Speaker: Sharon McMahon Three Irish Girls Upcoming Events   Our February speaker is Sharon McMahon, the founder and creative director of Three Irish Girls, one of the largest independent dyeing companies in the world. When she's not busy dyeing award-winning colorways, she blogs at Yarnista.com and travels the country teaching at shops and events.    2/11: MKG February Meeting Neighborhood Knits 3/9: MKG Knit-In 3/11: MKG March Meeting 4/8: MKG April Meeting Sharon’s presentation to the Guild is “Beyond Coffee and Chocolate.” In this hilarious discussion, she will trace her journey from a preteen girl who took the bus to a knitting class, through her twelve years teaching some of the most challenging high school students in America, and arriving at her current destination: a full time Yarnista of one of the country’s largest hand-dyeing studios. How did Three Irish Girls get its start? Learn how it grew from a pair of size 7 knitting needles to a 15,000square-foot studio with ten employees, dozens of exclusive patterns created by some of the top designers in the world, and a blog following of more than 50,000 people per month. Sharon McMahon Her yarns will be available for purchase from one of our vendors that evening, The Cat and Crow. ~ Kate Findley Parking Reminder Please leave the few non-disabled parking spots that are next to the disabled parking spots in front of the Bishop O’Connor Center for our members who may not have a disabled permit but find it difficult to navigate the snow-covered parking lot from further away. If you are able to drop off your riders at the end of the sidewalk, just a few feet to the left of the main entrance, that will also free up space for our vendors to unload. Thank you for your cooperation! MKG Knitters News 02/2013 1 Vogue Knitting Spotlights the Center for Knit and Crochet The November symposium that brought stars and enthusiasts of the fiber arts world together in Madison and resulted in the formation of the Center for Knit and Crochet (CKC) is spotlighted with an article in the Winter 2012/13 issue of Vogue Knitting. The article recaps the activities and vibrant energy of those three days and identifies some of the eminent attendees, which included Vogue Knitting’s own vice president and editorial director Trish Malcolm. Karen Kendrick-Hands was inspired to explore preservation of knitted and crocheted objects by a visit to the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky, and received invaluable assistance from the Wisconsin Historical Society and The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA) to bring her inspiration to life. As the article goes on to say, it’s likely that the CKC will begin as a virtual entity. To “read more about it”, pick up the Winter 2012/13 issue of Vogue Knitting. The CKC’s working board of directors has been busy getting the organization off the ground. To date we have:    Incorporated in Wisconsin as Center for Knit and Crochet, Inc., obtained a federal tax number and set up a bank account. Next up: applying to the IRS for non-profit tax exempt status. Polished up our website, www.knitcrochetcenter.org, and added a PayPal button for donations. Please note, because we are in the process of preparing our application for tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, donations to the CKC are not tax deductible at this time. Donations are still needed and greatly appreciated so that we can continue to move our work forward. Businesses may be able to write off gifts to the CKC as business expenses (check with your tax advisor). Begun to develop a comprehensive knitting and crochet taxonomy that will form the basis to develop and structure a digital collection. Consistent terminology for knit and crochet will serve as the basis as the basis for creating information about online items, that will be used to catalog digital images as we create and gather them and allow them to be searchable. Our work is ongoing, so please keep checking our website and this newsletter for updates. ~ Marilyn Huset MKG Knitters News 02/2013 2 Community Projects Donations for the Road Home and Porchlight, Inc. A big thank you to Carole Ayres and Jane Newman for delivering the knitted projects and more thanks to Betty Ulanski for taking donated yarn to give to Taycheedah.  Mittens 8  Gloves 1  Hats 41  Socks 14  Scarves 35 Grand Total 99 This is an incredible amount of knitting! The projects were beautiful. We counted head warmers in with the hats and cowls went in with the scarves. We also received toiletries which were much appreciated. Donations for February Go To: Agrace Hospice Care and Bayview Center Bayview Center has requested hats, mittens and scarves for adults and children. If you aren't familiar with the Bayview Center and Foundation, you should read about them at bayviewfoundation.org. This agency provides support to low- and middle-income families in a racially diverse neighborhood with 87% of the heads of families born outside the U.S. Bayview Center also includes a large number of adults with developmental disabilities in their programs. Services include housing, arts, gardens, summer programs for youth and an evening program for teens. Agrace Hospice Care is a community-based hospice dedicated to providing expert physical, emotional and spiritual support to patients and families dealing with life-limiting conditions. They would like lap robes and tactile stimulation balls. The lap robes are self-explanatory. Tactile stimulation balls are small baseball sized balls used with patients with dementia to keep their hands busy. They use them to hold, squeeze, grip and stretch. Picture a ball with attached wings or big ruffles for pulling and stretching. In order to make the ball stretchy, it may have to be knit loosely. When stuffing the ball, if you use whole soft fabric or quilt batting instead of little pieces of foam that would help to keep the stuffing from coming out. If you have old nylons, they would make a good stuffing. I asked Hospice if they had a pattern or a sample, but they had given all the balls out. I looked in Ravelry for a pattern for a tactile stimulation ball, without any luck. There are plenty of patterns for regular balls online. Another easier idea is a tactile washcloth, rather than a ball. You could make a ruffly washcloth sized piece that might work just as well. My daughter has a small blanket she uses to entertain my grand daughter while she is in her car seat. It has different textures on it, made with appliques and tabs of different fabrics. You could use different weights and textures of left-over yarn and knit it in a washcloth size–worth a try! MKG Knitters News 02/2013 3 600 Monsters for Connnecticut Thank you to Garrett Carlisle for being the contact person for 600 Monsters for Connecticut. I understand that Newtown has received way too many donated gifts, but the website that Garrett is working with already has plans for other places to send the monsters. Pledge forms for Monona Library Critters We are hoping to provide at least 500 small to medium knitted/crocheted critters to use as incentives and 20 to 30 larger objects for special prizes. Guild members interested in making critters are asked to “pledge” how many critters they will be willing to make by our May 15, meeting. We are asking for pledges so we can let Karen Wendt know by March what to expect, since she will have to buy or solicit donations from others to ensure she has more than 1,000 objects by summer. How to pledge: We'll have small and medium sticky notes available at the next few meetings. Simply print your name on one note for each small critter you plan to make by May 15. If you plan to make six, then print your name on six notes. These will be taped securely to a tagboard with blank squares for each of the 500 critters we hope members will make. ~ Lynn Levin, Monona Library Critter Coordinator We’ve collected a variety of free patterns—follow these links: Mouse: http://media.wendyknits.net/knit/mousepat4.htm Bunny, monster and bird: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bunny-nuggets (Tip: 6stitch I-cords for the ears are much easier!) http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chubby-chirps http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/monster-chunks If you’re not a Ravelry member – the patterns are available on her blog: http://www.rebeccadanger.typepad.com/ Pencil toppers: http://flutterbypatch.blogspot.com/2011/04/pencil-dolls.html Fairies: http://flutterbypatch.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-knitted-fairy-pattern.html Angry Birds: http://knitterbees.blogspot.com/2011/10/yellow-bird-plush-toy-pattern.html A coiling snake: http://marymck.blogspot.com/2009/10/meey-sydney-stash-busting-snake.html Some cute little snakes: http://justonewip.blogspot.com/2010/02/snakes-adders.html http://www.the-byrds-nest.com/2011/04/24/small-sssssnake/ And a knitted fish to knit in the round: http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/80764AD.html Kate Findley spoke to Coventry Independent Living Residents in January. They are forming a Knitting Group and and wanted information about our Guild. WHERE THE YARN WENT People stayed home and knit. There were no requests for yarn! Must be a mid-winter lull. - Bonnie Dill, Community Projects Chair, communityprojects@madisonknittersguild.com MKG Knitters News 02/2013 4 Board Member Opportunities Three-year board terms for the Madison Knitters’ Guild are staggered so that each year a third of the positions are open. This year four new members are needed to assume board positions. If you can attend monthly guild meetings and one board meeting per month, and have a few extra hours per month, please e-mail treasurer@madisonknittersguild.com to let us know your interest, to ask questions, or to nominate another member. Elections will be held at the May annual meeting.. February Featured Sponsors The Cat and Crow (vendor) Melissa (Mo) Brown has been knitting and crocheting since childhood and spinning since college. She is the shepherdess at Four Crows Farm and dyes fibers and yarns for sale at The Cat and Crow. Rebecca Boelhower Santi learned to knit from Mo in 2001 and has been learning more about fiber every day since. She loves to teach kids the fun of knitting, felting and dyeing. Open since 2009, our store is focused on providing an outlet for local products including roving, yarn, and tools. Creating a warm and inviting space for fiber artists is important, and we often have groups of people here knitting, spinning or crocheting. Our Saturday dyeing and felting workshops have been especially popular. In addition to yarn from various local flocks of sheep, llama, and alpaca, we support fair-trade companies that supply yarns, felted bags, roving and accessories. Visit Us! Location: 205 E. Main Street, Mt. Horeb, WI Phone: 608-437-1771 Website: http://www.thecatandcrowonline.com/ MKG Knitters News 02/2013 Email: info@thecatandcrowonline.com Store Hours: Tuesday & Wednesday, 10 am-9 pm Thursday & Friday & 10 am-5 pm Saturday 10 am–5 pm 5 Linda & John Loeffelholz (vendors) I was introduced to spinning in February 2000. John bought a spinning wheel and brought it to my house. He gave me a booklet and showed me how to start, and the spinning wheel stayed. Later I traded a sock machine for a new spinning wheel for John since I had put so many "miles" on his. That same year John learned how to dye multicolored roving. As I "played" with it I found a way to spin it so I can have up to eight 4oz skeins that (in commercial terms) are the same dye lot number. I enjoy spinning different fibers, but multicolored wool is still my favorite. John spins various fibers and recycles cashmere sweaters. He makes sure we don't run out of spinning fiber. He has a great sense of color whether dying or buying multicolored roving. Blackberry Ridge We are a family-owned spinnery located in the hills of Vermont Township in south central Wisconsin. Using Merino (white) and Corriedale (gray) wool sourced from sheep flocks in the midwest, we produce our own line of yarns that are spun, dyed and hand painted. The fiber is spun using a woolen process, which produces wonderfully soft, warm, lofty yarns. We also offer a variety of patterns, many from our own designers and featuring our own yarns. In addition to the woolen spun yarns that we produce, we offer several additional yarns spun elsewhere from fibers that our machinery can't process, such as the machine-washable yarns. They are dyed and painted here to give them our own personal touch. Next February we will celebrate 25 years of spinning for you! New: We're adding downloadable copies of the patterns produced at Blackberry Ridge. It will take us a little while, so if there's a particular pattern you'd like, please let us know so that we can make it a priority. Visit Us! If you'd like to visit our mill, please call ahead to arrange a time. Email: Anne@blackberry-ridge.com MKG Knitters News 02/2013 6 Woolybaabaa We want to be your favorite yarn store! Visit Us! https://www.woolybaabaa.com/index.php Phone: 262-366-9922 Email: sarav@woolgatherers.com UFO Retreat January 25-26 Approximately 60 Guild members and friends gathered over a chilly winter weekend to tackle the bane of knitters everywhere… the Un-Finished Object! Over a dozen projects were completed, each announced by the ceremonious ringing of the bell that’s become a hallmark of this fun weekend. If you’d like some get-away time next winter to catch up on the UFO’s in your knitting basket–and to meet new friends, enjoy tasty snacks, and win prizes– mark your calendar for January 24-26, 2014. The event will be held again at the Chalet Landhaus in New Glarus. Hotel reservations are available at the special MKG rate: (608) 527-5234. MKG Knitters News 02/2013 7 March 9 Knit-In Knit In 2013 registration took off with a roar! MKG members took advantage of the members-only registration period and filled many classes. There is still ample opportunity though to expand your fiber skills. At this writing openings remain in Friday night classes:  All About I-Cord  Warping and Weaving  Entrelac Essentials  The Wave Crohook Scarf  What a Knitter Can Do with a Crochet Hook Saturday Morning class openings include:   Lace 101 Unspun Fun And there are a few openings in the Fixing Errors class on Saturday afternoon. In addition, each of the Yoga for Knitters classes has a few openings. Elsebeth Lavold Be sure to spread the word that our featured speaker is Elsebeth Lavold, the only Swedish knitwear designer with her own yarn label. As our keynote speaker on Saturday morning, she will share her vast knowledge of Viking design. Lavold is a prolific author, with more than a dozen books in print including Viking Patterns for Knitting: Inspiration and Projects for Today's Knitter, so attendees will want to be sure to bring their books for the book-signing session. Admission to her presentation, both Friday and Saturday Marketplace, and coffee and sweets in the morning is only $20. Want to stay all day and knit with your friends? Lunch is only $12 and includes sandwich, chips, pasta salad, fruit, cookie and two beverages. Knitters are welcome to visit the Marketplace for just $5, payable at the door. Enjoy a day with others who share your love of all things yarn! Full details are at: http://madisonknittersguild.org/knitin2013 REGISTRATION DEADLINE: March 1, 2013. Save yourself a stamp: Paying with PayPal is quick and simple! But paying by check saves MKG money! So if you haven’t paid your registration fee, please bring a check with you to the guild meeting on February 11. We’ll have volunteers ready to accept your payments. MKG Knitters News 02/2013 8 Knitting Along the Viking Trail My trip along the Viking Trail was not a search for a football team or the legendary Brett Favre, now a “Viking.” I went to see an exhibit of knitted garments designed by Elsebeth Lavold and developed by The Textile Museum of Borås, Sweden. Since 1997 the exhibit has traveled throughout Sweden, Denmark, and the United States. Elsebeth Lavold is of Norwegian and Danish descent and lives in Sweden. Already a knitwear designer, she began to adapt Viking and Iron Age interlaced motifs into her knitting after she illustrated a book on archaeological sites near Stockholm. The result is exceptional design based on ornament analysis and a thousand years of cultural history. Translating these symbolic motifs into knitting took more than just charting out the intertwined designs. These intricate knots, twines and cables start, stop and change direction within the pattern. Elsebeth’s innovative method for making symmetrical increases and decreases made it possible to replicate these complex motifs in knitting. Viking Patterns for Knitting, first published in 1998, has been translated into five languages and continues to inspire knitters to this day. “Knitting Along the Viking Trail,” the travelling exhibit, displays Elsebeth’s knitwear alongside the sources of inspiration for the designs. More than 50 knit items are paired with photographs and sketches of archaeological finds from all over the Viking world plus eight replicas of symbolic runes and picture stones. These ancient art forms have a symmetry and beauty that continues to appeal to our 21st century ideals. Each hat, pair of gauntleted gloves, pullover, cardigan, cape, cushion, and even the afghan constructed of test swatches is a tour de force. Photographs cannot do justice to the complicated raised motifs. The cables twist, turn and change direction on the knitted surface, tricking the eye into seeing a lively surface dance. Knitters know that sticking a cable in the middle of a row of knitting can create a bulging or sagging in the fabric. Elsebeth solved this technical problem, clearing the way to knit these deeply symbolic motifs. Given the symbolic nature of the Viking and Celtic emblems, knitting these forms can be deeply meditative. Start with a hat, mittens or cushion and transport yourself back to the age of the Vikings. http://www.ingenkonst.se/exhibit.htm ~ Barbara Rottman Neighborhood Knits Mini Classes Available Only to Guild Members Rarely does a project instruct a knitter with what type of cast-on to use. But it can make a difference. Some cast-ons make a more firm edge, others are more flexible. Some are quicker, some are “magic.” Come expand your cast on choices–including Gael’s favorite–the Twisted German. Feb. 18, 6:30 pm, Sequoia Branch Library. Teacher: Gael Boyd Sign up at http://www.madisonknittersguild.org/ MKG Knitters News 02/2013 9
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