ChainLink: Day Two (Part One)

Seriously. How many Stanziano's are there? I haven't a clue, but I do know, based upon past travel experiences, that the likelihood of there being more than one Stanziano staying at the same hotel is rare. I had been expecting two badly needed packages and the hotel staff kept saying nothing had arrived. Admittedly I was beginning to become very concerned. At 11:30 last night I went to the hotel lobby and, after a discussing the situation in detail with the hotel staff, wouldn't you know it -- my packages had been there all along. Whew!!

This morning I slept in -- until 7:15. Perhaps not a big deal to many, but I am a night owl. To me, the 45 extra minutes of sleep was a sweet treat! I passed on drinking the hotel's coffee ((shudder)) and pondered what I was going to do ... I was to teach two classes today AND attend the Past President's Luncheon. This meant I had no time to zip back and forth from the conference center to the hotel and Mr. Dee had plans on taking the children to the local marina to see the big ships, so I couldn't call on him for assistance. I had to come up with a solution.

Fortunately I am an expert packer. I have moved so many times in my lifetime that packing seems second nature to me. That and the fact I was a Girl AND a Boy Scout (long story). I looked around the room and found that Mr. Dee had brought my emergency luggage rack carrier to the room, along with a bungie cord. Score! I took my two totes (already on wheels) and attached them to the bigger carrier. I would estimate the bags, when combined, weighed around 60 pounds -- and I was good to go!

I arrived at my first class, MaCroMe, which was on blending the art of macrame and crochet together. At the beginning of the class I had students wondering in due to the same confusion of class Number and classROOM number being too similar. Once this was straightened out we settled in making pretty bracelets while mastering the square knot. We had interesting discussions on macrame and how it is becoming popular again, and all were invited to join the Ravelry group, "Macrame: All Knotted Up."

It was now time for the Past President's Luncheon where members could sit with former CGOA Presidents and reminisce, and could also fill out forms* on sharing their memories of the CGOA in honor of the 15th Anniversary that the Crystal Jubilee Committee is compiling. ((it's not too late to contribute! Ask how!)) At our table sat Past CGOA President Karen Klemp, and several currently serving CGOA Board Members: Marty, Drew, Vashti, and Amy. Other crocheters briefly stopped by our table, many were on their way to also attend the Exhibitor's Fashion Show. ((*the Memory Pages were in one of the packages I was awaiting delivery for.))

After lunch it was time for me to teach the Pushmi~Pullyu class. This class is named after the two-headed llama featured in George Orwell's classic book, "Animal Farm." Pushmi Pullyu is the crochet technique of making crochet stitches forwards (Pushmi) and backwards (Pullyu) within the same row, or by alternating hands for each row without the need to turn work. This creates a unique look in the fabric, almost like Illusion Crochet.

It is now time to dash back to the hotel and prepare for tonight's festivities ...