Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival

In a bit less then a month is one of my favorite events, Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival.  March 24-26 at the Convention Center in downtown, you get to chat and hang out with a great group of fellow crocheters and knitters.  I just love this show.  Every year I get blown away by the amazing talent and passion from all the people I meet.  I hope you can come too.  This year the market place is moving out of the ballroom and into one of the bright and airy spaces in the building.  The classrooms were wonderful last year, and I found tons of parking on Saturday and Sunday.  The views in the building alone are worth the trip in, I promise!

You will be able to find me in my classes (see below) or at the Crochet SuperBooth (Booth #316, 317, 318).  I will be joined my by fabulous friend, Marly Bird.  Just listen for the laughter and giggles and you will find us.  If you haven't met Marly yet, you are going to immediately love her!  She loves everything about crochet and knitting and will get you smiling and excited too (just wait, I am not kidding!  She is fantastic!)   I am so thankful that again this year Rebecca and Karen will be joining me in the booth.  If I am not in the booth and you have a crochet question, come ask them.  They are complete experts and definitely should be able to point you in the right direction.   We will have their special Amelia and Wiggles yarn to inspire and tempt you, crochet swag (t-shirts, buttons, mugs, totes, notecards), all my books/ DVDs/ and patterns.  Red Heart and Marly are teaming up with some great goodies, so be sure to stop by and check that out!

Class Line-Up:

Friday at 4:30
Solomon's Knot Lace
Come join me as we fall in love with a beautiful vintage lace technique. Solomon’s Knot Lace is an amazingly easy lace to crochet once you master the basic stitches. In class, we will talk about tips for making the perfect loops, how to add sparkle with beads, and how simple it is to combine it with classic crochet stitches. If you’ve ever wondered what to do with that single skein of dramatic novelty yarn in your stash, this is the lace technique for you! This is a beginner level class, and students must know chain and single crochet.  This is a great class to sit back and just enjoy working with yarn.  No stress and just fun!

Saturday at 9
Unexpected Lace Crochet
Tired of the same old crochet patterns? Ready for what’s next? Come with me as we explore the wide world of crochet through fun unusual stitches. We will play with foundation stitches, extended stitches, linked stitches, Solomon’s knots, broomstick, Belgium lace, X stitches, P stitches and more! Just bring your hook, yarn and some basic knowledge of crochet (no matter how rusty) and we will have a ball exploring all the unexpected stitches. Students should know how to chain, single crochet, and double crochet.  This class is perfect for those students that are ready for the next steps in their crochet knowledge. 

Saturday at 2
Tunisian Lace Crochet
Often confused with both knitting and crochet, Tunisian crochet is an art form all unto itself making the most unique woven fabric. In class we will remind ourselves how to make the basic stitches, then dive into crocheting lace. Tunisian lace is made from 3 different techniques; extended stitches, yarn overs, chain spaces, or a combination of those. We will break down each one to show you how fun and fast Tunisian Lace fabric can be made.

Sunday at 9
Crochet Motif Construction
Do you love crochet stitch dictionaries for their beautiful motifs but do not know what you could do with them? Have you mastered joining a few motifs together in a strip but wanted to know how you could transform that into a sweater or a bag? Then come join me as I walk you through how to build and construct you next project with crochet motifs. I will guide you on how to join square motifs seamlessly, as well as how to spice them up with a fun crochet joining that makes a totally unique fabric. I will show you how a simple trip to your local office supply store can be the key for unlocking those motif sweater layouts. I will break you out of the box with how to layout hexagon, octagon, or circular motifs. Lastly, I will show you that keeping your old swatches can make joining and filling in voids in your fabric fun. Come join her and get ready to grab your hooks and stitch dictionaries after class to build your next gorgeous crochet motif project.

Sunday at 1
Crochet with Variegated Yarn
Do you have a gorgeous ball of yarn sitting in your yarn basket just waiting to be crocheted; but you don’t know what to do with it? Come along to this crocheting with variegated yarn class and we will explore all the ways to make great projects. We will learn about short rows, colorwork crochet, crocheting on bias, and making motifs. This class is for the intermediate level student, must know how to chain, single crochet, and double crochet.


Hope to see you there!