Happy New Year!!
Our December meeting was GREAT! We had approximately 25 members attend the meeting and Christmas party. There was lots of fun, food, and fellowship. It started with a short meeting followed by a gift exchange. If you weren’t there, you missed all the fun, great gifts, and Susan’s green “hair”! Here are a few things we discussed during the meeting:
Profile Sheets (Susan)
We are still trying to get as many profile sheets as possible. We are looking at putting together a membership book with everyone’s profile. This will help us get to know each other better.
Nominations for 2007 Board Members (Kathy)
Kathy gave us a list of those who have either volunteered or have been nominated for board members. They are as follows:
President: Carolyn Fairchild
Vice President: Anna Hester/Kathy Knox
Secretary/Treasurer: Anita Roesler/Brenda Asher
Nominations have been closed as of the December meeting. We will vote on our officers at the January 28th meeting.
Charity Connections (Anna)
Approximately 75-80 different items have been donated this past month. The hospital really appreciates all that we are doing. Don’t forget to knit for two…the hospital has had several families with twins in need of items.
Anna is also in need of Ziploc bags – both the quart and gallon sizes. Donations would be greatly appreciated or you can put your knitted item in a Ziploc bag when you give it to her.
Beginning Knitter’s Kits
Although this wasn’t discussed, don’t forget we are still in need of size 7 or 8 knitting needles (shorter needles) and any kind of DVD giving knitting instructions.
2007 Growing With Each Stitch
Susan has put together a wonderful list of program ideas for 2007. Topics and presenters were finalized at the meeting, although dates are subject to change. Here is a list of topics for 2007:
January 28: Short Rows – Susan B
February 18: Magic Loop Technique – Anita R
March 18: Cable Knitting – Melissa R
April 15: Knitting with Beads – Jo Ellyn W
May 20: Shadow Knitting – Kathy K
June 17: Enterlac – Linda P
July 15: Spinning Wool – Anna H & Ginny Q
August 19: Knitted Guild Bears – Susan B
September 16: Finishing Techniques – Brenda A
October 21: Mosaic Knitting – Jo Ellyn W
November 18: Knitting Machines – Susan B
December 15: Crocheted Edgings – Keela M
Additional Notes
The Knit-Wits have a wonderful little cookbook on sale at the Gourmet Yarn. The cost is $12 and all the proceeds go directly to helping them with materials and supplies needed for their charity knitting projects. Margaret has the books located on the cash wrap. Drop in sometime and check it out!
********** VERY IMPORTANT NEWS **************
Meeting Dates and Times:
January 28, 2007 3:00–5:00pm Belle Isle Library
(reminder…this is the fourth Sunday)
* Board elections
* Presentation: Short Rows – Susan Barrington
(there will be homework – watch the mail ring for details)
February 18, 2007 3:00-5:00pm Belle Isle Library
* Presentation: Magic Loop Technique - Anita Roesler
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Vol I Issue 10 November 2006
Holiday Greetings to All!
Hope this finds you all doing well after eating all of that Turkey. We had a wonderful meeting last week. Kay, our Vice-President, did a great job conducting the meeting. We had a room full of members, with three new guests. A lot was discussed and knitted. Here are the items discussed:
Christmas Party (Cathy)
* Date: The Christmas party will be held at our next Guild meeting on Sunday, December 17 at the library
* Gift Exchange: We decided to have a “Dirty Santa” exchange instead of drawing names. Everyone who wants to participate needs to bring a gift (maximum $10). We will choose numbers and then choose gifts!
* Food: It was suggested that we bring finger food. A sign up list was sent around for extra things such as punch, plates, and cups.
* Special Books: Beth is going to put together two special books – one that has our favorite finger food recipes and one that has instructions for our favorite Christmas ornaments. If you have a recipe or ornament design that you would like included in the books, email them to Beth.
Profile Sheets (Kay)
If you have not filled out a Profile Sheet, please do so at the next meeting. These sheets will be used to help learn about each other.
Nominations for 2007 Board Members (Cathy & Jo Ellen)
At this time, we are low on nominations for new board members. The committee has one or two names for each position. If you have any suggestions or you would like to serve on the board, let either Cathy or Jo Ellen know. Elections will take place in January.
Charity Connections (Anna)
Anna updated us on how many of your knitted items have been donated to help out our local charities. Since April, we have donated 138 items, ranging rom hats, booties, blankets, and bunting sets. Great job to all you knitters! Thanks to Anna for keeping us focused on these little ones.
Beginning Knitter’s Kits
We are in need of short knitting needles, size 7 or 8, and any kind of DVD giving knitting instructions.
Yarn Exchange
Need some fashionable yarn? We have just what you need. Different yarn companies have been gracious enough to contribute yarn for our charity projects. However, some of the yarn is not what we can use. Bring a skein of acrylic yarn and you can get a skein of fashionable yarn in exchange. Check it out!!
2007 Growing With Each Stitch
Susan has put together a wonderful list of program ideas for 2007. If you would like to help teach any one or more of the suggested topics, be sure to sign up at our next guild meeting. Let’s make 2007 a year of learning and growth!!
Know Your Fibers – Linda Pahdoco
Our program concluded with Linda giving us some wonderful information about the various fibers that knitters can use. She showed us different natural fibers as well as acrylics. Thank you Linda for helping us learn about the different yarns we have available to knit with!
********** VERY IMPORTANT NEWS **************
Meeting Dates and Times:
December Meeting - Christmas Party: Sunday, December 17th from 3:00 – 5:00
January Meeting – Board Elections & Not Your Mother's Dischcloth: Sunday, January 28th from 3:00 – 5:00 (please note this is the 4th Sunday; the library is not available the 3rd Sunday)
Hope this finds you all doing well after eating all of that Turkey. We had a wonderful meeting last week. Kay, our Vice-President, did a great job conducting the meeting. We had a room full of members, with three new guests. A lot was discussed and knitted. Here are the items discussed:
Christmas Party (Cathy)
* Date: The Christmas party will be held at our next Guild meeting on Sunday, December 17 at the library
* Gift Exchange: We decided to have a “Dirty Santa” exchange instead of drawing names. Everyone who wants to participate needs to bring a gift (maximum $10). We will choose numbers and then choose gifts!
* Food: It was suggested that we bring finger food. A sign up list was sent around for extra things such as punch, plates, and cups.
* Special Books: Beth is going to put together two special books – one that has our favorite finger food recipes and one that has instructions for our favorite Christmas ornaments. If you have a recipe or ornament design that you would like included in the books, email them to Beth.
Profile Sheets (Kay)
If you have not filled out a Profile Sheet, please do so at the next meeting. These sheets will be used to help learn about each other.
Nominations for 2007 Board Members (Cathy & Jo Ellen)
At this time, we are low on nominations for new board members. The committee has one or two names for each position. If you have any suggestions or you would like to serve on the board, let either Cathy or Jo Ellen know. Elections will take place in January.
Charity Connections (Anna)
Anna updated us on how many of your knitted items have been donated to help out our local charities. Since April, we have donated 138 items, ranging rom hats, booties, blankets, and bunting sets. Great job to all you knitters! Thanks to Anna for keeping us focused on these little ones.
Beginning Knitter’s Kits
We are in need of short knitting needles, size 7 or 8, and any kind of DVD giving knitting instructions.
Yarn Exchange
Need some fashionable yarn? We have just what you need. Different yarn companies have been gracious enough to contribute yarn for our charity projects. However, some of the yarn is not what we can use. Bring a skein of acrylic yarn and you can get a skein of fashionable yarn in exchange. Check it out!!
2007 Growing With Each Stitch
Susan has put together a wonderful list of program ideas for 2007. If you would like to help teach any one or more of the suggested topics, be sure to sign up at our next guild meeting. Let’s make 2007 a year of learning and growth!!
Know Your Fibers – Linda Pahdoco
Our program concluded with Linda giving us some wonderful information about the various fibers that knitters can use. She showed us different natural fibers as well as acrylics. Thank you Linda for helping us learn about the different yarns we have available to knit with!
********** VERY IMPORTANT NEWS **************
Meeting Dates and Times:
December Meeting - Christmas Party: Sunday, December 17th from 3:00 – 5:00
January Meeting – Board Elections & Not Your Mother's Dischcloth: Sunday, January 28th from 3:00 – 5:00 (please note this is the 4th Sunday; the library is not available the 3rd Sunday)
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Vol I Issue 9 October 2006 Newsletter
PRESIDENT’S CORNER:
Despite the rain, the October meeting had 17 – 20 attendees including two new people. We accomplished quite a bit, too.
BUSINESS
We have a Nomination Committee chaired by Jennifer Case. Kathy Knox and Jo Ellyn Wheeler make up the rest of the committee. Please send them your nominations for President, Vice President, and Sec-Treasurer. They will visit with the nominees and present a slate of candidates to the Guild in December. We will vote on new officers in Jnuary. When you email your choices to the committee, please include whether the length of the term in office should be one year or two years.
We also have a committee in charge of the Christmas party to be held during our December meeting. The Co-Chairs are Beth Kollars and Kathy Knox. Committee members are Ginny Queior, Dolly Dearner, and Anna Hester. They should have a list of things we need to do or to get, by the November meeting.
And speaking of Christmas, we will be drawing names for the gift exhange. If you would like to be included and haven’t signed up yet, come to the November meeting or let me know. The gifts must have something to do with knitting (no you don’t have to knit something) and we’ve capped the price at $10.
CHARITY KNITTING CONTEST
Anna Hester, who is in charge of our Charity Knitting, is starting a contest next month. You will have from the November meeting to the February meeting to make as many charity items as you can. She will keep track of what and how many items you make. There will be prizes for the top three people who turn in the most. There is a registration fee – two baby hats to be turned in at the next meeting. So get those needles clicking! If you have any questions, just send Anna a note by clicking on her name in the sidebar.
PROGRAMS IDEAS
I’ve asked everyone to come prepared with ideas for next year’s programs. A list has been started and already has over FIFTEEN really great ideas. I’ll be sending out an email soon with them - looking for volunteers to give the programs. This is a great time for you to learn a new skill and teach it to us.
DONATIONS
Margaret, owner of Gourmet Yarns, deserves a huge “THANK YOU” from the Guild. She presented us with a $50 check as a commission on the books she sold at the Yarn Harlot event. So the next time or two you’re in her store, be sure to thank her.
Where and When We Meet
We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them upstairs into the book area.
Upcoming Programs
Nov 19th – Know Your Fiber – Linda Pahdoco (no homework)
Show and Tell Holiday Knitting
Dec 17th - Your Favorite Knitted Gift
Guild Holiday Party
Jan 21st – Not Your Grandma’s Dishcloth – Learn Short Rows – Susan Barrington
Despite the rain, the October meeting had 17 – 20 attendees including two new people. We accomplished quite a bit, too.
BUSINESS
We have a Nomination Committee chaired by Jennifer Case. Kathy Knox and Jo Ellyn Wheeler make up the rest of the committee. Please send them your nominations for President, Vice President, and Sec-Treasurer. They will visit with the nominees and present a slate of candidates to the Guild in December. We will vote on new officers in Jnuary. When you email your choices to the committee, please include whether the length of the term in office should be one year or two years.
We also have a committee in charge of the Christmas party to be held during our December meeting. The Co-Chairs are Beth Kollars and Kathy Knox. Committee members are Ginny Queior, Dolly Dearner, and Anna Hester. They should have a list of things we need to do or to get, by the November meeting.
And speaking of Christmas, we will be drawing names for the gift exhange. If you would like to be included and haven’t signed up yet, come to the November meeting or let me know. The gifts must have something to do with knitting (no you don’t have to knit something) and we’ve capped the price at $10.
CHARITY KNITTING CONTEST
Anna Hester, who is in charge of our Charity Knitting, is starting a contest next month. You will have from the November meeting to the February meeting to make as many charity items as you can. She will keep track of what and how many items you make. There will be prizes for the top three people who turn in the most. There is a registration fee – two baby hats to be turned in at the next meeting. So get those needles clicking! If you have any questions, just send Anna a note by clicking on her name in the sidebar.
PROGRAMS IDEAS
I’ve asked everyone to come prepared with ideas for next year’s programs. A list has been started and already has over FIFTEEN really great ideas. I’ll be sending out an email soon with them - looking for volunteers to give the programs. This is a great time for you to learn a new skill and teach it to us.
DONATIONS
Margaret, owner of Gourmet Yarns, deserves a huge “THANK YOU” from the Guild. She presented us with a $50 check as a commission on the books she sold at the Yarn Harlot event. So the next time or two you’re in her store, be sure to thank her.
Where and When We Meet
We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them upstairs into the book area.
Upcoming Programs
Nov 19th – Know Your Fiber – Linda Pahdoco (no homework)
Show and Tell Holiday Knitting
Dec 17th - Your Favorite Knitted Gift
Guild Holiday Party
Jan 21st – Not Your Grandma’s Dishcloth – Learn Short Rows – Susan Barrington
********** UP DATE *********
I have tried and tried to post pictures of the meeting, but blogger is being totally uncooperative.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Vol I Issue VIII September Newsletter
PRESIDENT’S CORNER:The September meeting had around 28 members attend, with NINE new people. Since I wasn’t there, I’m counting on our scribe Emily to tell us about the lace program with Gloria Reich. I’ve heard from several people about what a great program it was!
SWAP MEET
This month is our swap meet. I originally thought we would open it up to other things as well but I think we’ll just keep it fiber related. If we want to do a general swap, we will probably do it in November.
So bring magazines, books, yarns, projects, or whatever you have knit related. We’ll set up a table in the back of the room and browse it after the program.Swap rules are as follows: Bring your swap items and put them on the table. After the main program, you can wander back and look at the items you want to swap. Please use your best judgment and take the same amount as you bring. We will be working under the honor system. If there are items left over, we will have a swap box to put them in and either they will go into a permanent Guild collection or we will hold them for the next swap meet in March.
PROGRAMS
This month Anna Hester is going to share working on Charity Knitting. Homework for this program consists of bringing something to knit on for our charity work. We will ALL be working on charity knitting projects as this meeting. If nothing else bring yarn and needles, patterns will be provided if necessary.
FUTURE PROGRAMS
Come prepared with at least one idea for a program next year. Just because you volunteer an idea doesn’t mean you’ll have to present it. But if you have something you can share with the group that would be great too!
Where and When We Meet We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them upstairs into the book area. Upcoming Programs
Oct 15th – Charity Knitting – Anna Hester
Swap Meet
Nov 19th – Know Your Fiber – Linda Pahdoco
Show and Tell Holiday Knitting
Dec 17th - Your Favorite Knitted Gift
Guild Holiday Party
Jan 21st – Not Your Grandma’s Dishcloth – Learn Short Rows – Susan Barrington
New Online Editor!
Hi! My name is Brenda and I am your new online editor. This is a new and exciting experience for me as I love to do tekky stuff as well as knit. I am a self-taught knitter and have been a ‘novice’ knitter for about 25 years now. I mostly do very simple things, but am excited to be a part of the guild. I am hoping that some more challenging projects ‘rub off’ on me. Thanks for this opportunity to serve you as your online news editor. I am looking forward to a lot of fun “Sundays”!
SWAP MEET
This month is our swap meet. I originally thought we would open it up to other things as well but I think we’ll just keep it fiber related. If we want to do a general swap, we will probably do it in November.
So bring magazines, books, yarns, projects, or whatever you have knit related. We’ll set up a table in the back of the room and browse it after the program.Swap rules are as follows: Bring your swap items and put them on the table. After the main program, you can wander back and look at the items you want to swap. Please use your best judgment and take the same amount as you bring. We will be working under the honor system. If there are items left over, we will have a swap box to put them in and either they will go into a permanent Guild collection or we will hold them for the next swap meet in March.
PROGRAMS
This month Anna Hester is going to share working on Charity Knitting. Homework for this program consists of bringing something to knit on for our charity work. We will ALL be working on charity knitting projects as this meeting. If nothing else bring yarn and needles, patterns will be provided if necessary.
FUTURE PROGRAMS
Come prepared with at least one idea for a program next year. Just because you volunteer an idea doesn’t mean you’ll have to present it. But if you have something you can share with the group that would be great too!
Where and When We Meet We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them upstairs into the book area. Upcoming Programs
Oct 15th – Charity Knitting – Anna Hester
Swap Meet
Nov 19th – Know Your Fiber – Linda Pahdoco
Show and Tell Holiday Knitting
Dec 17th - Your Favorite Knitted Gift
Guild Holiday Party
Jan 21st – Not Your Grandma’s Dishcloth – Learn Short Rows – Susan Barrington
New Online Editor!
Hi! My name is Brenda and I am your new online editor. This is a new and exciting experience for me as I love to do tekky stuff as well as knit. I am a self-taught knitter and have been a ‘novice’ knitter for about 25 years now. I mostly do very simple things, but am excited to be a part of the guild. I am hoping that some more challenging projects ‘rub off’ on me. Thanks for this opportunity to serve you as your online news editor. I am looking forward to a lot of fun “Sundays”!
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Vol I Issue VII August Newsletter
President's Corner:
The August meeting had around 34 members attend, with seven new people. Since I wasn’t there, I’m counting on our scribe, Emily, to tell us about the sock program with Ginny Queior. I hear it was great!
BUILD THE GUILD
This month is our “Build the Guild” drive. Bring one or more NEW people to Guild. The three people who bring the most new faces will get great prizes.
PROGRAMS
This month we will learn about lace knitting from Gloria Reich. She’s a long time knitter and her lace knitting has won her ribbons at the State Fair. No homework with this, but do bring paper and pen to make notes. And if you'd like to learn lace knitting, Gloria will be happy to help you get started. You'll need to bring a set of five, size 0 (zero) dps about 7" long and some size 20 crochet thread.
The person who was going to do the program for October is no longer available. I’m looking for a volunteer for that program. A newer knitter could tell us about the frustrations and fun of learning to knit, a more accomplished knitter could teach us a new technique. Please think about it and let me know if you’d be interested. Thank you!
And I need some suggestions for programs for next year. What would you like to learn? What would you like to see? Please email me with your ideas at the address on the Newsletter.
SWAP MEET IN OCTOBER
And don’t forget, October is the Swap Meet. Start going through your patterns, books, and yarn now. This is a great way to clear out your stash (and make room for NEW stash). We are opening the swap meet up, in October only, to things other than simply fiber related. I plan to bring some Christmas ornaments and some non knitting craft books.
Where We Meet
We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them upstairs into the book area.
Upcoming Programs
Sep 17th – Learn Lace with a Pro – Gloria Reich (no homework)
Build the Guild – Membership Drive
Oct 15th – WE NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
Swap Meet
Nov 19th – Show and Tell Holiday Knitting
Dec 17th - Your Favorite Knitted Gift
Guild Holiday Party
The August meeting had around 34 members attend, with seven new people. Since I wasn’t there, I’m counting on our scribe, Emily, to tell us about the sock program with Ginny Queior. I hear it was great!
BUILD THE GUILD
This month is our “Build the Guild” drive. Bring one or more NEW people to Guild. The three people who bring the most new faces will get great prizes.
PROGRAMS
This month we will learn about lace knitting from Gloria Reich. She’s a long time knitter and her lace knitting has won her ribbons at the State Fair. No homework with this, but do bring paper and pen to make notes. And if you'd like to learn lace knitting, Gloria will be happy to help you get started. You'll need to bring a set of five, size 0 (zero) dps about 7" long and some size 20 crochet thread.
The person who was going to do the program for October is no longer available. I’m looking for a volunteer for that program. A newer knitter could tell us about the frustrations and fun of learning to knit, a more accomplished knitter could teach us a new technique. Please think about it and let me know if you’d be interested. Thank you!
And I need some suggestions for programs for next year. What would you like to learn? What would you like to see? Please email me with your ideas at the address on the Newsletter.
SWAP MEET IN OCTOBER
And don’t forget, October is the Swap Meet. Start going through your patterns, books, and yarn now. This is a great way to clear out your stash (and make room for NEW stash). We are opening the swap meet up, in October only, to things other than simply fiber related. I plan to bring some Christmas ornaments and some non knitting craft books.
Where We Meet
We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them upstairs into the book area.
Upcoming Programs
Sep 17th – Learn Lace with a Pro – Gloria Reich (no homework)
Build the Guild – Membership Drive
Oct 15th – WE NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
Swap Meet
Nov 19th – Show and Tell Holiday Knitting
Dec 17th - Your Favorite Knitted Gift
Guild Holiday Party
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Voume I Issue VI, June Newsletter
President’s Corner:
The June meeting had around 25 people attend, a pretty good turnout considering it was Father’s Day.
And I apologize for the newsletter being so late this month and a bit short. Getting ready for Stephanie Pearl-McPhee AKA the Yarn Harlot coming this month has caused everything else to take a back seat.
And I hope you bought your book in advance to support Gourmet Yarns. This is such a big event and we want to be able to bring other great authors and speakers in, so we need to make sure we support our co-sponsors!
We will still be meeting on Sunday, July 16th, and will be getting an update from the committees on the Harlot event. It is so exciting to have her coming to OKC!
In July, we will be enlighted about enterlac. I know some of us have already tried it but I know we will all learn something!
Last month we were so fortunate to have Jo Ellyn Wheeler tell us tips and techiques to help us knit more efficiently. She has sent me a list of these tips and I have put it in a file on the Guild’s Yahoo groups list. Just click on this link and it will take you right to it
Where We Meet
We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them into the book area.We are on a 6 month trial period to see if library patrons are interested in the Guild. There will be a sign up sheet at the reference desk and the library will be keeping a head count to see how many people actually show up. Please remember to call ahead or go sign up just to show there is interest – thanks!
Upcoming Programs
July 16th – How to do Enterlac – Kathy Knox (no homework)
The Yarn Harlot Event
Aug 20th – Advanced Socks – Ginny Queior
Show and Tell
Sep 17th – Learn Lace with a Pro – Gloria Reich (no homework)
Build the Guild – Membership Drive
Oct 15th – How to Make a Needle Caddy – Marcia Davis
Swap Meet
Nov 19th – Show and Tell Holiday Knitting
Dec 17th – Program to be announced
Guild Holiday Party
The June meeting had around 25 people attend, a pretty good turnout considering it was Father’s Day.
And I apologize for the newsletter being so late this month and a bit short. Getting ready for Stephanie Pearl-McPhee AKA the Yarn Harlot coming this month has caused everything else to take a back seat.
And I hope you bought your book in advance to support Gourmet Yarns. This is such a big event and we want to be able to bring other great authors and speakers in, so we need to make sure we support our co-sponsors!
We will still be meeting on Sunday, July 16th, and will be getting an update from the committees on the Harlot event. It is so exciting to have her coming to OKC!
In July, we will be enlighted about enterlac. I know some of us have already tried it but I know we will all learn something!
Last month we were so fortunate to have Jo Ellyn Wheeler tell us tips and techiques to help us knit more efficiently. She has sent me a list of these tips and I have put it in a file on the Guild’s Yahoo groups list. Just click on this link and it will take you right to it
Where We Meet
We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them into the book area.We are on a 6 month trial period to see if library patrons are interested in the Guild. There will be a sign up sheet at the reference desk and the library will be keeping a head count to see how many people actually show up. Please remember to call ahead or go sign up just to show there is interest – thanks!
Upcoming Programs
July 16th – How to do Enterlac – Kathy Knox (no homework)
The Yarn Harlot Event
Aug 20th – Advanced Socks – Ginny Queior
Show and Tell
Sep 17th – Learn Lace with a Pro – Gloria Reich (no homework)
Build the Guild – Membership Drive
Oct 15th – How to Make a Needle Caddy – Marcia Davis
Swap Meet
Nov 19th – Show and Tell Holiday Knitting
Dec 17th – Program to be announced
Guild Holiday Party
Friday, June 09, 2006
Volume I, Issue V--May Newsletter
President’s Corner:
The May meeting had over 25 people attend. We had four new knitters come and at least two new ones from last month returning. Thanks to Terri Derrick, who handles our new knitters program, we had plenty of beginner kits on hand. Don’t forget, if you run across size 8 or size 9 needles, grab them! They are perfect for learning the basic stitches.
We have a new volunteer librarian. Carolyn Faircloth has graciously agreed to take care of our newly aquired library books and magazines. You would not believe the wonderful variety of hard back books, Vogue and Knitters magazines, and some others we have been gifted with. Lace knitting, fairisle, socks, technique books, stitch libraries, and much more!
Also, Carolyn has asked that you save your large cereal boxes so she can make magazine holders. Just brush out the crumbs from the empty boxes and bring them to guild. Thanks!
This month come prepared with tips or techniques for knitting. Or you can email the guild with a tip or techique and we will compile them on a sheet to pass out.
Where We Meet
We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them into the book area.We are on a 6 month trial period to see if library patrons are interested in the Guild. There will be a sign up sheet at the reference desk and the library will be keeping a head count to see how many people actually show up. Please remember to call ahead or go sign up just to show there is interest – thanks!
Upcoming Programs
June 18th – Handy Knitting Tips and Techniques – Jo-Ellyn Wheeler (no homework)
Show and Tell
July 16th – How to do Enterlac – Kathy Knox
Aug 20th – Advanced Socks – Ginny Queior
Sep 17th – Learn Lace with a Pro – Gloria Reich (no homework)
Build the Guild – Membership Drive
Oct 15th – How to Make a Needle Caddy – Marcia Davis
Swap Meet
Nov 19th – Show and Tell Holiday Knitting
Dec 17th – Guild Holiday Party
A Cast-on of Many Colors
Emily Schnabl, Guild Scribe
Sara Braden taught us a new cast-on at the May meeting, the Kihnu Troi cast-on (not to be confused with Star Trek: The New Generation's Deanna Troi), a colorful cast-on illustrated particularly in Nancy Bush's Folk Knitting in Estonia .
By alternating with a light and dark colored yarn, the cast-on resembles a lovely braid on the edge of the knitted item. (Well, unless the knitter who was doing this cast-on was me, in which case the colorful braid looked more like a loopy mess of yarn.)
While some of us struggled with this cast-on, Sara was quite patient, and worked with those who wanted to master the art of the Kihnu Troi.
Book Review
Margaret Bauer, Gourmet Yarn Company
Big Girl Knits
By Jillian Moreno and Amy R. Singer
Big Girl Knits features 25 patterns for women size 14 and up. Patterns include pullovers, tees, skirts, and accessories. This book will help you learn how to make garmets that fit and flatter your body while providing humor.
The book provides a very informative section on measuring, choosing the right yarn, colors and styles. Also a help section that even includes how to do short-row darts. The book walks you through calculating everything using charts – even has socks! A very useful book to add to one’s library.
Needle Review
Keely Stuever, Sealed with a Kiss
New from Lantern Moon - DESTINY circular needles.
Handcrafted from Ebony and Rosewood using their new ³liquid silk² finish for
the smoothest and fastest wooden needle on the market. The cables are soft
and pliable. The joins are smooth, not quite as smooth as the Addi Natura
circulars, but close. The needles also turn at the joins, like the Crystal
Palace circulars. Available in sizes 4 through 11, 26² and 32² lengths, in
both Ebony and Rosewood. $23.95
The May meeting had over 25 people attend. We had four new knitters come and at least two new ones from last month returning. Thanks to Terri Derrick, who handles our new knitters program, we had plenty of beginner kits on hand. Don’t forget, if you run across size 8 or size 9 needles, grab them! They are perfect for learning the basic stitches.
We have a new volunteer librarian. Carolyn Faircloth has graciously agreed to take care of our newly aquired library books and magazines. You would not believe the wonderful variety of hard back books, Vogue and Knitters magazines, and some others we have been gifted with. Lace knitting, fairisle, socks, technique books, stitch libraries, and much more!
Also, Carolyn has asked that you save your large cereal boxes so she can make magazine holders. Just brush out the crumbs from the empty boxes and bring them to guild. Thanks!
This month come prepared with tips or techniques for knitting. Or you can email the guild with a tip or techique and we will compile them on a sheet to pass out.
Where We Meet
We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them into the book area.We are on a 6 month trial period to see if library patrons are interested in the Guild. There will be a sign up sheet at the reference desk and the library will be keeping a head count to see how many people actually show up. Please remember to call ahead or go sign up just to show there is interest – thanks!
Upcoming Programs
June 18th – Handy Knitting Tips and Techniques – Jo-Ellyn Wheeler (no homework)
Show and Tell
July 16th – How to do Enterlac – Kathy Knox
Aug 20th – Advanced Socks – Ginny Queior
Sep 17th – Learn Lace with a Pro – Gloria Reich (no homework)
Build the Guild – Membership Drive
Oct 15th – How to Make a Needle Caddy – Marcia Davis
Swap Meet
Nov 19th – Show and Tell Holiday Knitting
Dec 17th – Guild Holiday Party
A Cast-on of Many Colors
Emily Schnabl, Guild Scribe
Sara Braden taught us a new cast-on at the May meeting, the Kihnu Troi cast-on (not to be confused with Star Trek: The New Generation's Deanna Troi), a colorful cast-on illustrated particularly in Nancy Bush's Folk Knitting in Estonia .
By alternating with a light and dark colored yarn, the cast-on resembles a lovely braid on the edge of the knitted item. (Well, unless the knitter who was doing this cast-on was me, in which case the colorful braid looked more like a loopy mess of yarn.)
While some of us struggled with this cast-on, Sara was quite patient, and worked with those who wanted to master the art of the Kihnu Troi.
Book Review
Margaret Bauer, Gourmet Yarn Company
Big Girl Knits
By Jillian Moreno and Amy R. Singer
Big Girl Knits features 25 patterns for women size 14 and up. Patterns include pullovers, tees, skirts, and accessories. This book will help you learn how to make garmets that fit and flatter your body while providing humor.
The book provides a very informative section on measuring, choosing the right yarn, colors and styles. Also a help section that even includes how to do short-row darts. The book walks you through calculating everything using charts – even has socks! A very useful book to add to one’s library.
Needle Review
Keely Stuever, Sealed with a Kiss
New from Lantern Moon - DESTINY circular needles.
Handcrafted from Ebony and Rosewood using their new ³liquid silk² finish for
the smoothest and fastest wooden needle on the market. The cables are soft
and pliable. The joins are smooth, not quite as smooth as the Addi Natura
circulars, but close. The needles also turn at the joins, like the Crystal
Palace circulars. Available in sizes 4 through 11, 26² and 32² lengths, in
both Ebony and Rosewood. $23.95
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Volume I Issue IV - April Newsletter
President’s Corner:
April’s meeting was a great success! I’m pleased to report we were able to send the logo designer a Michael’s gift certificate for $60. We had two more new knitters join us and our charity knitting is going great guns. In fact, Anna Hester, the chair for our charity knitting, has graciously volunteered to wash the knitted items for us. This will leave us much more time to knit hats, buntings, layettes, and blankets. THANK YOU ANNA!
We were very fortunate to be gifted by Tracy Terrill with a box of wonderful books and magazines to start our guild library! If any of you would like to volunteer to be the guild librarian, please let me know. We are still working out how to handle checking out the books.
This month come prepared to learn some different kinds of cast-ons. There is no homework but bring extra needles and two different colors of yarn to experiment with the cast-ons.
We had the biggest turnout yet at the March meeting – 29 people!
Where We Meet
We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them into the book area.We are on a 6 month trial period to see if library patrons are interested in the Guild. There will be a sign up sheet at the reference desk and the library will be keeping a head count to see how many people actually show up. Please remember to call ahead or go sign up just to show there is interest – thanks!
Upcoming Programs
May 21st –Cast-On Techniques (no homework but bring materials to try)
Guild Library
June 18th – Handy Knitting Tips and Techniques (no homework)
Show and Tell
July 16th – How to do Enterlac with Kathy Knox
Aug 20th – Advanced Socks with Ginny Queior
Sep 17th – Learn Lace with a Pro – Gloria Reich (no homework)
Build the Guild – Membership Drive
More Options
By Emily Schaubl – Guild Scribe
When I picked up two sticks and yarn for the first time in my life, I had no idea MATH was going to be involved.
When I started reading patterns in magazine, there was always some little blurb about "take time to save time--make a gauge swatch." What was that all about?
Guild President Susan Barrington led us through some basic knitting math and the joys of making a gauge swatch at our April meeting.
(Who ever knew taking up knitting would involve homework? And math? And that it could be fun?)
Susan showed us that by making a gauge swatch, we could test our yarn, figure out how many stitches per inch a particular yarn was on a given size needle—and then plug in that number to a pattern's dimensions and
use any yarn we want for any pattern we want, assuming that yarn gave us the right feel and drape for what we wanted to make.
So we don't have to fret when yarns get discontinued. Or when we have that little loss of impulse control in a yarn shop, but we're not quite sure what we're going to make with that yarn that somehow found its way into a shopping bag and out the door with us.
Hmm, that opens up a whole new world of possibilities for this (ahem) little stash I have up here in the closet. . .
Kids…a Knitter’s Dozen
Book Review
By Margaret Bauer Gourmet Yarns
Just like all the other books in the Knitter’s Dozen series – this one is a keeper. The patterns were selected from more than two decades of Knitter’s Magazine. There are 19 patterns and hundreds of possibilities. There are cute sweaters along with more practical patterns. Some of these patterns have been unavailable since they were first published.
Ranging in skill from beginner to intermediate; there are not only patterns for some unusual sweaters, but also for a pair of socks, cap, pillow, and many other items. This book is for children sized two through ten. Photos are clear and detailed illustrations help guide knitters through each part of the more complicated steps. There is also a very informative technique section at the back. At only $15.95, this book is well worth it.
April’s meeting was a great success! I’m pleased to report we were able to send the logo designer a Michael’s gift certificate for $60. We had two more new knitters join us and our charity knitting is going great guns. In fact, Anna Hester, the chair for our charity knitting, has graciously volunteered to wash the knitted items for us. This will leave us much more time to knit hats, buntings, layettes, and blankets. THANK YOU ANNA!
We were very fortunate to be gifted by Tracy Terrill with a box of wonderful books and magazines to start our guild library! If any of you would like to volunteer to be the guild librarian, please let me know. We are still working out how to handle checking out the books.
This month come prepared to learn some different kinds of cast-ons. There is no homework but bring extra needles and two different colors of yarn to experiment with the cast-ons.
We had the biggest turnout yet at the March meeting – 29 people!
Where We Meet
We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them into the book area.We are on a 6 month trial period to see if library patrons are interested in the Guild. There will be a sign up sheet at the reference desk and the library will be keeping a head count to see how many people actually show up. Please remember to call ahead or go sign up just to show there is interest – thanks!
Upcoming Programs
May 21st –Cast-On Techniques (no homework but bring materials to try)
Guild Library
June 18th – Handy Knitting Tips and Techniques (no homework)
Show and Tell
July 16th – How to do Enterlac with Kathy Knox
Aug 20th – Advanced Socks with Ginny Queior
Sep 17th – Learn Lace with a Pro – Gloria Reich (no homework)
Build the Guild – Membership Drive
More Options
By Emily Schaubl – Guild Scribe
When I picked up two sticks and yarn for the first time in my life, I had no idea MATH was going to be involved.
When I started reading patterns in magazine, there was always some little blurb about "take time to save time--make a gauge swatch." What was that all about?
Guild President Susan Barrington led us through some basic knitting math and the joys of making a gauge swatch at our April meeting.
(Who ever knew taking up knitting would involve homework? And math? And that it could be fun?)
Susan showed us that by making a gauge swatch, we could test our yarn, figure out how many stitches per inch a particular yarn was on a given size needle—and then plug in that number to a pattern's dimensions and
use any yarn we want for any pattern we want, assuming that yarn gave us the right feel and drape for what we wanted to make.
So we don't have to fret when yarns get discontinued. Or when we have that little loss of impulse control in a yarn shop, but we're not quite sure what we're going to make with that yarn that somehow found its way into a shopping bag and out the door with us.
Hmm, that opens up a whole new world of possibilities for this (ahem) little stash I have up here in the closet. . .
Kids…a Knitter’s Dozen
Book Review
By Margaret Bauer Gourmet Yarns
Just like all the other books in the Knitter’s Dozen series – this one is a keeper. The patterns were selected from more than two decades of Knitter’s Magazine. There are 19 patterns and hundreds of possibilities. There are cute sweaters along with more practical patterns. Some of these patterns have been unavailable since they were first published.
Ranging in skill from beginner to intermediate; there are not only patterns for some unusual sweaters, but also for a pair of socks, cap, pillow, and many other items. This book is for children sized two through ten. Photos are clear and detailed illustrations help guide knitters through each part of the more complicated steps. There is also a very informative technique section at the back. At only $15.95, this book is well worth it.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Volume I Issue III - March Newletter
President’s Corner
Last month’s meeting was really exciting. Not only did we learn about socks, we also got our charity knitting started, began a program to help brand new knitters, and had a great time with a swap meet.
Our next meeting will be even more exciting. We will learn why swatching is important, how to figure out what our gauge is based on the swatch, and how to make a pattern larger or smaller, based on swatching.
We will also be talking about a Secret Pal Project for those who’d like to participate.
And a big THANK YOU to Janet Stein who helped us get the newsletter up and running. We are very grateful for her help. And another big THANK YOU to Peggy Ney who so graciously volunteered to take over the position.
This month, come prepared for a little show and tell after the program. Bring a finished project and show us what you’ve been working on.
Where We Meet
We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them into the book area.
We are on a 6 month trial period to see if library patrons are interested in the Guild. There will be a sign up sheet at the reference desk and the library will be keeping a head count to see how many people actually show up. Please remember to call ahead or go sign up just to show there is interest – thanks!
WE TALK SOCKS
By Emily Schaubl
How do you tell when you have crossed the line from being a non-knitter to a knitter? When you start thinking about socks. When you no longer count sock yarn as part of the stash.
For many of us who have picked up the needles, the first pair of socks is an accomplishment that makes us feel like we have crossed some line into REAL knitterdom. And besides, it impresses the heck out of non-knitters, who wonder what we are doing with those four/five pointy little needles, or the big loops of the circulars.
Bette Deputy took time with us at our March Guild meeting (brave woman, to show up on the day of the Knitters’ Guild Swap Meet) to entice us further into the world of socks. The mysteries of sock construction were unveiled, and we were encouraged not to be frightened of turning the heel or grafting the toe.
Bette brought us an impressive collection of her socks for display (an audible gasp from the audience when she turned her duffel bag upside down to reveal the collection she had brought). In addition, she was sporting a pair with tulips on the heel.
Bette shared some of her own wisdom, namely that good sock yarn needs to have some portion of nylon in it to increase durability, but that she has found that carrying along reinforcement thread doesn’t really work very well. She uses 64 stitches to make her socks, and reminded us that a good, even cast-on, not too loose and not too tight, “makes the sock."
Other helpful tips included:
“If you start the sock and look at it in complete confusion, put a few more rows on. It could ‘look’ wrong but still be right.”
“Use the heel stitch (slip 1, k1 on right side, sl1, purl 1 on wrong side) for a stronger heel.”
“When you’re in the middle of turning the heel, don’t set it down and walk away. Don’t work on it until you know you’ve got 30 minutes to work on it.”
Socks were not the only item on the Guild agenda. Susan B. handed out notecards with our logo lambs on them to the winners of the naming contests—perhaps a notecard fundraiser is in our future? Our charity knitting projects were discussed, and baby burial buntings passed around as an example. Finally, we pretended not to be too eager to dive into the swap yarn and magazines on the tables.
BOOK REVIEW
By Margaret Bauer, Gourmet Yarns
Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch is a versatile book that boasts up to 1,000 different sock-design options. It has clear illustrations and pictures. Her instructions are easy to understand and very informative. The charts for heel, cuff, and foot length are invaluable in helping the knitter calculate a perfect fitting sock. She includes charts for children, women and men that includes gauges of 5 ½ - 10 sts/inch. Charlene also has a chapter that is titled, “Troubleshooting” that covers problems that often plague the sock knitter.
Sensational Knitted Socks includes a pattern for the beginner as well as more complicated designs for the advanced knitter. This book retails for $24.95.
It’s easy to see why this book has quickly become a favorite of sock knitters!
YARN REVIEW
By Keeley Stuever, Sealed With A Kiss
Emotion Color
New from Lang – a beautiful wrapped ribbon yarn available in lovely spring shades. What makes this yarn very unique is its aromatherapy feature. The yarn releases a pleasant scent when worn, available in Ginseng, Lavender, or Aloe Vera. The scent holds for 40 washings. Lang has a nice selection of spring sweater patterns, or it knits up beautifully for a spring shawl. Custom designed shrug patterns are available too. Emotion is a worsted weight yarn in a cotton/nylon microfiber blend. It is packaged in 50gm skeins (99yds) with a suggested retail price of $9.95. Put some Emotion in your spring wardrobe for a pleasant scent!
New Knitters
By Terri Derrick
Teachers will tell you their reward for teaching is when a student learns a lesson. Knitters are no different. You might even say we had a revelation at the last Guild Meeting.
During the March Guild Meeting we went around the room and did little introductions about ourselves. Two ladies told us they read about us in the Metro Library Newsletter (thank you) and wanted to LEARN HOW TO KNIT! Since we were having the swap meet during this meeting we were able to get them started on their way with a set of needles and yarn. Two other more knowledgeable knitters took their time in getting them started. We all shared the information about knit-ins and yahoo groups.
The revelation part came after the meeting was over and we were discussing what happened. We decided as a Guild we should make up BEGINNERS KITS. We have volunteers making very nice knitting bags, some are providing steel needles (preferable size 8/9, short), knitting lessons DVDs (while supplies last), scissors, sewing needles, crochet hooks and of course some yarn. A simple pattern for a garter stitch scarf will be provided in each kit. We are always taking new beginner patterns.
Please contact Terri Derrick, if you have any donations, questions or comments.
Last month’s meeting was really exciting. Not only did we learn about socks, we also got our charity knitting started, began a program to help brand new knitters, and had a great time with a swap meet.
Our next meeting will be even more exciting. We will learn why swatching is important, how to figure out what our gauge is based on the swatch, and how to make a pattern larger or smaller, based on swatching.
We will also be talking about a Secret Pal Project for those who’d like to participate.
And a big THANK YOU to Janet Stein who helped us get the newsletter up and running. We are very grateful for her help. And another big THANK YOU to Peggy Ney who so graciously volunteered to take over the position.
This month, come prepared for a little show and tell after the program. Bring a finished project and show us what you’ve been working on.
Where We Meet
We meet the 3rd Sunday of every month at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them into the book area.
We are on a 6 month trial period to see if library patrons are interested in the Guild. There will be a sign up sheet at the reference desk and the library will be keeping a head count to see how many people actually show up. Please remember to call ahead or go sign up just to show there is interest – thanks!
WE TALK SOCKS
By Emily Schaubl
How do you tell when you have crossed the line from being a non-knitter to a knitter? When you start thinking about socks. When you no longer count sock yarn as part of the stash.
For many of us who have picked up the needles, the first pair of socks is an accomplishment that makes us feel like we have crossed some line into REAL knitterdom. And besides, it impresses the heck out of non-knitters, who wonder what we are doing with those four/five pointy little needles, or the big loops of the circulars.
Bette Deputy took time with us at our March Guild meeting (brave woman, to show up on the day of the Knitters’ Guild Swap Meet) to entice us further into the world of socks. The mysteries of sock construction were unveiled, and we were encouraged not to be frightened of turning the heel or grafting the toe.
Bette brought us an impressive collection of her socks for display (an audible gasp from the audience when she turned her duffel bag upside down to reveal the collection she had brought). In addition, she was sporting a pair with tulips on the heel.
Bette shared some of her own wisdom, namely that good sock yarn needs to have some portion of nylon in it to increase durability, but that she has found that carrying along reinforcement thread doesn’t really work very well. She uses 64 stitches to make her socks, and reminded us that a good, even cast-on, not too loose and not too tight, “makes the sock."
Other helpful tips included:
“If you start the sock and look at it in complete confusion, put a few more rows on. It could ‘look’ wrong but still be right.”
“Use the heel stitch (slip 1, k1 on right side, sl1, purl 1 on wrong side) for a stronger heel.”
“When you’re in the middle of turning the heel, don’t set it down and walk away. Don’t work on it until you know you’ve got 30 minutes to work on it.”
Socks were not the only item on the Guild agenda. Susan B. handed out notecards with our logo lambs on them to the winners of the naming contests—perhaps a notecard fundraiser is in our future? Our charity knitting projects were discussed, and baby burial buntings passed around as an example. Finally, we pretended not to be too eager to dive into the swap yarn and magazines on the tables.
BOOK REVIEW
By Margaret Bauer, Gourmet Yarns
Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch is a versatile book that boasts up to 1,000 different sock-design options. It has clear illustrations and pictures. Her instructions are easy to understand and very informative. The charts for heel, cuff, and foot length are invaluable in helping the knitter calculate a perfect fitting sock. She includes charts for children, women and men that includes gauges of 5 ½ - 10 sts/inch. Charlene also has a chapter that is titled, “Troubleshooting” that covers problems that often plague the sock knitter.
Sensational Knitted Socks includes a pattern for the beginner as well as more complicated designs for the advanced knitter. This book retails for $24.95.
It’s easy to see why this book has quickly become a favorite of sock knitters!
YARN REVIEW
By Keeley Stuever, Sealed With A Kiss
Emotion Color
New from Lang – a beautiful wrapped ribbon yarn available in lovely spring shades. What makes this yarn very unique is its aromatherapy feature. The yarn releases a pleasant scent when worn, available in Ginseng, Lavender, or Aloe Vera. The scent holds for 40 washings. Lang has a nice selection of spring sweater patterns, or it knits up beautifully for a spring shawl. Custom designed shrug patterns are available too. Emotion is a worsted weight yarn in a cotton/nylon microfiber blend. It is packaged in 50gm skeins (99yds) with a suggested retail price of $9.95. Put some Emotion in your spring wardrobe for a pleasant scent!
New Knitters
By Terri Derrick
Teachers will tell you their reward for teaching is when a student learns a lesson. Knitters are no different. You might even say we had a revelation at the last Guild Meeting.
During the March Guild Meeting we went around the room and did little introductions about ourselves. Two ladies told us they read about us in the Metro Library Newsletter (thank you) and wanted to LEARN HOW TO KNIT! Since we were having the swap meet during this meeting we were able to get them started on their way with a set of needles and yarn. Two other more knowledgeable knitters took their time in getting them started. We all shared the information about knit-ins and yahoo groups.
The revelation part came after the meeting was over and we were discussing what happened. We decided as a Guild we should make up BEGINNERS KITS. We have volunteers making very nice knitting bags, some are providing steel needles (preferable size 8/9, short), knitting lessons DVDs (while supplies last), scissors, sewing needles, crochet hooks and of course some yarn. A simple pattern for a garter stitch scarf will be provided in each kit. We are always taking new beginner patterns.
Please contact Terri Derrick, if you have any donations, questions or comments.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Volume I, Issue II - February Newsletter
Meeting:
We meet every 3rd Sunday at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them into the book area.
We are on a 6 month trial period to see if library patrons are interested in the Guild. There will be a sign up sheet at the reference desk and the library will be keeping a head count to see how many people actually show up. Please remember to call ahead or go sign up just to show there is interest – thanks!
Special Speaker – Bette Deputy
Our special speaker this month is a sock-knitter-extraordinaire. She has won many blue ribbons for her sock creations. She will be talking to us about different cast-on techniques and heel tips.
The Next Six Months:
Mar 19th – Let’s Talk Socks - Bette Deputy
Swap Meet, Charity Knitting. Lamb Name Gifts
Apr 9th – The Importance of Swatches (requires homework)
Secret Pal Project
May 21st – Short Row Dishcloth (requires homework)
Not Your Grandma’s Dishcloths (some new patterns)
June 18th – Learn Lace with a Pro – Gloria Reich (tentative date, no homework)
July 16th – Three Casts-on Techniques (no homework but bring materials to try), Build the Guild – Membership Drive
Aug 20th – Felting Fun (no homework)
Announcements
We meet every 3rd Sunday at the Belle Isle Library from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm in a downstairs conference room. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them into the book area.
We are on a 6 month trial period to see if library patrons are interested in the Guild. There will be a sign up sheet at the reference desk and the library will be keeping a head count to see how many people actually show up. Please remember to call ahead or go sign up just to show there is interest – thanks!
Special Speaker – Bette Deputy
Our special speaker this month is a sock-knitter-extraordinaire. She has won many blue ribbons for her sock creations. She will be talking to us about different cast-on techniques and heel tips.
The Next Six Months:
Mar 19th – Let’s Talk Socks - Bette Deputy
Swap Meet, Charity Knitting. Lamb Name Gifts
Apr 9th – The Importance of Swatches (requires homework)
Secret Pal Project
May 21st – Short Row Dishcloth (requires homework)
Not Your Grandma’s Dishcloths (some new patterns)
June 18th – Learn Lace with a Pro – Gloria Reich (tentative date, no homework)
July 16th – Three Casts-on Techniques (no homework but bring materials to try), Build the Guild – Membership Drive
Aug 20th – Felting Fun (no homework)
Announcements
Swap Meet
March is swap meet month! Bring magazines, books, yarns, projects, or whatever you have knit related. We’ll set up a table in the back of the room and browse it as the meeting goes along.
Swap rules are as follows: Bring your swap items and put them on the table. After the main program, you can wander back and look at the items you want to swap. Please use your best judgment and take the same amount as you bring. We will be working under the honor system. If there are items left over, we will have a swap box to put them in and either they will go into a permanent Guild collection or we will hold them for the second swap meet in October.
Logos
Lamb names have been announced. The winning submissions will get a little gift at the March meeting. We will be taking donations this month at the meeting for a gift certificate for the logo designer. She would prefer a gift certificate to Michaels. So please bring a small donation (not over $5). This is purely voluntary! No one is keeping track of names or amounts.
Charity Knitting Projects
PLEASE NOTE: We need a volunteer as the chair to coordinate the charity projects. Are you ready to step up to the bat? Thanks!
We will be choosing our charity projects at the March meeting. A poll will be in place before the meeting to narrow down the choices. If you have a favorite local charity, please email the guild so it can be included.
If you have yarn or patterns suitable for charity knitting, please bring them. We will be providing a box of suitable yarn for those who don’t have acrylic in their stashes. You may take as much yarn as you like but it must come back in knitwear for our charity projects.
Guild Newsletter
Janet Stein who has so graciously been editing the newsletter has a new career and no longer will have the time to work on the newsletter. We are looking for a newsletter editor volunteer. If you are interested, please let us know.
BOOK REVIEW
Before you build a house, you need a foundation. The same is true in building a knitting book library. Vogue Knitting, The Ultimate Knitting Book has basic techniques for the beginner knitter as well as more specialized techniques for the more experienced knitter. The book shows various ways to cast-on, decrease, increase, and bind-off using clear illustrations. It also contains pictures showing how each method looks knitted and helpful tips are included at the end of each section.
The book covers the history of knitting, knitting supplies, instructions, correcting errors, circular and double-pointed knitting, color knitting, finishing, and care of your knitwear, a stitch dictionary, and many other topics. This is one book that you will find yourself reaching for over and over. Retail $38.95
YARN REVIEW
Regia Silk Sock Yarn
Review contributed by Keely Stuever, Sealed With A Kiss, (Guthrie)
New from Regia, silk blend sock yarn in solids, stripes, jacquards, andsparkles. Luxuriously soft, and available in beautiful shades.
If even the softest of wool sock yarns have bothered you in the past, you might want to give this one a try. It feels absolutely wonderful. 2 skeins make a pair on size 1-2 needles. Price point ranges from $8.95 - $9.95 a skein, available now at Sealed With a Kiss in Guthrie.
History of Knitting (a short recap)
The earliest definite examples of knitting date from Europe and Egypt in the 14th century, although some claim that the technology dates back into centuries BC. The first knitting trade guild was started in Paris in 1527, establishing the occupation as male-dominated for centuries to come. Knitting became a household occupation with the growing popularity of knitted stockings and by the end of the 1600s, one to two million pairs of stockings were exported from Britain to other parts of Europe.
With the invention of the knitting machine, knitting "by hand" became a useful but nonessential craft, and its practitioners increasingly female. Knitting joined quilting, spinning, needlepoint, and the like as a social activity, performed while the crafters converse among themselves.
Hand-knitting has gone in and out of fashion many times in the last two centuries or so, and at the turn of the 21st century it is enjoying a revival. Modern knitters come from all ages, walks of life, and (increasingly) genders—a social stigma against male knitters has been rapidly disappearing, and most knitting circles now sport at least a few men.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Guild Meeting Cancelled!
Due to the bad roads, we have cancelled the guild meeting today at the library. We will be rescheduling our sock speaker for later in the year, so she WILL BE BACK!
So sorry for any inconvenience!
So sorry for any inconvenience!
Friday, February 03, 2006
Volume I, Issue I
Upcoming Programs
Feb 19th – Let’s talk socks – Bette Deputy
Mar 19th – Learn Lace – Gloria Reich, Swap Meet
Apr 9th – How to do Swatches
May 21st – Learn some different cast-ons
Jun 18th – Not Your Grandma’s Dishcloths
Jul 16th – Show and Tell
Please note that the April meeting is on the second Sunday, rather than the third, due to Easter.
New Meeting Place
We will be meeting at the Belle Isle Library in a downstairs conference room starting Feb 19th. We meet from 3 pm to 5 pm. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them into the book area.
We are on a 6 month trial period to see if library patrons are interested in the Guild. There will be a sign up sheet at the reference desk and the library will be keeping a head count to see how many people actually show up.
We are very grateful to Anita Roesler for getting us set up at the library and she has suggested we all stop (and encourage friends to also) in at Belle Isle and sign up at the reference desk. We might need to do this every month until we find out if they feel the interest is high enough.
Announcements
Lamb names and winners will be announced at the February meeting. A poll at the Knit Guild yahoo group will be open starting Feb 12th to vote on the names you like the best. You can vote for five different names.
Don’t forget March will be our swap meet. Bring magazines, books, yarns, projects, or whatever you have knit related. We’ll set up a table in the back of the room and browse it as the meeting goes along.
Do you know of or belong to a knitting group? We are looking for names and dates of statewide knit-togethers. As people inquire about the Guild, we’d like to be able to tell them about any regular informal group gatherings.
Life Without a Cable Needle
by Emily Schnabl, Guild Scribe
One of the pesky side effects of knitting is that it comes with dainty accessories that always seem to turn up missing at crucial points in your project. Family members borrow scissors without asking (and without replacing them), measuring tapes find hitherto-unknown crevices in the sofa, and stitch markers go off into the same black hole that contains ballpoint pens and single socks. But if you attended our January guild meeting you would know that you could face the loss of a particular tool without fear.
I'm talking about the humble cable needle. There are partisans of various kinds of cable needles: u-shaped, flying birds, straight--but one thing unites us all--we know how easily they can be misplaced. And how some of us find knitting cables--those exquisite areas of texture on a sweater or hat that show off a knitter's skill and a designer's eye--to slow our lightning fast stitching down to a crawl. Susan Barrington showed us that one could live life without a cable needle. If one is ever stuck without the needle, and can't find an appropriate implement to replace it (a straw, a broken chopstick), there are ways to carry on with one's project, serene in the knowledge that the stitches will indeed stitch in the right direction.
We learned to trust that if we slid some stitches off the needles they wouldn't necessarily drop into oblivion, and with the right manipulation, on and off the needles, one could in fact, cable without a cable needle. Susan has provided a link to the technique here in the sidebar for those who could not join us for our afternoon, and for those (like me) who need some reminders of what it was, exactly, that we did. In fact, I'm going to go look them up right now so that I can twist away on my new sweater project.
Yarn Review
by Keely Stuever, Sealed With A Kiss (Guthrie)
There is an exciting new yarn from Berroco – ULTRA ALPACA. This super soft, moderately-priced worsted weight yarn is available in a gorgeous color range. Ultra Alpaca is put up in a 100gm, 215 yd ball. It felts beautifully and is great for felted purses, hats & more. Knitters and Crocheters alike are finding Ultra Alpaca excellent for their projects. It is available at Sealed With A Kiss in Guthrie.
Book Critique
By Margaret Bauer. Gourmet Yarns (Oklahoma City)
When the Guild asked me to do a book review article, I wondered where to start since there is such large assortment of books on the market. Like movies, what is one’s favorite is not necessarily another’s. So, for this first article I would like to discuss how I critique a book and give you some guidelines for choosing one.
When ordering books for the store, I try to think of everyone’s various tastes and skill levels. A lot of my books are bought sight unseen so when they arrive and I critique them, I look first for the illustrations and photos. Naturally, one looks for eye appeal first, but are the pictures close enough range to show detail? Case in point – recently there was a poncho pattern in the local newspaper that at first glance looked quite appealing. I had more than one customer bring in the photo to see if I could duplicate it. Upon studying the picture, I realized that there wasn’t any way to have the poncho made like it was with that small of a neck opening. You could see in the photo where they had bunched up the poncho on the shoulder trying to hide the extra material in the back. Another day, one customer brought in an ad showing the cabled scarves that a local store was selling. It was quite interesting to see how the main scarf in the photo was actually turned to the inside. You don’t want to be spending money on a book that has sloppy details. Also, the illustrations should show stitches clearly – if it’s a beginner’s book – do they show the hands in the picture? (I will discuss beginner’s books in the my next article)
I also flip to the back of the book to see if there is a help section part. Do they show illustrations of some of the stitches used in the book? They should. On the pattern, I look for easy accessibility on the information I want. I hate patterns where I have to hunt around for the gauge. Also, some patterns have a definite pattern stitch throughout the garment but the pattern does not tell you if the gauge was done using stockinette or the pattern stitch. If the pattern doesn’t say, then usually it’s stockinette stitch used for the gauge. I can usually tell by the gauge what stitch was used but a beginner would have a hard time knowing. Frustration for beginners usually leads to one giving up knitting.
Then finally, there’s the price. Sometimes there is only one pattern in a book that you really like. Sometimes, that’s enough for me to buy it, but most times not. However, if there are 3 or more that I like, I find it less expensive to buy the book than patterns individually. However, I’m a true collector of reference books. I love them and have about 30 in my personal collection. You’ll use reference books your whole knitting life and no one book can cover it all.
In my next article, I will be reviewing Vogue Knitting Beginner Basics. It’s the book that we use at The Gourmet Yarn Co. in our beginning knitting classes.
Feb 19th – Let’s talk socks – Bette Deputy
Mar 19th – Learn Lace – Gloria Reich, Swap Meet
Apr 9th – How to do Swatches
May 21st – Learn some different cast-ons
Jun 18th – Not Your Grandma’s Dishcloths
Jul 16th – Show and Tell
Please note that the April meeting is on the second Sunday, rather than the third, due to Easter.
New Meeting Place
We will be meeting at the Belle Isle Library in a downstairs conference room starting Feb 19th. We meet from 3 pm to 5 pm. We are allowed to bring food and drinks as long as we don’t take them into the book area.
We are on a 6 month trial period to see if library patrons are interested in the Guild. There will be a sign up sheet at the reference desk and the library will be keeping a head count to see how many people actually show up.
We are very grateful to Anita Roesler for getting us set up at the library and she has suggested we all stop (and encourage friends to also) in at Belle Isle and sign up at the reference desk. We might need to do this every month until we find out if they feel the interest is high enough.
Announcements
Lamb names and winners will be announced at the February meeting. A poll at the Knit Guild yahoo group will be open starting Feb 12th to vote on the names you like the best. You can vote for five different names.
Don’t forget March will be our swap meet. Bring magazines, books, yarns, projects, or whatever you have knit related. We’ll set up a table in the back of the room and browse it as the meeting goes along.
Do you know of or belong to a knitting group? We are looking for names and dates of statewide knit-togethers. As people inquire about the Guild, we’d like to be able to tell them about any regular informal group gatherings.
Life Without a Cable Needle
by Emily Schnabl, Guild Scribe
One of the pesky side effects of knitting is that it comes with dainty accessories that always seem to turn up missing at crucial points in your project. Family members borrow scissors without asking (and without replacing them), measuring tapes find hitherto-unknown crevices in the sofa, and stitch markers go off into the same black hole that contains ballpoint pens and single socks. But if you attended our January guild meeting you would know that you could face the loss of a particular tool without fear.
I'm talking about the humble cable needle. There are partisans of various kinds of cable needles: u-shaped, flying birds, straight--but one thing unites us all--we know how easily they can be misplaced. And how some of us find knitting cables--those exquisite areas of texture on a sweater or hat that show off a knitter's skill and a designer's eye--to slow our lightning fast stitching down to a crawl. Susan Barrington showed us that one could live life without a cable needle. If one is ever stuck without the needle, and can't find an appropriate implement to replace it (a straw, a broken chopstick), there are ways to carry on with one's project, serene in the knowledge that the stitches will indeed stitch in the right direction.
We learned to trust that if we slid some stitches off the needles they wouldn't necessarily drop into oblivion, and with the right manipulation, on and off the needles, one could in fact, cable without a cable needle. Susan has provided a link to the technique here in the sidebar for those who could not join us for our afternoon, and for those (like me) who need some reminders of what it was, exactly, that we did. In fact, I'm going to go look them up right now so that I can twist away on my new sweater project.
Yarn Review
by Keely Stuever, Sealed With A Kiss (Guthrie)
There is an exciting new yarn from Berroco – ULTRA ALPACA. This super soft, moderately-priced worsted weight yarn is available in a gorgeous color range. Ultra Alpaca is put up in a 100gm, 215 yd ball. It felts beautifully and is great for felted purses, hats & more. Knitters and Crocheters alike are finding Ultra Alpaca excellent for their projects. It is available at Sealed With A Kiss in Guthrie.
Book Critique
By Margaret Bauer. Gourmet Yarns (Oklahoma City)
When the Guild asked me to do a book review article, I wondered where to start since there is such large assortment of books on the market. Like movies, what is one’s favorite is not necessarily another’s. So, for this first article I would like to discuss how I critique a book and give you some guidelines for choosing one.
When ordering books for the store, I try to think of everyone’s various tastes and skill levels. A lot of my books are bought sight unseen so when they arrive and I critique them, I look first for the illustrations and photos. Naturally, one looks for eye appeal first, but are the pictures close enough range to show detail? Case in point – recently there was a poncho pattern in the local newspaper that at first glance looked quite appealing. I had more than one customer bring in the photo to see if I could duplicate it. Upon studying the picture, I realized that there wasn’t any way to have the poncho made like it was with that small of a neck opening. You could see in the photo where they had bunched up the poncho on the shoulder trying to hide the extra material in the back. Another day, one customer brought in an ad showing the cabled scarves that a local store was selling. It was quite interesting to see how the main scarf in the photo was actually turned to the inside. You don’t want to be spending money on a book that has sloppy details. Also, the illustrations should show stitches clearly – if it’s a beginner’s book – do they show the hands in the picture? (I will discuss beginner’s books in the my next article)
I also flip to the back of the book to see if there is a help section part. Do they show illustrations of some of the stitches used in the book? They should. On the pattern, I look for easy accessibility on the information I want. I hate patterns where I have to hunt around for the gauge. Also, some patterns have a definite pattern stitch throughout the garment but the pattern does not tell you if the gauge was done using stockinette or the pattern stitch. If the pattern doesn’t say, then usually it’s stockinette stitch used for the gauge. I can usually tell by the gauge what stitch was used but a beginner would have a hard time knowing. Frustration for beginners usually leads to one giving up knitting.
Then finally, there’s the price. Sometimes there is only one pattern in a book that you really like. Sometimes, that’s enough for me to buy it, but most times not. However, if there are 3 or more that I like, I find it less expensive to buy the book than patterns individually. However, I’m a true collector of reference books. I love them and have about 30 in my personal collection. You’ll use reference books your whole knitting life and no one book can cover it all.
In my next article, I will be reviewing Vogue Knitting Beginner Basics. It’s the book that we use at The Gourmet Yarn Co. in our beginning knitting classes.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Newsletter Announcement
The Guild is happy to offer you a place to read our monthly newsletter. We will try to have the newsletter published in the first week of every month. Notices will be sent out to the local Yahoo knitting groups when it arrives.
Not only will you find the newsletter here, but also links for our favorite free knitting patterns and any other announcements from the Guild.
You can also stay informed of Guild activities by joining our Yahoo group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MetroOKCKnitGuild.
Not only will you find the newsletter here, but also links for our favorite free knitting patterns and any other announcements from the Guild.
You can also stay informed of Guild activities by joining our Yahoo group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MetroOKCKnitGuild.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)