May ’22 MKG Meeting Wrap-up

Thanks to everyone who attended our May meeting with our guest teacher, Amy Snell. We hope everyone learned a little something new!

(Click HERE to view a recording of the meeting)

Meeting Zoom Links

We understand a few of you had problems finding the Zoom link for this month’s meeting. The link will always be available for Guild members in the Dashboard under Meeting Zoom Links. You must be signed in to access it. We’ve created a post to illustrate just where that is here.  We will also make sure in the future to link to that page from the event listing in our Calendar (which we neglected to do this month) and include it in the monthly email.

Board Member Updates and Openings

We are please to announce that Bonnie Swierzbin will be stepping into the role of Marketing Director in July of this year. She will be replacing Melissa Mintern, who will be taking over the role of Technology Director.

We still have two openings on the board, Vice President and Programming Director. (Click either one to read the job description.) Vice President will be open in July and Programming is open immediately.

If the Guild and its future are important to you, please consider volunteering for one of these positions or joining a committee. Without a full board, it is very hard for us to continue to put on the meetings and the other events Guild members enjoy.

We often hear people say they don’t think they have time to be on the board. Almost all the current board members have full-time jobs and families. We support each other and work around each other’s schedules. Board members meet once a month on top of the monthly Guild meeting.

If you would like to know more or are interested in one of these positions please contact Kathy (presidentmkg@gmail.com) or Kelly (vicepresidentmkg@gmail.com).

Textile Center Update

The Textile Center will be letting Guilds and other groups rent space again starting in July, but they are only allowing people to use 2/3rds the space we normally use for meetings at this time. They have concerns about groups as large as we are meeting there right now.

Thank you to everyone who took our Textile Center Library survey. We continue to work with the Textile Center to figure out how best the Guilds can help support the library. Our members are some of the top users of the library, and we currently have the fourth largest collection of books there. It is a real financial hardship for the Textile Center to have every associated guild member in their database instead of just those who actually use the library. (Membership database software often charge by the number of entries.) The guilds have suggested that a small, yearly, library-only membership be made available to guild members who wish to check things out of the library. Our conversations are ongoing, and we will let you know when a decision has been made.

Service Knitting

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! We had 503 items dropped off at Yarnover, which brings us to a total of 759 items.

Graph showing how many hats and mittens have been donated.

We are very close to meeting our goal of 550 hats for Sanya’s Hope for Children, but have a ways to go on pairs of mittens. Sanya’s Hope gives these to homeless school-age kids through high school.

Out next drop-off date will be Saturday, June 11th at Venn Brewing Company as part of World Wide Knit in Public Day. We will accept knit and crochet items, as well as yarn. Please see the specifics on what we will accept here.

Garage Sale

We will be hosting our garage sale again this year at Kathy’s house in Linden Hills on July 23rd from 11 am – 3 pm. More details to come.

We received a large donation of books, many of which we already have in the library that will be for sale at the garage sale. Here are some sample titles:

  • Scarves: A knitter’s dozen (XRX Books)
  • Bags: A knitter’s dozen (XRX Books)
  • Knit baby blankets! (Steege)
  • Gramma Nancy’s animal hats (Nielsen)
  • Soft + simple knits for little ones (Boyd)
  • Knitted cats & kittens (Stratford)
  • Curvaceous cables collection (Brocco)
  • EZ’s Knitter’s almanac (Commemorative edition)
  • Sassy knit outfits for 18-inch dolls (Kussrow-Larsen)
  • Designer’s choice book 17 (Lavold)
  • Rialto (Bliss)
  • Sock yarn shawls (Lucas)
  • Big book of family knits (Simply Knitting)
  • Hand knit Christmas A to Z (Simply Knitting)
  • Cables: Mittens, hats & scarves (Sixth&Spring)

Library

Recently added books:

  • Nomadic Knits #11 – Head over heels
  • Making #13 – Outside
  • Making Stories #7 – Spring 2022
  • Laine #14 – Summer 2022
  • Lop1 41
  • The Ravell’d Sleeve
  • Handknits from Rauma, Norway

Suggestions and requests for books and magazines are always welcome. Email Anne at librarianmkg@gmail.com.

May Designer Spotlight

Our May designer is Tressa Weidenaar. You can read about her here.

We need your ideas for designers to spotlight! We are looking for designers that are up-and-coming and can use the extra publicity. The spotlight is not for designers who already have 100’s of people making their patterns and have been published in major magazines or books. They do need to have at least 5 patterns for sale on Ravelry. It is great if they have a mixture of the type of pattern. We’d love to hear about more BIPOC designers and always want to support local folks. If you would like to suggest a designer, please email Rose treasurermkg@gmail.com. We are also looking for people who would like to present their suggested designer through a blog post and/or at a MKG meeting.

Yarnover

Thank you to the Yarnover Committee for making Yarnover 2022 a success!

  • Janese Evans – Chair
  • Becky Huerta – Registration
  • Diane Mountford – Marketplace
  • Anna Turk – Teacher Liaison
  • Caitlin Maier – Prizes & Sponsorships
  • Any everyone who volunteered at Yarnover!

Yarnover 2023 is moving to the fall, September 22 – 24th. We are moving because April and May are so full of events like the Yarn Shop Hop, Local Yarn Shop Day, and Shepherds’ Harvest.

Help ensure and plan the future of Yarnover by joining the Yarnover Committee. The committee meets once a month. Contact Janese at yarnovermnkg@gmail.com.

Yarnover Shawl Contest

Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Yarnover Shawl Contest!

Best Colorwork – Tie #17 Karen C and #22 Deb K

Best Lace/Texture – #28 Gretchen L

Random Pick – #5 Nancy C

You can see all the shawls here.

Grants

We heard from the four people who were given grants to attend Yarnover this year and here is what they had to say:

“This was my first time ever at Yarnover and the entire experience felt so empowering. I can’t thank you enough for giving me a chance to participate in the day.”

“I left the day feeling very happy and tired.”

“Saturday was a dream! I LOVED my classes, my fellow students, the volunteers, the location, the marketplace and everything.”

“The selection of classes was fantastic. I don’t think anyone attending could go wrong. Both classes were well taught and I learned new techniques in both.”

If you donated to the Guild through Give to the Max Day, you helped provide the money for these grants which allows those who might not otherwise be able to attend join us a Yarnover.

We still have Education Grants!

  • The grant is open for applications! You can find the link under Grants in your dashboard.
  • This Grant is open to members of the Guild interested in taking certification courses such as Master Knitters, Tech Editing, Fair Judging, etc…
  • Questions? Email Kelly vicepresidentmkg@gmail.com

Door Prizes

Congrats to this month’s door prize winners!

Pattern of your choice from this month’s featured designer Tressa Weidenaar:

Karen Marinovich and Rebecca Anspach

Digital downloads

  • Making Issue 13 – Outside: Elizabeth Nee
  • Making Stories Issue 7: Gretchen Ibele
  • Making Winter – Volume 3: Anna Turk

Other Items

Here are some questions that came up during the open chat session at the end of the meeting.

Is there a Stitch ‘n’ Pitch scheduled for this year? – Yes! We have reserved group tickets for Sunday, September 25th. The game is at 1:10pm against the Angels. Tickets will go on sale in June.

What is happening with the Great Guild Getaway? – We are in the process of figuring that out. With Yarnover moving to fall, the GGG will probably move back to the spring. We are probably looking at Spring of 2023, but we need to talk to Camp Knutson about their availability.

Sunday Virtual Knitting – Sunday morning virtual knitting is on hiatus for the summer.

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)