How I Spent Money at Chainlink

Ohhh... nothing like the marketplace at a fiber show! Always a new gadget, book, yarn, bead or something to marvel at! Here's what caught my eye...

First, recycled sari silk and banana fiber from Kipuka Trading... cool!

Two crochet hooks, size "U" (25mm). Designed and crafted in Ohio by John Higgins and available from BagSmith. The larger is an 18" Tunisian hook.

Last but not least! Anyone who knows me well, knows that I'm always on the lookout for (another) project bag! When I saw these I had to get one. A fiber junkie's dream come true bag from Nantucket Bagg Company. All kinds of pockets all the way round. Room in the center for your project(s).



The bag unzips, the pockets switch to the inside, backpack straps come out and you're on the go!

One thing lacking at the marketplace, IMHO, a vendor selling lace making supplies!! Too bad the venue was not able to draw one there. There was a tatting class offered, so surely a vendor might have taken advantage of that momentum, but oh well. Would have great to see a vendor selling tatting shuttles, bobbins, pillows and shall I say it? Thread!!! OK, OK, I'm partial to tatting and think everyone wants to learn .. dont' they?

The Tapestry of Felting

My first class at Chainlink 2009 was on tapestry crochet given by Carol Ventura. Although I had pretty much worked out tapestry crochet on my own years ago there's always something new to learn! Our project in this class was to create a beaded ribbon bag (with Patons Classic Wool) which we could then felt at home.

Here are my before and after pics:



Carol also talked about designing for tapestry crochet and I got her to show me her reverse single crochet move! Now I'm ready for tapestry on the flat! If you get a chance to take a workshop by Carol, do it. If you can't, then the next best thing is to visit her website and try a free pattern.

Can't wait to start my next project in tapestry crochet!

Also picked up Carol's latest book, Bead and Felted Tapestry Crochet.

Chainlink 2009 or ... a tatter in yarnville

I learned to crochet and knit from my mother when I probably eight or nine years old. I never took much to knitting, but wow was crocheting those long chains fun! One of my fondest memories of crocheting ever was that big light blue ball of chains that was my first real creation!

In the years since that time, I have crocheted on and off and explored other fiber arts, but in recent years I've pretty much defined myself as a shuttle tatter, although I always seem to have some crochet project going on the side.... then... I hear that CGOA's Chainlink conference will be in my own back yard, relatively speaking of course - Buffalo, NY. I had attended once before. In 2003, Chainlink was held in Chicago, my relative backyard at that time. It seemed to good to pass up!

So last week I attended the 2009 Chainlink Knit and Crochet Show in Buffalo, NY. I signed up for the Professional Development Day, took four classes over a three day period and had a great time! More importantly, I came back with lots of ideas for the new shop! It's really exciting to be able to geek over crochet, knitting and other fiber arts without your listener's eyes glazing over within thirty seconds!


Oh, and if you believe in messages from a higher power, I got one while at Chainlink! I won two door prizes in the course of my time there. One was Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Knitting. I love this kind of book! Filled with swatch examples to peek the imagination, and since I don't often follow a pattern, it's a great resource for me. My other doorprize? A set of Takumi bamboo knitting needles from Clover! Is there a message here? Time to hone up on my knitting skills, I think!

So, as I pick up those knitting needles over the next few days (I promise I'll try not to swear as I do!) I'll be blogging about some of the things I did at Chainlink, skills learned, projects completed and ... items purchased!