Sunday morning 8:00 a.m. at The National Needle Arts Association Conference in San Diego I took Crochet Tips and Tricks with Lily Chin. Her class was lively and fun—even though Lily readily admits she’s not a morning person she was quick, kept the class moving and taught many cool “tricks.†(For instance, she uses an “afterthought foundation†crocheting onto waste yarn and adding her chain at the end of her project and crochets buttons right into the fabric so she doesn’t have to come back and do it later.)
(Set your TiVos!) During class, Lily mentioned she has a new television show–Stitchcraft–debuting March 5th at 3:00 p.m. on the Oxygen Network. Later, when I had a chance to chat with Lily, I learned more about the show and her other projects.
Lily says the show focuses on knit and crochet as fashion and targets a general audience-not necessarily knitters. “The goal of Stitchcraft is to increase awareness of knitting and crochet. There won’t be any tech speak, no SSK or DC2TOG. We are not the DIY,†she said confidently.
The show is billed as a rare behind-the-scenes look at how knitting is used in the fashion industry. “You’ll see how Oscar de Laurente designs his knitwear line.†She says. And she says we’ll watch Adina Klein of Vogue put together a photo shoot. “The show is not about me. I’ll introduce the segments and talk a bit between stories.†Lily says the first show will also include a profile of one of my favorite designers, James Coviello.
I asked Lily what else she’s working on—she’s very excited about her new book due out in October. Called Couture Crochet Workshop with Lily Chin. It’s a book of what she is calling “refined crochet.†She describes the book as having high-fashion patterns and techniques for achieving drape, fit and drama.
Every time I’ve talked with Lily or seen her at a public appearance she makes a big impression. It’s clear Lily sees herself as a fiber evangelist and takes that job very seriously—she makes dozens of unpaid public appearances per year to promote crochet and knitting. “A healthy industry from the top down is good for everyone.†She said commenting on recent worries from large yarn companies and craft stores about dips in sales. “People don’t wake up in the morning and say ‘Today I want to learn to crochet.’ Every time someone sees something about crochet on TV it brings them one step closer to trying it themselves.â€
At this moment, Stitchcraft is a one-off pilot, no other episodes have been created and the success of Sunday’s showing will help determine if more episodes are made.
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