Meeting of March 19, 2011

12:20 Call to order

In attendance: Peter, Mattie, Audrey, Mei Ling, Catherine (Mei Ling's mom), Tom, and Jennifer.

Thanks to everybody who helped the group out with Stitches West. Should we receive payment from Warm Up America it will be put toward upcoming events.

The Fiber Arts Festival in Oakland will be July 10, 2011, 10 a.m to 6 p.m. in Splashpad Park. The group can borrow Jennifer's tent for display. MWC will need to decide whether to participate in the event this year. We should assign 2-hour shifts so attendees can enjoy the festival. Decision will be made at April meeting.

We are committed to the San Mateo County Fair. This year we will commit to 2 weekends: June 11 &12, and June 18 & 19. Fair hours are 11 am to 10 pm, we could staff a booth 11-6 or so. Our award is listed on Page 22 under Special Awards: "Best Crocheted Item, Award offered: Rosette, $50, Sponsored by Men Who Crochet." The group encourages everyone to enter items this year. You can enter online at: https://sanmateocountyfair.com/competitive-exhibits/departments/home-arts or go to www.sanmateocountyfair.com . You are limited to 2 entries per class, items to have been made in the past year. Here are the classes:

DIVISION 614 - CROCHETED APPAREL

CLASS:
1. Children’s Apparel
2. Adult Apparel
3. Scarf, Shawl, Wrap
4. Accessories – bag, hat, socks, gloves, etc.


DIVISION 615 - CROCHETED OTHER ITEMS

Large afghans must measure more than 48" in any one direction. Small afghans must measure less than 48” in length
and width.

CLASS:
1. Tablecloth or doily
2. Crocheted edging on ready made article
3. Toy/doll/doll accessory
4. Afghan – Large, more than 48”
5. Afghan – Small, less than 48”
6. Any other - specify
Each entry costs $2 but you get 2 tickets and one parking pass for the fair.

Thank you Audrey for volunteering to assemble some 7x9 blocks from Warm Up America.

If you have Warm Up America donations, bring them to the meeting. While Piedmont Yarn and Apparel remains a drop-off location, the blankets cannot be stored there and must go home with Peter.

Thank you members for taking bookmarks that promote the club, to pass along for Crochet Month (March).

Don't forget the special Crochet Night at Piedmont Yarn and Apparel, 3:00 - 7:00 pm, the last Tuesday of the month (March 29) to celebrate National Crochet Month. There will be a discount on crochet hooks and supplies and a drawing. The regular Crochet Circle continues on the 1st Tuesday of each month, 3-7 pm.

The 6th annual Maker Faire is at San Mateo Fairgrounds on July 21 and 22. There is a large Craft / yarn participation. Jennifer will be doing a demo on Sunday, creating yarn from T-shirts. More info at http://makerfaire.com/ .

Show & tell participation:
Tom - next month will begin crocheting his Aztec Sun afghan after a hiatus to let his hand heal. He discussed the egg-shaped crochet hook, Vogue Knitting Live (LA), and Stitches.
Audrey - working a beautiful border on her grandchild's baby blanket
Peter - Trivia: The back of his head appears in the movie Patch Adams. He showed his top-down sweater, WIP. He has a pattern coming out in May Crochet!, his 4th design with kraemer.com comes out soon, design job at Cascade and maybe another company. His company, HookerBear, will be transforming into Chain Male Design.
Jennifer- CAL socks with Poem Sock Yarn (Interweave pattern), wore her Malabrigo Big Bow Cardigan that she made after Stitches, discussed approaches to teaching crochet and business ideas.

Ideas for topics at upcoming meeting:
Everybody chooses a different crochet magazine, reviews and critiques it with tips etc.
Discussion around which hooks are compatible with which yarn, hooks that everybody prefers.

We had 4 very happy Gift Exchange participants.
The potluck was delightful, with Peter's Corned Beef & Cabbage, Jennifer's White Chili, Mei Ling's Smoked Salmon appetizer, Tom's brownie squares, and Audrey's carrot cake. Thank you Mattie for the cleanup!

Don't forget to vote for Peter as Best Crochet Designer in the Menswear Category:
http://www.crochetliberationfront.com/2011-flamie-award-nominees/vote/



Next meeting Saturday April 16, noon.

August meeting

was called to order at 12:00 with Peter, Cay, Andy, Jennifer, Kris, Penny and Tom in attendance.

Jennifer is a new member who came across the bay to join us.  We met her initially at the San Mateo County Fair.  Welcome, Jennifer!

Old Business
a)  Treasurer's Report
b) Dues
     1)  due now for current members
     2)  future members from date of joining
     3)  $20/year or $5/meeting
 c) Field trip to Brook Farm Alpacas
     1) October 16, time of arrival to be announced
     2) we will car pool, but it is up to each member to make their own arrangements
 d) Convalescent hospital for Holiday Soiree
      1) It was decided that we would not do this at this time.

 New Business
 a)  Stitches West
      1) Warm Up America

• need many more totes and brochures

      2)  MWCC promotion

• maybe compile a brochure on the chapter, in addition to bookmarks, calendars

     3) Display

• need to obtain a literature rack

 b) Relocation of monthly meetings
      1) PYA needs the classroom during our Saturday meeting time

•  time available either in evenings during the week or Sunday, 4 to 7 p.m.

•  voted to try the Sunday 4 to 7 time slot.

     2)  Penny will contact the Hayward Public Library to see if they have a meeting room.

•   2 short blocks from Hayward Bart station

•  just over the San Mateo bridge 

September 18- Quarterly Soiree at PYA followed by Mexican food

 October 16- Field trip to Brook Farm Alpacas

 November 20 - meeting at PYA  **new hours** Sunday 4 to 7p.m.

 December 18 - Holiday Soiree - location to be announced.

Cay demoed double crochet variations
       Herringbone double crochet (hbdc)    linked double crochet (ldc) and extended double crochet (edc)


 Show N Tell

•  Peter is still working on the twin set, but has also started the design for the Aran cardigan

•  Cay modeled the Swellegant Elegance and is working on scarves/shawls for the holidays.

•  Andy brought in a couple of new hats and some yarn that he has spun and dyed.

•  Jennifer showed us several size totes/bags that she crocheted with plarn. She was also sporting a very unique shrug/vest.

•  Kris is working on another afghan for Project Linus

•  Penny was working on squares for her next ghan which will be assembled on the diagonal, giving a diamond look to it.

•  Tom completed his Aztec Star afghan for Project Linus and also shared a "Divine Hat" that he crocheted.

•  Mattie, Tom and Andy brought afghans for Project Linus.

Stitch 'n Pitch, SFGiants, 2010

Those who know me well (and some not as well) can tell you that I am a baseball fan, in the fanatic sense of the word. So when I have to opportunity to combine my baseball fanaticism with my passion for crochet, I always leap at the chance. I was fortunate this year to treat my dear friend Cay to this unique experience.
The San Francisco Giants version of the Stitch 'n Pitch baseball game took place on Monday, July 26 at AT&T Park. Also in attendance were Anita and Ed and Kris from the chapter. Though we did not sit together, we did touch base (pun intended) either before or during the game. With beverage of choice in hand (or course I had a devilishly delightful very dark ale) and fab sandwiches from Berkeley Bowl, we enjoyed the activities of the evening. We instantly befriended our right-hand neighbors, four sisters, who knitted. Indeed, the photo of Lou Seal (only in San Francisco -- a male mascot named Lou Seal (Lucille)) was forwarded to me by Kate, one the sisters, who drove in from Modesto.
It was a wonderful evening, diminished only slightly by the Giant's loss. Still, it was great to be among fiber artists who share my love of America's pastime.

July Meeting

came to order on Saturday, July 17.  We met at Piedmont Yarn & Apparel.  In attendance were Anita, Ed, Cay, Penny and Peter.  As we had no visitors or new members, we headed straight to Old Business:
   a) San Mateo County Fair
        We discussed the things we learned and the things we want to improve for next year.

• We will sponsor a $50 Best of Show Award for Crochet next year.

• We will be located nearer the crochet entries and away from the door.

• We discussed doing a raffle for a crocheted item similar to what the quilt guilds do.  If you have any ideas on what this item could be, please share.

• We want to acquire a literature display stand and a larger poster for our booth.  16" x 20" poster is approx $10.

• We would like to display items using different techniques-entralac, tunisian, hairpin, felting, wire, tapestry, etc.  If you like one of these categories and would like to do an item for display next summer, please let Cay or Peter know.
• Seniors Day was fun but not productive.  Many seniors are not online and will not cross the bridge.  We referred several to the chapter that meets in Redwood City.
• Last day of fair is Mexican Heritage Day-we need to schedule a Spanish speaking member to staff the booth that day.
• Dates for the fair next year are 6/11-6/19/2011.

   b)  Oakland Fiber Fest

• location was excellent after a brief turf war with the Lace Knitters.  We had both been assigned the same spot.  They graciously moved to another location as they had their own canopy and we did not.   Even though it was very hot, we had a nice breeze and our banner could be seen from the welcome booth.
• Did not have many stop for the make and take table as they were in the sun.  Need to rearrange the tables in the canopy or provide another umbrella for the tables next year.
• Lots of traffic and interest.

   c)  Dues

• $20 annually or $5 per meeting, members choice.  Please advise Peter which method you prefer.
• Due in July for current members

• Date of joining for future members.

We moved right on to New Business.

• Treasurers report will done each month.
  

• August - 8/21- will be a regular meeting held at PYA, from noon to 3 p.m. Cay will be teaching linked and herringbone double crochets.
• September -9/18- we will hold our quarterly Crochet Soiree.  Lunch will be Mexican in one of the local restaurants.
• October- 10/16- field trip to Brook Farm Alpacas in Glen Ellen-Each person bring a sack lunch and we will hold biz meeting while eating in the meadow. We are inviting MWC Ravelry members to join us.  If you have a crocheter you would like to bring, let Peter know. We need to limit our group size to approx 20.
• November- 11/20-  will be a regular meeting at PYA.
• December- 12/18- we discussed the possibility of taking the Holiday Soiree on the road, maybe a nursing home or convalescent hospital, shifting our focus from kids to seniors or disabled.  Instead of a gift exchange, making shawls or lapghans for wherever we choose to go.  If you know of a place in your neighborhood, please check with them to see if this would be welcome and find out how many we would have to serve.  Please bring this info to the August meeting so we can prepare.

• Discussed setting up a booth at the Alameda County Fair next year-the fair runs approx 3 weeks and starts within a couple of days of the closing of San Mateo. More research needed.  Would need commitments from more members to be able to accomplish this.

Show and Tell

• Anita is working on another large granny square blanket made of the Simply Soft Brites.  She must have bought a truckload of this yarn.  
• Cay is working on the Swellegant Elegance in Saucon Sock Yarn, color Loganberry.
• Penny is assembling a granny square afghan for Project Linus using various size squares.
• Peter is making progress with the twin set he is designing.  The shell is done and he is working on 2nd half of the front of the short sleeve cardigan.
• Anita and Mattie brought ghans for Project Linus.

We ended the meeting with a little crochet and chatting, and all went home about 2:30.

Final Days of the Fair

On Saturday, after setting up our booth, we launched right into our monthly meeting.  In attendance were Anita, Kris, Cay and Peter.  We discussed the things we had learned at this our first outing into the big world as a chapter.  We also discussed the possibility of making another field trip in September. It was a short meeting, due to our location.  Kris took off to do more fair looking around and Anita, Cay and Peter stayed in the booth. As on the other days, we had several folks stop by and talk to us.  Several signed up for our drawing .  The winner of the Pinwheels Scarf Kit is:  Jennifer
Penny, Mattie, Cay and Peter were back on Sunday for the final day of this year's San Mateo County fair.  We need to read the fair schedule!  It was Mexican Heritage Day, and the music and events were geared toward celebrating Mexican heritage. Probably the most people attended the fair on Sunday of the whole week.  Our winner on Sunday of the Post Stitch Hooded Scarf Kit is  Brad
At the end of the day, a tired but happy little group packed up all our displays, literature and trash, put in back in Cay's car and headed home.  The pictures taken over the last 2 days have been added to the album in the first post about the fair.
We will be discussing things we learned over the next few meetings, so we really represent our chapter and CGOA in a fantastic light at our next outing.

Oakland Fiber Festival

Peter and Cay arrived at the festival site about 8:30 with tables and displays in tow.  This time we had to provide all our own tables and chairs.  We used an 8' folding table and 2 card tables, about 5 folding chairs and 2 directors chairs.  We did have a canopy provided for us, so the first order of biz was to hang our new banner.
Stitch Diva Studios provided a really nice handout of a hobo bag, and ChiaoGoo gave us bamboo crochet hooks in size H (5.0mm).  We had some nice cotton yarn for our make 'n take tables.
Since this was strictly a fiber festival, we had a lot of traffic thru the booth.  It probably helped that you could see our banner from the Welcome Booth.  Peter caught up with a couple of Rav friends, Ivy and Cookie stopped by the booth.
Kris joined us after church in the afternoon and helped a young girl finger chain while her mom tried to remember how much she knew about crochet.
Cay spent some time with Gracie in the Lace Knitters booth talking about tatting.  No, Cay doesn't know how to tat, but she wants to learn.  They are planning to get together in a couple of weeks.
We had another drawing. This time it was for the Comfy Cables Cap and Scarf and the winner is Angie Lo.
Along with Men Who Crochet, the fiber fest was host to yarn stores, fabric stores, machine knitters, lace knitters, weavers and spinners, alpaca farms, the local quilt guild.  There was so much going on, that I probably forgot to mention someone. And a huge thank you to Bente of Piedmont Yarn.  Without her vision and hard work, this festival would never have happened. Enjoy our pics of the Fiber Fest and make plans to join us next year!

We're doing the Fair!

Our first 3 days at the fair have been a barrel of fun. We have met some great people, shared our love of crochet with quite a few folks and even had time to check out some the things around us at the fair.

Saturday was a little hectic when we first arrived because we had 2 tables and had to set them up the way we wanted them. Anita was on hand to help with the set up and the booth for Saturday. Kris arrived later in the afternoon to relieve Anita. But she attended the pig races before she came to the booth. The heat index was the hottest day so far this year, but everyone' s spirits were up.  Opening day is always a little crazy.

The winner of our Saturday drawing for the Cluster Hooded Scarf kit is Jennifer.

On Sunday, Penny and her sister, Kitty helped Cay and Peter man the booth. We had more interested folks stop by and work on make 'n take. We gave away brochures on our chapter, Project Linus, and Warm Up America.

Brad who knows Peter from Ravelry stopped by to say Hi and sat down and crocheted a coaster from our make 'n take table. He caught that Cay had not done the final round on the sample coaster. Shame on Cay!   We are hoping that he will cross the water and come to one of our meetings.

Sunday, Yvette won the kit for the Autumn Breeze Pidge.

Tuesday was Seniors Day at the fair, and fortunately the heat level dropped to reasonable.  Andy, Penny and Miss Mattie helped Cay talk to the folks who stopped by our booth. .Later in the day, Tom arrived to assist. We had quite a lot of interest in what we were doing. So many people told us they did crochet, or used to crochet. One lady told us that she has been crocheting for over 70 years! Since most were older, they were hesitant to come across the bay for our meetings, so we directed them to the CGOA chapter that meets in Redwood City. Hopefully, some of them will choose to participate there.

Tuesday's winner was Brenda and she received the Ridge Runner Fingerless Gloves kit.

We have 2 more drawings for kits on Saturday and Sunday.  All you have to do is sign up for our blog.  Please come by and say Hey. Enjoy the photos we've taken and stop again for updates on the fair and new photos.

Edited by Crafty Andy