Crocheters, knitters — and various vendors of paraphernalia fit for such wonderful people — descended on the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA for the 2006 Knit and Crochet Show. The show, held July 12-16, was the National Convention, or “Chain Link” conference, for the Crochet Guild of America (CGOA), and included over one hundred classes to choose from, shopping, meeting fellow crochet devotees, and hobnobbing with Crochet celebrities. You know, the usual.
My motives for going were many:
Mission accomplished!
During the convention, I went to fifteen hours of classes and the CGOA Professional Development Day lectures. I will likely need a year to process everything, but luckily there were ample handouts and information that I could immediately use.
Day 1: “Relaxxxxxx, We’re Professionals”
Professional Development Day started with tables full of free yarn, nibbles, and presentations by Nancy Nehring about the history of different crochet techniques, and by Tammy L. Browning-Smith, a crafts lawyer who spoke about intellectual property and the dreaded “C” word: copyrights. Then we broke into groups for roundtable discussions. I went to Vashti Braha’s “Trendy Crochet” talk, Grading Patterns Using a Sloper by Nancy Nehring, and Crochet Teaching Tips by Karen Klemp. There were many other discussions going on about contract crocheting, writing design proposals, the unwritten rules for acting like a professional (thankfully, they’re written down now so nobody has an excuse to be a punk), being more creative in crochet, and how to drive an editor crazy (shouldn’t be too hard, right?).
I did a lot of thinking as I wandered the King of Prussia Mall that evening, especially regarding the fashion industry versus the hobby industry. Crochet is considered a part of the hobby industry, yet many couture houses are using crochet in their clothing and accessory lines. I only needed to visit department stores or boutiques to find several items—and even a beautiful wall display at Free People -- that had been crocheted. Designers are finally swapping out clunky wannabe-knits for the unique qualities of crochet; they’re using bigger hooks or thinner yarn to achieve better drape, stitch patterns that are both beautiful and functional, and quality fibers with luxurious texture. Crochet has arrived, darling!
Not only has crochet been blooming in the mass market, but in great new publications (Crochet Today, for example, made its debut at Professional Development Day). Books and magazines are making the transition from hobby-looking to fashion-forward crochet. Time will tell whether certain things are merely fads, but as a craft crochet has made great strides to adapt to the needs and tastes of a new generation.
Even as designers and publications are increasing their consciousness of the fashion world, there is still a great demand for the more traditional forms of crochet. Looking around the room at the assembled crochet professionals showed an entire spectrum of techniques, interests, and directions one can take.
The same can be said of the vast and bewildering online crochet community. There really is something for everyone, if you can find it. During Professional Day I met several friendly people I had only “seen” in Crochet Me, yet I felt like I knew them well already. It was both surreal and comforting to know that an impersonal electronic device can connect people around the world who enjoy making cozy things by hand.
Days 2-4: Crocheting in an Undisclosed Location with *** Cheney and Lily Chin
So I made up the *** Cheney part, but it was hard to find our classrooms in the labyrinth of corridors. Once there, I crocheted my fingers raw in several classes. Darla Fanton taught a class on Tunisian stitches in-the-round, Janet Rehfeldt showed us how to spice up plain clothing with crochet embellishments, sleeves, and trims, and I started my journey to make a Crochet Bra to Fit Any Woman with Joan Davis. Each class was full of such great people, with excellent instructors who know their craft—and how to teach it—inside and out. (Plus it’s hilarious to tell a stranger who asks what I’m making, “I’m working on a bra.” Even if I’m not.)
My favorite class of all was Crochet Tips, Tricks, and Hints by Lily Chin. I don’t think I have ever learned so much—and enjoyed myself—in three hours. What made it so fantastic? Here’s how I explained it to my husband: say you’ve been using a computer for several years and never knew the hotkeys (for example, control-C, control-V for cut and paste). Suddenly someone says, “Here! Control-C! Yah?” and you say “Dude! Why didn’t someone tell me this before?!”
Some of the hotkeys:
Brilliant.
The marketplace had a wide range of vendors, selling everything from hand-carved hooks to shoelace yarn. There were some stunning hand-made buttons and shawl pins, painted silks, wool and generally everything a crocheter could wish for, except an unlimited supply of cash.
My favorite booth and items were of a Japanese persuasion. Habu Textiles’ booth was not only beautifully lit, it had such unusual fibers to choose from: stainless steel, paper, and bamboo yarn. Another booth was selling beads called Netsuke and Ojime, small hand-carved boxwood animals that were originally used to adorn wallets (called Inro) strapped to kimonos. A little chubby Ojime bunny came home with me.
There were also representatives from charity groups like NiceKnits.com and Warm Up America/Caps to the Capital. Lisa Walkup and Crochet Me contributor Robyn Chachula at NiceKnits are using their hooks and needles to benefit charities, and hook people up with ways to get involved. And they really are nice. A new initiative was also unveiled with Warm Up America, called Caps to the Capital. The goal is to provide newborns in impoverished areas of the world with hats to keep their tiny heads warm, and to raise awareness for the plight of mothers and newborns in poverty, many of whom die of easily preventable causes.
Carol Alexander, editor of Crochet! magazine, delivered the keynote address to CGOA attendees, and had some excellent thoughts and gracious words for all the people involved in the resurgence of this craft. She asked people to write to her and give some reasons why they think crochet has made such a comeback. Here was one of the responses, by Kim Holderer (and thank you, Brenda Stratton at Annie’s Attic for jotting it down at your site!):
"[Crochet] keeps our hands busy so our minds can rest. It is a gift to help quiet the world around us, if even for a moment. To create -- and think of those we create for -- is a quiet prayer of hope, love and dreams all wrapped up in a hook, a book and a ball of yarn."
As exciting as it is to be, or to aspire to be, a professional in the crochet world, it is precisely that calming, prayerful quality of creating something beautiful for people I love that really motivates me to crochet. Learning new things and meeting generous, welcoming, and creative people are great perks for an already rewarding occupation.
Photo: fuzzydice.jpg. caption: maybe they’re not technically beautiful, but I made these for very dear friends, and thought of them while I worked. Which is what it’s all about.
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