January was the first meeting under the new board. Board members were identified to the group
during introductions and our new president Julie had us each identify a crochet
related goal for 2014. Some of the goals mentioned:
- To make something for myself
- De-stash or organize stash (or at least not increase stash)
- Finish projects particularly those that have lingered
- Crochet more
- Try more challenging techniques
- Update Ravelry
Several members mentioned that they were excited about
starting the new crochet along sweater project, to help meet those goals. In February we will be measuring for the
sweater and get the patterns and details on getting started – good incentive
for keeping New Year’s Resolutions about dieting.
Julie also added a special acknowledgement and thank you to
Maxine and Carol for their past (and current) service to the group as founding
members, president, secretary, blogger and general inspiration.
In order to provide more opportunities to crochet and socialize, we will no have 4th Saturday meet-ups. The venue and format of these will vary from month to month and if you have an idea for a great activity, be sure to let us know. Joan told us about the first 4th Saturday event that she is hosting at her home on January 25. Joan will provide soup and asked members to bring appetizers to share. We’ll be working on making a banner for the greeter’s table and to use when we are at community events. Joan will email details out, so let us know if you are interested. Jodi will be sending out updated member contact list for possible carpooling.
Carol gave us a great handout with ideas for organizing your stash. There are many different ways to sort and organize as demonstrated by the designers in “Simply Crochet: 22 Stylish Designs for Everyday” by Robyn Chachula. We sorted some yarn that Julie & Carol brought in and discovered it categorizing & collocation is a bit more complicated than you would think. In the end, each person needs to figure out which system works best for you, based on what you have, your needs and other considerations.
Julie showed us the honeycomb storage her husband helped her create
using inexpensive concrete tube forms that come in a variety of sizes and can
easily be cut to fit your shelves. Jodi told us how to inventory our yarn stash on Ravelry and showed us her yarn inventory. You can sort or filter by color, fiber, amount and more. The hardest part is getting started and remembering to update your inventory. Linda shared that if you have name brand yarn, often time all of the info is already in Ravelry and all you need to do is enter the amounts. Once you have your stash entered, you can search for patterns & project ideas based on the yarn you have. You can also use your inventory for an insurance claim, if you ever need to. You can also use Ravelry to create a library of patterns, inventory your hooks and needles, share finished projects, get assistance if you are having problems with a pattern and so much more!
