March ’22 Meeting Wrap-Up

Our March meeting featured a panel of Guild members who are also Master Hand Knitters. It was so interesting to hear what it took to become certified as a Master Hand Knitter and each of their personal experiences of getting through the multi-year course. Thanks so much to Barb Lind, Lisa Pannell, Roxanne Richardson, and Mary Zweber for being our panelist.

(Click HERE to view a recording of the meeting.)

MKG Educational Grants

If you are interested in taking your knitting to the next level through a certification program, the Guild has grants available for members to help make that happen. Certification does not just include the Master Hand Knitters program; you can also get certified to teach, tech edit, become a fair judge, or a designer. These grants are not for basic knitting skills type classes. This pdf gives a basic outline of the TKGA programs and you can find out more on their website. The Craft Yarn Council also offers certification in teaching. These are not the only programs the Guild will help fund, but gives you an idea of the type we will. If you are unsure if a class you want to take is covered, please email Kelly Amoth at vicepresidentmkg@gmail.com. If you are interested in applying you can do so here.

Meeting Recordings

Members can watch recordings of our meetings here. Videos are generally posted within a couple weeks following the meeting.

Board Openings

Help ensure the future of the Guild by joining the Board of Directors! We have an immediate opening for the Programming Director. This position books all the speakers and teachers for our monthly meetings, as well as trunk shows. They serve a three-year term and can serve two terms. We will also have openings in July for a new Vice President and Marketing Director. To find out more about each position visit our Volunteer Page.

Photo of knit gloves, sweaters, and hats with Minnesota State Fair ribbons and rosettes.

Ask a Fair Judge

While we haven’t been able to find a judge willing to speak at a Guild meeting, we do have the opportunity to submit our questions about judging at the fair in writing. If you have a question(s) you would like to ask, please submit it here.

Knitting Groups

The most searched for thing on our website is Knitting Groups. Our list is sadly very small currently. If you have a knitting group that meets in person or virtually and welcomes new members, please fill out the form on our knitting group page to be added to the list.

The Guild hosts two virtual knitting groups. One meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 7:00pm, and the other gets together twice a month on Sunday morning at 11:00am. Check the calendar HERE for more information and Zoom links.

 

Yarnover 2022 logo

Yarnover

  • We have announced the vendors for the Yarnover 2022 Marketplace! This year you must reserve a free timed-entry ticket to attend. See the list of vendors and reserve your ticket here.
  • Class registration closes on April 15th! Some of the more popular classes are down to just a few tickets. Make sure you don’t miss out on the fun! Register here.
  • Yarnover is completely volunteer run and we count on all of you to make it happen. If you have a few hours available to help on April 30th, please sign up for a shift here.
  • The Yarnover Shawl contest is both virtual and in person this year! You can enter either through the website or stop by the Guild table at Yarnover to have us photograph your shawl. Read all the details and enter here.
  • If you have registered for a class, a Marketplace ticket, or volunteer shift and not uploaded your proof of vaccination yet, please make sure to do so by April 15th. Upload your proof of vaccination.

 

Details of Service Knitting Drop-Off Sunday, March 27, 2022 11am - 2pm at the Textile Center 3000 University Ave SE Minneapolis, MN

ITEMS NEEDED (Machine washable)

  • Hats and mittens
    (sizes to fit kids through adults)
  • Scarves
  • Warm socks and slippers for young adults
  • Lap blankets
  • Cotton washcloths

YARN DONATIONS

  • Full skeins with labels.
  • Natural fiber or natural fiber blend.

Please, no yarn that is:

  • 100% acrylic
  • Partial skeins or balls
  • Tangled
  • Dirty, musty or smelly

 

Library

The Textile Center Library is open. Please check their website for hours. You can also check books out online and pick them up.

New Magazines

  • Laine Winter 2022 (#13)
  • Rowan 71
  • Pompom 40

New Books

  • Knit From Nature
  • Knit Like a Latvian…Socks
  • Knitting From Fair Isle
  • Knitting with Disney
  • Knitting for Radical Self-Care
  • The Nordic Knitting Primer
  • Icelandic Mittens
  • Knitted Socks from Finland
  • Knit Like a Latvian…Accessories
  • Knit Fold Pleat Repeat
  • Selbu Patterns

Requests and suggestions for books and magazines are always welcome. Email Anne at librarianmkg@gmail.com

Designer Spotlight

Our designer this month is Anna Radchenko from Ukraine. You can read more about her on the blog. (Her Granny Socks look perfect for service knitting.)

We also encourage you to support Ukrainian designers by buying their patterns. Ravelry has a search by country, here are the results for Ukraine.

Door Prizes

  • Pattern of your choice from this month’s featured designer Anna Radchenko – Stefanie Hailperin
  • Pattern of your choice from this month’s featured designer Anna Radchenko – Lisa Pannell
  • Digital download Pom Pom Issue 40 – Vicki Eide

Upcoming Meetings

Find all the details on each meeting in Events. Guest passes for non-members will be available approximately one month before each meeting.

  • April – No Meeting/Yarnover
  • May 17 – Amy Snell – Latvian Braids and Other Clever Twists
  • June 21 – Abbie Kenyon – Icelandic Textile Center Artist in Residence
  • July 19 – Kate Atherley – Blocking and Fiber Care
  • August 16 – TBA
  • September 20 – State Fair Show & Tell
  • October 18 – Tanis Gray – Estonian Inlay/Roosimine

Recent Posts

Show & Tell

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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

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)

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)

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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)

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)

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

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)

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.

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)

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)