The main purpose of the Crochet Guild of America is to educate the public about crochet, provide education and networking opportunities, and set a national standard for the quality, art and skill of crochet through creative endeavors.
Guilds are a fantastic way for crafters and artisans to network with others who share the same passion of their craft.
As a crocheter, joining a local guild enables networking with others that share the same interests, help preserve the many facets of historical crochet, promote new designs, teach and learn new techniques, hold demonstrations and seminars, and even enjoy continuing education.
A membership to the Crochet Guild of America is very reasonable and members receive many added benefits such as:
- A subscription to Crochet, the official magazine of the Crochet Guild of America
- Discounts for Interweave Crochet, Annie’s Attic, LionBrand.com and Mary Maxim
- The Chain Link newsletter, a bi-monthly publication of the Crochet Guild of America
- Access to online resources, including a members message boards, information on news and events, and more.
To join the Crochet Guild of America, simply click here and begin your new journey of discovery, networking and friendship. Be sure to take a moment to visit Ravelry and join the CGOA Group, and check out The Cyber CGOA Group.
If you’re not into crochet, but more into knitting think about joining a local knitting guild or even better yet, join The Knitting Guild Association . Knitting is a forever learning fiber art form that gives knitters a continuous desire to strive to create new and fresh designs, to share new tips and ideas with others, to develop into a fiber artist in their on right.
By joining TKGA, you gain a prestige of being an expert knitter, a knitter that can tackle any project, large or small, easy or intricate, a knitter that can design and teach.
A membership to the The Knitting Guild Association is very reasonable and members receive many added benefits such as:
- An annual subscription to Cast On magazine, access to various patterns, libraries and message boards.
- Eligibility for discounted correspondence knitting courses
- Eligibility to enroll in the masters knitting program
- Free entry to the Knit and Crochet shows at TKGA conferences, as well as discounts on classes at these events,
TKGA also reaches out to children crisis through the Precious Pals program, a program that gives comfort to children in crisis by providing a stuffed animals with a knitted outfit. TKGA members join together and provide stuffed animals with hand-knitted outfits that can be presented to local agencies.
Last but not least, I can’t forget about spinning! Many spinners have learned to spin from friends, local shop owners, from reading and from watching videos. However, to me, the best source for learning is your local spinning and weaving guild. These guilds are made up of seasoned spinners who often give lessons. To see if there is a guild in your area, visit Handweavers Guild of America and Interweave Press, Spinning Guilds.
For those of you who enjoy the needle arts, be sure to check out the Embroider’s Guild of America and the Embroider’s Guild of the UK. I have found both of these guilds to offer lots of good information online and in print. Of course there are many more guilds out there, but these two are the main sources I turn to. Also, while it’s not a guild, The Royal School of Needlework also offers many resources and classes.
So, do you belong to a local guild?
If so, why?
Until next time, happy knitting, crocheting, spinning and crafting!
Until next time, happy knitting ,crocheting, spinning and crafting!
Thanks for sharing such great information, I will definitely look into this.