Elections, renewals and classes

Wow! 2025 has been quite a year!  From our January class with Edie, to the Yarn Shop Hop, County & State Fairs and finally to the Fiber Fest & Destash & Elections, we've had a good year! Our membership list is growing, with over 70 members as of November 2025.

Speaking of membership, it's time to pay dues for 2026. If you have already paid in October or November, you are good to go and will continue to receive the newsletter for 2026. 

Typically you would pay your $24 to the Treasurer or other board member at a meeting or meet up.  However, our 2nd Saturday meetings will be virtual only in December & January,  so we will not remove you from the newsletter list until after the February meeting. If you are unsure of your status, please feel free to reach out to ctclist@gmail.com.

I hope you enjoy the photos from our annual destash, and 3 featured Ravelry projects from members. 

Our 2026 officers & coordinators have been elected and there have been some changes.  The new line up

President: Theresa
VP: Brenda
Treasurer: Carla
Secretary: Gloria
Education: Veronica, Lori, Peggy, Kristy
Social Media: Lori, Bree
Newsletter: Lisa

Donations: Joy

MOA 4th Saturday: open*

Roseville 4th Saturday,: Bree

State Fair: Bree

Fiber Fest: Bree

Yarn Shop Hop: TBD*

The December & January classes/meetings (2nd Saturday) will be virtual only, details will be shared with members via the newsletter.  Note: the newsletter format is changing and it will be coming from new email address: lisabright9.2019@gmail.com.

In December, Tamara Kelly of Moogly, will walk us through her Edinburgh Evenings Scarf.  This pattern is great for learning foundation single crochet, linked stitches, and Chainless Starting Treble Crochet.

Then, once again, we'll kick off the new year with Edie Eckman.  January's meeting will feature 90 minutes of her Edging & Borders workshop.

Remember, only official (paid) members may attend the virtual only classes. Our dues are
really not a lot, considering everything you receive for them!  For just $24/year, you receive two virtual classes with professional crochet artists, opportunities to demonstrate at the State Fair and Fall Fiber fest, the incredible annual destash event, a monthly newsletter, hands on education & fabulous door prizes at our 2nd Saturday meetings and unlimited tips & tricks from our skilled & talented members.

Having said that, if you are a new to crochet, please don't hesitate to join us.  We love watching people develop their skill, gain new skills and learn new things.  From new stitches and techniques to new fiber mediums and tools, there's never been a more exciting time to learn a new craft & art form.

*Keep in mind, that if there are no volunteers to act as coordinator, the activity or event may be cancelled.

Planning for the 2025 State Fair

April 26, 2025 MOA Meet Up

First, let me apologize.  I haven't written a blog post in a while.  I've been dealing with a lot of family & health related issues. *Not my health, but family member's health.   March and April have been very busy months for me.  I feel so blessed to be surrounded by the support of this creative, caring group!

Kate's cool bag

Looking back, the Yarn Shop Hop van was full, with 9-10 members & friends participating each day. I really hated missing it this year, but I heard lots of great fun was had by all.  Our April meeting was a smaller group (only 10 members), we talked about the Shop Hop and had winders & swifts available.  

Cas's bag

The meetup today had 14 members & friends show up and the highlight was the bags! One of our guests, Kate had a very cool bag, and our newest member, Cas (joined today) shared the scrappy bag she made for carrying items to our meetups!  If you've been a member for a while, you've probably seen AJ's chicken bag, but you may not have seen the new hat & kerchief he has added.

AJ's bag

Now, on to the May 10 meeting, Christmas in August and the Minnesota State Fair!  I know, it's only April, but the State Fair will be here before we know it. Many of our members enter the competition, and the Premium Book is due out on May 5.  The details will be on the website: Creative Activities | Minnesota State Fair. As usual, we'll be demonstrating in the Creative Activities building. Members who volunteer to demonstrate will receive admission into the fair for the day.   

CTC will also be entering the Christmas competition in the Ag-Hort building. For details, you can check out the Christmas Trees | Minnesota State website.  With all of the State Fair activities, we'll be spending our meeting making plans for our display.   If you've never entered a fair competition, state or county, we have members who will be able to share their experiences and expertise.  A number of our members have received ribbons at the local county fairs as well as the State Fair.  And of course, CTC will be sponsoring 2 ribbons this year.  In addition to our award in the garment category, we'll be sponsoring an award in the granny square category.   

Meet the 2025 Crochet Twin Cities board

Our October meeting had a lot going on!   We had our board meeting, elected the 2025 Board, talked about plarn, cords & foundation stitches, voted on the topic for our January meeting with Edie Eckman and were reminded that we'll start collecting 2025 dues in November. The preferred method of payment is cash, if you can bring exact change ($24.00), even better.

Members can sign up for demonstrating at the Fall Fiber Festival via:  CTC Demonstration at Fall Fiber Fest — Signup Sheet | SignUp.com.  If you're on Facebook you can find information about the event on their page: Fall Fiber Festival.

Our 2025  Past President - Theresa,  President-Elect- Bree, Vice President - Brenda, Secretary - Gloria, Treasurer - Carla, Education Co-Chairs - Barb & Veronica

Our October 26th meet up will be at the Mall of America as usual.  November 9th is the Destash at Southdale Library. We'll be checking out options for our November 23rd meetup, as the remodeling at Rosedale Center has left insufficient seating. 

Our January 11 education topic with Edie Eckman will be Layered Grannies - watch for details in the newsletter.   

In 2025, CTC will sponsor an additional State Fair ribbon in honor of Susi McCune, long time Mn State Fair judge and friend to CTC.  It will be a People's Choice ribbon, with a $50.00 prize and 1-year free membership in Crochet Twin Cities.   People's Choice ribbons are voted for by all Creative Activities staff.  Our first sponsored ribbon for best overall crocheted wearable and the judges select the winner.   Susi's ribbon will be awarded to an entry in the granny square categories.

I look forward to seeing you at a meeting or meetup!  Theresa

A little bit of this, and a little bit of that.

Like the October 12 meeting, this post is a melange of topics. Our October meeting will feature education on foundation stiches by Carla, making your own cords with Joy and making and using plarn (plastic bag yarn) in projects. In addition to the mix of topics related to education, we'll be handling a few business items. We'll hold a board meeting, (since no one has time for that at the November destash) and elect our 2025 board. We'll be meeting at the Merriam Park Library, in St. Paul, which opens at 10am on Saturdays. I do hope to see many of you there!

There are many great reasons to join the board - it gives you a chance to really get to know the group, to learn leadership skills (and for job hunters, it looks good on a resume). But my number one reason for joining the board is that I love our group. I attended my first CTC meeting on July 9, 2011 at Borealis Yarns in St. Paul, I think there were 8 of us. You can still find the blog post: Crochet Twin Cities: Thread Crochet: July 9 Meeting Preview.  Over the years I have watched the group grow, attended fiber arts retreats, gone to a CGOA conference, participated in the coral reef project and so much more!  While there have been a few years where I didn't attend meetings often, I don't think I've missed a single destash since they began. This year, we have 2 openings on the board: secretary & president.

The secretary is the go-to person for taking notes during the board meetings which occur in odd number months and maintaining the membership list.  If you are afraid to commit because you are not able to attend every meeting, please know that we have never had an issue finding a substitute to fill the duties of the role.  I have been the secretary in the distant past, and it was a great way to be introduced to the board & how it works. 

What to say about the president’s role?  For anyone who has joined in the past few years, I may be the only CTC president you’ve known. However, CTC has been around for over a dozen years, and we’ve had a number of presidents. The president role is continually evolving. As the group grows and membership needs and wants change, the role of the president adapts to the times. In the past we've had very structured board meetings, following Robert's Rules of order, and adhering to a formal format. These days, things have become more casual. Each president has their own philosophy; their leadership style and personality impacts how they fill the role. I consider myself to be a "servant-leader", I want to help the group be what it wants to be. We have a diverse membership and strive to encourage the group to pursue the interests that it is able to support. While some of our members sell their finished projects, most of our members crochet as a hobby. This in NO way is to imply that our members are lacking in skills, just check out the Ravelry and Facebook posts, you'll see what I mean. But it also gives us room to work with people who are new to crochet and help them build skills.

We're wrapping up another fun year of crochet, and I am looking forward to the new year! Best wishes. Theresa

Don't be bored, join our October Board meeting

Our September education topic was the diagonal box stitch aka corner to corner. I forgot to include a link to Barb's handout along with the pattern on the last blog post. For any who may have missed it, here's the Corner to Corner Handout.  If you have problems opening the file, please email ctclist@gmail.com and I'll send it out as an attachment.   This stitch is trickier than you might think, especially when you are getting started on a new project.  Between Barb and one of our newest members, Michele, all 24 were making great progress by the end of the meeting. 

September 14 meeting 

Speaking of new members, we've had 4 new "official" members join since the State Fair, as well as having had several new guest members show up at both our meetup and meeting.  We did not hold our September board meeting this month, so in addition to voting for the 2025 officers, our October meeting will include a board meeting.  Topics being covered include, determining education for December 2024 & January 2025 meetings, planning for the 2024 destash meeting in November, Fall Fiber Festival in Hopkins, CTC swag, sponsoring a second rosette for the State Fair, participating in the Christmas tree competition for the 2025 State Fair, and any other topics members may wish to address. 

Gloria's crochet socks

There's some exciting news about the State Fair, the Creative Arts building is looking to create a new area for demonstrations and has asked for our feedback.  An email was sent to members, requesting responses by 9/28.  I know this is short turn around, but please take time to give us your ideas.  Please feel free to send your ideas directly to Bree, or if you don't have access to the member roster, send to ctclist@gmail.com and we'll forward them to her. 

Just a reminder to join the Crochet Twin Cities group, if you use Facebook and haven't joined us already. We have 150 members in the group, and you do not need to be an "official" guild member to join us on Facebook.  It's a fun interactive way for you to share your photos, ask other members for feedback or assistance and get to know our group.  You must answer all of the participant questions to be added to the group (there are no wrong answers).

For members who do not use Facebook, the blog and monthly newsletter will continue to your best source for information about our group. The newsletter is sent to official members on the first Saturday of each month.  If you have an item to contribute to the newsletter, it must be received about by the last Wednesday of the month.  

Also, I am always looking for guest bloggers, so if you'd like to write a blog post let me know.  I am looking forward to seeing you for the September 29th meetup at Rosedale Center the October 12th meeting at the Merriam Park Library, or both.  Until then, happy crocheting! Theresa

CTC stands for Corner to Corner? Wait, what?

Normally, CTC stands for Crochet Twin Cities, but this Saturday, September 14, it will also stand for corner-to-corner, as that will be our educational topic.  Barb will be teaching techniques for corner-to-corner crochet using a free pattern from Premier Yarns, click here to download a copy. We'll be meeting at the Highland Park Library in St. Paul, and as always the details are posted in our calendar and Facebook

I promised more about the State Fair entries. Since I covered the Ag-Hort-Bee entries, in a previous blog, I scoured the three of the Creative Activities results lists.  I have to admit it was daunting and amazing to see the number of classes in each category.  I apologize to anyone I missed (as I went through the pictures I had, I realized I must have missed some). Please let me know and I will make the correction.  OH! and I did not match the photos up with the results, just to make things more challenging.  The results: 

Under Garment making

Class 461 - Afghan crocheted, no larger than 42"x42", Kelly, 3rd place

Under Handcrafts

Class 733 - Toy animal or figure made by exhibitor of yarn, under 15", Marissa, 1st place

Class 734 - Toy animal or figure made by exhibitor of yarn, under 15", Gloria, 3rd place

Class 737 - Fruit or vegetable doll (not made from produce), must have head, arms and legs, Gloria, 2nd place

Under Needlecraft

Class 210 - Lap robe, 1444 sq in - 2699 sq in, made of strips, Lorraine, 3rd place

Class 212 - Afghan, one piece, one color (variegated yarn - 1 color), no texture or fisherman crochet stitches, Lorraine, 1st place

Class 215 - Afghan made of square modules, basic granny square, Kelly, 1st place

Class 221 - Bag or purse, Tony, 2nd place

Class 222 - Clothing accessories, Marissa, 1st place

Class 223 - Poncho, cape, shrug, Gloria, 3rd place

Class 226 - Hat, beret or cap, two or more colors (solid or variegated), Marissa 1st

Class 230 - Scarf; cowl, infinity or Mobius, Marissa 3rd place

Class 233 - Shawl or stole, rectangle, 16 in. or more in width - Marissa 3rd

Class 235 - Shawl or stole, not rectangle, two or more colors, Marissa 1st, Carla, 3rd, Joy 4th

Class 236 - Shell, sleeveless vest, Carla 1st

Class 238 - Sweater, cardigan, adult, Marissa 5th

While going through the lists, I noticed some categories (like baskets, misc), that might be appropriate for members to enter.  There were so many categories/classes, I think we need to have a session on all of the classes and categories at one of our spring meetings.  Of course, the 2025 board will be making those plans, so it's just a suggestion.  Hope to see you at a meeting or meet up, until then, may you always win at yarn chicken!  Theresa

And the winners are....

CTC Ribbon 

Crochet Twin Cities members!  Whether you volunteered at the fair, entered items into the competitions, donated items for our give aways, or provided support to each other in so many ways, your contributions were invaluable.  Several of our members received ribbons this year, so, it's going to take a little while to document them all.   Let's get it started with the Crochet Twin Cities' sponsored ribbon for the best overall wearable crocheted item. CTC does not have any input into the award, aside from specifying that it must be an item from specific categories. The judges awarded the 2024 ribbon was to Leslie J. of Inver Grove Heights.   Leslie will receive a 1-year free membership to CTC as part of the award.  I hope we see Leslie at an upcoming meeting.

Bree's bee

Carla's bee

While it may not come immediately to mind as a crochet competition, the Bee & Honey category under the Ag-Hort-Bee competitions has an award for a crochet item, with a bee or honey theme (class 111). A couple of our members have been competing in this category; Carla entered some really cute bee-themed placemats and Bree won first place this year with this honey of a bee! According to the divisions, rules, and premiums documents.  Items are judged on overall appearance, craftmanship, creativity and conformity (not precisely sure what that means).

This year we did something new (again). Wait, how can it be new if we're doing it again?  Here's what happened: in spring 2023 I thought I'd participate in a local craft fair.  I had so many leftover items, I brought them to the fair and gave them away to people (mostly children, but some adults too), who stopped by to visit us.  It was a huge hit with the kids, so this year, I made items specifically to give away.  Then I realized that everyone should be able to join the fun, so we asked members to assist with making give aways.  As always, our group came through with flying colors!  We had scrunchies and fidgets and critters galore, there were key chains, baskets and bags and more.

I am going to need to spend some time getting photos, and the winners list together, so I will leave you with a few pictures from our demonstration booth.  Our next meeting is Saturday, 9/14 at Highland Park Library in St. Paul.  We'll be learning corner to corner crochet from Barb, the supply list and the information for downloading the free pattern will be in the newsletter sent out to members on 9/7.  We'll also add a link in Facebook and on the blog closer to the date.  This meeting is free and open to the public.  All are welcome!

September 1, 2024

August 22, 2024

The Progressive East End Project (PEEP), the Great MN Get Together and the Quarterly Crochet Along

Marissa brought her pup!

Ok - first things first, we REALLY need some volunteer photographers! Our August meeting was held at the Maplewood Library; it had been a while since we last met there, due to renovations, and I have to say it's very nice.   17 members showed up to talk about nametags, small projects for State Fair give aways and the business for our make up board meeting.  

Carla's & Veronica's Dragon scale bags

Barb (who taught the dragon scale bag class) stepped forward with interest in the Education Chair position and Veronica has offered to act as assistant to the Ed Chair.  We're still looking for nominees for 2025 President & Secretary.  I'll be posting more about the roles in the upcoming weeks as we approach the October elections. 

Kristy's cute summer top

Are you in a summer slump?  Looking for a new project or challenge?   Crochet Twin Cities has your back!

If you're open to a mystery project, you might want to check out Progressive East End Project on Facebook.   Starting on August 14, you'll have 7 days to join the 2024 PEEP.  The tagline this year is 7 Yarn Stores, 7 Days, 1 Project.  You'll need to pick up a mini skein of yarn from each shop and present a completed punch card to get the pattern(s) and be eligible to win prizes.

Brenda's towel (and mascot).

Even though I don't enter the State Fair competitions, I find myself looking forward to the opportunity to see our member's entries & admire the talents of so many fiber artists in Minnesota.  CTC will be at the fair in the Creative Arts building from 8am-7pm on Thursday, August 22 and Sunday, September 1.  

Peggy's textured hexagon cardi

The Crochet Guild of America's (CGOA) Quarterly Crochet-Along will be starting September 1st.  You must be a CGOA member to participate.  If you are interested in learning more about the CGOA, you can check out their website: Crochet Guild of America (CGOA) or ask around at the next CTC event - chances are there will be several members willing to answer your questions. 

It's July...are your State Fair entries finished?

Brenda's
 winding station

 

Lori's bag

July's class on the crocodile stitch was a whole lot of fun! Not only did Barb do an excellent job as our instructor but we had a new member join us.   It was also Gloria's birthday; and she brough homemade cupcakes to share with us. Yummy! Barb's handout is very thorough for those who missed the class, of course you can always bring your questions to Rosedale Center on Saturday, July 27th. 

Gloria's winding station

Even with the cupcakes, the highlight of the day were the door prizes.  Andrew donated TWO of his 3-D printed custom winding stations. Brenda and Gloria were the lucky winners!  

Looking ahead, we've planned out the next several month. Our August meeting will be focusing on making name tags and small projects for State Fair give aways or acts of crochet kindness.   

September we'll be setting up 3 stations and you'll be able to choose between topics - Joy's going to demonstrate a variety of cords, Theresa will show you how to make and use plarn (plastic yarn made from plastic bags), and Carla will be teaching at a third station.  You can try all three or find your favorite. 

October's meeting will be a corner-to-corner class by Barb. We'll also be voting for 2025's officers.  Please get your nominations in by 9/15!   The officer positions are President (open), Vice President (Brenda), Treasurer (Carla), Secretary (open) and Education Chair (open), the Education Chair position may be held by co-chair.  If you want more details about the responsibilities of each role, please an email to ctclist@gmail.com

November is an "official" member's only meeting and our much-loved destash event. December & January classes will be decided upon soon, Gloria is reaching out to Moogly and Margaret Huber for December, and we're reaching out to Edie for January's class).  Classes with contract-instructors are also reserved for members only.  

May your yarn never tangle, your hook stay in sight and your patterns easy-to-read! Theresa

Dragonscale bags with a variety of yarn & hook sizes

Granny Squares Everywhere

AJ's Sweater

Joy's purse

 Let's face it, love 'em or hate 'em, the granny square is a crochet classic. Right now, the granny square is also in fashion.   From home decor to runways, grannies can be found all over social media.   The thing about granny squares is weaving in ends: every round has two ends, and each square is typically 4 or 5 rounds, now multiply that by the number of squares, the joining and border, and that is a lot of ends.  Ends that must be crocheted over, woven in or you will pay the price.  *My first large crochet project was a granny square afghan I made for my mother from a kit, I purchased when I was 14.  It was lots of work and I was very proud of it, until I learned what happens when you don't leave long enough tails and weave in ends with eye for longevity,   

Tony's herd of llamas for Peru - a group effort

Jeni's doll dress

You may already know that Red Heart came out with All-in-One Granny Square Yarn, which is designed to create 14 - 5 row granny squares per skein, with only 2 ends per square.  Many CTC members have seen Gloria's Market Day Cardi.  Gloria agreed to share her experience with yearn for our May meeting.  There were a dozen members at the Wescott Library on Saturday, 5/11, (including one brand new member - Welcome Deb!), and everyone one of us was able to complete a square by meetings' end.  Of course we all had fun with show & tell - I've included a few pictures.

Max's mosaic purse 

We had a surprise visitor today! For those of you who don't know Maxine, she was one of the founding members and is much missed at CTC.  Max dropped by at the beginning of the meeting to do a little de-stashing, which was greatly appreciated.  Of course, we had to know what she was working on lately, and she told us about Icelandic designer Tinna Thorudottir.  Max was carrying a gorgeous mosaic purse, based off of a design by Tinna.  Your president has your back!   I asked Max if she might be willing to come to a meeting as a guest instructor.  With this technique, the zipper is built into the finished item.  

Gloria shared a slideshow with inspiration for many projects using granny squares and has graciously agreed to share it with the group.  Members can access the slide show here..   There are so many options for granny square projects, from solid colors to the new yarn, scrap-busting, to classic colors, you might want to give it a try.  Whether or not you attended the meeting, you are welcome to participate in the Granny Square project challenge issued by Gloria; we'll share our projects at the September meeting. I'm looking forward to seeing you all in the upcoming months - we will have such a fun summer!  Theresa