Crochet Twin Cities is growing online and at the State Fair.

2022 State Fair

Our August 10 meeting will be at the Maplewood Library.  This month's meeting will be more focused on business, but someone is always available to help, so bring your project, materials for a nametag or small giveaways and your ideas & suggestions.  We'll be looking for nominees for the 2025 officer elections, which will be held in October, firming up plans for the rest of this year and getting a start on 2025 planning.  

Dan Patch topiary at the State Fair

Exciting news, CTC now has a Facebook group: Crochet Twin Cities Group | Facebook, in addition to our Facebook page: CTC Page | Facebook.  The group has the advantage of allowing group members to interact with us and each other rather than all of the content coming from our social media gurus (not that they don't do an excellent job).  

Our group has reached an all-time high of over 60 official members!   You can be part of our group, by joining us on social media, and attending events that are open to the public, but to be an "official" member, you need to submit a form (pdf version available on our About Us & Member Policy pages or online form through the menu) AND pay the dues or request a scholarship.  The benefits of official membership include the monthly newsletter delivered to your inbox, access to handouts & educational materials and a roster of member, and to the few meetings and events that are limited to official members only.

One of the benefits for official members is to demonstrate at the State Fair.   We will be in the Creative Arts building on the corner of Dan Patch & Cosgrove, on Thursday, August 22 and Sunday, September 1.

Happy New Year

December 30, 2023 Crochet Twin Cities meetup at MOA

Just a shout out to say Happy New Yarn! And to share a picture from the December 30th meetup at the Mall of America; it was great to see all 16 members and guests who joined us.  A special shout out to the pair that were here from up north. They've been following us on Facebook for a while, so it was a treat to meet them in person. If you are not local to the Cities, and are going to be in for a visit, let us know at ctclist@gmail.com or check our calendar.  Most of our events are open to the public; we always love to meet new crochet enthusiasts and fellow fiber artists of all types.  *I've seen members and guests bring knitting needles, cross stitch and at least one felting kit, and no one even complained! 

Nancy's Wine Tote

We had a lot of fun with Moogly at our December 9 meeting!  If you finished your Twisted Texture Wine Gift bag, be sure to share it with us on Facebook or Ravelry or send a picture via email to ctclist@gmail.com.   The joy of sharing our finished projects is one of the most popular perks of hanging out with other fiber artists.

Brenda's Bottle Tote

Nancy shared a picture of her finished bag, and Brenda finished hers during the December 30 meetup.

It's always fun to see the impact yarn choices can make in the finished project; in this case even though the color scheme is similar, mixing things up gave two very different looks. One is kind of fun & funky and the other a little more classic.  Both make a cute and functional gift or carry bag.  I love them both!

Hey...isn't President's Day coming up soon?  For some reason, it just occurred to me that President's Day is in February, how weird is that?

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Is it just me or was there just an awkward pause? Oh, well, never mind!

Back to the meetup at the mall.  Someone asked about the benefits of official membership in Crochet Twin Cities.  Why invest the $24/year in joining Crochet Twin Cities.  My first answer is always that I’ve heard it said "CTC is the cheapest*, best therapy available." *Ok, truth in advertising, joining CTC only costs $2.00 per month, CTC does not acknowledge any responsibility for your supplies (YARN!!!) or tools (although, often we'll share both yarn & tools).  But is that reason enough to join?   Before you decider here are a few additional perks of being a member: 

• The monthly newsletter delivered in your inbox.
• Access to all of our handouts and education
• A member roster with contact information
• Access to members only events such as: the annual destash, formal education & certain community events.
• Leadership and decision-making roles are limited to official members.  In addition to the board, there are a variety of coordinator positions available and members can bring new ideas to the board meetings and vote at the meetings, as well as electing the officers.
• While supplies last, new members will receive CTC swag. Members and non-members can order CTC swag by reaching out to Theresa at meetings or meetups or by reaching out to ctclist@gmail.com

And please know, we never want money to keep you away from crochet.  We love crochet and want to share it with everyone, so, we do offer "scholarships".  If the membership fee is the only thing holding you back from joining, please connect with a board member (President: Theresa, VP: Brenda, Secretary: Barb, Treasurer: Carla, Education Chair: Bree, or any of the coordinators: Marissa, Lori or Joy) or make a note on your membership form and we’ll reach out to you.  

The membership form is available on our website under Member Policies.  Give your completed form to any board member dues in cash at any meeting or meetup or send an email to ctclist@gmail.com and arrange an alternate payment method..

Every year, I am grateful for Crochet Twin Cities.

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is this week. The holiday season is upon us. As hectic and stress-inducing as it can be, this time of year also offers the opportunity to find much joy.  Saturday at our destash was a perfect example: I love it when I can make people smile and I saw more than a few smiles today.  I am so thankful for a successful destash and all of the members who helped make it happen! 

The amount of yarn passing through the destash just never fails to amaze me.  Words don't do the event justice, so I'm just going to give you bunches of pictures while I give you information on a few items of note.  I like to do this thing where I put the "important" stuff in amongst my musings - so you'll have to read through to the end to get the most important bits, but if you skip to the end...you might miss something. *Power goes straight to my head!

Firstly, the 4th Saturday meeting this weekend will be at Rosedale Mall this weekend.  We'll be on the lower level, SW entrance D (Fairview side).  If you're familiar with the mall, it's where the Burger King had been located.  We hope you can find time to join us for a break during the holiday / shopping season.   

Did you miss the destash?  Maybe you were there, but you didn't get one of the coveted key fobs or magnets? Are you planning a 2024 temperature project?  If so, you are in luck! You can order swag with the 2024 CTC Swag Order Form. Print the form and bring it with your cash payment to a meeting or meet up or email your order to ctclist@gmail.com.  Note: Neither CTC nor any of it's officers or members receive compensation for these items. *If you're looking for a unique Christmas gift, there's a link on the form for What I made design's website.  

Fun story: One of our members who had received one of the fobs as a door prize, wound up giving it away on her way home.  You know this story, stop at a store, strike up a conversation over a handmade item, one thing leads to another, and CTC has a new friend, and the new friend has a new key fob.  Joy does a much better job of telling the story, but you get the idea. 

Wait...you do know this story, don't you?  It's not just me, I hope?  I know Carla's there with me. I am shameless in promoting CTC to people I meet.  I'm not one of the original members, but I joined fairly early, so I've been a member for over 10 years.   My first ever crochet retreat was with CTC members. There may have been a couple of years that I only made it to a couple of meetings (try not to ever miss the destash, though), but the group has been a touchstone for me.  

Don't forget to renew your membership for 2024 to ensure that you continue to receive the newsletter.  While you can always visit the blog, or our FB page, your best source of information is your monthly newsletter, available only with a paid membership. You can get the membership form under "About Us" and "Member Policies". Our treasurer will greatly appreciate you bringing exact change to pay your dues, as we are still a cash organization.

There will be a special guest educator for our December 2nd Saturday meeting (December 9th).  As usual, when we have a guest teaching, the meeting is open to dues-paid members only.  In addition to the supply list (recommended yarn is Red Heart Super Saver - so if you don't have any on hand, you should be able to find a substitute) for the project, the December newsletter will have the information you'll need for connecting virtually. We'll be at Highland Park Library and have a "watch party" for all members who are able to join us in person.  I'd say you can bring popcorn, but maybe something a little more crochet friendly would be better.  Of course, if my bribe paid off, there could be scones or other delicious homemade treats. 

I don't know about you, but generally speaking, there isn't enough yarn in the world to get me to the Mall of America just before Christmas.  We're cancelling the 4th Saturday meetup on December 23 and will hold a 5th Saturday meetup on December 30th instead. Details will be on the calendar and meetups are always open to the public.

2024 kicks off with Edie Eckman for our January education (Saturday, January 9, 2024). Since it's an odd number month, we'll also have a board meeting.  Members will again have the option to joining us in person at the Oxboro Library in Bloomington or virtually.  Edie's been kicking off our new year for a few years now and I'm looking forward to "A Gathering of Grannys: Seaming Methods for Granny Squares and Other Shapes".  You can check out Edie's website for class information.  Our details will be in the newsletter.  Dues must be paid on or before the date of the January meeting to receive the link or to attend in person.  

Whatever 2024 brings, I know it will be filled with fun, fiber and friends thanks to Crochet Twin Cities!   Until next time, your president, Theresa.

Drumroll, please...

...and your 2024 Crochet Twin Cities board members are: President-Theresa, President-Elect/VP-Brenda, Treasurer-Carla, Secretary-Barb, and Education Chair-Bree.   An oral vote was taken, and the results were unanimous. The official announcement will be made at the annual meeting in November, held in conjunction with the destash.  

Tony's Yoga Bag

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun today's meeting was.  While the parking at St. Anthony Park Library wasn't ideal, the company and discussion was fabulous!  Having the Finnish Bistro (and coffee shop) close by was a bonus.  

After voting, the real meeting started with show and tell.  I wish I had captured more of the show and tell; every project deserved to be shown off online!  If you have a photo of a project, you are willing to share, or from an event that you would like to share, feel free to send it to ctclist@gmail.com. 

Tony is one of our newer members and he does incredible mosaic work, as you can see in the yoga bag here.  You can find Tony on Ravelry in the Crochet Twin Cities group or by checking out his project Ravelry: Thermal Beanie w/ Ponytail Hole pattern by Mountain Fiber Works. It's is a pattern of his own design.  

Trudy's Study of Rage

Trudy's work with thread is awe inspiring.  She's working on this very textured doily using a very complicated pattern created by Mikey at the Crochet Crowd.  Find his pattern at: Crochet Study of Rage Blanket Tutorial (thecrochetcrowd.com). Trudy's Study of Rage is a work in progress that I am excited to watch come to completion.  Carla completed a Gryffindor scarf you may have seen in progress.  I didn't get a picture because Carla was sharing a technique that she found for a better Tunisian cast off.  I was so busy trying to see and hear the details. I missed my chance.  If you look her up in Ravelry, you might be able to find the project. You can certainly check out many of Carla's works of art along with those of other members.

Chris is working on a very lovely, cabled blanket for her son and I suppose I could send you a link to her Ravelry, but instead I'll give you the link to ours: Ravelry: Crochet Twin Cities.   Our group pages and forum are not very active, but it's still a great way to connect with other members and see their projects. We're looking for a member or two willing to be admins and post updates about meetings and other events and opportunities.  Another project I missed getting a photo of was Joy's cowl made with a Yarn Shop Hop pattern and yarn.  Very pretty, and of course, it served the purpose of a memento; it reminded me of the fun that we had in April.

Gloria's Tiffany Windows scarf

Our main event was a presentation by Joy & Gloria; they shared stories and pictures of their crochet trip to Ireland with Moogly, through Craftours,  Gloria and Joy showed us several projects made in preparation of the trip, on the trip, during the class (that gorgeous purse in the lower left corner.  And of course, the souvenirs, which can often be yarn. They also brought fresh scones and clotted cream, yum!   Yep! You read that right, Gloria & Joy actually baked; and presented us with a charming spread of jams and clotted cream!  It almost felt like we were there in Ireland with them. Or at least really made us wish we had been. Everyone has asked for the recipes to be shared, so watch for those in the next newsletter.  Gloria has already found a use for some of souvenir yarn: making the September 2023 CGOA Quarterly Member Crochet-A-Long, the Tiffany Windows scarf.

Crocheting with other crocheters is always so much fun!  It's been wonderful to see the new members who have joined us over the past months and starting to get to know them better.   

Theresa's Phlox Duster & Hat

I hope you made it this far and are still reading, because there's important information ahead. Our schedule is going to be a little wonky in the upcoming month or two with changes due to holidays, so be sure to check our calendar.  

Our next gathering is the meetup at the Mall of America on October 28th.  Some of us will be demoing at the Fall Fiber Festival in Hopkins on Saturday, November 4.  There are still a few spots available, so please use the link to sign up: CTC at 2023 Fall Fiber Festival — Signup Sheet | SignUp.com.  

I feel like I can't say this next one often enough.  We will not be meeting on the second Saturday in November; we will be holding our Annual Meeting & destash at the Penn Lake Library on November 18.   Members who've attended know how it works - bring any yarn, notions, hooks or books you no longer want or love, and be prepared to take home something that catches your eye.  If you are a dues-paying member*, you are welcome and in for a treat!  There will be door prizes, and games and surprises.  Generally speaking, most libraries do not allow food or drink in the meeting rooms, but you'll want to bring your lunch or a snack.  

Now that the board is officially set for the upcoming year, planning for 2024 events will begin.  Listen and watch for opportunities to participate in the events and planning. We'll be talking a lot about plans and ideas and looking for suggestions and feedback. We'll be looking for volunteers to help us with planning events.

*Speaking of being a dues paying membership: the 2024 membership form is available on the Crochet Twin Cities: Member Policies pages.  Turn your annual dues of $24 and membership form to Carla or any officer at any meeting between now and January 31, 2024 to remain on email distribution list and be eligible for member only events.  If you are unable to pay the dues, please speak to Theresa, Carla or any board member.

If you were inspired to look for more opportunities to combine crochet with travel, here are just a few upcoming opportunities to consider. NOTE: none of these events are endorsed by Crochet Twin Cities, we are sharing information that we hope our members will find helpful or interesting. 

January 4-7 (Hudson, WI): Contact Theresa for details

July (St. Lebanon, MO): Home - Fiber-U

November (Reno, NV): Jimmy Beans Wool Biggest Little Getaway Retreat 2024 at Jimmy Beans Wool