October Guild Meeting Minutes

30 knitters attended this month.  We had a number of new guests in attendance (welcome!  We hope you will return again.)

Sign up sheets for Book Reports and Tip of the Month were passed around.  We still have several available times so if you didn’t get a chance to sign up for one, reply back and we can get you in.  Both are expected to be short (5 minutes or so) and informal.

Ann Wright (President) shared the new guild business cards with members and called for shop news.  Ellen McKinney shared that Village Yarn Shop in Zionsville has drop in knitting on Tuesday and Thursday knitting and mentioned the 12 weeks of Christmas patterns that they are working on.  Kathy Treaster shared that she teaches lace techniques at Village on Thursday afternoons from 1-3.

Barb Bettegnies introduced her guest Mandy who owns Groovy Girl Yarn Shop in Kokomo.  (http://groovygirlart215.blogspot.com/)  They can be found at Kokomo Yarnies on Ravelry.

We ran a survey for interest on teacher workshops (which can also be voted on online here:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WuK0qDmfPxAJE1ldSdEMf_cjonz8rwhdowGQeTPQ-p0/viewform

You do not need to be a member to vote, so if you have a friend who would attend a workshop in Indy feel free to share. 

Preliminary results put Cat Bordhi well in the lead.  Cat does not generally travel and do workshops currently; however she will be in Indianapolis in May 2014 to attend the TNNA convention and is willing to extend her trip to teach us.  Ann appointed Barb Bettegnies to chair the special events committee so we can hopefully make that happen this spring.   The board is tabulating remaining votes for future workshops, some teachers book 2-3 years away.

Barb Layton has volunteered to organize pre-guild meeting dinners for the rest of the guild year.

Ann asked for suggestions for charity knitting. 

• Ellen suggested the Schuyler Blanket Project http://schuylersblankets.wordpress.com/ which provides blankets to bereaved parents, started by a local mom and knitter.  We could send squares as a group or we could also sponsoring a blanket and assembling it together.  Information on square requirements can be found on the web site above.

• Beth Soper reports that 21 sweaters for the older children/teens were completed last year and will be delivered to Zimbabwe this fall.  There is a need for around 60 younger children’s sweaters.

• Debbie Ford-True shared information on the Tit-Along being run at Mass Ave Knit Shop, making soft prosthetic breasts for mastectomy patients.  The pattern can be found on Knitty http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall05/PATTbits.html.  Debbie is willing to bring finished boobies to Mass Ave if anyone wants to bring them to guild meetings.  The following info comes from the Wishard contact. 
• They do not need the A or B cups, so make the 3 larger sizes.
• Also consider doing some sets, as some women have a double mastectomy.
• The pattern has an option for 1 piece, which I love as no sewing it together when you finish knitting. Also, go down a needle size on the back side (per the pattern) as this makes a flat back side that will be concave when completed and it will not irritate the incision.
• Please go ahead and fill them with polyester fiberfill and leave a long trail for us to close it after we add the weight.
• No need to knit I-cord or add the button for a nipple, the women don't care about that.

• Bears on Patrol, collecting stuffed bears for children in scary situations was also mentioned.

Ann asked for input on the desire for social knitting time outside of regular guild meetings.  The board would love for someone to organize that so if you have an idea, feel free to suggest it.

Mandie Harrington did a book report on Knit One Knit All by Elizabeth Zimmermann  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/knit-one-knit-all---elizabeth-zimmermanns-garter-stitch-designs, published posthumously by daughter Meg Swansen and grandson Cully Swansen.

Beth and Anne Reaves did a wonderful program on double knitting.  (Anne if you can send me a copy of the handout I can put it on the blog).

The meeting was wrapped up with knitter’s show and tell, where lots of gorgeous items were displayed.

Happy Knitting!