December Potluck and Show and Tell

In December we held our Annual Potluck and Show and Tell.  Not only was the knitting spectacular but the food was pretty scrumptious too!

Just a reminder, there is no January meeting so we will see you in February!

Our Charity Donation to Milwaukee Rescue Mission

Our donation included dozens of hats and scarves like the ones you see below!
 

November News!

Our new member Kagey will be on channel 6 at 7:45 am on Friday, 11/22! She has been asked to demonstrate knitting for the Folk Fair (as the school kids attend during the day on Friday). Good luck Kagey! When Ellen Johnson was a Guild member she established a group for the Guild on Ravelry. Sorry but I didn't know about it. Understandably she no longer wants to administer the group. I am now the administrator and will be updating Ravelry with Guild news monthly. So look there for news also! We are listed as Greater Milwaukee Knitting Guild. Thanks, Jackie

October Update!

Our October program will be Swatching and Blocking presented by Jennifer Donze. This will be a hands on meeting for those who wish to participate. If you prefer to sit and knit, you are most welcome to listen, ask questions or follow along with your neighbor’s swatch. For those who would like to participate, please work a 4 inch x 4 inch swatch in plain stockinette ( no borders or edge stitches). It will be easiest to see your work if you use a plain, un-textured yarn, worsted weight or larger in a light color. Please block this swatch and bring it along with your ball band ( if you have it) to the meeting on Tuesday, October 8, 2013. You will also need to bring a hard ruler, a double pointed needle, a calculator, a tapestry needle and a 12-inch piece of contrasting color yarn. November 2013 we will have designer and educator Marry Jo Harris, presenting the history and how-to's of Portugese knitting. December is our Holiday Party with Show and Tell. On Friday, October 11 we will be knitting and promoting our Guild from 9:30 to 4:00 at the Cudahy Library for I Love Yarn Day! A sign up sheet will be available at our October Meeting. Please plan on joining us for any part of the day.

September Meeting Info

Charity For the fall charity project, the group voted to donate items to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission (830 N. 19 St., Milwaukee). The volunteer coordinator informed me that while the Mission will gladly accept our donations of knitted hats, mittens and scarves for men, women, and children, they are in desperate need of men’s scarves. It should be noted that the web site lists a need of health products and personal care items. So if you are out shopping and have some really good coupons for $ off any such items to donate, please bring these along too. The final collection of all items will be at our December 10 holiday meeting. Thanks, Kathy G. Education I am looking for volunteers interested in helping with these classes. A brief description of the dates and classes are: Intro to Knitting: Mondays, 1:00-3:00 on 9/9, 9/16. 9/23 and 9/30. Skills covered: Casting on, binding off, knit, purl, increasing and decreasing. Comments : 5th time being offered, and the class runs fairly smoothly building upon the skills learned in the previous week Advanced-Beginner/Intermediate Knitting: Mondays, 6:00-8:00 on 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28. Skills covered: Cables, Bobbles, Mitered Squares, Striping. Comments: 2nd time offered. Class consists of knitting a block a week. Incorporating a new technique each week. Knitting in the Round: Mondays 6:00-8:00 on 11/4, 11/11, 11/18 and 11/25. Skills covered: Knitting in the round, using double-pointed needles and circular needles. Comments: 1st time offering. Once the technique is mastered participants can go on to knit fingerless mittens, boot toppers, hats, mug holder, tea cozy, etc. Complete class descriptions can be found at the following link, on page 29: http://www.myinsideraccount.com/publication/?i=169401&pre=1 Any help is appreciated-you need not be available for all four classes of a session. Thanks, Kathy M. Membership This is Membership Month. Please bring your completed form and $30.00 to the September meeting. Each person who renews or becomes a new member will be entered in a raffle for gift certificates from Local Yarn Shops. The Membership form is on the last page of the Newsletter. There will also be copy's at the meeting. We look forward to seeing everyone again. Programs For those who participated in the Brown Bag exchange it is time to weave in the ends of your project and bring it to the September meeting for all of us to admire your creativity and ingenuity. October will see Jennifer Donze back with us to show us “How to Gauge and Swatch” for more accurate knitting. Events Wisconsin Handweavers, Inc. are holding their 63rd Annual Exhibit & Sale at the New Berlin Public Library on October 31-November 2, 2013. I Love Yarn Day will be held again at the Cudahy Library on Friday, October 11. I went last year. It is a very nice space with sofa’s to sit on not hard library chairs. There was someone spinning and other vendors were there selling yarn. It was a nice place with nice people around while you knit. The Director of I Love Yarn Day has offered to let the Guild have a tble for members to knit at with some information about the guild. The Library will be open from 10a to 4p. If you are willing and able to attend and knit/man the table, please let Kathy Matthew know.

August Info!

Welcome to your Summer Interim blog post!  Just wanted to give everyone a heads up reminder to bring your completed brown bag project back to the September meeting on September 10th, 2013.  We will also be renewing our memberships then so keep an eye out for the September newsletter which will contain the membership form!

A quick correction to the August newsletter, the KNIT DeKoven retreat is located in Racine, not Kenosha as indicated.  For more information on the retreat please visit www.dekovencenter.org.

Our October program will be presented by Master Knitter Jennifer Donze.  She plans to go over swatching and blocking.


Below are pictures from our last meeting of all the brown bags and Pat G showing us one of her many cast on techniques.

Hope everyone is having a great summer.  Get working on those tans!  We are running out of time!

July Meeting info

Summer is here!  I don't think it is ever too hot to knit but I do think it can be too humid.

Don't forget to bring size 8 knitting needles and some scrap yarn for Pat G's project.

We will be voting for  Officers for Treasurer and  Secretary.  We will also be needing Chairpersons for Membership, Programs and State Fair.  The positons are for a year.  We are friends with a common and consuming interest in knitting but we do need member participation to run the Guild.  If you are unable to make the meeting but would like one of these positions please let me know so that we can make sure that happens.

See you Tuesday!

June Program Recap!

Master Knitter Jennifer Donze joined us for our June program and talked about how to complete the Master Program Handknitting from The Knitting Guild Association  http://www.tkga.com.  Jennifer is quite passionate about the program and brought some of the projects she knit to complete the program.

Here are some of the projects she brought along:

Knit in Public Day -- June 8th, 2013

June 8th was Knit in Public Day and we had a blast!  Our team of 8 knitters showed the people at the Alterra in Bay View how it is done!  If you weren't able to join us, but staged your own Knit in Public Day, please send us your pictures!  We would love to see them and post them here on the blog?

The May Baby Shower

Our May baby shower was a great success once again!  Everyone had a great time and the baby clothes and blankets were all so cute!

The June program will be Jennifer Donze who will speak on her journey to become a master knitter.

July will also be the Brown Bag exchange and a surprise program.  Watch for the newsletter for details.

GMKG May Baby Shower!

You are invited to the 3rd Annual 
Greater Milwaukee Guild’s Baby Shower!

 For: Christ Child Society

 Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2012
 Regular May meeting date

 Time: 7 p.m.

 Place: Harwood Place

 Given by: Greater Milwaukee Knitting Guild

Baby shower games will be played and refreshments of punch and cookies/bars will be served.   Please bring knitted baby sweaters, other knitted baby items and/or new non-knitted baby items to be included in our donation to CCS.

2013 Auction Sponsors

Please consider these shops when looking to upgrade your stash or take a class!

Our New Home!

The Guild’s official move date is Tuesday, May 14 Unless you have been out of the country you know the the new meeting location of The Guild is Harwood Place, 8220 W Harwood Avenue, Wauwatosa, WI 53213. Dates and times remain the same. I have included the link which also has directions. http://www.thelutheranhome.org/directions.html

April 2013 Meeting Info

April is Auction Month It’s that time of the year! The tulips are blooming, the birds are returning and we are getting ready for the Annual Greater Milwaukee Knitting Guild Auction! Mary Guy-Franke will be our official Auctioneer. Bring your friends and bring your checkbook! We will, once again, have fabulous things for you to purchase. Bid high and bid often, Cash or checks will be accepted at the end of the auction. Many of our members as well as a number of area yarn shops have donated yarn, books, patterns, and other spectacular items for your bidding pleasure. We will have a Silent Auction again. It added another fun element to the affair. Items should be new or as good as new. This is not a rummage sale. Last year I bought a car wash kit which my husband claimed as I entered the house with it, a couple of boxes of crystal garland which the crafty daughter took home with her, and a beautiful quilted wall hanging which I plan to give to a friend if she ever finds a condo she likes. As they say at Channel 10 “See you at the Auction”! The Guild’s official move date is Tuesday, May 14 As you have read in the Minutes of the last meeting we have a new home. It will be at Harwood Place, 8220 W Harwood, Wauwatosa, WI 53213. Co-Presidents Carolyn and Karen have inspected the facility and found that it meets our high standards. On top of everything else it is at no charge to us. It was decided that we will start meeting at Harwood Place for our May 14 meeting. The date and times remain the same. I have included the link which also has directions. http://www.thelutheranhome.org. Publicity Items to put on your calendar are- National Knit in Public day is Saturday, June 8. More to follow as to whether we will do something as a group. Stitch ‘n Pitch is Tuesday June 4 at 7:10. The Brewers are playing the Oakland A’s. Ticket sales started on 3-15. I will ask at the meeting if anyone wants to go as a group. I will pickup tickets for us. http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/mil/ticketing/stitchnpitch.jsp. Here are some things that might be of interest to you. They have been provided by members for us to enjoy. http://minnesotayarnshophop.com http://blog.hgtv.com/design/2013/01/03/daily-delight-rocking-chair-that-knits-you-a-beanie/ To see the rocking chair in motion scroll down. I am a slow knitter so it is perfect for me- I can work on two things at one time.

March 2013 Guild Meeting Information

Programs: In March we listen to Sheryl Thies from Madison speak on the topic "The Irony of Creativity". April is our annual guild auction, our one and only fundraiser for the year. May is our charity baby shower to benefit the Christ Child Society. A representative from that group will be present to talk about their programs. In June, Jennifer Donze, a local knitter, will present information about the Master Knitter Journey. July is the election of officers with the program to be announced. There is no August meeting. The Guild is on the Move!! As you have read in the Minutes of the last meeting, we have a new home! It will be at Harwood Place, 8220 W Harwood Ave, Wauwatosa, WI 53213. Co-Presidents Carolyn and Karen have inspected the facility and found that it meets our high standards. On top of everything else, it is available to us at no charge. It was decided that we will start meeting at Harwood Place for our May 14th meeting. The date and times will remain the same. The link below includes directions to the center. www.thelutheranhome.org

Our Team of Knitters for the Charity Project

From all the smiles it looks like everyone had a fun time knitting for the 1st and 2nd graders! Thank you for all your help!