Chain Gang of Stamford

I had the most enjoyable time this morning -- I went to Borders located in Stamford.  It seems I'm one of the newest links in the group, and I'm delighted.  This now makes three CGOA Chapters I'm an official member of: The Chain Gang of Stamford, The Happily Hooked on Crochet Club of Danbury, and The New York City Crochet Guild.

The ladies (and/or their crochet work) included in my photos here are: Haley, Lori, Madeline, Olga, Rose, Shelley.  We all had met and bonded in the heyday of Knit Together, a yarn shop that closed earlier this year.  (There is a group shot of us together, but since it includes a child of one of the members I've decided not to post it.)

Ever since the closing of the shop, the group had been in limbo.  Today was their first official gathering since, well, I'm not sure.  What I do know is that three of their members attended the summer CGOA Conference that was held in New Hampshire, and I think that sparked their interest in "chaining" the gang back together.  We had a blast catching up this morning!

It was decided that the group will meet on the First Tuesday of every month; and now that they have a (private) Yahoo! group, they'll be able to keep in touch, post pictures, and discuss many crochet topics prior to every meeting.  I can't be more tickled for this group of wonderful ladies, fantastic crocheters!

Today we discussed many topics to help get this Chapter back on the hook:  like bringing in "heavy hitter" instructors/teachers to teach the group, new books (I showed off Doris Chan's new book that isn't even on the store shelves yet! More on that later), possible field trips, and maybe -- just maybe sometime in the future, getting all three of the CGOA Chapters in Connecticut together for a small crochet retreat sometime.  Hhmmmm, maybe there will be more Chapters by then?? One can hope, yes?   The enthusiasm was just fantastic! AND they are looking for more "links" to add to the Chain Gang!     If you're from the Stamford area and would like to join this group, let me know. I can get you in touch with the ring leaders.

If you're not, but you are interested in CGOA Chapters, visit www.crochet.org to learn more.  If there isn't one listed in your area you can start one and watch the friendships blossom and the crochet inspiration soar!  :)