National Crochet Month
You’ve arrived at A Tour Through Crochet Country! During March 2013, Crochetville is hosting a daily designer blog tour in celebration of National Crochet Month. Each day, we visit the blogs of one or two crochet designers, who share something with us — a free crochet pattern or tutorial, a peek into their studio or a-day-in-the-life, a coupon code, or something else special. Join us each day for a new surprise!
On our 23rd day of A Tour through Crochet Country, we’re visiting Margaret Hubert and Jane Rimmer for CGOA.
[button link=”http://margaretshooksandneedles.blogspot.com/”]Today’s Stop 1: Visit Margaret Hubert[/button]
Margaret Hubert has probably designed more crochet patterns than many of us could ever crochet in our entire lifetimes! She’s one of the original members of the Old Broads Club, a club so exclusive there will never be any members beyond the original three: Margaret, Rita Weiss, and the late, great Jean Leinhauser. (If you ever see Margaret at a conference, look for her “Old Broads Rule” rhinestone pin!)
Some of my fondest Chain Link conference memories are of late-night dancing with Margaret at the Club Caron Dance Party.
In 2012, Margaret was honored as the second recipient of the Jean Leinhauser CGOA Crochet Hall of Fame.
Margaret has written dozens of books on both crochet and knitting: pattern books and technique books alike. She’s had designs published in just about every crochet magazine that has ever existed. She’s even self-published her own designs.
Margaret is very well-known for her free-form designs. I absolutely love this jacket that uses free-form techniques.
Crochet! magazine May 2009
We don’t really see a lot of good quality men’s fashion crochet designs. I really like this Entrelac Pullover sweater.
Available on Ravelry
[button link=”http://cgoanow.blogspot.com/”]Today’s Stop 2: Visit Jane Rimmer for CGOA[/button]
Jane is the co-founder and current President of the Harrisburg CGOA chapter, also known as Those Yarn Crocheters. Jane has served on the CGOA board of directors since 2010, and she is currently serving as Treasurer. The Treasurer position is the perfect fit for Jane as she loves math. Jane teaches crochet, edits patterns, and also works as a contract crocheter.
If you want to know more about Jane, check out her blog at Jane’s Hooked on Crochet.
Jane is very passionate about Tunisian crochet, as you can see in the following designs, which appeared in the 2010 and 2011 editions of Across the Board Crochet, a book of crochet patterns designed by then-current members of the CGOA board of directors. This book is published each year, and every member who joins or renews gets a free PDF copy of the book.
Across the Board Crochet 2010 by CGOA
Across the Board Crochet 2011 by CGOA
See You Again Tomorrow!
I hope you enjoyed today’s stops visiting with Margaret and Jane Please come join us again tomorrow when we’ll visit with Bonnie Barker and Marcy Smith for CGOA.
Remember Project Night Night & CGOA
We would love your support for our blog tour charity, Project Night Night, which donates comforting nighttime packages to homeless children. You can help by making and sending new crocheted blankets (50” x 60” or smaller) and/or making a financial donation. If you contribute, won’t you please use our form to help us keep a blog-tour tally?
Our blog tour is also promoting another non-profit, the Crochet Guild of America (CGOA). All designers participating in the tour are Professional or Associate Professional members of the CGOA. If you’re not a member yet, there are so many reasons to join!
Our Little Giveaway: Autographed Pattern Postcard
Each day of A Tour Through Crochet Country, we’ll be giving away two promo postcards, one to each of two winners. These are only available at our 2013 consumer show booths, and will be autographed by both of us, Amy Shelton and Donna Hulka, co-owners of Crochetville! The postcard includes Amy Shelton’s exclusive X Marks the Spot scarf pattern.
To enter, please leave a comment below answering this question: Where do you do most of your yarn shopping and why?
The fine print: Must be 13 or older to enter. Entries must be received by 12:00 midnight Pacific time on the date of this post. Winners will be selected by random drawing and notified by email the following day. Void where prohibited by law.
All photos used with permission or under the Fair Use Exclusion of US copyright law.
I have been trying to shop as much as possible at my LYS, Purls of Wisdom in Kimberton PA. DH backs me up, as he believes in supporting local businesses. The store is relatively new and tiny though, so they don’t always have quite what I want. I look a lot in the big box craft stores because the prices are sometimes irresistable, and I do buy a fair amount of yarn there. I’ve also done a fair amount of yarn buying on Ravelry, from the stashes of members who want to trade or well. I’ve gotten some very nice buys that way.
While I shop at local yarn stores, my favorite time/place to shop is while I’m on vacation. Not only is it a fun and relaxing thing to do, but it’s better than any souvenir. As I’m crocheting or knitting with the yarns, I reminisce about the different vacation spots. Also each finished piece, provides a special topic of conversation other than just the pattern, stitch, or type of yarn.