2025 Minnesota State Fair Winners

Congratulations to all the MKG members who won ribbons at the 2025 MN State Fair. We know how hard the competition is here and every ribbon is a real statement of your knitting ability!

MINNESOTA KNITTERS’ GUILD ROSETTE WINNERS (These winner also receive a year Guild membership.)

Best Hand Knit Article – Denise Klinkner

Best Shawl – Amy Roos

Best Mittens – Alla Hale

Best Hat – Phoebe Miron Kroll

Best Afghan – Michelle Kessler

Best Sweater – Denise Klinkner

Best Socks – Jessica Campbell

Best Gloves – Jessica Campbell

Best Vest, Cape, or Poncho – Elizabeth Hansen

Best Non-Wearable  – Bonnie Esplie

NEEDLECRAFT

Afghan, one piece, 2700-3800 sq. in.
1. Michelle Kessler
2. Suzanne Ross

Bedspread, min. size 3801 sq. in.
4. Thyra Nelson

Shawl or stole, heavy weight yarn, 16 in. or more in width
3. Karen Christopherson
4. Kelly Auer

Shawl or stole, medium weight yarn, 16 in. or more in width
1. Jessica Silver
4. Jodi Horne

Shawl, light weight yarn, 25 in. and over in depth from neckline
4. Sherry Palfalvi

Shawlette, medium weight yarn, up to 25 in. in depth from neckline
4. Meaghan Harvey

Mittens (includes fingerless gloves), texture
4. Tiffany Hill

Mittens (includes fingerless gloves), color pattern
1. Alla Hale
2. Melaura (Meg) Schmidt Duncan

Scarf, heavyweight yarn, less than 16 in. wide
3. Susan Rainey
5. Cassandra McCullough

Scarf, lightweight yarn, less than 16 in. wide
1. Claire Rosenfrisk
4. Marilyn Thompson
5. Elizabeth Watkins

Gloves
1. Jessica Campbell
2. Bonnie Esplie

Cap or hat, plain
2. Meaghan Harvey

Cap or hat, texture
1. Jodi Horne
5. Alla Hale

Cap or hat, color pattern or intarsia
2. Melaura (Meg) Schmidt Duncan
3. Kristin McHale
4. Susan Rainey
5. Lucy Norman

Socks, solid, texture
1. Kristin McHale
2. Carrie Ohnstad
4. Christine Petterson

Socks, open work
3. Kelsey Sorenson

Socks, color or intarsia
1. Jessica Campbell
3. Christine Petterson

Socks, plain or ribbed
1. Kristi Peterson
3. Kelly Amoth
4. Elizabeth Nee

Adult sweater, plain pullover
2. Kelsey Sorenson

Adult sweater, plain cardigan
2. Elizabeth Nee
5. Lucy Norman

Adult sweater, overall texture pullover
2. Jessica Campbell

Adult sweater, limited use, texture pullover
1. Julia Reimer
4. Alla Hale

Adult sweater, limited use, texture cardigan
3. Deepa Nirmal

Adult sweater, overall color pattern pullover
1. Steve Robb
3. Brooke Roegge

Adult sweater, overall color pattern cardigan
2. Brooke Roegge

Adult sweater, limited use, color pattern cardigan
2. Shelley Hartman

Adult jacket/coat, outerwear
3. Elizabeth Watkins

Sleeveless sweater or vest, plain or texture; color pattern or intarsia
2. Susan Rainey
5. Deepa Nirmal

Cowls
3. Susan Rainey
5. Jodi Horne

Cape or poncho
5. Shelley Hartman

Knit bag, non-felted
1. Lynne Gunderson
5. Michelle Kessler

Not otherwise specified, wearable
2. Susan Rainey

Not otherwise specified, not wearable
1. Bonnie Esplie
2. Diana Garlinghouse
3. Kira Wortman

The Yarnery Rosette – best color work mittens 
Alla Hale

Northern Lights Handspinners Guild Rosette – best item made using any fiber technique (knitting) from yarn hand-spun by the exhibitor 
Elizabeth Nee

Northfield Yarn Rosette – best multi-colored hand-knit sweater
Steve Robb

WORK OF SENIOR CITIZENS

Knitted adult vest or sweater
2. Steve Robb
4. Susan Rainey

Knitted scarf
3. Susan Rainey
4. Ruth Johnson

Knitted, not otherwise specified in above
3. Karen Lehman
4. Susan Rainey

GARMENT MAKING

Infant and Toddler Sweater or jacket, knitted
1. Susan Rainey

Infant and Toddler 3-piece ensemble, knitted
1. Bonnie Esplie

The Bee and Honey results will be added once they are announced.

Hopefully, we caught all the handknitting awards our members received this year, but it is easy to miss someone. If you see something we’ve missed please send us an email.

Recent Posts

Our spinning demonstrations are sponsored by Get Bentz Farm. 

Theresa Bentz of Get Bentz Farm, Northfield, MNAfter growing up in the city and suburbs, the owners of Get Bentz Farm felt a need to be closer to nature and to be more connected to where their food came from. 

In 2014, they found a farm house for sale and later that year they decided on and purchased their first two Icelandic sheep. 

Once they had a good size flock they began marketing the amazing meat and wool. Initially, they found that many mills in the area do not process dual coated long wools, which slowed down their growth in yarn, but they did find a great market for wool filled bedding products and batting for spinning. 

Today, they have a variety of yarns, batting and roving as well as finished products like dryer balls, sheepskins, and wool bedding. Most recently, they opened their own Get Bentz Wool Mill as well as their own line of yarn – Badgerface Fiber.

Jean

Vice President

(Term 1, Year 2)

Jean Gross has had an interest in all things fiber since, at the age of 5, her mother gave her fabric scraps to keep her occupied. She is fluent in knitting, crocheting, tatting, embroidery, sewing, quilting and spinning, thanks to her mother, Janice, and grand mother, Clara. But Jean’s favorite thing to do with fiber is help others to explore its possibilities. She has taught at the Iowa State Fair, Des Moines Library, Freedom for Youth, the Des Moines Knitting Guild, Shepherds Market, local yarn shops and also teaches privately. Jean has served on several non-profit boards including FiberSmiths of Iowa and the Des Moines Knitting Guild. Jean lives in north central Iowa with her husband, Dave, and faithful canine, Rolo. She has published several knitting patterns.

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jtgross

Andi

Newsletter Editor

Andi (she/her) learned to knit from her mom over 40 years ago. She remembers going to MKG meetings in college when they were held at St. Kate’s, her alma mater. She knit on-and-off again for a while, and really dove back into the craft in 2015. She is also a quilter. She enjoys traveling and her husband is happy to stop at a yarn store or to look at sheep while on vacation. She and her husband live in the St. Paul area, both enjoy their respective crafts, and also going to the State Fair multiple times a season.

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Judy

Yarnover Committee Chair

From one of her mother’s friends, Judy learned to knit a pair of “paputki,” which are simple Polish house slippers.  Somehow this gave her the confidence to knit her boyfriend a cabled pullover sweater for Valentine’s Day which was graciously accepted and has lived in the bottom of the bottom drawer of said boyfriend’s dresser for fifty plus years.  Though she has made a few sweaters since then, she mostly knits blankets, scarves, hats and toys.

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Ravelry

Thyra

Marketing Director

(Term 1, Year 2)

I grew up watching my mom knit. She tried to teach me as a kid and I never enjoyed it, but after finishing college I found myself with extra time and no hobbies. In the last 20 years I have dove in all the way and love to learn new and challenging techniques. As my fiber love has grown, I have also started raising sheep in order to go from sheep to sweater. I love interacting with the sheep who have big personalities and learning to process and spin the wool has been a great adventure.

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Maria

Technology Director

(Term 1, Year 1)

Maria learned to knit from her grandmothers nearly 20 years ago and knit off and on through her teenage years, but really got hooked during graduate school. Since then, she has embraced the "never not knitting" mentality and has been spotted knitting on backpacking trips, on a seaplane, and at concerts to name a few. She has also just taught herself to spin. Maria is a recent transplant to the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats, and they enjoy hiking, running, and embracing the Minnesota lake culture.

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vrantisus

Nikky

Programming Director

(Term 1, Year 2)

Nikky was first introduced to knitting in 2012 when her visiting sister-in-law taught her the basics of casting on and the knit stitch. A few weeks later, she learned how to purl from her mother-in-law. From there, it quickly became a passion and she has taken on each new project with a desire to expand her skill and discover new techniques. She loves a good mystery (knit-a-long) and knits way more shawls than a single person can wear in a month.

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FroggyGirl72

Deb

Service Director

(Term 1, Year 2)

Deb learned to knit in the early 1980s as a happy by-product of Hill Street Blues fandom. For a couple of years, she and a gaggle of other students met weekly to watch the show, and one of those friends was always knitting. As it is with so many knitters, that friend was enthused to teach someone else. Deb has been knitting ever since and particularly enjoys playing with colorwork and knitting sweaters. She is constantly astonished at the skill, enthusiasm, and generosity of MKG members. (she, her, hers) (See our Service Knitting Page for more information about our current projects and donation process.)

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Meg

Membership

(Term 1, Year 1)

Meg learned to knit in Bloomington, Indiana at the age of 7 or 8 when her Aunt Anneke who worked in a local yarn shop had to take her along to work. Now a St. Paul denizen, she follows in the tradition of her grandmothers Pauline and Cornelia as a passionate knitter of sweaters. She loves colorwork, bright yarn and meeting new members. Meg is an extrovert and is always happy to connect!

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dotmeg

Kathryn

Treasurer

(Term 1, Year 1)

Kathryn taught herself to knit in grad school, which is a terrible time to pick up a highly addictive hobby! She has since taken many classes, learned from master knitters and explored numerous techniques like brioche, double knitting, bead work, and more. She always has at least four projects on the needles but mysteriously, her yarn stash never seems to go down. Her favorite projects are shawls and socks. In addition to knitting, she does some crochet, tatting, spinning, and weaving. She was inspired to volunteer for the Guild after her first Great Guild Getaway and is excited to give back to this community of incredible knitters!

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KDBren

Kendra

Secretary

(Term 1, Year 3)

Kendra lives in the Twin Cities and learned to hand knit from her mother in middle school. In the last few years, she has also learned crochet and machine knitting. Kendra enjoys knitting items to donate and challenging herself with new techniques. She prefers knitting in the round with colorful yarn. (she, her, hers)

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Meg

President

(Term 1, Year 2)

Meg grew up surrounded by makers. Her mom, a master quilter, former Home Ec teacher, and 4-H club leader in Duluth, taught her to sew, embroider, and cook. She won a trip to the State Fair as the Dress Review Princess at 13! Another MKG member taught her to knit continental style 15 years ago. Meg can’t sit still and NOT be knitting, embroidering, rug hooking or sewing. Favorite thing to knit? Mittens! She loves taking classes and learning new things – absolutely amazed and inspired by all the amazing knitters in the guild! (she, her, hers)

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finchgirl

Kathy

Webmaster

Kathy has always been into crafts, but didn’t teach herself to knit until after college. She really got hooked while living in San Francisco when a friend opened a knitting store. To pitch in, Kathy started knitting up fun (and odd) things for window displays, as well as teaching classes. In the last couple of years, she has started designing her own knitting patterns (many of them available for free on Ravelry!) with toys and mittens being her primary obsessions. (she/her/hers)

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katbaro