November Meeting Wrap-Up and Winter News1

A woman stands in front of a display of Norwegian sweaters

Welcome to winter – or as we call it, sweater knitting weather! Our November speaker is a Minneapolis resident, Maree Hampton. Maree teaches knitting classes at the Vesterheim Museum in Decorah, IA. She recently did a month long knitting journey across Norway, highlighting the museums, knitting shops, knitting events and beautiful scenery. What a great adventure! The grant that she received from the Vesterheim made this possible. Maree worked on a farm in Norway during college and was able to connect with her Norwegian friends and family. Here is a link to view her knitting:

Norwegian Knitting with Maree Hampton

Her next upcoming class is for the Sofi Scarf –  you can find the class registration under the Fiber Arts Folk Art Courses. It is December 3rd and 10th. (www.vesterheim.org) In addition, she will be starting an Instagram account to share more of her adventures in Norway in the future. Additional links for patterns in the information that she discussed:

Happy Nordic Knits by Une Cecilie Sksvold

https://eeschenck.com/knitting-stylish-stuff-from-your-stash.html

Anne Bjorke – https://www.instagram.com/strikke_kraft/

Knitting Power

Pernilla Volent’s shop: https://www.instagram.com/oslimikrospinneri/?hl=af

I see an uptick of Norwegian knitting books being checked out from our collection at Textile Center!

 

A christmas tree with hand knit decorations and pompom garland.

Volunteers needed for Textile Center Holiday Shop to demonstrate knitting!

Sign up on the dashboard (after you log in with your password and ID) to volunteer at Textile Center on the following dates:

December 13: 10 am to noon
December 13: noon to 2 pm

Get in some holiday shopping at Textile Center while you introduce other fiber artists and shoppers to the Minnesota Knitters Guild! Our wee tree with ornaments will be on display and sure to catch their eye!

Questions: email membership@knitters.org

 

drawing of a sheep knitting

Upcoming dates for Knitting Around Town:

Tuesday, November 25th – Ramsey County Roseville Library

6:00 to 8:00 pm – 2180 Hamline Avenue North, Roseville – in the community room

Friday, December 5th – Textile Center

1:00 to 4:00 pm – 3000 University Avenue, Minneapolis – in the library

 

 

        Sip and Knit for December!

Knit and socialize with your fellow MKG members! Service Knitting donations are accepted as well.

Unmapped Brewery 

Dates: December 20th – 10 am to Noon

Address: 14625 Excelsior Blvd, Minnetonka 55435

Venn Brewing

Date: December 6th – 10 am to Noon

Address: 3550 East 46th Street, Minneapolis 55406

NOTE: NO Sip & Knit in October at Venn Brewing as that is Yarnover Weekend!

 

 

    Great Guild Getaway Registration!

Registration for the 2026 GGG is Saturday, December 6th at 10 am! Here are the details:

  • When – Monday, February 23 at 2:00pm – Wednesday, February 25 at 1pm OR Friday, February 27 at 2:00pm – Sunday, March 1 at 1:00pm
  • Cost – Monday evening through Wednesday brunch OR Friday evening through Sunday brunch – $375
  • Who – Initially registration will only be open to Minnesota Knitters’ Guild members. There are only twenty-four spots available per session. If it does not sellout it may open to non-members for an additional fee.
  • Meals – Registration includes Monday – Dinner; Tuesday Brunch and Dinner; Wednesday – Brunch; OR Friday – Dinner; Saturday – Brunch and Dinner; Sunday – Brunch. Vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan meals are available when requested at registration.
  • Rooms – Variety of rooms: 1 room sleeps 2 people; 1 room sleeps 4 people and 6 rooms sleep 3 people. Each room has full-sized beds and its own bathroom with a whirlpool tub. Beds have down alternative pillows and comforters. Bathroom has towels, shampoo & hair dryer. Registrants will have the opportunity to let us know who they would like to room with at registration.
  • Questions: email Janet Ungs at greatguildgetaway@knitters.org

 

   November Yarn Store of the Month: Fiber MacGyver

Owner Susie was raised in the fiber and crafting world as her Mom owned a local yarn store in Edina. She spent her childhood surrounded by fiber and fabric. She resisted the crafting pull until she went off to College, but once she started she just couldn’t stop. Her knitting adventures have always been about the color rather than the technique. During COVID lockdown and some family health scares she tried dying as a way to relieve stress and focus on something she could control. One thousand skeins later she admitted to everyone she was a dyer and Fiber MacGyver was born.

Although Fiber MacGyver is an online store, Susie’s passion is events and bringing people together for the love of the craft. She has live connections every Tuesday on Instagram, follow her @fibermacgyver and join in when you are looking for some inspiration. She curates many bundles for patterns that inspire a new technique, but are still approachable for knitters of all skills. Check out the great Magical Mycelium Socks or the Born Slippy Shawl.

The large variety of yarn bases allow you to go from a squishy Suri Silk all the ways to fully US sourced Shaniko Wool. All of it in the great color interpretations that Susie loves. If you want to squish all of the bases, check out all of the great local events where you can find Fiber MacGyver, including one at Dandelion Fiber in Minneapolis on November 29th.

 

As the days grow shorter, I hope that everyone finds time to sit in a bright corner with knitting friends! Wishing everyone safe travels and a very Happy Thanksgiving, however you choose to celebrate it.

 

Cheers!

Meg Duncan

President

Minnesota Knitters Guild

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