My Trip to the Knit and Crochet Show 2015!

The Knit and Crochet Show is put on every year by the Crochet Guild of America, and The Knitting Guild Association. And this year’s conference in San Diego was so much fun!

I actually left a bit early, and flew to San Luis Obispo to spend a few days with friends before the show started. We visited both the historic Madonna Inn, and Bubblegum Alley… Very colorful, but oh so different!

After a few days of rest and relaxation, I hopped onto the train down into San Diego. It was a long ride, but there was great scenery along the way – you don’t see this in Iowa!

Finally, I arrived in San Diego, checked into the Town and Country Resort, and stepped out on my balcony. Wow.

I took some great classes this year – Shawls From All Angles taught by Marty Miller, and Intro to Reversible Crochet, Cables Over the Edge, and Bling It On, all taught by Laurinda Reddig! I learned some great tricks that I’m sure will work their way into my designs over the coming year.

The marketplace was full of amazing products, but one of the biggest attractions is wall of entries in the Design Competition. Susan Lowman has a complete rundown of the award winners on her blog, The Crochet Architect! Here’s just a few of the highlights. That skirt on the bottom left was designed by a 13 year old, who got her Master’s pin!

The amazing Lily Chin was awarded for her contributions to crochet, and her presentation was hilarious – as were the roasts that followed! And finally, the event was capped off with the Grande Finale Banquet and Member Fashion Show, where everyone showed off their favorite crochet gear. I was delighted to get a chance to help model Doris Chan’s newest design, the Lotus Lattice, featuring DesigningVashti’s Lotus Yarns! (Please note, I am NOT a professional model!)

Photo courtesy Kathy Lashley of ELK Studio

After dinner was a chance to take photos with some of the amazing  people I got to hang out with during the conference. I love these ladies! If you don’t know their names already, be sure to check out Andee Graves, Linda Dean, Stacey Williams, Laurinda Reddig, Pia Thadani, Elena Hunt, and Kathy Lashley. You might not recognize their names or faces, but I bet you’ll know about their crochet designs – and if you don’t, you should!

But of course, I came home with more than memories! During the Grande Finale Banquet I won a copy of Classic Crochet the Modern Way by Tova Fevang, which was just too funny as I was having breakfast with her the next morning! She was kind enough to sign it, and one of her other fabulous books for me as well.

There was also some fun to be had on the marketplace floor, of course. I picked up a new Japanese stitch dictionary (I’m obsessed with these), a pair of gorgeous scissors, and another fantastic YarnIt – one of the rare and new *sparkle* ones! I used it beading class to keep my fingering weight yarn under control!

Other fun things that found their way home with me included a mug and skein of yarn, courtesy of Annie’s, and a goodie bag from Lion Brand, with a skein of one of their newer yarns, Landscapes!

There were tons of other adventures too, things I didn’t get photos of but will never forget. Lion Brand hosted a Tea with Shira Lounge, and I got to be interviewed by Shira herself! I’ll share that video as soon as it’s available, of course!

But as with all good things, it did come to an end. The Knit and Crochet Show for 2016 will be in Charleston, South Carolina, and I can’t wait! Joining the Crochet Guild of America was a great decision, and totally worth it. Go to Crochet.org to check out the benefits for yourself, and make sure you always know where the K&CS is heading next! Hope to see you there!

Get Moogly on your favorite social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, G+, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr, and sign up for the free Newsletter so you don’t miss a thing!