Happy New Yarn!

The HHCC would like to wish everyone a Happy & Healthy New Yarn Year!

A new calendar will soon be posted to the HHCC's website, including meeting date changes for February, May and July due to holiday conflicts. Is there something you want the HHCC to consider doing for 2010? Get in on the planning by attending the January 10th monthly meeting!

... and don't forget, it's Membership Renewal time!! Renew your membership, or join the HHCC for the first time to be in the drawing for the Ruth Arbitelle Memorial Membership! Who will win it for 2010? It could be YOU!

HHCC members are asked to start crocheting (and knitting if they'd like) adult chemo caps that will be donated next month to the Danbury Hospital as part of our "Hats from the Heart" campaign. Members may get tags for the hats at the meeting, or from the HHCC's website.

A December to Remember!

Today the HHCC enjoyed celebrating the holidays with Honorary HHCCer Doris Chan! Doris brought with her beautiful garments that were featured in her first two books, Amazing Crochet Lace: New Fashions Inspired by Old-Fashioned Lace, and Everyday Crochet: Wearable Designs Just for You. She also provided us with a sneak peek at her newest book, Crochet Lace Innovations: 20 Dazzling Designs in Broomstick, Hairpin, Tunisian, and Exploded Lace, which will be out in April of 2010!

Doris also showed HHCC'ers Tahki's new Cotton Classic LITE yarn (talk about delicious!), and taught many members how to crochet the broomstick technique that will be featured in her newest book! She also had a drawing for a brand new set of Etimo crochet hooks! Thank you for spoiling us Doris!!

While this was going on, members also enjoyed feasting on a variety of potluck foods & drinks, as well as pulling on a piece of yarn to receive a holiday gift from "Secret Santa."

Unfortunately, while the meeting was taking place Mother Nature decided to change her plans from light rain to freezing rain, catching everyone by surprise! Road crews scrambled to get the roads sanded but not in time for several HHCC members who were trapped on various roadways and highways for hours on end due to slick roads; this prevented them from attending. We are happy to report no HHCC'ers were involved in any accidents while trying to get to the monthly meeting, or while returning home! For those members unable to attend today, the HHCC will be holding the "Secret Santa" exchange for them at the January 2010 meeting!

2009 was a great year for the HHCC and it's members! We'll see you in January 2010! :)

HHCC Celebrates 8th Anniversary with Lily Chin

The Happily Hooked on Crocheting Club, Connecticut Chapter of the Crochet Guild of America, recognized in 2006 by Governor M. Jodi Rell for local charitable crochet donations, celebrated it's 8th Anniversary in November!

Founded in 2001 on the cusp of 911, Ruth Arbitelle* (deceased), Hilda Nichols, Kay Perna, Dee Stanziano and Ruth Young banded together to create a CGOA Chapter dedicated to the art of crochet, all while having fun. Under the current leadership of Grace Gardiner, HHCC President, the group has blossomed to 50 members, continues to aid local charities, and travels around the tri-state area promoting crochet.

At the November meeting, the HHCC members welcomed Lily Chin to teach her popular, often sold out, workshop, "Crochet Tips & Tricks."

Fun was had by all! There was a smorgasbord of various treats, the official anniversary cake, and Lily autographing her brand new book, Crochet Tips & Tricks, Shortcuts and Techniques Every Crocheter Should Know." HHCC President Grace said, "[Lily made] our anniversary celebration so very special. I believe I can speak for all those that were able to attend, we learned so much and had a great time doing it!"


*To learn more about Ruth Arbitelle, please visit our website at www.crochetclubinct.org

Yarn Estate Sale: Ruth Arbitelle, HHCC'er

Ruth Arbitelle was one of the Founders of the Happily Hooked on Crocheting Club. She was a big participator in the events, workshops, and charity drives the HHCC had, and often times would enlist the help of her husband, Ron. Ron is best known as the HHCC's Auctioneer.

Ron has been busy sorting through his wife's stash. He has been finding it everywhere! ... and now he is having a Yarn Estate Sale ... with yarn priced from 50 cents to $1.50. Half of the proceeds Ron will be donating to the HHCC.

When: Saturday, November 7, 2009
Time: 10:00 AM (eastern time)
Where: 7 Belmont Circle, Danbury, Ct. Click for Map

... acrylic, alpaca, cotton, wool ... from basic yarns to designer, Ruth collected it! The photo shown is not even the tip of the iceburg! Tell your friends, come with empty vehicles!

Notes from the October HHCC Monthly Meeting

The month of October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The HHCC, in wanting to recognize this, donated 55 Chemo caps, as part of the "Hats from the Heart" campaign to the Danbury Hospital yesterday. Breast Cancer is mostly known to women, but men can be diagnosed with it too.
Members of the HHCC have now turned their charitable efforts towards the Danbury Salvation Army, crocheting (and knitting) hats, scarves, gloves/mittens for toddlers to 18 year old children in need, along with a New (unwrapped) Toy drive. Please contact the HHCC for more information on this.

Elaine Brown was awarded her Ribbon and Sponsor Award she had won at The Big E. Elaine was thrilled, stating she created a "magic ball" of six different yarns to create the yarn she used in her hat & scarf combo. What will she buy with the WEBs $100 Gift Certificate? She's thinking of getting a yarn swift and a few other goodies... Congratulations Elaine!


HHCC member Kathy brought in the Nov/Dec issue of Crochet Today! magazine. During Show & Tell she described how she was flipping through the magazine when she noticed a familiar looking garment in an advertisement for Red Heart yarn. In fact, Kathy had seen part of the garment, a sleeve, being worked on at a "Coffee, Crochet & Chat" session during this past summer. She recognized the pattern belonging to fellow HHCC'er Dee Stanziano. Dee had no idea, and was pleasantly surprised to see it published so soon. The pattern is available for free on the Red Heart yarn website. Congratulations Dee!

Patty showed off pictures of her beautiful new grand-baby, and Karen announced a brand new "Coffee, Crochet & Chat" session to be held on the 1st Wednesday of the Month, from 10:30 AM to Noon at the Bayberry Kntting Shop in Plainville. And newest member, Deb Seda announced the birth of a brand new CGOA Chapter: The Creative Crochet Guild of L.I. of which she is the founder of. Congratulations Patty, Karen, and Deb!!

Many HHCC members are looking forward to attending the New York Sheep & Wool Festival next weekend, and the following weekend they will be volunteering at the Stitches East event being held in Hartford, CT.



Please note: The November and the December HHCC montly meetings are for MEMBERS only. Guests are welcomed to come to the January 2010 meeting, and to the "Coffee, Crochet & Chat" sessions. Please contact The HHCC for more information.

Details from The 2009 Big E

On September 23, members of The HHCC traveled to West Springfield, MA, to participate in the Eastern States Expositon, well known as The Big E. September 23rd was Connecticut Day, and The HHCC was there to promote and demonstrate crochet.

The members displayed a vast variety of projects to highlight the many different types & techniques of crochet, and also provided free beginner lessons (and supplies!) to those interested. Casey, one of our Junior members, blogged about the Big E here.

The HHCC would like to welcome Linda into the fold; Linda became an official HHCC'er at The Big E!! Welcome Linda! :)

Prior to attending, several members entered their items in the Fair's Crochet Competition. Congratulations go to Casey, Chava, Dee, Elaine and Ruth for winning a variety of ribbons in many categories for Crochet! In addition to winning a Blue Ribbon for her hat and scarf set, Elaine also won "Best Use of Color," winning a $100 Gift Certificate from WEBs yarn store. And, according to the Big E Event Coordinator, this year there were more crocheted entries than knitted. This is a huge accomplishment as crochet was slated to be removed from the Fair barely 8 years ago due to lack of interest! Congratulations HHCC'ers!

The Perks of Being an HHCC/CGOA Member

There are many reasons why being a HHCC/CGOA member are wonderful! To name a few:

• you get to attend workshops for free or at a reduced rate
• assist local charities in need as a group
• make new friends
• increase crochet skills & knowledge
• go on field trips and/or do demonstrations
• borrow from the lending library
• HHCC'ers get access to the exclusive HHCC yahoo group
• and local yarn store discounts too!

Library:
The CGOA has a fantastic library that will (reportedly) reopen soon to it's members, complete with books, magazines, leaflets, patterns and videos in the collection. It is known as the Linda Sauter Library, and is currently being cataloged by the Cajun Crocheters CGOA Chapter.

The HHCC also has it's own lending library, and is in the process of reopening. Nancy has taken over the position of HHCC Librarian. If you are an HHCC member and looking for a particular pattern, talk to Nancy at the next monthly meeting!

Discounts:

1. If you are a member of the CGOA, your HHCC yearly dues are cut in half!
2. Show your CGOA Membership card at the Bayberry Knitting yarn store located in Plainsville and get a 10% discount.
3. Show your HHCC Membership card (coming soon!) to the Yarn & Craft Box located in Pawling, NY and get a 15% discount. (The HHCC Membership card is coming in January 2010; for now, just let Marie know you are an HHCC member)

It's easy to join!
To join the CGOA, go to ... http://www.crochet.org/

To join the HHCC, complete the form on this page and bring it with you to a meeting!

Join us and become Happily Hooked!