Knit & Crochet Show (Part One)

 I had a great time at the Knit & Crochet Show in Minneapolis last week!  I met so many great people!  It was so fun to meet many of the designers whose names I’ve seen in magazines and on blogs.  It is fun to have a face, voice, and personality to put with it now.  I learned many great things!  This first picture was taken on Professional Development Day(PDD).  The first speaker that morning was Ellen Gormley.  She spoke about the difference between showstopping designs and what she called “project makers”, the ones that get made many times over.  Her comments were very helpful.  The things she said helped me focus on specific things I can do to improve my designs.  Thanks Ellen!  I met Ellen as well and she is very nice and fun!  I hope I’ll get to see her again the next time I attend the conference. 

You may see to the right of this picture the Lionbrand sign.  PDD was sponsered by Lionbrand who donated yarn for us to stitch hats for charity during the classes that day.  Thank you Lionbrand!  There were also loads of prizes given out by raffle.  The proceeds of the raffle were donated to the Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer research.  I got super lucky — I bought 4 tickets and 3 of them won something.  I got 2 copies of a book that I’ll include in a later post.  Since I got 2 of them, look for a giveaway, coming soon.  I also won a 1 year subscription to Crohet Today.  I was really happy about that.  I had just recently decided to let my subscription lapse because I know that I am not likely to make anything out of it since I am busy designing my own things.  I wanted to have it, but couldn’t justify it as a business expense.  The issue they gave me at PDD was the first one I had missed — Perfect!

 This is a picture of all the PDD attendees listening to the speakers and stitching up hats.  I wish I could remember the charity we made them for, but…a lot has happened since then, so I’ve forgotten.  On the left of the picture are two ladies from Texas I met named Jan and Molly.  They, like just about everyone I met, were super nice.

 On Wednesday night of the conference there was a special reception at the Textile Center there in Minneapolis.  The first inductee to the new CGOA Hall of Fame was named.  The winner of this honor was voted on a few months ago.  The winner was Jean Leinhauser, who very sadly, passed away before the conference.  In honor of her, the Hall of Fame is being named for her.  Her long time friend and co-worker Rita Weiss is speaking in this picture about Jean.  It was very nice and, not having known Jean more than a couple months, and only over email, I learned a lot about her inspiring life and love of crochet.  This was a very nice reception.

 Because this was my first time to attned the conference I signed up for the “Buddy Program” and was assigned a buddy that had attended the conference before.  This is my “buddy” and new found friend, Mary Nolfi.  She designed and made hats to wear every day of the conference and had a matching shawl and bag for most of them.  I especially loved the crochet fedora she designed and wore one day we were there.  We’ve become great friends and will keep in touch.

This was taken at the Textile Museum after the Hall of Fame induction.  Many of us were visiting and waiting for a bus to arrive to take us back to the hotel.  Front and center with her back facing the camera is Kimberly McAlindin who is a fantastic designer with a beautiful smile and happy personality.  Talking to her on the right is Margaret Hubert who has been designing crochet patterns for a long time.  The cardigan she is wearing was on the front page of Crochet! magazine a few issues back.  She is very nice and spunky – I really enjoyed getting to know her.  We also sat next to each other as we rode the shuttle to the airport yesterday on our way home.  Just behind her and to the right is Ellen Gormley who I already mentioned.  Talking to her is Nancy Smith who I understand is a contract crocheter for some other designers and who is breaking into getting her own designs published.  I can also see Karen Whooley (designer), Cari Clement (Creative Director for Caron Yarns), and Tammy Hildebrand (also a designer) in this picture, but they would be difficult to point out.  I met all 3 of them and they are also very nice, great people.

I’ll share more pictures and begin a giveaway later this week.  My girls are begging for my attention, and so is my yarn, so the rest will have to wait.  Until next time…

Happy crocheting!