May 2023 Meeting Wrap Up

Did you miss this month’s meeting? Here’s a short wrap up.

Trunk Show

 

 

Jill Zielinski of North Bay Fiber joined us for a trunk show of her yarns and also shared some patterns with us.

She has graciously offered members a discount to her online shop through the end of June. Log into your member dashboard to find the code.

 

 

 

Program Recap

A Tibetan woman holding yarn with a green mountains in the background and the Myak logo.

Paola Vanzo, cofounder of mYak Tibetan Fibers, presented at this month’s meeting. She shared the origin story of the company and their mission of working with the people of Tibet. She also shared and described all of their yarn lines as well as many patterns that have been created using mYak yarns.

This is the list of patterns Paola shared during the meeting.

 

Malibu (shawl) – Isabell Kraemer
Dingley Dell (striped v-neck sweater) – Isabell Kraemer
A.N.T. Hat (reversible hat) – Aimee Debaun
Fjolla (lace accented sweater) – Isabell Kraemer
Vaike Shawl – Isabell Kraemer
Smilga Shawl – Inese Sang
Drawing Sweater (sweater with colorwork flowers) – Tomomi Yoshimoto
Sabela Pullover (striped sweater) – Isabell Kraemer
Kyler Shawl – Isabell Kraemer
Tiberius Pullover (colorwork yoke sweater) – Isabell Kraemer
Adventitious (short sleeve v-neck sweater) – Olga Putano Design
Adeline (cable yoke sweater) – Olga Putano Design
Josie (colorwork yoke sweater) – Olga Putano Design
Seve (v-neck pullover) – Isabell Kraemer
Canale (wrap front pullover) – Julie Hoover
Post (poncho) – Julie Hoover
On the Spice Market (shawl) – Melanie Berg
Chamomile&Sage (crocheted wreath) – Mo Malron
From Me with Love (shawl) – Gabi Fontana + Myak
Hug Hug Kiss Kiss (shawl) – Andrea Mowry
Paon (colorwork yoke swater) – Camilla Vad
Estser (colorwork yoke sweater) – Camilla Vad
Spark Cardigan (colorwork cardigan) – Andrea Mowry
Fonda (textured yoke cardigan) – Caitlin Hunter
Painting Bricks (shawl and hat) – Stephen West
Caribou Hills (colorwork yoke sweater and hat) – Caitlin Hunter
Andrea Shawl – Kirsten Kapur
Teroldego Shawl – Caitlin Hunter

Big thanks to Kathy Lewinski for compiling the list of patterns!

Board Update

Kelsey Sorenson will be cycling off the board and leaving her position as secretary when her term ends at the end of this July. Please reach out to Kelsey (secretary@knitters.org) if you have questions or interest about filling this position beginning in August.

You can continue to drop off your completed service items at the Sip and Knit and Knitting Around Town events.

For details about this year’s service partners and what they need see: https://knitters.org/service-knitting

 

Library Update

Guild members will need to fill out this form: https://textilecentermn.org/librarycheckout/ to check out books from this point forward. This will not only help the Guild know how many members are utilizing the library, but will also help the Textile Center with their database. If you forget to fill out the form before visiting the Textile Center, they will have copies available.

 

Upcoming In Person Events

Remember to check the Guild’s calendar for all upcoming events!

Sip and Knit

drawing of a pint of beer, coffee cup, donuts, yarn, and knitting needles.

Come and join us June 03 from 10:00am to noon for coffee, beer, donuts, and crafting with friends!

Food & Drink: Venn has espresso drinks, coffee, tea, soda, and juice, as well as beer for purchase. You can bring in your own water. The Guild will be bringing donuts. You are welcome to bring other food as well.

Getting There: The Blue Line 46th Street Station is just outside the brewery. It just down Hwy 55 from Minnehaha Falls and the Grand Rounds bike path. There are Venn specific parking spots to the north of the building and on-street parking.

You can also park at the Fort Snelling Park and Ride and take the Blue Line north 3 stops.

Dogs: Dogs are welcome.

Thanks to Venn Brewing for hosting us!

 

Knitting Around Town

drawing of a sheep knitting

Guild members on the move! Let’s visit a new library in the metro area each month to get together and knit!

Mark your calendar for:

  • Thursday, May 25th – 5:00-8:00 pm

Ramsey County Library, Roseville, MN – in the Community Room

 

 

Questions or want to suggest a location? Email Meg, vicepresident@knitters.org

Future Events Survey

The board has been discussing planning a few events outside of the Twin Cities. Please help us gauge interest from the membership by filling out this questionnaire: https://knitters.org/mkg-future-events-questionaire/

 

Registration is now open for members and non-members!

For all the details about the classes at Yarnover and to register for this year’s event, see https://knitters.org/yarnover/

 

 

 

 

Yarn Shop of the Month

Northfield Yarn Logo

We will be featuring a different shop every month. See the write up about Northfield Yarn here. Members can win a $25 gift card to the featured yarn shop in our door prize drawings at the month meeting. Make sure to put your name in the chat for a chance to win!

Have an idea for a shop you’d like to see featured? Email Melissa, technology@knitters.org

 

 

 

 

Next Month

Kate Atherley will be joining us to talk about joining yarns.

There will also be a trunk show with Bumblebee Acres Fiber Farm starting at 6:30 PM CST.

 

Take care and see you next month!

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)