R & R and Classes I taught at Chain Link

I'm on a much needed R & R this week - spending a week at the beach/coast (depending on where you're from, it's called by different names - including "the shore". I call it the beach - does anyone know where I was raised?) But I'm not completely relaxing. I am working - on some projects that need to be finished for certain publications. And to wear at the CGOA/TKGA conference in Portland, in less than 4 weeks. And some tech editing jobs that I promised would be finished this week. The good news is that I'm getting the stuff done. And relaxing at the same time. Take a look at my view from the deck. This is what I am seeing while I'm crocheting!


This picture was taken at twilight -




and this one just a few minutes later - looking at the sunset over the neighboring roofs.

I do want to tell you about the great experience I had in New Hampshire, at the CGOA Chain Link Conference - teaching 7 classes! That's almost a full load. The one time I wasn't teaching, I was at the CGOA Board meeting. I took my camera to classes, but never remembered to take pictures! So I can't share with you any visuals, but I can sure share some memories!
My first class was Crochet by the Numbers, always the toughest class to teach - mainly because so many people are afraid of math. But, I hope, I showed the class that math can be your friend. If you see anyone at future conferences walking around with a "hyper-plane" flower on their name-tag, you'll know that they took my math class.
The next class was Design Your Own Stitch Pattern - always a fun class. I get to see the creativity come out in the students. I loved seeing them just staring into space, and when I asked if they had a problem, they always said "No, I'm just thinking of how to create this new pattern." It was exciting!
And then I taught Crochet in Bits and Pieces. Another fun class - how to make rectangles, circles, triangles, and other shapes, from all different directions - bottom up, top down, inside to outside, outside to inside, corner to corner, etc.
Crocheting on the Edge was great fun, too. I talked about making corners, and showed many variations of the crab stitch, and fringes that were crocheted, and shaped edgings, and lots more.
Foundation Stitches and Linked Stitches is one class that changes people's lives, at least their crocheting lives! Foundation stitches are great to know, to eliminate that dreaded foundation chain. The class learned the basic stitches, and then how to do some pattern foundation stitches. The second half of class was devoted to linked stitches - and then I challenged the class with a project that started out with linked foundation stitches!
Pattern Writing School was intense - we talked about a lot of ways to write patterns, and then I gave them a swatch to write a pattern from.
In my "Going Around in Circles" class (it was my last class, on Sunday afternoon, and you know I was feeling like I was going around in circles!) I taught the students the "rule of thumb" for making circles. And then they made circles with many different stitches, half circles, circles from the outside in, circles using short rows, and spiral circles with one and two colors of yarn. Before I knew it, the class was over. And so was the conference! And the yarn market was closed!
It was time to say goodbye to many of my old friends, and new friends, until the next conference.
If any of my classes interest you, I'll be teaching the same ones in Portland, Oregon, this September, at the TKGA/CGOA conference. Go to The Knit and Crochet Show to check out the schedule and learn how you can take part in this conference. If you have never been to a conference, you don't know what you're missing! If you have been to one, you know what a learning experience it is, as well as a fun time!