yaRRnthings: Groups

In the past, it seems that this time of year rolls around and I am bemoaning the loss of my cro-jp (my crochet mojo) am looking for ways and ideas to start hooking again. This year there has been some slower periods but not the overall drop in stitching. I think this is in part to my adding knitting to my crafting life and that I have been active in several real and online groups.

Recent yaRRnthings

I am a member of Ravelry (find me there as sayitrahshay!) but other than add patterns to my library I haven’t done much with the site. I have tried to be more present on Ravelry but I have not quite gotten the hang of it. I have found fellowship, as it were, on Facebook through the groups Crochet Mood Blanket and Addicted to Knitting and Crochet. Through these two groups I get to see so many creative pieces and feel inspired to try new things. Through Facebook I have also been able to test patterns by Sissy from Warm Fuzzy Boutique and Ashley from Looping With Love. Sissy and Ashley come up with such creative pieces and they make crochet fun again.

Nothing beats IRL (in real life) meetups and this month I have two groups that I have been able to stitch with. A fellow knitter, Ellen, asked if she could start a knitting group at my library. I was reluctant; the groups that I have tried to create in the past have been a bit chaotic. The younger students want to know how to do it RIGHT! NOW! and were not consistent with practice. Other times have been just as frantic leaving me vowing never to hold a class again. Plus class attendance would drop and it would seem gratuitous to have a knitting class for one (me). But having someone else outside of work start the group was great! She gathered a few of her seasoned stitchers, sent off an e-mail and the Lansdowne Library Social Needleworking group has begun. There has only been one meetup with future dates to occur on the second Saturday of each month but the one meetup made me feel like I was ready to finish my WIPS, bust through my stash and stay hooked.

The other group that I belong to is Sisters Interacting Through Stitches. This group meets monthly at the Wynnefield Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia and has been my go to for a while. The organizer of the group, Miss Frances, is a whiz at crochet and knit! Her fingers fly as she is creating a project, helping someone finish something or putting together our finished pieces. This month we are meeting Saturday, January 18th from 10-2 for a Martin Luther King Day of Service. We are completing blankets, hats or scarves and all are welcome.

I feel so positive about stitching and the direction of yaRRns! I have been making people happy with my finished items, The Bee has expressed interest in learning and I am excited. I am working on a project for National Craft Month, I met with a friend about a business plan and just feel like I am ready to flourish!

What’s making your go WOW! this month? Let me know!

Happily Hooking and In Stitches,

-r