Jump to content

CGOA Convention: Did Anyone Attend?

Amy

By Amy
in Crochet Events

Recommended Posts

Amy Grand Master

Amy

Posted
Posted

Last weekend was the big annual convention for the Crochet Guild of America. I know at least one Crochetville member attended, because she's sending us a signed book by Doris Chan for the auction!

 

For any Crochetville members who attended the convention, I'm inviting you to share your experiences. Let us know what it was like. Tell us about the classes, the special events, all the great things available out in the vendor marketplace.

 

Whet our appetites for next year! I'm hoping I'll be able to attend next year. This year was just a bad weekend for us here at home: daughter coming back home from a mission trip, getting son ready to go off to his first week at Boy Scout camp. But I'm going to try my hardest to be there next year!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Crochet Garden Proficient

Crochet Garden

Posted
Posted

I wanted to go so badly, but it just was not in the finances.. Next year I am going for sure!! I would love to hear also from other members who did attend... I really wanted to go for developer's day... I would have been in heaven that day... I also saw they had meet the editors day, I would have loved to have been there on that day too..

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JCB Collaborator

JCB

Posted
Posted

I was there... just got home about an hour ago. It was grand! I took two classes with Nancy Nehrig(sp?) on designing garments using rectangles. They were a great jumping off point for people who want to start designing, or, like me, don't like working from patterns. Lots and lots of ideas. She had doll sized examples of most of the styles she talked about. She said she has the best dressed American Girl Doll!:)

 

Next I took a class on doing Entrelac 'on the square'. I already know how to do the entrelac stitch but wanted to learn how to do more than bags... and this class did it. It was given by Darla Fanton, as was my last class, Tubular Tunisian, which was, as the title implies, doing Tunisian Stitch in the round. I need a bit more practice on that technique, but I did learn the basics. Both teachers gave terrific hand-outs. In our materials fee (which was very reasonable) Darla included two double-ended cable hooks. They are very hard to find, so I really appreciated that.

 

The Marketplace was fun, although most booths were filled with stuff for knitters. There were classes for knitters, but this was the Annual Meeting for CGOA! I bought some Noro Kureyon, and couldn't resist a couple of balls of some really funky yarn with bits of fabric sticking out, from a $5 bin.

 

The banquet and fashion show were also lots of fun. There was a lounge space set up to just hang out and crochet, and it was always busy, although I didn't use it.

 

Every one who registers gets a 'goodie bag', which consists of several skeins of yarn and some patterns and other stuff. I focussed in on the yarns and haven't really checked the other stuff out yet. Gleda (Moonspinners) and I swapped out some stuff from our bags.

 

Although it hasn't been officially announced, rumor has it that the conference will be back in Manchester again next year. So... start saving up those pennies now!!

 

Joan

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Wyndfire Rookie

Wyndfire

Posted
Posted

I didnt go, but if it will be held in Manchester again, then I have a question for attendees... whats the airport nearest Manchester to fly into? I've heard its Boston, but that seems kinda far... Thanks! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Red883 Newbie

Red883

Posted
Posted
whats the airport nearest Manchester to fly into? I've heard its Boston...

 

Actually there is an airport in Manchester. Hotels had a shuttle to and from for easy access...Attendees spilled over from the Radisson to two others.

Hotels are right in the town so there was walking access to other restaurants (not just tied to the hotel restaurants). There was a concert every night in the park across from the Radisson.

This was the National Crochet Convention but also the Regional Knit Convention. I would like to have seen more crochet patterns at the marketplace...or at least the items displayed in knit also have a pattern in crochet. I think for next year I'll have amounts of yarn needed for any WIM projects.

Fashion show was great and the silent auction did well for the Helping Hands foundation...:clap

 

At the Annual Meeting (knit meeting was held at the same time the crochet meeting was held) there was mention that the CGOA convention will be held in Manchester next year too. After that who knows as membership may outgrow that hotel; we may need bigger!

 

I took 3 classes and overall-- hubby and I had a ball! Still catching up on needed sleep.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LadyBeBop Enthusiast

LadyBeBop

Posted
Posted

Amy, I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner. Life has been hectic the past few days...but now the car is fixed, my youngest daughter is in Gatlinburg, my eldest daughter is in Atlanta just about ready to board a plane to Spain, so now I have a few minutes.

 

Chain Link was, in a word, incredible. :clap A crochet-lover's fantasyland. Between the shopping, and the classes, and the fashion show, and the comraderie. The weekend ended way too quickly.

 

I didn't get in until Thursday, so I missed the Professional Development Day. I did take two classes, Nancy Nehring's Beginning Design Course (Just Rectangles) and Karen Klemp's Easy Effective Edgings class. I already put Karen's information to good use as I crocheted a twisted loop edging around my latest Elvis-graph. (No pics yet...not until DD comes back from Spain with my digital camera.)

 

The marketplace was a little too knit-oriented for my liking, but there were a number of venders who had some crochet stuff. While there, I attempted to learn to knit. My journey into the dark side didn't last long, as I immediately forgot everything I learned about knitting. Crochet is good enough for me. :cheer

 

The fashion show was a delightful mixture of klitsch and glammer. Everything from crocheted stirrups to a wonderful medeval gown (also crochet). Funny thing is...last year I would think no way could I crochet anything in the show. This year...there's a good possibility for at least a few.

 

I'm so hoping I get to go back next year. :yay

Link to comment
Share on other sites
NexStitch Enthusiast

NexStitch

Posted
Posted

I hope to have some pictures on my blog soon. The only thing I have on there now is the story that happened AFTER I left CGOA on Saturday. What a crazy ride home!

 

http://nexblog.mycrochetblog.com/?p=140

 

I agree and I noticed it too: not enough crochet. It was in my head the whole time I was in the market. Although, the Elegent Ewe had a bunch of crochet books - I bought one - as well as some lovely yarn. Doris Chan was there twice during the week signing books (Amazing Lace). And Dreamweaver had some crochet stuff too. It wasn't all knit, but mostly knit, yes. We'll have to do something to change that next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MBT Contributor

MBT

Posted
Posted

I was there too! Signing copies of my book (sorry , it's about knitting but I am trying to do a crochet one next!), attending Professional Development Day which was great this year, and taking two crochet classes - one with Lily Chin on garment shaping in pattern stitches that I swear will change my life, and one with Nancy Nehring on plus sized shaping.

 

Doris Chan rocked, I saw our own Amie and Drew, and a bunch of other amazing crochet designers like Marty Miller, Vashti Braha, Dee Stanziano, Margaret Hubert - and more that I am sure I am forgetting.

 

The fashion show had lots of crochet, including my own ten year old daughter modelling a baby doll dress she helped to design. I was backstage shoving models into line so I didn't get to see much!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Amy Grand Master

Amy

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I'm about to take my daughter up to Freshman Band Camp this morning. When I get back, I'm going to try to find some blog posts about visits to CGOA Chain Link Conference and post them here for anyone who's interested in reading them.

 

If you've run across other blogs talking about CGOA, please feel free to post the links here, too. :)

 

I am SO going to be there next year, including Professional Development Day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Amy Grand Master

Amy

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I know we usually ask for links direct to individual posts within a blog. But since many people are posting multiple entries about their Chain Link experience, I'm just going to give the general link to their blog. Then you can scroll down easily and read all the entries.

 

 

Noreen Crone-Findlay: Hankering for Yarn

 

Dee: Crocheting with Dee

 

Margaret Hubert: My Hooks and Needles

 

Wheat Carr: Wheat Wrote WHAT?

 

Vashti Braha: Designing Vashti

Lady Linoleum: Monster Crochet

Link to comment
Share on other sites
vashtirama Apprentice

vashtirama

Posted
Posted
Here is a great blog post about the kids that attended CGOA this year. They pretty much stole the show!

 

http://designingvashti.blogspot.com/2007/07/three-crocheters-with-something-in.html

 

:bounce

I still have so much to blog about this conference! I'm trying to do a post a day. Sometimes I succeed!

Vashti

Link to comment
Share on other sites
vashtirama Apprentice

vashtirama

Posted
Posted

Hi Amie! ~waving~

I might have just posted my last blog entry about the super wonderful CGOA conference. I saved my favorite topic for last--the lace sleeves that became chaps.

I might wake up tomorrow and think of one more conference thing to write about, but I do want to get back to some '70's crochet book reviews! I heard from a lot of people at the conference how much they enjoy those.

 

This is the most I've ever posted about any conference, but this was also a larger-than-life event!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...