Gathering of Collaborative Members

Well, it is hard to get together but we managed. Last month three of us met with our retired member at her house and worked on some new projects. It was fun to meet face to face instead of over our phone calls. We even had coffee and dessert and you can't do that over the phone. Soon we will try to do it again. We focused on finding patterns and on showing our newest 'hooker' how to make a hat. It isn't easy for some of us afghan makers to hunker down and measure distances to be sure the hat fits. I can't tell you how many times I started, switched hook sizes, and started again. Ugh!!!! Very frustrating. I finished one for an adult and found out it wouldn't fit anyone but a 3 year old. I am an experienced afghan maker but can't for the life of me make a hat the first time. I'll keep trying. I prefer the afghans--you don't have to worry about the fit! As you can see, my dog, Lexe, adobted a new lap. She is fickle!!! As the retired member of the group, I just enjoyed the friendship of the visit. It is fun to crochet with others.

Linda

A Community of Friends

"Knitters just naturally create communities of friends and newfound friends at work, after work, or on the Internet, sharing their passion for knitting." Mary Colucci, Executive Director, Warm Up America! Foundation (in Debbie Macomber's novel "A Good Yarn")


Welcome to the Crochet Collaborative!
¡Bienvenidos al Ganchillo Colaborativo!

In July 2006, our fearless leader Linda S. had this bright idea to get a group together to teach them to CROCHET [not to knit). By August, eight co-workers and friends had joined our adhoc "koffee klatch." We met weekly then, sometimes in between, to help one another build our skills. The price of admission? Make a baby blanket for ProjectLinus. On September 28, 2006, 11 blankets had been handmade by a member of the Crochet Collaborative and delivered to ProjectLinus. In April 2007, we delivered 14 hand-crocheted baby blankets to the St. Ann's Infant and Maternity Home. Sixteen more afghans and shawls line the walls of my cubicle -- waiting to be delivered to St. Ann's, the Snuggles Project, and a local home for seniors. Click here for a gallery of our first blankets using the newbie shell afghan pattern.

It's now a year later. We've grown into a diverse group of crocheters who have banded together to work collaboratively to learn new techniques, solve age-old thorny crochet problems (skipped or tight stitches, ever-widening rows, flubbed patterns, you name it), and give back to the community. New members have joined our ranks while others have moved away-- they've taken new jobs across the country or elsewhere in the world. A special word of thanks is due to Nicholas T., who said, when commenting about the charitable nature of our endeavors, that there was no way he was going to learn to crochet but he felt it was important to give. He donated monies to buy the yarn from which 36 baby blankets have been made. Lisa H., who will not crochet, has volunteered to drive the finished items to their destinations. To both of you, we say, "thank you, thank you, thank you."

So, who are we? We are more than co-workers, more than colleagues. We are a community of friends who share a passion for crochet.