February Program and Upcoming Meetings

February Round Robin
See --Listen -- Try....
...knitting techniques explained and demonstrated by your fellow guild members.
Stimulate your curiosity or get questions answered about 4 important knitting patterns
and skills.
1. Karen L. will show -- Thrumming for mittens
2. Anna P. and Pat H. will show -- Lace Knitting tips and techniques
! ! They ask that you bring needles and a little DK or Worsted weight
yarn if you want to try the lace techniques they will show.
3. Deb P. will explain -- Intarsia and effects of Color choice
4. Betty P. and Anja H.will share -- methods for achieving a Jogless
appearance in Circular knitting. Bring two colors of yarn and 4-5 double point
needles or circular. We're presenting techniques for jog less stripes in the round
and casting on from the middle - disappearing loop method.
See samples and/or try your hand on the needles our "instructors" provide. Each
session is planned by the individual presenter, so expect variety and enthusiasm, and
getting to know each other better.
The chairman will divide us into 4 groups and each group will be assigned to one of the
"technique tables" to start the rotation. After 15 to 20 minutes, she'll will ring a bell and
all groups will move at once to the next station. Everyone will have a chance to see and
hear about each technique.

Our March meeting is unconfirmed at this time.

Our April meeting is our Annual Auction.  Time to start getting your purchases and donations together so that we can get off to a rousing good time.  Proceeds will go to Speakers and program needs.

May will bring our Third Annual Baby Shower.  We will be knitting all things baby needs such as sweaters, blankets, booties, hats and toys.  Games and snacks will be provided.  All of our items will be donated to the Christ Child Society.



Mary G. who has presented a program in the past for us on Nordic Knitting is
going to host a Walk and Knit event at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival this year.
She has asked the Guild if we would like to help. She has sent me some links of the
event in Estonia last year. Check them out and we can talk about this briefly at the
meeting so as not to detract from our program.
http://marygtheknitter.blogspot.com/2013/05/kai-ja-koo.html
http://marygtheknitter.blogspot.com/2013/05/results-of-kai-ja-koo-2013.html
https://skydrive.live.com/?id=9BA161B4F45E9FA!
901&cid=09ba161b4f45e9fa&authkey=!Ao0Bn-QInjd-FbU

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!