CGOA 15th Anniversary! Crystal Jubilee

The CGOA is celebrating its 15th Anniversary!! Part of the celebration includes a contest for an anniversary logo. The contest was announced through the CGOA Membership group and on Ravelry. The winning logo, designed by Mary Servillo of Long Island, NY, will be added to the CGOA website, and will be made into a lapel pin that will be available to members attending the Chain Link Conference in Buffalo in August. I've just found out that the logo will be printed on canvas tote bags which will soon be available at Cafe Press. Isn't this a fabulous design promoting crochet and the CGOA!

I've added the logo to my sidebar, below the CGOA logo. They look fab together!

There are other fun things being planned to celebrate the CGOA Anniversary. Get more information by checking the "CGOA website" and the Yahoo group CGOA Membership, and I'll try to keep you posted, also.

I've never been dsylexic...

but lately I seem to find the wackiest things in some of my writing. Look at this sentence in the last post "I'm awaiting ready" I think that I must have meant that "I'm already waiting". Maybe I'm not dsylexic, I just need more caffeine...or maybe less caffeine and more sleep...

Crochet-wise what's one the hooks? I'm working on two baby sweaters as part of a CAL in our CGOA Chapter. They are from the Lion Brand website, and the pattern is Short and Sweet Child's Cardigan.

Then I'm swatching some new fibers as part of a Ravelry Learn Crochet group CAL. They're doing a Learn Symbol Crochet Mystery CAL. I'm swatching the stitch pattern in Plymouth Wildflower DK, a cotton acrylic blend that is soft and has good stitch definition. Then I'm also swatching a Jarbo Garn Tropik, which is a bamboo, cotton, acrylic blend. The yarn is soft, has a nice sheen and great stitch definition. Too bad that it's the only skein in my stash. I bought the skein at A Likely Yarn in Abingdon, VA. I only wanted to play a little and find out how it worked up, etc. Now I wish that I had enough to do this Mystery CAL. I think that I have nothing in the stash with enough yardage for this project...must make trip to LYS.

I also have a whole couch full of swatches for a baby afghan in Tunisian. Lots of ideas, most look great, but not sure that I have the perfect combination yet. Back to work.

Crochet Vacation!

I'm planning my summer crochet vacation, a simple week-long trip to Buffalo to attend the CGOA Conference. While there I'm hoping to see Niagra Falls and see some of the architechture of the region. I need to find a travel guide as see what else is "not to be missed". I'm just been in touch with a CGOA member from Texas, and they're planning a weekend mini-conference in October. Do you think I could convince my husband that I need another crochet vacation?
Well, as I'm thinking about my simple crochet vacation, classess, business trip; I just read in the Crochet Insider about Dora's crochet vacation...She's researching the origins of crochet and is traveling to Sarejavo, Albania and Istanbul!!
Maybe I should find a topic to research and get "research grant" money for a trip!

Oh well, I wish Dora a great trip, luck finding information, and I'm awaiting ready about the travel and the crochet information that she discovers.

Collecting crochet

This past weekend I took a trip to Western PA and spent time with family. I stayed at the home of an aunt and uncle, they live just across the road from another aunt & uncle, with whom my parents and older brother stayed. We have lots of cousins, and assorted other relatives in the area, and had plenty of time to visit.
I took a recently completed doily as a gift to my aunt, as I know how much she loves crochet lace. I enjoyed seeing the beautiful laces she has throughout the house, frequently coming across an old pice lovingly displayed on a lamp table or dresser. It was great fun to recognize design styles and have some idea of the time periods when the particular item was crocheted. A doily in the guest bedroom was in antique white thread with a border in purples, probably made in the 1940's or 50's. The pineapple tablecloth made from large squares in a golden thread is probably not older than the 1980's, while the blue doily in the master bedroom is definitely made in the 2000's...I made it only a few years ago.
If you're interested in old crochet lace, read this article from the current issue of Crochet Insider.
"Antique Crochet Beauties"

Crochet article by Dora Ohrenstein

"Summer is Crochet Season" is a wonderful, crochet-positive article about yarn companies that are featuring crochet patterns and crochet support. Some of the companies mentioned in Dora's article are Tahki•Stacy Charles, Universal Yarn, Nashua Handknits, Garn-studio/DROPS Design, and Caron International. I LOVE the crochet designs on the Garn-studio/DROPS Design website, I've drooled over many for years, it's time that I selected one and actually made it! I feel that Caron has recently come into the crochet world with it's manufacture and support of the NatuallyCaron products Country and Spa. Some of the designers mentioned - Doris Chan, Vashti Braha and Kristin Omdahl! I've made a summer top with Spa and absolutely love it. I'm trying to decide on another project with this fiber.

Universal Yarns is developing a pattern line with Mary Beth Temple, to be called Hooked for Life, the name of her recent book. The article includes a photo of a mesh-y cardigan in raspberry worn over a white, raspberry print dress,...to die for!
This should be a fabulous line, I can't wait to see the designs.

The article includes links to many of the websites, so I'm off to shop, and drool over patterns!

Home from Abingdon

It seems I left myself stranded in Abingdon, only in blogland, not in real life. I'll tell you a little about Sunday's drive home, and then what's been happening crochet-wise since arriving home.
Sunday we were up fairly early, and we packed up cars and hit the road. It wasn't a very exciting day - I drove and drove, stopped at a rest stop, drove some more, stopped for gas, drove some more, stopped at another rest stop, drove, stopped for very late lunch - there was a Michaels near the diner so I did spend a little time looking at the new yarn department and picked up a few of the free patterns for the Michaels brand yarn, drove more, and finally arrived home.

I'm glad that I got this fun trip to visit with family, and got in some sightseeing, craft shopping, and yarn shopping, too.