Vol 2 Issue 10 October 2007

Welcome back to Susan, our Guild Founder. It was good to see her smiling face at our meeting Sunday. We also had lots of new faces visiting us for the first time. A big WELCOME to everyone who came to the meeting for the first time. It is great to see our guild growing. If you weren’t at the meeting, here’s what you missed!


******************** Reports ********************

Guild Library (Bethany)
Bethany reminded us of the various types of books available for member use. She showed us one book about Teddy Bear Knits. If you would like to view what is available, you can go to http://www.okcknitlibrary.blogspot/. If you would like Bethany to bring anything specific to a guild meeting, just let her know.


Beginner Knitting/Social Committee (Terri Derrick)
· Holiday Party: Our holiday party will take place in December. If you would like to help or have some ideas for some activities, please let Terri know. Terri has set up a database on our yahoo group page that will allow you to sign up and show what you will be bringing. Check it out at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MetroOKCKnitGuild/database


Finances (Keela Mostek)
Keela gave us an update on Finances.


Swap Meet (Susan Barrington)
Reminded us how the swap works – you can exchange yarn, knitting accessories, or magazines for equal value. If you weren’t able to participate in this one, we will do another swap in March of next year.


********** Old Business **************************

Profile Sheets: If you haven’t filled one out, be sure to do so at the next meeting


2008 Educational Programs: A list of the educational topics has been set up for the new year. We will get them posted within the next few weeks.


TKGA – The Knitting Guild Association: Information and applications are available at each meeting. If you would like to join TKGA, you can fill out one of the applications or enroll online. If you want further information, check them out at http://www.tkga.com/.


Nominating Committee: A committee was set up to take names for next year’s election. Two of our board officers – President and Secretary – will be voted on and replaced in January. The other two board officers – Vice President and Treasurer – will stay on an additional year to help with incoming officers. If you have anyone that you would like to nominate for the office of President or Secretary, please let the following people know before or by December 8th:
Brenda Asher knitterba@aol.com
Anita Roseler aroesler2@cox.net


**************** New Business ***************************

Metro Family Magazine: We are CELEBRITIES!!! The OKC Metro Knitting Guild was spotlighted in the October issue of Metro Family Magazine. You can find copies of the magazine wherever free publications are hosted (such as WalMart).

Build-A-Bear: There was some discussion about getting together as a group one afternoon at either Penn Square or Quail Springs Mall to stuff a bear and then sit and knit. Not only would it create exposure for the Guild, but would also aid in collecting bears and bear sweaters for our Precious Pals charity program. If you are interested in participating, contact Kathy Knox or Terri Derrick.

******** Educational Program - Mosaic Knitting *********

A big THANKS to Jo Ellyn for sharing her multitude of knitting skills with us. Jo Ellyn introduced us to Mosaic Knitting at our October meeting. She showed us how easy it is to knit two colors together into various patterns. Thanks Jo Ellyn for doing a great job!

November Meeting: CyberKnitting

Sunday, November 18 @ 3:00 p.m.

Vol 2 Issue 9 September 2007

September brings some good news! We were excited to learn that Susan is doing better and her last checkup showed she is cancer free. What a great start to our meeting today. Here is more news from today……

************************ Reports ************************

Charity Knitting (Linda Pahdoco)
* Our charity contributions of infant accessories (hats, buntings, etc) are going well. Current needs are hats for full-term babies. However, continue to keep those preemie hats and burial buntings coming.
* Anna brought in lots of teddy bears that we can use for our Precious Pals project. Sweater patterns for our bears are available at each meeting. We have a contact at the Oklahoma Sheriff’s department and will be making a contribution of Teddy Bears towards the end of the year.
* One of our newest members, Naomi, brought in lots of yarn that we can use for our charity knitting. If you would like to knit some things for charity and need some yarn, you are welcome to get some from the Guild’s stash. Thanks Naomi for sharing the yarn with us!

Guild Library (Bethany)
Bethany reminded us of the various types of books available for member use. If you would like to view what is available, you can go to www.okcknitlibrary.blogspot. If you would like Bethany to bring anything specific to a guild meeting, just let her know.

Beginner Knitting/Social Committee (Carolyn Faircloth)
· Beginner’s Kits: We are starting to run low on kits. If you have any extra totes, needles, yarn, and/or small cosmetic bags (used to keep knitting accessories in), please bring them to the next meeting.
· Holiday Party: Our holiday party will take place in December. If you would like to help or have some ideas for some activities, please let Terri know. Terri has set up a database on our yahoo group page for those interested. Check it out at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MetroOKCKnitGuild/database


Finances (Keela Mostek)
Financial update

Swap Meet (Carolyn Faircloth)
Next month is our Swap Meet. Susan Barrington is our chair person for this and we are looking forward to her return to our meetings. For the meet, bring any yarn/fiber, needles, books, magazines, etc. that you do not want and you can ‘swap’ it for something that someone else brings. It’s a great way to get new stuff!

********** Old Business **************************
Profile Sheets: If you haven’t filled one out, be sure to do so at the next meeting

2008 Educational Programs: Carolyn has sent out a schedule of next year topics to those individuals who have volunteered to be presenters. Once she receives confirmation back from everyone, she will put all the information together and present to the Guild.

TKGA – The Knitting Guild Association: Information and applications are available at each meeting. If you would like to join TKGA, you can fill out one of the applications or enroll online. If you want further information, check them out at www.tkga.com.



**************** New Business ***************************
Nominating Committee: It’s getting close to that time! In a few months, we will be looking at nominating two new Executive Board Members for the year 2008. We would like to form a nomination committee that will keep track of those who are nominated (or volunteer) and help with the voting. If you would like to serve on the committee, let anyone of the current Executive Board members know. In the meantime, be thinking of people you would like to see serve on the Board.

Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2007

Happy August!
There is a lot happening at the OKC Metro Knit Guild. Thanks for being a part of our meeting today. Here’s what happened….

******************* Reports **************************

Charity Knitting (Carolyn Faircloth)
* Kathy Knox has stepped down from chairing this committee. We appreciate all the work she has done this year in this area and look forward to having her back in the chair position at a later time.
* Linda Pahdoco volunteered to take over this area. We welcome Linida and her many talents!
Charity Knitting Notebook: With the switchover in committee chair, our pattern notebook was not available today. It will be back at the meeting next week.

Guild Library (Bethany)
Reviewed some of the books we have in our Guild library. If you would like to view what is available, you can go to http://www.okcknitlibrary.blogspot/. If you would like Bethany to bring anything specific to a guild meeting, just let her know.

Beginner Knitting/Social Committee (Terri Derrick)
· Recapped our World Wide Knit In celebration.
· Beginner’s Kits: We are in need of size 8 or bigger needles.
· Gave out two beginner’s kits at the meeting (Hooray!!)

Finances (Keela Mostek)
* Financial update
* Passed out membership packets

Secretary (Brenda Asher)
New website is still being worked on.

********** Old Business **************************
Profile Sheets: If you haven’t filled one out, be sure to do so at the next meeting

2008 Educational Programs: We have gotten a lot of suggestions for topics next year. Carolyn is working on a schedule and getting it all blocked out for next year.

By-Laws & Member Packets: Packets were handed out to everyone who has voluntarily contributed $5 or more to the Guild. If you have contributed money but were not able to get to the meeting today, we will have the packet for you at next month’s meeting.


**************** New Business ***************************
Holiday Party: Begin thinking about what you all would like to do for our Holiday Party. If you have any suggestions, let Terri Derrick know.



***** Educational Program: Janice Robinson ******
Wow! This presentation was great! Janice owns an alpaca farm just out of Oklahoma City. She showed us pictures of all of her alpacas and talked to us about the shearing process, how it goes to the mill, and comes back. She also showed us some things that were made with yarn made from alpacas.

Vol 2 Issue 7 July 2007

Hello to all Knitters!

Our July meeting was FANTASTIC!! We had 21 people at our meeting - 11 of them were first time visitors and new to knitting. It was so exciting to see all the people who knit working with those who wanted to learn. A big thanks to so many of you who pitched in and helped out - you all are the BEST! I am looking forward to next month to see what they have accomplished during our absence. For those of you who were not able to make it, we missed you and look forward to seeing you next month. Have a wonderful month knitting!


************************ Reports ************************

Charity Knitting (Kathy Knox)
Kathy discussed updates on meeting with our contact at Baptist's NICU. She also talked about the Precious Pals program with TKGA.

Librarian (Bethany Mickle)
Bethany showed us a few examples of books we have available in our library. She also presented a new book that was sent to us from a Sales Rep with Tauton Press. The title of the book is "When Bad Things Happen to Good Knitters."

Beginning Knitters & Social (Terri Derrick)
We are doing well with our donations at this time; however, we appreciate any donations that can be used in putting together our beginning knitters totes.

Treasurer (Keela Mostek)
We still have several donated memberships available. If you would like to become a member of the Knit Guild and cannot make a monetary donations, please see Keela or any one of the board members.

Secretary (Brenda Asher)
We have our own web domain name now. Linda and I are in the midst of learning about it and trying to get it up and running. I am hoping that by August, we can have you accessing our web site instead of the blog.


************************ Old Business ************************

Profile Sheets
We thank all of you who have filled out a profile sheet. If you have not filled one out, you can pick up a profile sheet at the entry table at our meeting. If you need to update your information, you can email Carolyn or get with her at our next meeting.

2008 Educational Program
We are working on our educational programs for next year. If you have an idea of something you would like to learn or teach, please let one of the board members know.

Membership Packets
Our membership packets are close to being finished. Here are some of the things our packets will include:
>>> a membership card
>>> a copy of our by-laws
>>> TKGA application
>>> a list of current books in our library
>>> Knit Guild Membership Directory
>>> Officers contact list
>>> charity guide and pattersn
>>> A list of Oklahoma yarn shops
This should be available at our August meeting.

Promotional Fliers
The Oklahoma City Metropolitan Library has graciously created, printed and helped in distributing fliers about the OKC Metro Knit Guild. Fliers have been posted all around town at each of the libraries and in various other locations. A BIG thanks to Anita and others involved in this project!!

*********************** New Business *************************

Thank You Card
A thank you card was sent to Taunton Press for their book donation. All members at the guild meeting had the chance to sign their name to it.

Stitch and Pitch
For those of you who love to knit AND love to watch baseball, here's your chance. On August 6th in St. Louis, there will be a "Stitch and Pitch" event. For more information, you can check out their website at http://www.stichandpitch.com/.


********************** Educational Program ***********************

Keela Mostek did a wonderful job of showing us how easy it is to enter a knitted item in the Oklahoma State Fair. She talked about the various categories that you can enter an item in, showed us the paperwork involved, and showed us various samples of work (and her BLUE ribbons) that she has entered into the State Fair. Thanks for such a wonderful job, Keela!!!

Volume 2 Issue 6 June 07

Despite the fact that it was Father’s Day, we had a great turn out at the last Guild meeting. If you weren’t there, we missed you LOTS and hope to see you next month!


***************** Reports *****************

Charity Knitting (Carolyn Faircloth)
Hats, blankets, and bunting sets are still needed to help out local hospitals.
We are still looking for ways to collect bears to go with our TKGA charity project. If you have any donate or know of someone who would be willing to donate a bear, please let one of the board members know. We are hoping to make a presentation of our bears and sweaters in December.

Guild Library (Bethany)
A complete list of the titles available for checking out from the guild library is now available online. If you would like to view what is available, you can go to http://www.okcknitlibrary.blogspot.com. If you would like Bethany to bring anything specific to a guild meeting, just let her know.

Beginner Knitting/Social Committee (Carolyn Faircloth)
The public Knit In day was a huge success. Thanks to Terri and Anita for all their hard work in coordinating and getting this event together. Everyone who went had a wonderful time and new friends were made.

Finances (Keela Mostek)
There are 6 memberships that have been donated. If you would like to become a member and are unable to donate at this time, please see Keela and she will get you set up as a member.
A separate account has not been set up yet for the guild. We are still looking into the options and trying to figure out what will be best for the guild in the long run.

Secretary (Brenda Asher)
We are still working on the new website and hope to have that up and running before the summer is over. Thanks to Linda Pahdoco for all her hard work getting it started.
Knit Guild History Scrapbook: I am going to start working on a scrapbook showing the history and current happenings for the guild. If you have any information and/or pictures on how the guild was started and past meetings and events through now, please let me know. I would like to get it going and up to date by mid-August.

***************** Old Business *****************

Profile Sheets: If you haven’t filled one out, be sure to do so at the next meeting

2008 Educational Programs: We are working on getting our list of presenters lined up for 2008. If you would like to present at one of our meetings, please let Carolyn or one of the board members know. In addition, if you have any good ideas for next year, let us know!
By-Laws & Member Packets: coming soon…………

Local Yarn Shop Perks: (Linda Pahdoco)
We have contacted all of the local yarn shops about any kind of perks they could provide to our guild members. Margaret (Gourmet Yarn) has set something up for us through a vendor while she was at market (BIG THANKS to Margaret!!!). We will get more of the details on what it will be soon. We are still working with other yarn shops and will let you know if anything comes through.

***************** New Business *****************

The Metro Oklahoma City Knitting Guild is now listed on the national website for the Knitting Guild of America!!

*********** Educational Program: Enterlac ************

A BIG THANKS to Linda Pahdoco for showing us how to do Entrelac Knitting. Linda did a wonderful job of showing us various items made from this technique as well as showing us how to do entrelac knitting. GREAT JOB, Linda!

Volume 2 Issue 4 May 2007

A Note from the President…..
Many thanks, as always, for everyone's participation and input at the meeting and for the contributions of the precious baby items for the NICU!! I am so very proud to be a member of such a fantastic group!!!

I'm excited about our Knit In Public day at the library on June 9th!! Let's show up in force and let non-knitters know what they are missing!

As we go into the hot Oklahoma summer months it brings to mind that I used to think....years ago...that it was too hot to knit in the summer!! What was I thinking?!! There are so many options for small projects in cotton and other light weight fibers out there!! A perfect time for lace weight shawls, socks, baby projects, etc. So until next month...
Knit On!
Carolyn

**************** Reports **************************

Charity Knitting: With our recent affiliation with The Knitting Guild of American, we are now part of the nation wide charity program “Precious Pals.” For those who would like to, you can make clothing for stuffed bears that are used by our local law enforcement officials when they are dealing with children involved in traumatic experiences. Several copies of patterns for sweaters are in the Charity Notebook. You can pick them up at the next meeting!

Librarian: Welcome to our new librarian, Bethany Mickle. Bethany has created a new blog site showing what is available in our library. The site is: http://www.okcknitlibrary.blogspot/ . Thanks, Bethany!!!

Knit In Public (KIP) Day: Terri Derrick
Terri reminded us of the World Wide Knit In Public Day on Saturday, June 9th. Members of the Guild are going to meet downtown at the Ron Norrick Metro Library from 11:00 – 1:00 and knit in the atrium. For more information on the World Wide Knit In Day, check it out at http://www.wwkipday.com/.

Treasurer Report: Keela Mostek
A payment of $25 was made to The Knit Guild of America for affiliation dues.

************** Old Business *****************

Profile Sheets: A reminder if you have not filled out a profile sheet yet, please do. Information from these sheets will be used to make up a membership directory.

Contributing Member Packets: Carolyn Faircloth
We are continuing our work on creating a membership packet for all contributing members. Enclosed in the packet will things like: a membership card, membership directory, officer contact list, list of all the yarn shops in the metro and surrounding areas (maybe even state-wide), etc. We are still trying to work out the details on some things. Hopefully we will have this together before to long.

Web Domain: Linda Pahdoco
A website has been secured and we are in the process of getting it formatted and ready to set up. We are excited about this as a website will provide us with new opportunities to promote member talents and the Guild. We will let you know when it is available.


*************** New Business **************

2008 Educational Topics
What would you like to learn in 2008? That is what everyone was asked at our meeting. A brainstorming sheet was sent around and ideas were collected for possible subjects in 2008. If you weren’t at the meeting and have some ideas, please let one of the board members know.

Holiday Party
Discussion was held to see if we wanted to have a holiday party in December again. The answer was unanimously “yes.” Plans will get underway as the holidays approach us.


***** PROGRAM: CABLE KNITTING *********

It was good to have Melissa Ryan back with us. Melissa did a wonderful job educating us on the history of the various cable stitch patterns. She also gave us the low down on what books were available through the Public Library System. Melissa also showed us some different cable patterns made up into sweaters and afghans. Then Melissa got us going with a set of needles, a very easy cable pattern and a demonstration of how to work a cable stitch. GREAT JOB, MELISSA!


**************************************************
For further information regarding individual membership with The Knit Guild of America, see their website at: http://www.tkga.org/

Volume 2 Issue 3 April 2007

A Note from the President....
I am so honored that you have given me the opportunity to serve as your President this year! I appreciate your confidence in me and I will do my best to serve the Guild well. Thanks to each of you for your attendance and vote at the April Meeting. I am excited about the upcoming year and our efforts to "Build the Guild" and increase membership.

We really appreciate those of you who have contributed items for the NICU at Baptist Hospital. The Charity Table has been FULL of precious hats, booties, sweaters, buntings and blankets the past two months. Thank you, thank you...you are all awesome!!

I also want to thank the Executive Committee and the Committee Chairs for stepping up and spending your time and talents to make our Guild the best that it can be. I couldn't do it without you!
Knit On!
Carolyn Faircloth

********************** REPORTS **********************

Charity Knitting (Kathy Knox)
* Kathy took her first trip to Baptist hospital to present them with the many items you have knitted for them. They were very excited and so appreciative.
* Pattern Notebook: A notebook is now on display at each meeting containing patterns for hats, booties, and layettes/buntings. Each member is encouraged to take copies of the different patterns to use for our Charity knitting. Thank you Kathy for coming up with this great idea and getting it started!

Beginner Kits (Terri Derrick)
* We could use more of the small cosmetic bags to place in the beginner kits. These bags are used to hold various knitting tools (scissors, counters, place holders, etc.) that knitters use. They do not have to expensive ones either. Terri suggested getting them from someplace like The Dollar Tree or similar store.

PR - Promoting the Guild (Terri Derrick)
* Saturday, June 9th marks the next date for the US Public Knit In. Terri has lined up the atrium at the Oklahoma City Public Library located in downtown OKC. We will meet that Saturday at 11am and knit in the atrium until 1pm. Fliers, posters, etc. will be used to tell interested people more about the Knit Guild. The address is 300 Park Ave (between Park and Hudson) and parking is free on the weekend.

Financial Report (Keela Mostek)
* Keela gave a report on what we currently have in our Guild account.
* She is still researching possibilities for establishing a Knit Guild bank account.

********************** OLD BUSINESS **********************
TKGA Affiliated
We are now affiliated with The Knit Guild of America!!! The vote was put before the members at our Sunday meeting as to whether we wanted to become affiliated with TKGA or not. The vote was 16-0 in favor of TKGA. Carolyn will be filling out the paperwork and getting the necessary information together in the next few weeks to send in to them. Thank you for all the questions and discussion prior to our voting. If you have any other questions, please let any of the board members know and we will be happy to try and answer them.

Profile Sheets
The board is encouraging that all members fill out a Profile sheet. The information on it will help us as a Guild to know each other better. The information listed on the profile sheets will be used at a later date in our membership directory. If you do not want any of your information to be listed in the membership directory, please make a note of it on your profile sheet.

New Librarian
A big THANKS to Bethany Mickel for volunteering to be the Knit Guild Librarian. We are excited to have her oversee this for us.

Membership Packets
Linda Pahdoco has been talking with several of the knit shops in Oklahoma City about some special incentives for members of the OKC Knit Guild. At this time, nothing has been decided yet and it may take a few more months to determine if this is something we will be able to do. Thank you Linda, for taking the time to work on this!

New Website
The Executive Board is currently looking into the possibility of setting up our own website. Our web blog has been a wonderful tool for getting information out to everyone, but limits us to the amount of space we have. In addition, we would like to expand the services and information available to our Guild Members. More on this later.....

********************** NEW BUSINESS **********************
Knit Guild Meeting Sign In
The Library has asked that each member come by the registration desk up in the Library and sign in for the meeting. This is for their records. The Library has been gracious enough to underwrite the cost of our meeting room for us. To show our support and to document that we are presenting educational programs, please take the time to stop by and sign in each month. Don't forget to sign our Guild book too down in the meeting room!

PR - Promoting the Guild
The Marketing Department for the Metro Library system has graciously agreed to meet with Carolyn Faircloth to help us design and set up brochures for our Guild. Carolyn is hoping to meet with them within in the next few weeks. The brochures will be used through the different libraries to advertise our Guild and meeting times. We will also get to use them as a public tool to reach out into the community and promote interest in the Guild.

Beginner Knitting Classes
The group discussed the idea of having a special time set aside to teach people the beginning steps to knitting. Several suggestions were discussed - having a special Sunday meeting day set aside devoted to beginner knitters only; having a beginner's knitting class separate from Guild meetings (i.e. on a Tues night). No dates or times were set by the group at this time. We will need to discuss it at future meetings. We will be advertising at our Public Knit In on June 9th that we are willing to show people how to knit.

****************** EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM ******************
Knitting With Beads ---- Jo Ellyn Wheeler
WOW....what an exciting program! Jo Ellyn showed us the various techniques for knitting with beads. She had some wonderful sample cards showing the different ways and types of beads you could use. In addition, she had samples ready for everyone to work with so they could experience knitting with beads. Thank you Jo Ellyn for taking the time to share your knowledge and talent with us!

Volume 2 Issue 3 March 2007

Spring has SPRUNG!!
And so has our new board! The Executive Board met during the month of March to discuss some issues and come up with goals for the coming year. These items were discussed with the Guild at our March meeting. We appreciate all of you who were at the meeting and welcome your comments and suggestions. For those of you who were not able to attend, we certainly missed you and look forward to seeing you next month.

Attendance
We had approximately 22 members at our meeting with several new beginners. If you know of anyone who would like to learn how to knit or just interested in being with a great group of knitters, be sure and invite them to our April meeting. The more the merrier!!

************ Officer & Committee Reports ************
Charity Knitting – Kathy
* Charity Caps: Thanks for all who knitted caps for our hospital outreach. We were very low the month before, but now have a lot to give to the hospital.
* Charity Knitting Pattern Notebook: Kathy is setting up a notebook that will have copies of patterns you can take and make up for our charity. The notebook will be on the table along with the Membership book.
* Challenge of the Month: Kathy has issued a challenge to all members – knit a hat from the pattern she handed out at the meeting. Just think of all the little heads we will be protecting and keeping warm…..I’m going to give it a try!

Beginner Knitting Kits – Terri
We are so excited that Terri is going to continue as chairperson for this committee. She is doing a great job!
* Donations: We are doing pretty good with our kits right now. Donations are always welcomed.
* Beginner Classes: We discussed the idea of some beginner knitting classes in the future.
We had several new visitors at our March meeting who were interested in learning how to knit. Terri handed out at least 3 beginner kits. YIPEE! Let’s keep it up.

Finances - Keela
* Financial Report: Keela gave us a beginning and ending balance for the month.
* Membership donations: She reminded us that if we wanted to donate money into our account, we could. The cost is $5.
* Checking Account: Keela has been looking into several banks and options to open up a checking account for the Guild. At the moment, she has not established an account yet with any bank.

Newsletter/Blog – Brenda
Every effort is being made to update the blog within 2 days of the meeting. However, please keep in mind, that there are times when additional communication needs to be added and it may take a couple of days longer. We will try to add a couple of pictures from our meeting with each update starting next month.

Librarian - Carolyn
Carolyn reminded us that we have a source of knitting information in our library for anyone who is interested in checking anything out. A link is posted on our blog that will take you to a list of books we offer.

************ Old Business ************
Member Profile Sheets
If you have not filled out a member profile sheet or need to update your sheet, please do so at the next meeting. We are looking at putting together a Membership Directory in the near future.

Open Committee Positions
We did have two positions open for committee chairs. One was filled at the meeting, leaving one still open.
* Social Committee: The Guild would like to welcome and thank Terri Derrick for heading this committee. Terri & her group will be responsible for promoting and putting together any social event during our year. They will also aid us with our membership drive. If you are interested in working with Terri, please let her or any of the Board members know.
* Librarian: We are still looking for someone to head this position. If you are interested, please contact Carolyn (current committee chair) or any Board member.

************ New Business ************
By-Laws
We would like to establish some by-laws this year. The Board looked over several different ideas for creating by-laws and presented them to the members at our March meeting. Some of the options presented were:
1. To become affiliated with TKGA (The Knitting Guild of America). They already have by-laws in place and we would abide under them. Check out TKGA. If you did not get a list of the pros/cons for joining up with TKGA, email Brenda . I will be happy to email you a copy of it.
2. Create our own by-laws (similar or different from TKGA)
We ask that everyone consider both options and be ready to vote on the issue at our April meeting.

Public Knit-In (June 9th)
On Saturday, June 9th, we would like to join thousands of knitters across America in a public Knit-In event. If you have any ideas or suggestions on where we could meet and what we could do, let Terri know.

Guild Goals
During the next year, there are several things the Board would like to accomplish. We have tried to prioritize them according to their importance, but welcome any suggestions you might have to help us achieve them.
* Membership drive/Guild promotion: promoting our Guild more within the community through pamphlets, advertising, and flyers to get more people knitting
* Member Benefits: we would like to have a ‘membership’ card for all of those who have contributed to our funds. We are hoping that we can get some of our local and online vendors to give special discounts or have special promotions for those who have a Guild membership card.
* Membership Directory: showing who our members are and spotlighting their talents
* Guest Articles: possibly having various vendors/shop owners contribute articles to our newletter
* New Website: possibly going from a blog to an actual web domain.

************ Educational Program ************
Illusion Knitting - Kathy
Kathy gave us some great information regarding Illusion knitting. She shared some great resources with us (from the library and online) and showed us some examples of what Illusion knitting looks like. Thanks for all the information, Kathy!

********** UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS for 2007 **********
All meetings take place on the third Sunday of each month at the Belle Isle Library. Meetings are from 3:00-5:00pm.

April 15
Meeting Agenda: Vote on Affiliation with TKGA or not
Educational Program - Knitting with Beads (Jo Ellyn Wheeler)

Future Educational Programs:
May 20 Cable Knitting
June 17 Enterlac
July 15 Duplicate Stitch

Volume 2 Issue 2 February 2007

Welcome to a new Board….
February’s meeting brought in a new set of Board members for the 2007-08 year. Elections were held and the following new board members were elected:
> President: Carolyn Fairchild
> Vice President: Linda Pahdoco
> Treasurer: Keela Mostek
> Secretary: Brenda Asher
The board would like you all to know that we are excited about continuing with Susan’s vision – that the Oklahoma City Knit Guild grow and reach those who are interested in knitting and serving our community. We thank you for your support and look forward to serving you in the upcoming year.

Swap Meet
Are you ready for ‘swap meet’? We will have our next swap meet at our March meeting. It’s easy to participate in – simply bring any knitting item (needles, yarn, books, etc.) that you are no longer using or want and swap it for something that someone else brought and you can use. Come in March and enjoy!

Charity Knitting
The Guild would like to welcome Kathy Knox as the new chair person for our charity knitting. We are excited to have Kathy representing us. She will do a great job! If you have any ideas or suggestions, please share them with her.

List Moderators
Two new list moderators volunteered. Joyce Morris and Brenda Asher will now be moderating the guild listserv.

Magic Loop Presentation
Anita Roesler did a wonderful job of teaching us how to knit using the Magic Loop method. Great job, Anita!!

Guild Librarian
We are looking for a volunteer to head our Guild library. If you are interested, please let Carolyn know.

********** UPCOMING EVENTS **********

Meeting Dates and Times:

March 18, 2007 3:00-5:00pm Belle Isle Library
>>>> SWAP MEET will also take place today!

April 15, 2007 3:00-5:00pm Belle Isle Library
Knitting with Beads – Jo Ellyn Wheeler

Vol 2 Issue 1 January 2007

This Will Be The Year……
to learn some wonderful new things in knitting and our January meeting proved it! After the business part of the meeting, 30 of us got out our homework and Susan started our year of knitting growth with a lesson on how to do short rows. I couldn’t believe how easy it was! It was neat to hear all the different ideas of how it could be used – washcloths, baby blankets, etc. Such a creative group! I am looking forward to all the wonderful things we can learn this year and our growth as a group.

Lots of things were discussed at our January meeting. If you weren’t there, we missed you and hope you will be able to join us in February. In the meantime, here are some of the things discussed:

Beginner Kit Project
We are still in need of donations for our beginner knitting kits. These kits are handed out free to those who express an interest in learning how to knit. Here are the items that are given.
* bag – some kind of tote to hold their knitting items
* skeins of yarn
* needles – short, sizes 7 or 8 (we are very low on needles)
* cosmetic type bag to hold scissors and knitting accessories
* DVD or CD-Rom showing basic “how-to” knit.


Personal Profiles
If you have not filled out a Personal Profile sheet, please do so at the next meeting. A Guild booklet is being put together so we can get to know each other better.


Knitting Library
Carolyn reminded us that a list of the books we have in our library can be found online on our website. Books can be checked out for as long as you need it. If you have a book for longer than a month, please recheck it out each month.

Knit Out Day
Saturday, February 17th is Knit Out Day! Take your knitting public that day and show others the joy of knitting.

Nominations for 2007 Board Members
A final list of board nominees was announced at the meeting. We will be voting on board members at our February meeting.

Board Members Term Limits
Guild members also took the opportunity to discuss term limits for each board member. Here is what was decided:
* Voting for new board members will take place yearly, in January
* Board members will be rotated off the board two at a time
First year: voting will take place for new President and Secretary
Following year: voting will take place for Vice President and Treasurer
This will allow us to keep some continuity in the board by having people who are familiar with what is going on help new people rotating onto the board.
* Board members will have a limit of 2 years on the board and then they have to rotate off. They can serve on the board again after a minimum of one year off the board.

Guild Dues Donation
The discussion of dues was opened again. Since we are meeting at the Library, we are not allowed to charge people to attend our meetings. However, we felt that it would help us as a group to have some type of membership donation. The money would be used to help bring in special speakers, provide materials for charitable projects we undertake, and supplies that might be needed. Several dollar amounts were suggested. After much discussion, it was decided that each guild member would try to donate $5 a year. We are asking that the membership donation be made by our March meeting.

Charity Connections
Anna announced the conclusion of the charity knitting contest and the three winners. They were:
First Place: Ginny
Second Place: Keela
Third Place: JoEllyn

Congratulations to all of you who made hats, booties, and blankets for this project!!!


********** VERY IMPORTANT NEWS **************

Meeting Dates and Times:

February 18, 2007 3:00-5:00pm Belle Isle Library
Magic Loop Method – Anita Roesler

March 18, 2007 3:00-5:00pm Belle Isle Library
Cable Knitting – Melissa Ryan
>>>> SWAP MEET will also take place today!

Vol 1 Issue 11 December 2006

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

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)

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

********** UP DATE *********

I have tried and tried to post pictures of the meeting, but blogger is being totally uncooperative.

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”!

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

Vogue Knitting The Ultimate Knitting Book
Review contributed by Margaret Bauer of Gourmet Yarns

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.