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Meet the Designer -- Hartmut Hass
I was born and raised in Fuerstenberg, a small town north of Berlin. I was exposed to a variety of handcrafts
throughout my childhood. My mother spent almost every evening knitting sweaters, crocheting, or embroidering
tablecloths. When she started to teach my sisters how to crochet, I decided that I wanted to learn too.
Of course my first doily was quite sloppy, but I was determined. After many attempts, I was finally able to make
the pattern come out right. After mastering many basic patterns, I began to work on the more difficult and
exciting patterns.
Eventually, I craved greater challenges. I began buying books and trying different kinds of handicrafts like
tatting, pillow lace, macrame, and hardanger. I started to create my own patterns that I designed to fit
perfectly over my furniture.
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As my confidence increased, I decided to send a picture of one of my tablecloths to Anne Burda, a large German
company that publishes books about handicrafts throughout Europe in many different languages. They invited me to
visit their company and eventually published many of my designs.
I have been working with this company since 1989 and have published over 100 different designs for crochet,
tatting, and hardanger with them.
In 1995, I moved to America and pursued my career more intensely. While I continued my work with Anne Burda, I also
started publishing designs with the American School of Needlework, Coats & Clark and the House of White Birches.
You can see more of my designs published in these magazines at any time.
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Some of my other work featured on the cover of these popular magazines
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Crochet Master Class
Features
Hartmut Hass - as the Master of Filet Crochet
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What I do when I'm not crocheting
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As you know, crochet is my passion. But for more than 10 years, I have worked at a non-profit center for the handicapped,
known as the Janet Pomeroy Center in San Francisco.
I enjoy working with kids with many different disabilities. Many of my students are autistic. For some, swimming is the high-light of their day.
Of course, I get tremendous enjoyment teaching kids how to swim. With their parents help, I teach kids as young as 6 months old to
enjoy the water. They learn a valuable skill.
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I have a special connection with the seniors I teach in our arthritis exercise class. We have fun keeping our limbs flexible. What started as a joke - exercising to
polka music - is now a staple. They won't let me play any other music!
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