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.

Becoming a Crochet Teacher

Teaching crochet seems like a natural fit for many as a way to share their love of crochet. Some even find a way to make it a career option.  There are many different settings, styles, avenues and ways to teach crochet; one on one, informal, or structured; at some ones home, local guild, library, local yarn store, box stores, or trade show/conference; project based or technique based; and hybrids of each of these, as well as many more. 

So what does it take to teach? Basic understanding of the skill is a basic necessity, as well as being able to explain the same concept a couple of different ways. Having the ability to communicate well and interact with people can be a definite asset, as well as being flexible. Understanding how different people learn is an added plus. One of the traits that the most successful teachers share is excitement about what they are teaching. Teaching something that you enjoy is contagious and increases your students desire to learn.

The more structured a teaching setting becomes the more a teacher has to prepare for a class.  For one-on-one explanation it is more student driven and the teacher modifies the lessons to the desires and abilities of the student, the student usually shares what they want to learn next and what areas they wish to focus on. While teaching informal setting you may just be giving group instructions on one simple technique, you may not have a lot of props, examples, or any hand outs, but as it becomes more structured this changes. 

Many hours are spent before even entering the classroom, making up a lesson plan, having material available for students that may excel quickly in the class to keep them engaged, as well as ensuring that the material can be covered in the length of time given for instruction. Hand outs are created, questions are anticipated, samples are made, and rehearsals of the class presentation are done. The time spent actually teaching a student is only part of the job.

Compensation as a teacher also varies greatly, by geographic area, by material, by subject, and by setting. Some are paid by the number of students, some by the hour, others a flat rate, and still some a combination of these. Check around to see what is reasonable in your area, if the compensation feels to low for you; you may not want to proceed. If you feel taken advantage of it will reflect in your teaching and thus may hurt future opportunities. If you are setting your own pricing, remember that you have value and what you are teaching has value. Offering a class for free, sometimes tells people it has no value, but charge a few dollars and they think it is a great deal.

Do not forget to advertise yourself. Even if you are teaching at a venue, you will be expected to advertise the event and your class. There are many ways to accomplish this and it also varies by the location and venue. You might have to get a little creative, or use the standard tools in social media, but it is part of being a teacher; you need to engage with students even before they enter your classroom.

There are varying degrees to which these teaching opportunities occur, and every teacher is different, as well as peoples teaching style. If you would like to investigate teaching crochet further, the Craft Yarn Council offers a teaching certification course, and the CrochetGuild of America offers mentoring for those that are Associate Professionals.

CGOA Membership: The Perfect Gift

The CGOA Membership: The Perfect Gift

'Tis the season of either wondering what to get the crocheter(s) in our lives, or wondering what to treat ourselves with.  With so much cooking, traveling, shopping, visiting, and social obligations, who has time to worry about making gauge?  Of if Aunt Jane or Uncle Bobby needs another size G crochet hook, or if that particular shade of yarn is one she/he already has in her/his stash...

Fortunately, the CGOA has the perfect gift for every crocheter that is sure to fit perfectly, and with plenty of room for growth in both skill AND friendships!  ... This perfect gift is the CGOA Gift Membership!

CGOA: Where skill and friendships
blossom

An individual one-year (USA) membership is still just $35.00!  There are many wonderful reasons why being a member is so cool.  In fact we have over 25 reasons listed on why being a member is a fantastic experience: from the subscription to Crochet! magazine with our ChainLink newsletter inserted inside, to discounts at our annual Conference, and at various National and Retail locations, and more!

Gift memberships cannot be processed online.  They need to be faxed in or snail-mailed.  So to ensure your gift membership is processed in time for the start of our TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY, process your request today and be pleased in knowing your gift will last the entire year!!

((If Aunt Jane and Uncle Bobby already have a CGOA membership, they will still appreciate your thoughtful gift as it will count as a membership renewal for them!))

How the Pattern Made It To Your Favorite Magazine

The process of a pattern making it into a magazine for you to get inspired to pick up some yarn and a hook has a varied process, but many professional hands are involved.

It begins with an idea; a designer swatch up some yarn and writes up an explanation of their idea and submits it to a magazine editor. The editor considers the idea, and how it works with the other designs under consideration to create a magazine that meets their audiences need. Upon accepting the design they submit an offer to the designer and a contract is created.

The designer now writes the pattern and creates a sample for photographing. Many designers approach this differently, some make up the sample as they write the pattern, some write the pattern and hire a contract crocheter to create the sample for them, some have a hybrid of these approaches, but the pattern has to be written and the sample has to be created.

However the process does not end there, the pattern and sample are now shipped to the magazine editor by the deadline, where the sample is photographed and the pattern is sent to a tech Editor to be reviewed for accuracy. The tech Editor goes over the entire math in the pattern and formats the pattern to the magazine standards so that the publication has an easy read and flow to it. They may also draw up charts or graphs for the pattern. Essentially they are attempting to ensure that what the designer has written is as understandable and as accurate as possible to ensure that the project can be successfully completed by the widest audience.

The photographer in the mean time is setting up shots that give the most information about the design, showing it in its best light, addressing set up of the shot with any props, making sure that the colors work for an eye catching image, as well as addressing the highlights and unique details of the project.

Then it all goes to the hands of the publishing team. They set the page outlines, and put the magazine to print; it goes to distribution and makes it to your mailbox or newsstand.

Many hands create the instructions that adorn your imagination; you may have a part to contribute in the process yourself. CGOA offers assistance in being a professional in the crochet field, so if you are so inclined visit CGOA and check out the “Learn” tab for more details.

Professional Development Day Overview and Thanks

October 2, 2013 was a day set aside by CGOA at the Fall Chainlink/ Knit & Crochet Show Conference in Concord, North Carolina, to aide professionals and would-be professionals in how to put together a proposal for a book. There was a vast amount of knowledge shared such as MelissaLeapman’s outline on the proposal process, Susan Huxley sharing how to take the best photo to get your idea across, as well as Bobbie Matela giving an inside view of how the an editor will review a proposal. 

Basic tips were covered on actually writing your book by Cari Clement and Marty Miller, since without creative writing and well written patterns, you may not have a product! Renee Rodgers informed us that this may be a daunting task, but you can ask CGOA for a mentor to help get through the process.

Then education on how to promote yourself and your book was addressed. Margaret Hubert shared her blogging tips, while Vashti Braha shared her vast knowledge on newsletters, Amy Shelton gave insight to social media platforms while Patty Lyons gave tips on how teaching can promote your book. Never forget how to use the press to get yourself recognized, and who better to share tips here then Lily Chin. 

Through all of this we were reminded by Andee Graves how to take care of our money makers: our hands. She addressed issues of hand health for years of happy stitching.

It was a successful event that was fortunate to have a wonderful sponsor in Lion Brand Yarn. They help make the day happen! They also supplied material to make afghan squares for Warm Up America, over the course of the day, the attendance made up over 350 squares that will be assembled into blankets for those in need. 

There was also a raffle to help raise funds for Warm Up America. There are many sponsored that donated items to be raffled off. I currently have only a partial list, so I apologize to those that I may miss. But a special thanks to Valu- Publishing Crochet 123, KRW Knitwear, Go Crochet, Simplicity, Leisure Arts, Debbie Bliss Yarns, Universal Yarns, Interweave, Andrea Giattini, and Coats & Clark. Please let all the sponsors know that you appreciate how they helped in making a difference in the lives of crocheters.

CGOA 2013 Fall Fashion Show Images

If you weren't there for the CGOA 2013 Fall Fashion Show in Charlotte, Friday evening, 4th October,  you can get a peek at some of the action.  I have just uploaded a gang of images (67!) taken backstage at the Fashion Show.  No worries; we are all perfectly decent and dressed!  We tried to capture every design that went down the runway, but I know we missed a few.  Please visit the Flickr CGOA Group photo pool to see them.  They will also show up in the little slide show of Chain Link images on the left side of this blog page.

I tried to fill in descriptions for every photo, but it's such a huge task that I missed most of those, too!  If you see your design among them, or recognize a designer or model I have not credited, please let me know by commenting here and I will fix. Thanks to Marcy Smith, emcee; Bonnie Barker, photographer; Diane Moyer, backstage dresser; and Deb Seda, traffic manager for helping make this a brilliant event.

Yours,

Doris Chan
2013 Fall Fashion Show Coordinator

New Beginnings

It has been real pleasure being the Professional Development Chair! I've really enjoyed watching so many of you bloom in your careers. I've also come to realize how much our volunteers really give to our CGOA. Thank you to each and every one of you who has made the CGOA the wonderful organization that it is!

I am now passing the torch on to Linda Dean. I know that she is going to do a fantastic job as the new Chair. Linda has so many great ideas - I can't wait to see what she does!

Renee' Rodgers is also stepping down and Deidre Eyles is going to be our new Mentor Coordinator. Thank you, Renee', for all the hard work and time you have given to the CGOA. We are very grateful! Deidre will do a fabulous job - I know that our Mentor Program will be in great hands! Thank you for all the support and for the friendships we have formed! It has been an experience I won't forget! All the best, Brenda Bourg

2013 Design Competition Peoples' Choice

The winner of the CGOA 2013 Design Competition $100 Peoples' Choice Award, sponsored by Karen Whooley/KRW Knitwear designs, as voted by attendees at the CGOA Conference, Charlotte/Concord, NC, is
Sparkling Shells Evening Shawl, designed by Susmita Mullick:
"This "sparkling shells evening shawl" is designed by Susmita Mullick. It is a light and lacey shawl done in Lion Brand Vanna Glamour yarn in a platinum with diamond color shading. The design features diagonal shells which are interconnected with a slip stitch on both sides of the shawl. This sparkling shells evening shawl is perfect for holiday gifts or to wear on gala occasions."

CGOA 2013 Design Competition Results

We proudly announce the winning entries in the CGOA 2013 Design Competition, as announced tonight at the Awards Ceremony, CGOA Conference in Charlotte/Concord, NC.

In the category Accessories, sponsored by WEBS, America’s Yarn Store:

Honorable Mention

Fiji Flowers on Flowers (61), designed by Linda Dean:

$100 Third Prize

Josephine’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcape (86), designed by Maxine Pike:

$200 Second Prize

Windowpane Wrap (19), designed by April Garwood:

$300 First Prize

Dragon Wing (1), designed by Joyce Lewis:

Dragon Wing is also the winner of this year’s $200 Technical Merit Award, sponsored by Designing Vashti, for outstanding, fresh use of Tunisian crochet techniques.

In the category Afghans and Home Décor, sponsored by Red Heart:

Honorable Mention

Granny’s Tree of Love (42) designed by Deborah Bagley

$100 Third Prize

Alpine Lodge (88), designed by Sue Solakian

$200 Second Prize

Octie: Flower to Octagon Blanket (70), designed by Jessie Rayot

$300 First Prize

Simple Pleasures (24), designed by Julia Bryant from Canada

In the category Small Accessories, sponsored by Tulip Company, manufacturers of Etimo cushion grip crochet hooks:

Honorable Mention

Rainbow Crochet Carryall (100), designed by Cynthia Fiebig:

$100 Third Prize

Is That A Platypus Scarf? (74), designed by Laurinda Reddig

$200 Second Prize

Purple Cascade (56), designed by Jean DeMouy:

$300 First Prize

Fair Isle Love Beanie (2), designed by Deja Jetmir:

In the category Thread Crochet, sponsored by Boye and The Crochet Dude, Drew Emborsky:

Honorable Mention

Rendezvous (9), designed by Kathryn White

$100 Third Prize

Rose Ensemble (20), designed by Kathie Earle

$200 Second Prize

Calcutta Doily (8), designed by Kathryn White

$300 First Prize

Princess of Circles (25), designed by Carol Booth:

In the category Fashion, sponsored by Interweave Crochet:

Honorable Mention

Summer Lace Dress (94), designed by Janelle Ponte:

$100 Third Prize

Frilly Summer Cardigan (13), designed by Susan Walsh, from Australia!

$200 Second Prize

Connemara Beauty (51), designed by Jennifer Ryan:

$300 First Prize

Afternoon Tea (6), designed by Kathryn White

And in the category Artistic Expressions, sponsored by Jenny King Designs:

Honorable Mention

Meeting Mr. Tumnus by the Lamp in Narnia (41), designed by Deborah Bagley

$100 Third Prize

Owl Sit With You (43), designed by Deborah Bagley

$200 Second Prize

Philomena (96), designed by Kate Buckner:

$300 First Prize

Summer Visitors (63), designed by Sachiko Adams:

Summer Visitors is also the winner of the $100 Founders Prize, sponsored by CGOA founder Gwen Blakley Kinsler;

And finally, the $1,000 Grand Prize sponsored by Crochetville and MainlyCrochet.com:

Mille Fleurs Dress (32), designed by Dot Drake:

One prize remains, the $100 Peoples' Choice Award, to be voted by the attendees and announced on Saturday.