The St. Louis Crochet Club was finally able to have its annual (2010) Christmas Gift Exchange. Very bad weather in December, 2010 and January, 2011 delayed the gathering until February 16, 2011. We made a monumental decision to celebrate Christmas in July from now on. So, far less likely to have weather-related delays.
We had a lot of fun! We had a record gathering of 14 people, including one visitor who doesn’t even crochet, two newcomers who had no idea it was a gift exchange, and our regular members minus Mandy and Joyce. So, lots of show ‘n tell.
First, here’s an overview of the gifts we exchanged:
Lotions, bookmarks and books, yarn, scarves, felted coasters, and more yarn. Our rule is not more than $10 (usually far less) and must be crochet-related. Many goodies changed hands. Plus, we had a table full of incredibly calorie laden treats, including Cathy’s fantastic pecan brittle, cheese and crackers, olives from the Olive Bar, chocolate truffles, and Peppermint Patties. All of that with a cup of decaf and Georgia’s chocolate chip bread. Yum!
Here’s the show n’ tell – as best as my busy hands could take notes. I’m sure I missed a lot, so please forgive me if I overlooked something special.
Rita showed knit socks she had made for her lucky husband, a Southbay Shawlette in bulky brights for her niece (in a very small size) and a larger SB Shawlette in bulky yarn with beaded edging – both just beautiful! She also shared her own overdyed sock yarn which she creates by purchasing wool or wool blend sock yarn in colors that aren’t particularly attractive to her, then overdying them with kool-aid or food coloring dyes, creating outstanding color combinations that can be found nowhere else!
Georgia showed a knit shawlette she’s working on. Probably for her daughter.
Joan is still busy knitting socks and had a beautiful pair of gray multi ones to show off.
Cathy – like many of us – had given away most of her finished objects, but showed a tunisian hot pad she worked in lavender on one side and cream on the other. Lovely! (She also brought pecan brittle which was outstanding!!)
Teresa has been busy crocheting scarves in the official colors of the Special Olympics. The two she brought to show were fantastic. I love the color combination. She’s also making many baby hats for charity. She can make one in under an hour, so her goal is to create a lot of them for a foreign charity.
Melinda, who has been busy at home with new Shannon and big sister Renee, is working on a lovely rippleghan for her sister in teals, brown, and cream. She also shared some Japanese crochet books that had been given to her.
DJ is working on a special giraffe-fur afghan, a charted design. It is the cutest thing! She also showed some baby sweaters and hats (which Melinda snagged) and a tasseled hat she made in grays for her cold-headed husband. Another baby dress in an unusual color way set off with a pretty white collar is a beauty. In addition, she had completed a bunch of bookmarks and spring scarves for a sale at her church and a very fluffy white with pink edging bonnet and babyghan.
We had two newcombers – Sharon and Lois. Sharon is working on learning to crochet in rounds so she’s making small flowers. Lois is working on an American Girl Doll Tote for her niece. We hope they join us again.
Here’s the Jojoland Melody Superwash Merino I made my Seraphina Shawl with – for myself!! It turned out great!
I also showed a Spring green FrostyFlakes scarf, an Infinity Scarf I designed in different green variegateds that Ronnie had given me, and a Pringles Chip style scarf I made for Teresa (to wear at her very chilly desk at work) in some blue and green Wool-ease.
We had a fantastic evening full of good crochet, good treats to eat, and lots of laughs with our crochet friends. If you weren’t there, you missed a good time!
But, wait! I didn’t forget Ronnie. She gets her own page!
Stay tuned to the next blog article for Ronnie’s Show n Tell.
Looking for more Christmas themed Crochet Patterns? Check out these books
Christmas Crochet Pattern Books
And these Christmas patterns on Etsy
Sounds like tons of fun. Curious though – how are lotions crochet related?
You need lotion to be able to keep your hands nice and soft to keep crocheting!
It was a fun evening and loved that brittle.
Why do people celebrate Christmas in July? I think it should be Christmas in June which is 6 months before and 6 months after December. It is followed by the 1st July which is the Financial New Year.It would be more appropriate to be wished a happy and “prosperous” new year.
Sounds great but…
where are the pictures?
I wish I had pix. I’m inept with a camera and must rely on others. Stay tuned for my next blog entry. Lots of pix of Ronnie’s goodies.
jd
Good points – but Christmas in July is a time honored ‘tradition’ (especially among retailers) in the US.
jd
Sorry I couldn’t be there!! Say hi to everyone!