Wednesday, October 9, 2013

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!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

October meeting

Join us for next Tuesday's Guild meeting at 7pm!

Our main topic will be Double Knitting presented by Anne Reaves and Beth Soper

Please bring 2 contrasting colors of worsted weight yarn and appropriate needles (generally 6-8). Cast on 30 stitches in one of the colors using a fairly elastic cast on of your choice.

We'll also have some information about several possible nationally known teachers we might bring in over the next few years that are very exciting and we need your opinions!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Message from the President

Greeting to all,

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all current members and visitors to the Indianapolis Knitting Guild’s blog!  Hopefully this note will find it’s way to you and inform you of the current news, and all kinds of information to entice you to join us each second Tuesday evening of the month, at Epworth United Methodist Church 6450 Allisonville Rd., Indy,46220, where we meet to learn, support, entertain, and enjoy the company of other knitters. 

We are an open group of “fiber fiends”, oops “friends”, who desire to welcome every lover of knitting. We are represented by every skill level, every age level, and we desire to expand our membership and widen our circle.
We feel we have something special to offer, whether you knit, crochet, spin, weave, or all of the above.  

So come on out and join us for some fun, make new friends, or greet old friends; we will be happy to see you!

Ann

Saturday, September 14, 2013

October Meeting

Our next meeting will be October 8th, Double Knitting presented by Anne Reaves and Beth Soper.

Please bring 2 contrasting colors of worsted weight yarn and appropriate needles (generally 6-8).  Cast on 30 stitches in one of the colors using a fairly elastic cast on of your choice.


Friday, September 13, 2013

Elections

Guild elections were held in September.  New officers were elected:

President - Ann Wright
Vice President  - Beth Soper
Treasurer - Carol Powers
Secretary - Mandie Harrington

We are looking forward to the next year of Knitting Guild!

We have a new email address, IndianapolisKnittingGuild@gmail.com.  If you would like to be added to our mailing list please send us a note.  Also, check us out on Facebook!  https://www.facebook.com/IndyKnittingGuild

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Sally Melville is Coming to Indianapolis Knitting Guild!

In case you haven't attended a Guild meeting recently, the BIG news is that designer/teacher/author extraordinaire Sally Melville is going to be conducting a two-day workshop here December 1-2, 2012. The committee for workshops is currently conducting a survey of members to determine which of the many options Sally offers to have for the classes. If you have not received an email listing of the options, contact me at once for opportunity to your selection known.

Sally is perhaps best known among knitters as the author of The Knitting Experience series of books, which she wrote as a guide to knitters of all skill levels. The Knit Stitch offered to take a beginner by the hand and teach that basic stitch in such a way that the world of knitting opened up, using basic patterns inventively. The Purl Stitch expanded the concept with more thought-provoking patterns and how-to photos, with each step carefully photographed and captioned. When Color was published, Sally  again displayed her mastery of the subject beyond the limits of the mortal mind.

Since then, at least two pattern books have joined the bookshelves of many knitters, Mother-Daughter Knits and Warm Knits, Cool Gifts. These were co-authored by Sally's daughter, Caddy Melville Ledbetter, a designer in her own right and young mother. Thus there are projects for babies, children, men and a variety of designs for women of all ages and stages. I have knit several items from these two books, and several women in my on-going knit classes have garments which were both fun knits and welcome additions to their wardrobes.

Sally's emphasis on knitting to flatter and fit the individual knitter is the basis for her books and classes, and those who attend will come away with knowledge they will use in each future knit project.

Monday, May 21, 2012

June Meeting

June 12 Meeting, 7 pm
Agenda Items: tbd
Program: Jennifer Orr, Alpaca With a Twist


Jennifer Orr is a local business woman with a passion for alpacas!  Come hear her relate how she took her love of these animals and created an Indiana business!

Remember, if you are making copies of patterns, you MUST have designed/written the pattern yourself.