Hook Delivery

I ordered a set of Etimo hooks and Denise Interchangeable hooks yesterday from Mary Maxim. Being a Crochet Guild of America member, I got 10% off at Mary Maxim (there are also discounts for Lion Brand and a few other national places). Score. I almost never spend the money for next day shipping and figured I'd get my hooks early next week. Color me surprized when hubs opened the front door and a package for me fell over.

It is just me, or do you get excited like Christmas when the delivery person comes to your door? After finish making the purchase I forget about the money and I feel as excited as when I'd check my mailbox in college and find a care package that I wasn't expecting.

I checked the bill to make sure I didn't pay extra to get my hooks overnight. I was worried that I'd gotten cheated because I didn't set up an account and chose the quick purchase option, and the packing slip gave a total $3 higher than I remembered. All was good. I was remembering the subtotal amount. Shipping is a flat rate based on dollar amount. The 10% discount subsidized all but about $3 of shipping. The total for both sets plus shipping was about $105. Not bad.

I'm excited to have a *set* of Etimo hooks. I really like the slick finish and soft grip of the one hook I already have. I like that the case has a little zippered pocket. It came with a small scissors, 4.5" ruler, and 2 tapestry needles. Once I throw a few stitch markers and project tags in there, I won't need to worry about carrying a separate tool kit for my day to day crochet. I have a terrible habit of carrying everything around with me and ending up with a purse/bag that weighs WAY more than necessary.

I bought the Denise Interchangeables because one of the designs I'm hoping to sell is Tunisian. right now I only have a 6mm Tunisian hook. I've used the bamboo hooks I have as mini Tunisian hooks, but I can only cram so many stitches on them. I'll have to order more hooks for them though, since I'm wanting to crochet on the double. I was hoping that the sets were sold like that, but at least I have a variety of sizes to test out so I can order the specific 2nd hook(s) I need. I need to resist my childish need to keep connecting the pieces for the sake of connecting the pieces and feeling them snap into place. I hear that they guarantee the sets with great customer service, but the last thing I want is to have to find out.

If I can I'll add pictures later.

And I haven't forgotten about sharing my 6 days of Chain Link with y'all.

Chain Link

Holy canoli was my first Chain Link experience phenomenal. I learned more than I could have imagined, more or less from the moment I picked up my suitcase from the baggage claim in Minneapolis.

I met so many people. Kate Steinke was amazing as Buddy Program coordinator. I had the fortune of bunking with her the first night. Her enthusiasm and bubbly personality got me off on the right start.

Professional Development Day blew my mind from the minute I walked into the ballroom.

I only took 2 classes, but any more would have been overkill. The 2 I took were with designing in mind. Marty Miller's "Create Your Own Crochet Stitch Pattern" got my brain turning. Her break-out session at PDD about tech editing has me chomping at the bit to get a CGOA mentor and start my hand at tech editing. The second class was Joan Miller's "Crochet Your Cables from the Center Out" was chock full of jumping points for considering cables in new ways.

I have big news that I'm still wrapping my brain around. There was a lot to wrap my brain around the whole 6 days of Chain Link. I'm not ready to share it quite yet, but hold on.

One of the key things I took away from PDD was the importance of social networking. This blog was been pretty pathetic. I had big dreams when I started it, but to say my posts have been sporadic is generous. It's time for me to make use of the smart phone I reasoned purchasing for the camera and crochet blogging. I hate Facebook, but it's time for me to join the rest of the world and log in daily instead of every few months. And tweeting, I need to do that more.

I'm still overwhelmed and decompressing. It'll be tricky to find a balance between all the things I want to do and create vs what my physical limits are. Chain Link has left me energized and excited, and I need to ride it out.

I'm hoping to write up a day-by-day summation of Chain Link 2011. We'll see if I'm able to get it together.