Member News: 2015 Crochet-A-Long (CAL) Vest

In case you missed it, this picture shows some of our CAL participants from last fall. We did our first CAL in 2014 and had so much fun with it we decided to have another in 2015. We'll be getting started soon so thought it would be a good idea to answer some of the questions we've been asked about this year's CAL.

I've never participated in a CAL before. How does a CAL work?
The basic idea of a "crochet-a-long" project is that a group of people work on the same project together so that they can learn together and help each other. We've heard from a lot of members that they'd like to learn more about garment making so this year's CAL will be a vest.

Why a vest?
We chose a vest for this year's CAL because we want to review techniques we have learned and want to include new techniques such as seaming and blocking of multiple pieces, short rows, and bottom-up construction. A vest provides the perfect opportunity for learning these techniques - it doesn't take quite as much time or yarn as a sweater, but the skills used in construction can serve as "stepping stones" to sweater construction. We selected three patterns as finalists for the CAL, based upon some specific criteria:

• Free or low cost pattern
• Suitable for both advanced beginners and experienced crocheters
• A garment with appeal to variety of fashion styles, ages and body types
• A pattern with multiple sizes with a chart and/or schematic
• A pattern with recommended or substitute yarn readily available

The three finalist patterns are each simple classic designs that offer many choices of fiber, embellishments, and closure so that everyone can construct a personalized garment.

1. Bamboo Vest WR1981
2. Level 1 Beginner Crocheted Vest L40222
3. Vest In-A-Jiffy L20064

 How will we decide which of the three pattern we'll use for the CAL?

This is how the final choice will be determined:

• CTC members will be given a choice of three patterns and the opportunity to vote for which one they like the best; watch for more information in the June newsletter.
• The pattern which receives the highest number of votes will be our CAL 2015 pattern.
• The winning CAL pattern will be announced in the July newsletter.
• Our monthly meetings from August through November will support the CAL.

What if I don't like the pattern that the group selects for the CAL?
Pattern support will be available for the 2015 CAL project but if you don't want to work on the CAL pattern and prefer to use a different one, that's OK too, the meeting topics will apply to any crochet projects.

We also will explain some options about how to use the patterns but deviate from the original intent of the designer. For example, two of the patterns are designed for bulky weight yarns (the other for worsted weight) but we know that some members prefer to use lighter weight yarns. Early swatching experiments have shown that doubling the stitch counts and using a different hook size may allow you to achieve gauge so you can still use the pattern. If the pattern is complex, this doesn't work well but these patterns all have simple lines and styling so if that's what you'd like to do, we'll be glad to give you guidance!

Can you explain a little more about how the monthly programs will support the CAL?
We'll be teaching specific topics related to the CAL every month from August through November. In order to benefit the most from the meetings, you'll need to complete specific portions of the vest between meetings. It's probably easiest to explain in a table.

July 11 Meeting – announce winning pattern; answer brief CAL questions
August 8 Meeting – CAL I Prep: ŸTopics covered: What is gauge, why is it important, swatching to make gauge; what to consider when choosing fiber & yarn for your garment; taking correct measurements for best fit	To be completed on your own for September 12 meeting: Purchase yarn, swatch for gauge, measure at home if desired, read through pattern, begin and finish back of vest & bring to September 12 meeting
September 12 Meeting - CAL II: ŸBring in finished back of vest; review questions & problems	To be completed on your own for October 10 meeting: Finish left side of vest and bring to October 10 meeting
October 10 Meeting – CAL III: ŸFinishing techniques: blocking, seaming, closures – demos & workshop ŸDorset buttons – demo & workshop ŸBring in finished left side & back of vest; review questions & problems	To be completed on your own for November 14 meeting: Finish right side of vest; block all finished pieces and bring to November 14 meeting
November 14 Meeting – CAL IV: ŸBring in finished & blocked right & left sides & back of vest; review questions & problems	To be completed on your own for December 12 meeting: Sew seams; add finishing, closures or embellishments; bring finished vest to December 12 meeting
December 12 Meeting: Show and Tell finished vests!

Coral Reef Crochet Circle at MIA: May 30th Fifth Saturday

In case you haven't heard, this summer a very exciting project is underway in the Twin Cities - a coral reef made completely from crochet! This project is part of the worldwide Crochet Coral Reef Project created by the Institute for Figuring.

The project, officially titled the Minneapolis Satellite Reef, is being hosted by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization. Throughout the summer they have hosted a variety of crochet workshops where crocheters of every skill level can come any try their hand at hyperbolic crochet, the technique used to create the coral objects like those in this picture.

We hope that everyone can join us for this special Fifth Saturday outing - May 30 from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. There is no admission to the MIA for this event but there is a modest fee for the nearby parking lots, click here for a map and more parking information (there is some free street parking as well). And despite what some pages of the MIA website say, you don't need to RSVP or to request a ticket for this event - one of our members spoke to the project coordinator and she knows we're coming and is very excited to have us participate!

As far as materials, there will be yarn and hooks available - or you can bring your own. Coral objects can be made from any weight or type of yarn. The MIA provides instructions for making the coral objects at the workshop but if you want to get started early, this link has some basic instructions.

And finally, for more information about the project, be sure to read Lisa's Roving Crochet Reporter blog entry - her report from earlier this summer.

We hope everyone can join us!

4th Saturday meetup: May 23

Meetup time just around the corner! We hold meetups every month on the fourth Saturday, at a spot in the metro where we can grab a cup of coffee and sit and crochet and chat. It's all very informal - but lots of fun! You can drop in any time and stay as long as you're able.

This month's meetup is Saturday, May 23 from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Panera Bread in Eagan. (It's located at 1260 Promenade Place, near 35E and Yankee Doodle Road.)

There's no charge to attend a meetup so it's a great way to check out the group and see who we are.

We hope you can join us!

(P.S. - If you feel like this meetup is happening earlier than normal, you're right. May has five Saturdays so we have a special 5th Saturday outing planned - watch the blog for details.)

Crochet book review: How to Crochet

There are so many crochet books out there that it's often hard to decide which ones are "must haves" and which ones are "don't needs". We thought it would be fun to provide reviews of crochet books - with the idea that it might help someone decide whether or not the book belongs on their shelf!

Book: How to Crochet: Learn the Basic Stitches and Techniques
Author: Sara Delaney.
Publisher: Storey Publishing (2014)
ISBN-13: 978-1612123929


General description:
This book is exactly described by the subtitle; it really is an instruction book of basic crochet techniques.Through text and diagrams, it takes a complete beginner through learning a good solid set of basic stitches and techniques.


What I liked about this book:
There were a lot of things I liked about this book.

One thing in particular was the way the author talked about basic stitches, chapter 4 of the book. In a lot of crochet books, the author will just describe or show how to do a particular stitch but never show what a swatch looks like made of the stitch. This author wants you to learn how to "read" the swatch of crochet fabric you've created so she includes a section on analyzing each stitch. I can't tell you how many times I have seen beginners become frustrated because they can't figure out what stitch they have made. Now I know what book to recommend to help!

Another thing I liked about this book is that it includes a whole chapter on how to read crochet
patterns, and even has some practice exercises. I am absolutely certain that the author must have a lot of practical experience teaching other people to crochet because this is a common frustration for many crocheters (and not just beginners!).




What I disliked about this book:
There really wasn't anything major I disliked about the book. The other minor thing I noticed was that in discussing how to make flat circles, the author used more stitches per round for sc and hdc than I have commonly seen - but that is the only thing I found that I disagreed with.

Overall recommendation:
I would definitely recommend this for beginners or for anyone who needs a good refresher reference book on crochet basics.

Thanks for the review Maxine. CTC members, if you have a book you'd like to review, use the format in this post as a guideline and send your review to ctclist@gmail.com. We'll schedule it for an upcoming blog post and you'll get extra raffle tickets in return!