If you are anything like me and I think most of you reading this are, EVERY day is a day to celebrate crochet, but there is just something fun and exciting about setting aside an entire month to celebrate in an even bigger way than usual. I certainly have enjoyed reading all of the blog posts from many of CGOA's professional members and the daily giveaways from Red Heart Yarns have been fantastic. We are so grateful to Crochetville for their never-ending support of the Crochet Guild and I would like to thank Amy and Donna for once again hosting this blog tour.

Crochet has always been a part of my life for almost as long as I can remember. I learned to crochet and created my first project at the desk of my second grade teacher, Mrs. Crooks. My great grandmother had crocheted but she was gone by this time and no one else in my family (still to this day!) crocheted or knitted. So CGOA is even more special to me as our members are my fiber family!

I have had the honor to serve in a number of different ways including mentor coordinator, professional development chairperson and now as vice president, and with each new venture, I find myself learning more and benefiting by the experience. Isn't it so neat how you set out to serve others and in return you find yourself being blessed! So I encourage everyone to get involved! Look around our website and see where your talents might be best put to use.

We also encourage you to explore and take advantage of the many wonderful resources CGOA offers. There is the "Masters Program" , recognition as a professional in the industry as well as a mentoring program for aspiring professionals, design competition, local chapters, national and retailer discounts and so much more! And don't forget the high light which is our annual conference when we all come together and take over a conference center for what is always too short of a time! This Summer the Knit and Crochet Show will be in San Diego, CA! You want to do everything possible to be able to attend! Not only is it a fantastic opportunity to learn and network, but we sure have some fun! I hope to see many of you there!

Tammy Hildebrand
CGOA Vice President
https://www.facebook.com/HotLavaCrochet
https://www.facebook.com/Healthybeginswithyou

Book Review: Open Weave Fashions

Title: Open Weave Fashions: 6 Year-Round Designs

Author: Tammy Hildebrand

Book Review by Marie Segares (www.undergroundcrafter.com)

Open Weave Fashions is a pattern booklet featuring six openwork crochet patterns for women.
The booklet includes four women’s tops, a shawl and a hat. Most of the patterns are crocheted in some combination of panels/strips and motifs. The final projects, the Perfect Color Lace Pullover & Hat, are shown in both vibrant, four-color versions and subdued, off-white versions.

All of the patterns are written with US pattern abbreviations and are rated at the intermediate level. A patient beginner, comfortable working with chain spaces, could also complete these projects.  Most patterns include multiple, well-lit photos showing the projects from different angles on a model; the only exception is the Red Hot Tunic, which is only shown from the front.  All of the garments are available in 5-6 sizes. At the end of the booklet, there is a one-page illustrated stitch guide and charts with metric conversions and hook and needle size conversions.

This booklet would be most enjoyed by an intermediate or adventurous beginner crocheter who is interested in creating lacy garments with minimal shaping and seamed construction. Like all pattern booklets, the decision about whether or not to buy this book will be largely dependent on personal taste.

The booklet is available in print or as an electronic download for the retail price of $8.95.

Full disclosure: A free review copy of Open Weave Fashions was provided by Annie's. Although I accept free products for review, I do not accept additional compensation, nor do I guarantee a positive review.  My reviews are based entirely on my honest opinions.

Book Review: Crochet for Baby All Year

Title: Crochet for Baby All Year

Editor: Tammy Hildebrand

Book Review by Marie Segares (www.undergroundcrafter.com)

Crochet for Baby All Year  is a collection of 39 crochet patterns for baby/infant wearables with accessories by Tammy Hildebrand. In the introduction,Tammy shares that she was inspired to crochet great baby items after learning she was going to become a first-time grandmother in 2012. Although her grandbaby was a girl, Tammy aims for an equal opportunity book by sharing theme patterns for boys and girls organized around the calendar.

The book is arranged in chapters by month. Each chapter opens with a large (nearly full page) photograph of an adorable infant boy or girl (or, frequently, both) wearing that month's outfits with accessories. Each month's patterns are either unisex or include variations for both boys and girls. Tammy describes the holiday or seasonal activity that inspired the outfit, and then the chapter continues with the patterns. Each pattern includes more photographs of the projects on the cute little models, the skill level, special stitches, and schematics when appropriate. Garments are generally available in 3-5 sizes from newborn through 18 months. Most of the patterns are considered easy, with one intermediate and one experienced pattern included in the book. The patterns are written with US crochet terminology.

The project breakdown is as follows:

• Hats and bonnets: 14
• Cardigans/sweater/jersey: 5
• Dresses: 4
• Booties and sandals: 3
• Sleeveless tops: 3
• Headbands: 2
• Christening gowns: 2
• Bikini/swim trunks: 2
• Rompers: 2
• Pants: 1
• Bow tie: 1
• Costume: 1

The book ends with a heartfelt acknowledgements page, information about the yarns used in the book, a glossary of pattern abbreviations, and thumbnails of each project for a quick visual reference.

Like all pattern books, your enjoyment will be increased by the number of projects you actually want to make! (My personal favorites are the Stanley or Stella the Stegasaurus Costume; the Fall Festival Cardigan, Hat, and Booties set; and the Varsity Cheerleader Girl Dress and Headband.) You can see pictures of each project in Stackpole's lookbook here.

There are no tutorials or stitch illustrations included, so this book is geared towards an advanced beginner or intermediate crocheter who has their basic skills down and is comfortable with reading US pattern abbreviations.

I would recommend Crochet for Baby All Year  to an advanced beginner crocheter who enjoys making projects for babies and infants and prefers reading pattern abbreviations. A more advanced crocheter might wish for more complex patterns, and a crocheter who prefers international stitch symbols won't find them in this book. The retail price for the paperback version is $21.95.

Full disclosure: A free review copy of Crochet for Baby All Year was provided by Stackpole Books. Although I accept free products for review, I do not accept additional compensation, nor do I guarantee a positive review.  My reviews are based entirely on my honest opinions.

Celebrating National Crochet Month 2014

Welcome to the next stop on the Crochetville blog tour in celebration of National Crochet Month. We'd like to thank Amy Shelton and Donna Hulka for putting this event together again this year. I hope you are enjoying all of the stops and you can find the complete list here in case you missed any of them.

Please join us in supporting Halos of Hope as we collect handmade hats for cancer patients. You can find all of the details here including where to ship your hats and many hat patterns you can use.

For those of you who don't know me, I am Tammy Hildebrand and I currently serve as the Vice President of CGOA. It is an exciting time as our board of directors are working on many new ideas to bring as much value to your membership as possible.

If you haven't visited our Facebook page yet, please stop by. This is where we post our announcements making it the perfect place for you to hear our latest news. We wouldn't want you to miss out on anything!

In celebration of National Crochet Month as well as the fact that our Facebook page is approaching 30,000 fans, we would like to offer you the opportunity to win a prize! We value each and every one of you and hope you will consider joining CGOA if you are not already a member. You can read the top 25 reasons to join on our website but there are just too many benefits to list them all.

To enter for your chance to win a copy of Rustic Modern Crochet, simply leave a comment on this blog telling us why you love the Crochet Guild of America! You can also earn another entry by "liking" our Facebook page if you aren't already a fan. Please share the crochet love by sharing our page and let others know about CGOA! We will also select 5 additional entries to win the pattern of their choice (up to $9.99) from Crochetvile! Good luck everyone! We will announce our winners next Monday, March 24.

Tammy Hildebrand

http://hotlavacrochet.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hot-Lava-Crochet/260649393965228

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Book Review: Crochet Wraps Every Which Way

Title: Crochet Wraps Every Which Way

Author: Tammy Hildebrand

Book Review by Marie Segares (www.undergroundcrafter.com)

All images © Stackpole Books and used with permission

Crochet Wraps Every Which Way by Tammy Hildebrand is a crochet pattern book featuring 18 designs for women’s wraps made with six different crochet techniques: traditional crochet, motifs, hairpin lace, broomstick lace, Tunisian crochet, and double-ended crochet. 

Perfect Pineapples

The book opens with a friendly introduction from Tammy, along with 10 crochet tips, most of which are to help your projects look more finished.  This is followed by a glossary of U.S. crochet pattern abbreviations.

You are My Sunshine

The next six chapters are organized by crochet technique.  Each chapter includes three patterns.  Each pattern includes multiple, large photos of the wrap, shown from different angles.  Several, including the Irish Jig (crocheted with hairpin lace) and the Ardeona Lace (crocheted with broomstick lace) are styled differently in each photo and can be worn around the waist as well.  Each pattern also includes a skill rating and a glossary of special abbreviations. 

Chica Mala

The Essential Crochet Techniques chapter provides written instructions along with process photos for all of the major stitches and techniques used in the book, including basic crochet stitches (single, half double, double, and treble), joining motifs as you go, hairpin lace (strips and in the round), broomstick lace (flat and in the round), and the basic forward and return pass for both Tunisian and double-ended crochet. 

Cascading Rivers

My personal favorite patterns are the Purple Pineapples (in traditional crochet), Waiting for Willow (in motifs), Irish Jig and You are My Sunshine (in hairpin lace), Chica Mala (in broomstick lace), Cascading Rivers (in Tunisian crochet), and Zen Garden (in double-ended crochet).  The book ends with a resources page, including information about the yarn and tools used for these projects, and a visual index with a thumbnail of each pattern for easy reference.

Waiting for Willow

There are no international stitch symbols used in the book.  Like all paperbacks, it doesn’t lay flat, so it’s hard to crochet and read.  While the process photos are great, some crocheters would prefer not to have to flip to the back of the book.  Perhaps the photo tutorials could have been moved to the beginning of the relevant chapter.  Although the different wraps are surprisingly diverse, there is really only one type of project in this book, so if you don’t love wearing (or gifting) wraps, it may not be a good book for you.  Like all (mostly) pattern books, you may find that some patterns appeal to you more than others.  You can check out all the patterns online through Stackpole Books’ lookbook, here.

Irish Jig

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for beginner and intermediate crocheters who enjoy making shawls, wraps, shrugs, and ponchos, and who are interested in moving outside of their comfort zone to learn new crochet techniques.  Although there are quite a few “experienced” level projects in this book, in her intro, Tammy notes that “you might just have to pay a little more attention” to those patterns, “But you can do it!”

Project types: 11 rectangular wraps, 4 triangular shawls, 1 poncho, 1 shrug, 1 circle shawl

Skill levels: 6 easy, 6 intermediate, and 6 experienced

Retail price: $19.95

Full disclosure: A free review copy of Crochet Wraps Every Which Way was provided by Stackpole Books. Although I accept free products for review, I do not accept additional compensation, nor do I guarantee a positive review.  My reviews are based entirely on my honest opinions.

National Crochet Month and Professional Development

I'd like to thank Amy Shelton and Donna Hulka of Crochetville for hosting this exciting blog tour in celebration of National Crochet Month! I have enjoyed reading all the posts each day this month. You can find the complete list here in case you missed any of them.

Please join us in supporting Project Night Night which is an organization that provides homeless children with a new security blanket, an age-appropriate children's book, and a stuffed animal -- all nestled inside of a new canvas tote bag. You can find all the details here.

For those of you that don't know me, I am Tammy Hildebrand and I am thrilled to be serving as your Vice President this year. Having previously served as CGOA's mentor coordinator and the professional development chairperson, I'd like to take this opportunity to share some of the great benefits CGOA has to offer.

Did you know the Crochet Guild offers a mentoring program at no additional charge other than the cost of membership? We've got professional members ready to help you achieve your goals whether you're working towards a career in technical editing, contract crocheting, teaching, and of course designing. You must already be actively pursuing your goals on your own but if you qualify, our mentor coordinator will place you with an established professional to work with one-on-one for up to two years!

Currently in development is a brand new online teaching group. Some of your favorite conference teachers will share their experience and knowledge on topics such as how to propose and prepare classes, creating handouts for your students, how to gauge your time, material fees and so on. This is not a class on teaching so you must already have some teaching experience.

And speaking of the conference, we will be in Indianapolis, IN July 17-21 for our summer show and in Charlotte, NC October 2 - 6 for our fall conference. Read about all the exciting events and classes planned for the annual Knit and Crochet Show. One of my favorite events is Professional Development Day, also known as PDD. This is a daylong event that kicks off the conference first thing Wednesday morning. Each year we have a different theme, various speakers and topics, and interesting formats to help you increase your knowledge about what it takes to be a professional.

Also at our conferences we hold a  "Designer Meet and Greet" with editors and publishers from your favorite       magazines and yarn companies. This is such a unique opportunity to have actual face time to show your designs to the publishers. It is not uncommon to sell a design right off your back! Where else could you do something like that? So what are you waiting for? Stop by our website to learn more and you too could be a member of the Crochet Guild of America!

Be sure to pop over to This is Crochet, our other stop on the tour today. Turquoiz Blue is one of our  professional members that designs beautiful fashion, accessories and home decor. Be sure to check out her Fleurette Scarf, a clever piece done in Tunisian Knit Stitch that I think is so pretty.

You can find me on my blog at Hot Lava Crochet and also on Facebook at Hot Lava Crochet. I hope I will  see many of you at an upcoming conference. Please be sure to come up and introduce yourself!