July ’22 Meeting Wrap-Up

Yellow blocking mat with blocking wires and pins on top of it.

 

Thanks to everyone who attended this month’s meeting with Kate Atherley. It was such an informative talk about blocking and fiber care, I personally learned so much. From all the questions, I think a lot of you did too. Members, watch for the recording of the meeting to be posted in the dashboard. By the way, if you missed the June meeting, that recording is now available.

Board Update

Thank you to everyone who voted. We did reach quorum and the board has been approved. Also we have filled our open board positions! Meg Duncan will be joining the board as Vice President and Janet Ungs will be joining as Programming Director. The new term starts August 1st. You can find bios and contact information for our board members on our Leadership page. We are currently updating it for the new term.

Garage Sale

Our summer Garage Sale is this Saturday, July 23rd from 11am – 3pm rain or shine. Help support the Guild and get great deals on yarn, books, and tools. We will be accepting donations of yarn and tools at the Garage Sale. We don’t currently have room for anymore books or magazines. We will also be accepting items for our service knitting partners. Get all the details here.

Service Knitting

Graph showing how many hats and mittens the Guild has received towards the goal of 550 each. We have 445 hats and 105 pairs of mittens.

The graph above shows where we currently stand on donations for Sanya’s Hope. As you can see we need more kids’ mittens. We also need hats, mittens, slippers, lap blankets, and other items for our other partner MoveFwd. We will continue to have drop-off dates throughout the year and can accept items through late fall. More information and links to patterns are on the Service Knitting page.

Demoing at the State Fair

We have the opportunity to promote the Guild and demonstrate knitting in the Creative Activities Building at the Minnesota State Fair this year. There are multiple days available to us, so we want to judge which days there is interest in volunteering and if there is enough interest. Please answer the question below to help us decide. All shifts will be three hours, 9am – 12pm, 12pm – 3pm, and 3pm -6pm, with two to three people. Volunteers receive a ticket to the Fair, but need to get there on their own. Volunteering consists of displaying your finished items, knitting, and answering any questions about the Guild or knitting. If enough people are interested, we will send out an email with a volunteer sign-up sheet.

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Twins logo in a baseball with knitting needles through itStitch ‘N’ Pitch

Our yearly Stitch ‘N’ Pitch day with the Twins will be Sunday, September 25th at 1:10pm against the Los Angeles Angels. You can find all the details now and be able to purchase tickets starting July 22nd on our Events Calendar.

Library Update

These items have been added to the library at the Textile Center

Magazines

  • pompom 41 (s/s 2022)
  • amirisu 24 (summer 2022)
  • Yarnologie 1-2 (NEW!)
  • Making 7-9 (back issues) (If anyone has issues 1 -4 they would like to donate, please let Anne know.)

Books – Thanks to Cori

  • Froth and Foam: A Book of Lace by Kelli Slack
  • Blue Sky Alpacas Extra
  • Blue Sky Fibers 2019/20 Lookbook
  • Sabine 2013 patterns by Tabetha Hendrick
  • Swallowtails by Louisa Harding
  • Warm Little Knits: Classic Norwegian Two-Color Pattern Knitwear
  • Jean Greenhowe’s Storybook Dolls
  • Jean Greenhowe’s Christmas Special: Double Knitting Yarn
  • Landing by Cecily Glowik MacDonald (Winged Knits Vol. 1)
  • Warm Days, Cool Knits by Corrina Ferguson
  • Debbie Bliss Cotton Knits for All Seasons
  • Modern Estonian Knits by Aleks Byrd
  • Vivian Huxbro’s Knitting Handbook: 8 Schools of Modular Knitting

Requests and suggestions are alway welcome, just email our librarian Anne.

Designer Spotlight

Our July designer is Alicia Plummer. Read all about her here.

We are always looking for designers to spotlight.

Designer preferences

  • Highlight BIPOC designers
  • Look for local designers
  • New designers
  • Presence on Instagram
  • Multiple patterns on Ravelry

If designer is chosen – finder receives one of the designer’s pattern

Email suggestions to Rose.

Grants

Don’t forget the Guild has grants available to its members.

Educational Grants can help you get certified in tech editing, pattern writing, teaching, or even work towards being a Master Hand Knitter.

Mirco-Funding can help set up knitting events outside the Twin Cities.

You can find the Grant applications in your dashboard or email Kelly with questions.

Door Prizes

Alicia Plummer Pattern – Carrie Gruber

Alicia Plummer Pattern – Mary Yazvec

Digital Pompom Pattern – Joyce Poole

Upcoming Meetings and Meet-ups

  • August – Jennifer Berg/Native Knitter – We Are Still Here: Keeping Navajo Heritage alive through knit design
  • September – State Fair Show and Tell – Watch for details on how to submit your projects.
  • October – Tanis Gray – Estonian Inlay/Roosimine – Check out the supply list and homework to participate in this meeting.

We know some of you are missing getting together in person and some of you are still not comfortable meeting in groups. The board is currently planning on keeping our monthly meetings virtual, as this allows everyone to attend and allows us to book speakers from all over. We are though working on setting up more social meet-ups in between meetings. This will give those of you who miss the social aspects of the Guild to get together in person. We have two events currently.

Linden Hills Craft Night – Kathy hosts this group the 2nd Thursday of every month at Heartfelt in Linden Hills from 6pm – 8pm. All portable crafts are welcome, but the bulk of us are knitters.

Sip & Knit – Nikky will be hosting this meet-up the 1st Saturday of every month at Venn Brewing from 10am – 12pm. Drinks (coffee, beer, & more) are available for purchase and the Guild will provide breakfast treats.

Still not ready to meet in person?

Melissa hosts Thursday Night Knitting every other Thursday from 7pm – 9pm.

If you would like to host a Guild sponsored knitting group in your area just let us know. We can help with promotion and any other ideas you might have.

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Headshot of Roxanne RichardsonRoxanne Richardson is a knitting communicator who lives in Minneapolis. Her YouTube channel explores a variety of knitting-related topics, including knitting history and techniques, and she writes technical knitting articles for Interweave publications. She’s a certified master hand knitter and certified knitting teacher, and she can’t wait to answer your burning knitting questions.

Currently Open

Marketing Director

The marketing director position is currently open. For more information contact the Guild President, president@knitters.org

Email Me

Kelly

President

(Term 1, Year 2)

A visiting friend from Seattle taught Kelly the very basics of knitting (a twisted loop cast on and just the knit stitch) in 2008 before flying home. Turning to the internet (thanks knittinghelp.com!) Kelly taught herself through a lot of trial and error. Uncontent to keep knitting the scarf she’d started as her first project, she jumped into knitting a pair of striped mittens for her non-knitter, but very knitworthy, twin sister. Twelve years later the mittens are still in her sister’s glove box, and Kelly is usually horrified when she pulls them out and sees the mistakes she made using double pointed needles for the first time. Kelly loves knitting socks and is thankful for the many months of cold weather when she gets to exclusively wear her handknits. (she, her, hers)

Email Me
imkelliente

Kendra

Secretary

(Term 1, Year 1)

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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Rose

Treasurer

(Term 2, Year 2)

Rose learned to knit from her mother at the age of ten. She started knitting on the ends of small paint brushes. She continued to knit off and on through her teenage and young adult years and became a more avid knitter after taking a Norwegian sweater knitting class through community education. Today, knitting has become a passion and she knits for charity, herself, and her family her stash. She enjoys meeting other knitters and learning new techniques.

Email Me
tobel

Open Position

Programming Director

(3-year term)

This position is currently open. If you are interested in volunteering for the Guild board, please contact our president, Kelly, at the email me link below.

Email Me

Betsy

Service Director

(Term 1, Year 3)

Betsy never had patience for knitting, until she found herself spending a lot of time at little league games and waiting for the last kid to emerge from the locker room after swim practice. With her background in graphic design, stranded colorwork has a natural appeal. Not to mention the practicality of an extra layer of warmth. Betsy has recently begun publishing her original hat and cowl patterns, which are available on Ravelry. (she, her, hers) (See our Service Knitting Page for more information about our current projects and donation process.)

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FingerpressArt

Nikky

Membership/Programming Director

(Term 2, Year 1)

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.

Email Me
FroggyGirl72

Melissa

Technology Director

(Term 1, Year 2)

Melissa has been knitting for 15 years. She loves socks and sweaters. She is a new member who hopes to use her marketing background to lift up the MKG. While she isn't local to MN, she really loves the atmosphere created by the Guild. Melissa and significant other Al enjoy traveling, wherein Al graciously offers to drive so Melissa can knit in the passenger seat. (she, her, hers)

Email Me
oneoftheminterns

Anna

Yarnover Committee Chair

While Anna learned to knit at some long-forgotten point in time, her commitment to the craft really began her freshman year of college. Sitting still has never been Anna’s strong suit, and giving her hands something to do while chatting with friends or watching movies in the dorm brought a sense of calm during this new chapter of her life. Once the sense of calm wore off (and no one else needed a scarf), she began trying new techniques, patterns, and projects, and until 2018 was primarily a self-taught knitter. After being intimidated early in her crafting, Anna feels strongly about creating a welcoming environment within the fiber community for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. She enjoys knitting and fiber traveling, test and service knitting, a good challenge (knitting or otherwise), and is likely to have at least 3 WIPs at any one time. She is also learning to spin and ply her own yarn! (she/her/hers)

Email Me
amturk13

A photograph of hands knitting green yarn against a black background.Project HandWork is an exhibit of photos by photographer Christopher Dykes. Using flash, a backdrop, and the infinite human variety, Christopher is collecting a series of images of hands at work in the fiber community. Manicures, hangnails, tattoos, wristwatches, cheap yarn, expensive silk, easy socks and exquisite lace all show the human diversity and the compulsion to create.

Yarnover attendees may have their hands photographed for a $50 sitting fee. Each sitter will receive an edited photo via email. The sitting fee goes to Help In Crisis, his local domestic abuse shelter. 

Anne

Librarian

Bio to come.

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soxanne

Laura Haave

Great Guild Getaway Committee Chair

Laura learned to knit in 2003 by taking a four-week class during MIT's annual January Independent Activities Period. The class project was a striped hat knit in the round, and since that time, Laura has been a big advocate of 1) helping other adults learn to knit for the first time, 2) hats as a manageable first project, and 3) circular needles for everything. She enjoys thinking about knitting and planning her next project almost as much as she enjoys actually knitting. Laura is highly motivated by knit-alongs and loves to knit in community. (she, her, hers)

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Birdette

Thyra

Newsletter Editor

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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Meg

Vice 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

Get Bentz Farm LogoOur spinning demonstrations are sponsored by Get Bentz Farm. 

After 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.

Mona McNeely been a certified Iyengar Yoga instructor since 2016 and has studied yoga since 2002.   

She has three grown kids and two, almost three, grandchildren. Her grandma taught her to knit when she was seven. She picked it up again in her early 20’s and hasn’t put the needles down since. She is also an avid spinner and has woven her share of rugs. In her spare time, she volunteers at a non-profit called We Can Ride where they use horses as therapy for people with disabilities. She also works full time as a Treasury Analyst for a fairly large company.  Somehow it all balances out.

Midwest Machine Knitters' Collaborative logo

The Midwest Machine Knitters’ Collaborative (MMKC) is a Minnesota based fiber guild established in 2011. We envisioned the Collaborative as a way to connect with other machine knitters who like to think (and knit!) outside the box. MMKC provides a forum to promote fun, interest, appreciation, education, inspiration, and camaraderie in the art of machine knitting. We welcome all levels of experience, as this is the best way to learn and inspire. We will all become better knitters through collaboration.  https://www.midwestmachineknitters.org/

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