Crochet Guild of America 2012 Summer Show, Part 3

Crochet Guild of America 2012 show

On Saturday night of the Crochet Guild of America show we enjoyed the banquet and fashion show.  This has really become more of an awards gala.  This picture is off the reviewers and junior reviewers for the CGOA Master of Crochet Stitches program.  I think this is a really neat program, and one that I would like to participate in.  It’s that time thing again, always getting in my way.  Thanks to all the wonderful folks that have helped make this program work!

This is a picture from the fashion show.  Susan Lowman is modeling the Tunisian Lace Cardigan designed by my good friend and roommate Patsy Harbor.  In the picture below Patsy is wearing a short-sleeved rendition of the same cardigan in red.  I got the chance to look at it up close and it is really beautiful.  If you like the look of knit, it really does look knitted, but it is made with Tunisian crochet.  It was also very soft, made in Naturally Caron Spa.

This is a picture of Patsy and I at the end of the dinner.  I should tell a funny story that actually happened the first night, before the conference started.  My plane got in around midnight the night before Professional Development Day.  The hotel shuttle came to pick me up, and when I got to the hotel, the power was out.  The poor girl at the front desk was pretty flustered, trying to check people in with no computers.  She couldn’t even make room keys.  

I was supposed to be rooming with Patsy, but of course the woman at the front desk didn’t know that, and it didn’t occur to me that she didn’t know that until later.  She asked the security guard to take me up to a room that she knew was empty.  I assumed I was being taken to the room that my roommate was in.  

We got up to a room on the 9th floor, and Patsy was obviously not in there.  I called her on her cell and that woke her up.  She was rather disoriented because she was woken up and also because the lights had been on when she went to sleep.  I asked her what room she was in and she told me #261.  I hung up and told the security guard the room #.  He thought for a moment and looked confused and said, there is no room #261.  

I called Patsy back and she straightened out the room # and told me it was #621.  So, I found Patsy.  We of course stayed up until 4am talking.  So we were exhausted the next day.  It’s like a slumber party when we are together though.  It’s difficult to stop talking and go to bed when you so rarely get to see each other!

At the dinner on Saturday night crochet designer extraordinaire Margaret Hubert was given the honor of being the 2nd inductee into the CGOA Jean Leinhauser Hall of Fame.  She is pictured here with Bobbie Matela and Kathleen Sams of Coats & Clark.

This is a picture of all my goodies (except one) from the conference.  Some of these I bought, others were won or given.  

The first hank on the left was a raffle prize that I got on Professional Development Day.  They always have a raffle to benefit a charitable organization on PDD.  Sadly, I don’t remember what this year’s benefiting organization was.  Many companies and designers donate their yarns, patterns, hooks, books, etc. as prizes for this raffle.  

This yarn is Louet Euroflax — Weight Category #2, 270 yds of 100% Wet Spun Linen.  I have never used this yarn, so I am interested to play with it.  It came with a pattern for a market bag, but I am more likely to use it to design something of my own.  Thanks very much to Pam Van Stralen of Louet yarns!  

The next hank of yarn (the blue one) is a hank of 150 yds of 100% Baby Alpaca from North Light Fibers in Rhode Island.  This is a worsted weight yarn and it is very soft but has an interesting texture that I really love.  I met the very nice owners, Laura and Sven Risom at the market.  They gave me this yarn to design with, and I’m hoping to get to work with them on producing a pattern in their lovely yarn.

The spool of thread there at the top is a spool of very soft Nazli Gelin Garden 5, a #2 weight category thread.  There are 174 yds of 100% Egyptian Giza Mercerized Cotton.  This was a gift that I was given in a class I took with Joan Davis about crocheting cables from the center outward.  Thanks to Universal Yarn for donating that!  

The hank in the middle is one that I bought at the market from Close Knit Sisters out of North Conway, NH.  It is a variegated sparkle sock yarn, 438 yds, from Hidden Brook Fibers — 75% Superwash Merino, 20% Nylon, and 5% Stellina.  I am envisioning a tunisian wrap with that yarn using some of the skills I learned in the Tunisian class taught by Vashti Braha.  

The two hanks of matching yarn were a door prize I got at the banquet on Saturday night.  They are Lorna’s Laces Solemate sock yarn, 425 yds each, 55% Superwash Merino, 15% Nylon, 30% Outlast(R) Viscose.  They are so soft and beautiful!  I can’t wait to make something with these!  

I also bought a shawl stick from Purdy Thangz at the market, and 2 cabled Ciaogoo tunisian hooks.  I was given a size G Ciaogoo Tunisian hook as a gift in the Tunisian Lace class, along with a skein of South West Trading Company’s Soy Silk (which I gave to my mom as a thank you for helping watch our girls while I was gone).

Well, that was a lot to tell you about.  I realize that many of you may not care to read all of that, but I wanted to put all the details in just in case someone is interested.

Thanks to all the companies and designers that donated and sponsored, and thanks to all those that volunteered their time to make this event wonderful!  I had a great time!

Happy stitching!