FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sarah Guenther-Moore
Phone: 972-325-7232
DALLAS (April 11, 2022) -
The Great Yarn Challenge (TGYC), a first-of-its-kinds virtual yarn competition, launched its inaugural campaign this year and brought together thousands of crafters who competed for the chance to win prizes and awards for their fiber skills. Participants entered a series of challenges designed to inspire creativity and imagination, making things like sweaters, wall hangings and toys.
“We’re blown away by the creativity of everyone who participated in the very first TGYC and are so thrilled that we received over 1,000 submissions,” said CYC’s Executive Director Jenny Bessonette. “We’re proud of the winners who challenged themselves to create truly unique projects made of yarn.”
TGYC brought together many familiar faces and influencers within the online yarn community. Maurice Greene, an MMA fighter known as “
The Crochet Boss”, partnered with
Warm Up America! to hand out over 550 hats to people in need in his local Albuquerque community. Famed crochet prodigy
Jonah Larson, who shot to international fame in 2019 for his stitching prowess, worked with yarn company
Yarnspirations to promote Warm Up America! and another cause close to his heart - helping those in the rural village where he was born through
Roots Ethiopia.
The winners for TGYC were announced on March 24 in a
special closing ceremony. One participant was chosen as the winner for each challenge and one participant was chosen as the overall TGYC winner. Elisa Berman submitted a crochet blanket depicting the day her brother got engaged and won the Spruce Up Your Space challenge. Genna Brocone submitted a punch needle pet portrait for a humane society charity auction and won the Babies & Fur Babies challenge. Amanda Schuck submitted crochet hot air balloons that she installed in her front yard and won the Yarn in the Wild challenge.
Amanda Skinner submitted a cardigan with the words “Knit/Purl/Yarn/Love” knitted throughout and won the Just Wear It challenge. Jeannie Swift submitted a 7” by 9” Warm Up America! section representing the state of New Hampshire and won the Stitch Your State challenge. Hollie Soave submitted a story about her creation of the The Knitting Club at William & Mary College, which is still going strong today, and won the Stitch It Forward challenge. Lastly,
Jennifer Kinyak submitted a piece of crochet cover art for The Corner Laughers' album "Temescal Telegraph” and was crowned the TGYC champion.
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ABOUT THE CRAFT YARN COUNCIL
The Craft Yarn Council (CYC), incorporated in 1981, is a nonprofit trade association representing manufacturers and distributors of yarns and tools used in knitting, crocheting and other crafts. The Craft Yarn Council mission is to foster a community of yarn crafters by stimulating current knitters and crocheters, inspiring new yarn crafters and initiating education and promotional campaigns to ensure a healthy future for the yarn industry.
