Okay, so you've all heard me blathering on about my win in the CGOA design contest. This is a new photo of the dress hanging at the show...I still don't have a photo of the model wearing it yet. But it seems there is a wrong I need to make right. That's right...I have messed up! I was so excited about my win that I have slighted the model, Kimberly McAlindin, by misspelling her last name in my previous post. So, to make it up to her, I have created a new page on my website called "Industry Insider Interview". After further consideration, I am going to make this a new monthly feature on www.crochetrenee.com . So what are you waiting for? Go check it out!!!!

Grand Prize Winner CGOA Annual Design Contest!

So, I turned on my Computer Thursday evening to check my email. The first thing I saw was several posts had been put on Facebook, congratulating me. For what? Seems I won the Grand Prize in the Crochet Guild of America's annual design contest! I wasn't sure when the judging was taking place, so it took me by surprise, to say the least! Several folks have wanted to see pics, so I decided to blog about it and share.

Some people have asked how long I worked on my entry and did I design it specifically for the contest. I had actually entered the contest last year, but didn't win anything. Fortunately, Jean Lienhauser (who was last year's judge) agreed to give me a personal critique on my entry, which was very helpful. Before I left the conference, I had a good working concept of the next year's entry and actually bought all of the yarns for this dress before I left the market there.

The elements on the bodice were made from Berroco yarns, Seduce, Bonsai and Lumina and Prism Custom Dyed Yarns with a half-skein of Impressions in the Dune colorway, with a couple of other yarns thrown in for good measure (sorry, couldn't find the other yarn labels). The skirt is made of three skeins of Alpaca with a Twist's Fino, a 70% baby alpaca, 30% silk laceweight yarn. Yum!


I am told that Kimberly McClinden modeled my design when the winning entries were announced. It is my understanding that she WORE this dress! I also heard via Mary Beth Temple's podcast, Getting Loopy, that Mary Beth used double-sided tape to ensure that Kim would not have any embarrassing mishaps on the catwalk, if you know what I mean.

I hope everyone enjoys the pics. I would like to first thank the Good Lord for giving me the ability and the inspiration to create, my Mom for putting a hook in my hands all those years ago, and my husband for getting my entry in the mail in time to meet the deadline!!! Have a great weekend everyone and check out the links above for info on a couple of my designing associates, and of course, don't forget to visit me often at www.crochetrenee.com