVE this crochet technique! You don’t have to enjoy thread crochet to enjoy the Filet Crochet technique. I’ve made filet afghans, shawls and more with this technique (using yarn)! In this 6-hour class, I’ll teach you everything you need to know to be successful with basic filet crochet, as well as more advanced filet crochet (like increases, decreases, diagonals and lots more!).
Polish Star class
Polish Star
Sun., April 15 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
This is one of the slightly newer crochet techniques to me. It’s a lot of fun and I enjoy it, too! You work basic crochet stitches according to the pattern. Then you weave the loops to create the Polish Stars! It’s so much fun to see the stars take shape right before your eyes! If you’ve ever seen this technique and wanted to give it a try, I’d love to have you in this class!
To read more about my classes and all the fabulous classes being offered this year, check out this link. To read more about the Interweave Yarn Fest, check out this link.
I hope to see many of my friends and meet new friends there! If you read this blog post and you sign up for some of my classes, please drop me a note and let me know! Or tell me in class!
I’ve been back from the CGOA Conference in Chicago for 3 weeks now and I thought I’d share some of the highlights of the conference this year for me!
I taught 6 crochet classes this year: Beginning and Intermediate Filet Crochet, Beginning and Intermediate Bruges Lace Crochet and 2 classes of Invisible Repairs. For more information about any of these classes, check out my previous blog post here. My smallest class had 11 students and my largest class was sold out at 25 students! I had the best students in each of my classes this year! I met so many nice, encouraging, friendly crocheters in every class and at every event!!! My dog had run into my left foot the Saturday before the conference, giving me a huge bruise and a very tender foot, so I was hobbling around a lot before and during the conference. My students were very understanding and let me sit down a lot, bringing their crochet pieces and questions to me most of the time! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting each student and sharing my crochet knowledge with them!!!
Here are some photos of my happy students from each class:
Left Side of Beginning Bruges Lace class on Wed night
Right Side of Beginning Bruges Lace class on Wed night
Left Side of Beginning Filet Crochet class on Thur AM
Right Side of Beginning Filet Crochet class on Thur AM
Some students in Invisible Repairs class on Fri AM
All students in Invisible Repairs class on Fri PM
Left Side of Intermediate Filet Crochet class on Sat AM
Right Side of Intermediate Filet Crochet class on Sat AM
Left Side of Intermediate Bruges Lace class on Sat PM
Right Side of Intermediate Bruges Lace class on Sat PM
You probably can’t notice from the small size of these photos that one of my students took all 5 of my classes this year! Her name is Robin and she’s a wonderful crocheter and student! Here we both are in the last class:
Robin and me
Here’s another student, Gwen, from that same class wearing her amazing crochet lace top that she made:
Gwen with her amazing lace crochet top
And here is Corina from my afternoon Invisible Repairs class:
Corina and me
Corina is from Romania. She had contacted me through Ravelry a week before the conference asking a question about one of my designs. I noticed that she lived locally to Chicago and told her about the conference. I had no idea that she would actually attend the conference, let alone take one of my classes! And it was her birthday, too! Happy belated birthday, Corina!
I hope to see all of my students at next year’s CGOA Conference to be held in Portland, Oregon from July 25-28, 2018.
Another fun event at the conference, besides classes, is the Design Competition. I entered a shawl that I designed this year and I won an Honorable Mention! Here’s the shawl, which I’ve named Blazing Embers Lace Shawl. I designed it based upon a really pretty doily that I crocheted a number of years ago. Obviously this isn’t a doily! I’m pleased with how it turned out and will self-publish the pattern one of these days/weeks/months/years, when I get the chance!!!
Blazing Embers Lace Shawl
Here’s a photo of the Design Competition display at the conference:
2017 CGOA Design Competition display
The Design Competition display was set up in the same room as the crochet lounge, which was sponsored by Red Heart Yarn. Red Heart set up an amazing display, designed and crocheted by Gina Rose Gallina called Queen Bee. Here’s that amazing display, along with Gina herself:
Queen Bee display with Gina Rose Gallina
At the end of the conference, on Saturday night, we had our banquet and fashion show, which is always so much fun! We also had the induction ceremony for this year’s CGOA Jean Leinhauser Crochet Hall of Fame award. This year, the award went to Carol Alexander, who was a crochet designer for many years before becoming the editor of Crochet! magazine (a magazine published by Annie’s). Here’s Carol giving her acceptance speech:
2017 CGOA Hall of Fame winner, Carol Alexander
And here’s the loot from the goody bag that I came home with this year! What a haul!!!
2017 CGOA Conference goody bag loot
If you’ve never been to a CGOA Conference, I hope you’ll take the plunge and attend one (or more)! You’ll learn so much, meet awesome crocheters and make life-long friends!
Are you a life-long learner, like me? I absolutely LOVE to learn new things!!! I’ve taken so many classes over the years, mostly in crochet. It’s so much fun to learn something new, especially new crochet (or knitting) techniques!
I also LOVE to teach others new things such as crochet, knitting, tatting, paper quilling, etc! Next month, I’ll be teaching 5 crochet classes at the CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) Conference in Itasca, IL, just outside of Chicago. There will be over 50 classes available to take and so many crochet techniques to learn! If you’re a crochet enthusiast, like me, this is THE PLACE to learn more about crochet! Here are the classes I’ll be teaching at the conference:
Beginning Bruges Lace Crochet – Wednesday, July 26th from 6 – 9 pm
Beginning Bruges Lace Crochet class
Beginning Filet Crochet – Thursday, July 27th from 2 – 5 pm
Beginning Filet Crochet class
Invisible Repairs – Friday, July 28th from 9 am – 12 pm (Note: This class is sold out!)
Invisible Repairs class
Intermediate Filet Crochet – Saturday, July 29th from 9 am – 12 pm
Intermediate Filet Crochet class
Intermediate Bruges Lace Crochet – Saturday, July 29th from 2 – 5 pm
Intermediate Bruges Lace Crochet class
I’m really looking forward to teaching these 5 classes! I always enjoy meeting new people at the conference and spending time with old friends! Everyone is so friendly there and willing to help each other out with any questions they have, whether it’s crochet-related, hotel-related or anything else. I love to inspire others to learn new things and stretch their crochet knowledge and skills!
To learn more about my crochet classes, or any of the other classes being taught (and to register for classes and events at the conference), just go to the CGOA website here.
There are many things going on at the conference besides crochet classes, too. There is a show floor with vendors selling crochet-related items, a design competition (for CGOA members), the CGOA Masters pinning ceremony, the induction of the newest CGOA Jean Leinhauser Crochet Hall of Fame winner (this year it’s Carol Alexander), the CGOA Masters Day, a professional workshop, a designer meet & greet (where designers can meet with editors and sell their designs) and a fashion show. To read all about the conference, check out this page.
If you’ve been to the CGOA Conference before, what is your favorite part of the conference (if you can name only one thing)? If you’d love to go, what would be some of the classes/techniques you’d love to learn?
It’s so nice to meet other crochet enthusiasts! I just love it! And teaching them some fun crochet techniques is the best!
It’s been almost a week since I got back from the CGOA Conference in Charleston, SC, which ran from Wednesday, July 13th through Saturday, July 16th. What a conference it was!!! For me, the highlight of the conference was teaching 5 crochet classes to lots of eager students!
On Thursday, July 14, I taught a full day class on Writing Crochet Patterns. These ladies were eager to improve their pattern writing skills and were excellent students! Here is a photo of the fabulous students in that class:
2016 Crochet Pattern Writing class
The next day, Friday, July 15, I taught 2 classes: Polish Stars and Intermeshing. I had lots of eager students in these 2 classes, also! The Polish Stars class was the largest of my 5 classes. The students learned how to crochet the rows of stitches and chain loops/spaces, along with how to weave the chain loops/spaces to form the Polish Stars. I demonstrated how to weave the stars and everyone did great! It’s so fun to see the stars emerge before your eyes!!! Here are the students in that class:
Left half of Polish Stars class
Right half of Polish Stars class
In the Intermeshing class, my students learned how to crochet the alternating rows of stitches and chain spaces so the 2 colors are woven together! This is a fascinating crochet technique that is also called Interlocking Crochet. Intermeshing designs are all reversible and many have different designs on the front and on the back. Here are the students in that class:
Left half of Intermeshing class
Right half of Intermeshing class
Then, on Saturday, I taught 2 more classes: Into to Irish Crochet and Symbol Crochet. This was the 2nd time I had taught the Irish Crochet class. The first time was at last year’s Annie’s Craft Festival in Fort Wayne, IN. I love crochet techniques which utilize crochet thread. I think that Irish Crochet is one of the prettiest crochet techniques! These students did great and asked some very good questions! They learned to make an Irish Crochet rose, 2 leaves, mesh and a border in their class project. Here are the students in that class:
Left half of Irish Crochet class
Right half of Irish Crochet class
In my Symbol Crochet class, my students learned how to read and follow a symbol crochet chart, both in rows and in the round. If you’ve never learned to read a symbol crochet chart, you don’t know what you’re missing! It’s a visual representation of the finished project. It’s a lot easier to follow a symbol crochet chart than a written pattern, too! Here are the students in that class:
Left half of Symbol Crochet class
Right half of Symbol Crochet class
I had so much fun meeting the students who I didn’t know and seeing the students who I already knew! They were ALL excellent students and I thoroughly enjoyed teaching EVERY ONE of them! I want to send a special “Thank You” to all of my students for taking my class(es)! You’re the best!!!
More highlights of the conference were (in no particular order):
Meeting and getting to know 4 newbies: Barbara, Renate, Cynthia and Linzi. I was their buddy and answered any questions they had about the conference to help them feel more at home there! I hope you all enjoyed every aspect of the conference! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo of them (boohoo)!
Doris Chan was inducted into the Jean Leinhauser CGOA Crochet Hall of Fame on Friday, July 15. Doris was the 6th inductee into the HOF. The ceremony included a cake walk on stage of everyone who was wearing one of Doris’ garment designs that night! I’m so blessed to know Doris through CGOA! She’s a warm, sharing, caring person and a fabulous designer! She really deserved this honor!
Doris Chan inducted into CGOA Hall of Fame
The design competition and the awards ceremony was also held on Friday night. My good friend, Kathryn White, won the grand prize and people’s choice awards for her stunning Baroque Jacket! She made it in size 30 thread and it took her 9 months to complete! Congratulations, Kathy!!! Here’s a photo of Kathryn wearing her winning jacket:
Kathryn White wearing her award-winning Baroque Jacket
The CGOA Masters Pinning Ceremony was on Friday night, too. There were quite a few people who completed the Masters program in the last 12 months. They each received their pin in the ceremony. Congratulation to all of the new CGOA Masters graduates!
2016 CGOA Masters graduates
The banquet and fashion show on Saturday night. The food was delicious, as usual, and the room was electrifying! I modeled in the fashion show and had a blast doing that! The emcees for the fashion show were Lily Chin and Tamara Kelly (of Moogly). There were lots of door prizes that night such as yarns, patterns, hooks and more! I won a set of Clover Amour crochet hooks while I was modeling! Woohoo!!! Here’s Teresa and me modeling my 4 crochet cowl designs in the fashion show:
Teresa and me modeling in the fashion show
After the conference, I stayed an extra day (Sunday) to do some sightseeing with Jane R. and one of my newbies, Barbara W., who is a Charleston local! We had a really nice time shopping at the City Market, which is a covered area 4-6 blocks long, with local craft, souvenir and food vendors. Since all 3 of us are crafters, we really enjoyed it! Here’s a photo of the market:
Charleston City Market
We had a delicious lunch at a nearby restaurant and some chocolate afterwards! Since it was a rainy day, we drove around to see some of the local architecture. We stopped at Waterfront Park and saw the pineapple fountain. Here’s that fabulous fountain, along with Jane:
Pineapple Fountain and Jane
We also sat on a swing and relaxed! Here are Jane and Barbara on the swing:
Jane and Barbara on swing
That night, I went swimming in the hotel’s pool and jacuzzi! I haven’t done that in years, which is way too long for someone who grew up with a pool in her backyard in Southern California!!!
The next day, Monday, I got ready for my plane and flew home. When I was downstairs in the breakfast area that morning, I was joined by Tammy Hildebrand, her grand daughter, her mom and Amy Shelton. I had lots of fun meeting Tammy’s grand daughter, Willow, and playing with her! Here we are having lots of fun with Fruit Loops cereal:
Willow and me
So there you have it! Everything you always wanted to know (and more) about the CGOA Conference. I hope you’ll join us at next year’s CGOA Conference in Chicago, July 26-29, 2017!
