How to Crochet a Valentine Heart

Our Share the Crochet Love event is coming up soon and, Maxine, one of our members decided that she wanted to try her hand at figuring out her own heart motif. We asked her if she'd share the directions here on the blog to give people an idea of one of the projects we're offering at the event.

Project description:
A simple heart motif that can be used as a pendant or as a decoration on clothing and accessories; motif is worked in the round

Skill level:
Advanced beginner and higher

Stitches used:

• sl st (slip stitch)
• ch (chain)
• sc (single crochet)
• hdc (half double crochet)
• dc (double crochet)

Materials:
Yarn: Approximately 6 yards of worsted weight yarn for each heart; the samples are made with Lion Brand Vanna's Choice. If you use a different weight yarn, you may have to adjust amount of yarn.
Hook: Size J10 (6.00 mm) or comfortable size for your tension and the type of yarn you choose
Tapestry needle and scissors

Note:
You may want to substitute the magic ring method (aka magic circle) to make the base ring instead of the instructions listed below.

Base ring: Ch 4, join with sl st to 1st ch to form ring
Rnd 1: Ch 1, then work all of the following st into the ring: sc, hdc, 9 dc, hdc: 12 st
Rnd 2: Sl st into first st, 2 hdc into next st, 3 dc into next st, (hdc, 2 sc) into next st, sc into ea of next 2 st, 3 sc into next st, sc into ea of next 2 st, (2 sc, hdc) into next st, 3 dc into next st, 2 hdc into last st: 24 st (including beginning sl st)
Fasten off yarn and weave in ends

Here's several hearts in three colors of pink yarn, strung together for a decoration. Cut yarn to length desired, then tie an overhand knot every three or four inches. When you want to attach a heart, pass the yarn lengths through the center hole and tie with another knot.



We hope everyone enjoys making this quick and fun little motif!

Share the Crochet Love: Jan 31 2015 Fifth Saturday Event

Valentine's Day is coming soon and we have a special fifth Saturday planned to share the crochet love!

On Saturday Januray 31, we're inviting all crocheters and wanna-be crocheters to come to the Textile Center of Minnesota anytime from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM to try your hand at a "love-ly" make and take crochet project, like the coffee mug or the heart motif shown in this picture.

We'll provide yarn, hooks, and a choice of Valentine-themed patterns - some simple, some a little more complex . Plus we'll have plenty of  Crochet Twin Cities members on hand to help you get started if you're new to crochet.  If you're never visited the Textile Center, this will be a great day to come - the annual member exhibition, A Common Thread, is in full swing with over 100 inspiring pieces in an incredible variety of fiber arts.

There is no fee for this event, it's open to anyone who is interested in learning more about Crochet Twin Cities and having a fun afternoon. We hope you can come!

4th Saturday Meetup: January 24 2015

It's meetup time again!

This year we're continuing our informal meetups on the fourth Saturday of each month, rotating among several coffee shops and cafes around the Twin Cities. The meetup this month is on Saturday, January 24 from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the Panera Bread in Eagan - 1260 Promenade Place, near 35E and Yankee Doodle Road,

Meetups are very informal -  a chance to crochet, chat, and have a cup of coffee. You can drop in any time you'd like and stay as long as you can. If you're curious about our group, it's a great way to see what we're like before you attend one of our regular monthly meetings.

So grab your hook and yarn and join us!

(And since this month has five Saturdays, be sure to keep your eye on the blog for announcement of an extra event on Saturday, January 31.)

Member News: January 2015 - Crochet Fun Ahead!

2014 has been an exciting year for Crochet Twin Cities and 2015 promises even more fun!

Just think about all the fun things we did in 2014 to fulfill our chapter mission of  encouraging "excellence in all facets of crochet through an active program of practice, education, and community outreach."

We definitely got in more opportunities and time for crochet practice! We added 4th Saturday meetups to our schedule to give Twin City crocheters a chance to crochet and chat and visit informally.

Crochet education continued to be the focus of our 2nd Saturday monthly meeting at the Textile Center. Many members had asked for more classes about garment construction so in 2014 our topics concentrated in that area with an opportunity for members to participate in a sweater CAL (Crochet-a-long). 

And speaking of the Textile Center, thanks in large part to our partnership with that organization, we had many opportunities to reach out to the community to let people know about crochet and our group. A big thank you to everyone in the group who pitched in and helped make these events possible!

• We had our first exhibit at the Textile Center - Start Seeing Crochet. The exhibit ran for over two months with more than 50 items. 
• We participated in the American Craft Council show at the Textile Center booth. The ACC show was an opportunity to showcase crochet in a setting that attracts people who appreciate all types of contemporary arts and crafts.
• We demonstrated crochet at the Hennepin County Fair - a chance to introduce crochet to the general public and let other crocheters know about our group.
• We assisted at the Art at St. Kate's event by running the Textile Center booth - displaying crochet items and answering questions about the Textile Center and our crochet group.

Wow, that's quite a list! With all that activity and with our membership list continuing to grow, members approved a bylaws change in November to add more people to the board of directors and at the December meeting, members elected the new board of directors. Last Saturday (January 3), we held the first board meeting of the year and elected officers.

• President: Julie. Vice-President: Carol. Secretary: Theresa. Treasurer: Maxine.
• Board members at large: Joan, Joy, Lisa, Rosemary.

We want to continue the momentum, so we hope many of you will get involved in activities throughout the year. Here's a list of the committees and contact persons:

• Publicity (aka Social Media Divas) - leads are Theresa, Rosemary, & Maxine. This group's focus is on getting the word out about our group through electronic media: daily Facebook postings, weekly blog posting, and biweekly announcements in Textile Center's biweekly newsletter.
•  Education / Programming - leads are Rosemary & Maxine. This group's focus is on turning the list of topics for 2015 into reality. In addition to the leads, other board members contribute to education but we're actively recruiting additional members to assist in teaching and preparing for each month's topic - preparing samples, previewing materials, and other fun tasks.
• Membership - leads are Lisa & Joy. This group's focus is on welcoming new members and getting them acquainted with the group and on retaining existing members. This focus is new territory for us and we'll be reaching out soon at all members for your ideas and suggestions!
• Community Outreach - leads are Julie, Joan, & Rosemary. This group's focus is community events like we participated in last year and we'll be asking for volunteers. FYI, lots of these events offer free tickets to people who participate - so it's a nice way to help the group plus get a little perk.

We hope this gives everyone an idea of some of the activities and events in store. The more you get involved with the group activities, the more you'll get out of your CTC membership - so please let any board member know how you'd like to get involved!

Tunisian Crochet: January 10 Meeting Preview

Tunisian crochet has been known by many names through the years - afghan stitch, shepherd's knitting, and tricot crochet to name a few. No matter what you call it, this technique continues to grow in popularity with new patterns appearing every day. And what better way to kick off the new year than by giving crocheters of every skill level a change to learn more about this exciting technique!

At this month's meeting, we'll have two separate sessions, one for beginning Tunisian-ers and for intermediate/advanced Tunisian-ers. The beginner's group will learn basics about Tunisian, including the Tunisian simple stitch while the advanced group will tackle more advanced stitches and techniques. Everyone can then use their new-found skills to start a bag like the one shown (with some cool variations for the intermediate/advanced group). The bag pattern will be provided as part of handouts for everyone who attends.

The meeting will be Saturday January 10 at the Textile Center of Minnesota, 3000 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, with the following schedule:.

• 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Open Crochet
• 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM - Show n Tell and Business
• 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM - Tunisian Crochet

You will need to bring the following materials to this meeting:

• An ounce or two of your favorite weight yarn; the bag is the picture is make with bulky yarn (#5 in the Craft Yarn Council system). Light to medium solid colors are always best when learning a new technique - it's best to steer clear of dark solids and multi-colored yarns.
• A hook that's two to four sizes larger than you'd normally use for this yarn; Tunisian, by its nature, makes a tighter fabric so larger hooks are required. A Tunisian hook is not required; the rows on the bag are short enough that you can use a regular hook (one without a thumb rest works best) if you do not have a Tunisian hook.

We hope to see you soon!