cable gram - The Minnesota Knitters` Guild
Transcription
cable gram - The Minnesota Knitters` Guild
Volume 28, Number 1 Newsletter of the Minnesota Knitters’ Guild Spring 2012 CABLE GRAM From President’s the President Purls T he countdown is on…Yarnover is around the corner! Special thanks to PJ Wollum who helped develop the program for online registration and to all of the other volunteers who tested the program before it went live. And it did go live! And Brigid Brindley I can tell you that it is a President beautiful thing. We have had MN Knitters’ Guild a few glitches along the way, and a little bit of hand-holding, but what a beautiful program we have. Thank you to everyone who has used the online registration and made our lives so much easier. Now to the good stuff…knitting. The winter has been so mild that I haven’t really worked on many big woolly projects. I have almost finished one of the jackets from knit, Swirl!, a book of designs from Sandra McIver. I have been working on it (on the side) since July 2011, and will be so happy to finish it. I chose a beautiful Noro Silk Garden wool blend. I just have the one hugely long seam to work on… and then finito! I just finished a small Fair Isle hat using a pattern by Kate Davies called “Sheep Heid” which is available on Ravelry. The design used 9 natural colors of Shetland sheep. I did it as part of a knit-along with my local yarn shop. The hat is adorable with little sheep and rams on it. I also started a sweater out of Coastal Knits by Alana Dakos and Hannah Fettig. I chose a pattern called “Gnarled Oak Cardigan” and am using Madeline Tosh DK in a color called “Cousteau.” The green and blue hues of this colorway are lovely and make me smile as I knit…which is a good thing because there are hours of just straight stockinette stitch on this baby. Another lovely thing about spring is the onset of knitting retreats and events. I am going to a retreat in Maine at the end of February. Then we have the Great Guild Getaway 2012 to Camp Knudsen in March. My 11-year-old knitting daughter, Maeve, is going to room with me on the GGG trip -- what fun to have a retreat together. Later in April we have Yarnover, which I hope most of you are attending. It should be a great time. Shepherd’s Harvest is in May. To top everything off, in July I get to go to Meg Swanson’s knit camp again! Hope your lives are full of knitting and fun, Brigid Brindley INSIDE Yarnover 2012.............................................................2 Knitting on the Hoof and on the Lam .........................2 MKG 2011 Year-End Report ......................................3 MKG Service Committee 2011 Annual Report ...... 4-5 Book Review ...............................................................5 Knitting Around ..........................................................6 Get Out the Vote 2012 ................................................7 Knitting in the News! ..................................................8 MKG Service Project 2012 .........................................9 Knitting in the Northland ..........................................10 Northern Lights Affiliate Meeting Schedule .............10 Charting the Future ...................................................11 Coming Up at MKG ..................................................12 www.knitters.org 2 Cable Gram - Spring 2012 Yarnover is Coming! by Shelley Hermanson, Yarnover Committee Chair Y arnover is almost here, and we are excited!! Tis the last couple of months before Yarnover, and the Yarnover committee is getting the finishing touches ready for best Saturday in April. We are excited, so say the least. We have made some changes this year, and we hope you like them. The first big change, of course, is online registration. We must give credit to PJ Wollum and her team for doing an outstanding job of making it possible to register for classes. Everyone seems very happy to know immediately that they got into the classes they wanted. Thank you so much for making this happen, PJ et al. It is wonderful. The second major change is that there isn’t going to be a keynote speaker this year. We want you to know that we do read those evaluations that you submit. The pervasive theme has been “more shopping time please.” To that end, we eliminated the keynote address. That means when you arrive at Hopkins High School, you can immediately pull out that credit card and use it to its best advantage buying more yarn. When you arrive, you pick up your registration materials and name badge and proceed to the vendor area to shop until it is time for class. Classes still start at 9:15. At the end of the day, you turn in your evaluation and, if some of the vendors are still open, you can shop again. Oh, and there is, of course, lunchtime shopping too. We hope this will satisfy your need to indulge in fibery goodness. The teacher dinner is at the Doubletree Hotel. The main difference this year is that there will be appetizers and punch at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30. It will be in a ballroom instead of the open area we had last year, which I think will make for a less noisy time for everyone. The food at the Doubletree is excellent, and it is so much fun to meet those teachers up close and personal when not in a classroom setting. I hope you can make it to the dinner. I hope everyone has a wonderful time on April 27th and 28th. I am looking forward to seeing you all there for the 26th annual Minnesota Knitters’ Guild Yarnover. Check out the vendor list and the updated information about class openings in the Yarnover group on Ravelry, www.ravelry.com Knitting on the Hoof and on the Lam By Elizabeth Watkins C urly the Goat apparently did not understand that no goats are harmed in the process of making mohair. Owners Jim and Karen Aakre brought the 3 year angora goat to town to be part of a living nativity program at a Lutheran church in Fergus Falls. Curly slipped out of her leash and bolted for freedom, setting off a 25 day “Goat Watch” with daily reports, an online photo gallery and an interactive map to report sightings. Curly enjoyed her freedom in the mild weather after Christmas and roamed a wide area of town, but always managed to escape capture. Her owners grew increasingly worried as temperatures grew colder, however. Curly was finally caught several miles outside of town, when she ran into some kinfolk – a herd of goats belonging to another farmer – and was lured into a barn. The Aakres own several other goats, as well as llamas, a variety of sheep and angora rabbits. Karen, who is well-known locally as a spinning instructor, uses their fiber for spinning and knitting. A former art teacher, Aakre is currently working on an illustrated book titled A Goat’s Tail: Curley Gets Cold Feet. As for Curly, she seems glad to be back in the fold. Information for this article as well as the “Goat Watch” emblem was gathered from the website of the Fergus Falls Daily Journal. Cable Gram - Spring 2012 3 MKG 2011 Year-End Report 2011 Year End CASH General Guild 2011 Dues Yarnover Event (Reserved Fund) Retreat Event Money Market TOTAL CASH EXPENSES Textile Center Monthly Rent (Full Space) TC Guild Membership/Library Privileges/Mail Box/Voice Mail TC Meeting Room Rent (6 Board Meetings x $25) Cablegram Web Site Monthly Programs/Door Prizes Advertising/Promotional Library Purchases Administration Rewards for Event Volunteers (5 events x $50) Affilate Guild Reimbursement Advancement of Knitting Education/Knit Out Service Committee New Member Committee TOTAL EXPENSES INCOME Membership Dues (763 members at year-end) 2,002 12,473 1,891 -1,810 10,113 $24,668 2011 Budget 3,080 760 180 2,300 2,900 3,000 250 1,000 1,780 300 750 900 600 500 $18,300 $20,948 2011 Year End 2,285 568 180 1,489 6,288 2,598 367 895 2790 50 675 15 600 0 $18,800 4 Cable Gram - Spring 2012 MKG Service Committee 2011 Annual Report by Michele Germanson, Service Committee Chair T he purpose of the Service Committee is to distribute yarn and supplies to groups and organizations that knit for charity or promote and teach knitting. We now have an allotted budget and we also receive funds and materials from donations. In addition, the guild as a whole participates in an annual service project with items donated to one or more organizations. Donations we receive are sorted and the appropriate supplies are given to organizations we know can use them. Donated yarn and needles have also been used for MKG teaching opportunities at Shepherds Harvest, the Minnesota State Fair, Knit Out and the Textile Center. The organizations we continued to support in 2011 are the Minnesota Visiting Nurse Agency, Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly, Bundles Hats on Display at July Meeting of Love, Edina Senior Center and Creekside Needleworks Photo courtesy of Michele Germanson (Bloomington). A new organization this year was The Minneapolis Women’s Needlework Club. This year we donated again to Mary Monitor who is knitting bears for the Mother Bear Project. In 2011 we donated a total of 484 skeins and 7 pounds 13.5 ounces of yarn. Bundles of Love: 66 skeins & 1 pound 11.5 ounces of yarn Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly: 72 skeins & 15.3 ounces of yarn MN Visiting Nurse Agency: 126 skeins & 12.4 ounces of yarn Edina Senior Center: 74 skeins & 15.4 ounces of yarn Creekside Needleworks: 73 skeins & 1 pound 8 ounces of yarn Minneapolis Women’s Needlework Club: 73 skeins & 1 pound 2.5 ounces of yarn Mary Monitor for Mother Bear Project: 12.3 ounces of yarn Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly: 21 scarves, 8 pairs of mittens, 14 hats & 11 pairs of socks Bundles of Love: 1 baby blanket, 1 baby sweater & hat, 1 bib, 1 baby hat & booties, 2 baby winter bonnets & 3 pairs of socks We had a huge donation of supplies (170 skeins of yarn, 30 balls of embroidery thread, knitting and crochet tools, knitting and crochet patterns, knitting needles and crochet hooks) from John Fogarty in Northfield. His wife, Mary, passed away from breast cancer a few years ago. To quote John, “Mary was a good knitter, but a better shopper.” This sounds like something a lot of our families could say about us! Thank you John: your donation was put to good use, as you can see by our charities above. This year’s service project was dedicated to Carrie Bartz who was the MKG Secretary before she passed away in the summer of 2010. One of the charity knitting causes that Carrie was involved in was knitting chemo caps for oncology patients. We worked with the American Cancer Society to donate chemo caps in Duluth, Minneapolis, Rochester and St Paul. The ACS will be handing out the caps at their local offices, their sponsored Hope Lodges (Rochester & Minneapolis), SMDC (Duluth), HCMC (Minneapolis), Mayo (Rochester) and United (St Paul). Our goal Cable Gram - Spring 2012 Book Review: November’s Bounty in the Library by Lorri Talberg, Librarian T he Principles of Knitting by June Hemmons Hiatt is finally here and available to be checked out. Yes, we do have the 1988 edition in the library, but only as a reference copy to be used onsite. This newly printed second edition can be enjoyed cover to cover in the privacy in your own home. I highly recommend it for all knitters – young, old, beginners, veterans and anyone in between – and guarantee each and every one of you will learn something new. The content of the first edition was revisited and has grown to roughly 450,000 words from the previous 350,000. There are an additional 100 pages and more than 900 illustrations that cover almost every topic, method and technique a knitter could need. For example, there are 11 pages dedicated solely to buttonholes. But who’s counting? Don’t just take my word, here’s what others are saying about this incredible book. Written in clear, direct language, The Principles of Knitting is like having a knitting mentor by your side, ready to answer any question in a comprehensive, reasoned, and informed manner. It is the one reference guide no knitter should be without. – Barnes and Noble If I could have only one book on knitting after the world came to an end, this would be that book. – squiddo.com In case you are wondering, The Principles of Knitting has 736 pages. Books can be borrowed from the Textile Center library for the period of one month, which means that readers can digest the entire book if they keep to a pace of 25 pages per day. No quizzes will be administered upon returning the book, however. Book review suggestions for future issues may be sent to [email protected]. Service Committee Annual Report, continued from page 4 was to knit 400 chemo caps (100 for each city). I’m happy to report that we exceeded our goal and gathered 428 chemo caps to donate! We had a contest for members, with prizes for the two members who donated the most caps in each half of the year. The winners were announced and prizes awarded at the July (picnic) and January 2012 meetings. The winners in July were Judy Berland and Paula Knutzen and in December were Joyce Kunze and Barb Mons. A special thank you goes out to Jane Niemi, who made 72 felted cat toys for us to sell as a fund raiser for the service committee. Also to Shelley Monitor, who stepped up to the plate to head the service project while I was MIA, helping out with my Dad. 5 6 Cable Gram - Spring 2012 Knitting Around by Elizabeth Watkins A ngela Radzyuk of Waseca, Minnesota, is all about color and texture. Her business “All for Love of Yarn” was founded less than three years ago but her yarn and spinning fiber have already become popular at local stores and at events such as the MKG Yarnover and Shepherd’s Harvest. Angela got intrigued by the idea of dying her own yarns when she saw some undyed fiber in a catalog. She ordered some and dyed it with Kool-Aid. She liked the results, but Kool-Aid did not give her enough control. Soon she ordered acid dyes and “went to town.” She quickly began dying more than she could use herself and opened an Etsy shop where she sells both spinning fiber and yarn. One of her goals was to create variegated yarns that look good in a skein and, more importantly, knit up beautifully without pooling. Angela started spinning only one year ago, beginning with a drop spindle and moving on to a wheel. She recently finished spinning the yarn for her first handspun, hand-dyed sweaters. Angela is completely self-taught and emphasizes that she learns by doing. Inspiration for her colors is frequently found through art and photography. She invites members of her Ravelry group and blog readers to submit artwork and images. One customer asked her to design a colorway based on an image from the St. John’s Bible. Angela created a unique colorway that her customer has used to knit gifts for her entire family. Angela grew up near Austin, Minnesota, but lives now in Waseca with her husband, a daughter who is going on 5 and a 2 year-old son. She met her husband during the course of several mission trips to Russia, where he served as host and interpreter for her group. He speaks Russian at home with their children and several of the All for Love of Yarn products have Russian names. Her sock yarn Seella, for example, aptly means “strength.” Another sock yarn, “Nogi,” means “feet” in Russian. Radzyuk usually dyes one or two days each week, working with special equipment in her kitchen. As the mother of two small children, she gets the most done when family members can help with the kids. She laughed when asked if she has dyed her kids yet. Her goal for her business is to eventually have a studio in her home where she could teach spinning, both on drop spindles and wheels, while continuing to create batts for spinning and dying both combed top and yarn. Her yarn is currently available at The Yarnery in St. Paul, Mary Lou’s Yarns and Ewe in Mankato, and at Three Kittens in Mendota Heights. She would like to eventually focus on selling her yarns wholesale at a wide range of stores. Interested knitters and spinners can find her products and blog through her website www.Allforloveofyarn.com. Knitting Around is a regular feature highlighting knitting all around the state of Minnesota. Readers are encouraged to suggest yarn stores, knitting events or people for future issues of the Cablegram by e-mailing [email protected]. Cable Gram - Spring 2012 7 Get Out the Vote 2012! by Shelley Monitior, Nominating Committee Chair I t’s that time again! The Guild is looking for volunteers to help serve on our board for the upcoming year. We are doing our voting by using an e-mail ballot via Surveymonkey.com. If you don’t have an e-mail for you, we will send you a ballot through the U.S. mail. Ballots need to be received by Monday, April 16. The board will tally the votes and elected officials will be announced at the April meeting. Newly elected officers shall take office following the April meeting. We have openings for the positions of Secretary, Member at Large, Parliamentarian and Historian. If you are interested in serving the Guild in this capacity or want more information about these openings, please contact Shelley Monitor at [email protected] or 651-777-7159. You can also contact Shelley if you do not receive a ballot via e-mail or U.S. mail by March 31. Thanks to the following list of volunteers who will serve on the Board of the Minnesota Knitters’ Guild! Slate of Officers Position President Vice President (1) Vice President (2) Vice President (3) Term 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years Name Brigid Brindley Ellen Reeher Jennifer Williams Mona Phaff (first term, second year) (second term, second year) (first term, second year) (first term, second year) Secretary (1 ) Secretary (2) Treasurer Member at Large (1) Member at Large (2) 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years Sandra Merrill OPEN Jennifer Presnell Shelley Monitor Michele Buck (first term, first year) (first term, first year) (first term, first year) (first term, second year) (first term, first year) Member at Large (3) Historian Librarian Parliamentarian Textile Center Liaison Web Infomaster 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years OPEN OPEN Lorri Talberg OPEN Karen B. Lehman PJ Wollum (first term, first year) (first term, first year) (first term, second year) (first term, first year) (second term, first year) (second term, first year) 8 Cable Gram - Spring 2012 Knitting in the News! by Elizabeth Watkins I ndianapolis did it right by recruiting knitters to be part of the Super Bowl welcome wagon. The “Super Scarves” project was planned long in advance, with the goal of gathering 8,000 handcrafted blue-andwhite scarves to be worn by volunteers and hospitality workers. Handknit, crocheted and woven scarves were collected from volunteers and brought to the Indiana Women’s Prison where residents sewed on official Super Bowl patches. The Indianapolis-Marion County Library System organized beginning knitting classes for people who wanted to participate. Knitters could make any pattern, but were asked to make scarves that were 6-8 inches wide and between 76 and 100 inches long. While the final tally is not reported, the “Super Scarves” website notes that the committee exceeded its goal of 8,000 scarves. Reporters from around the world were spotted wearing scarves, as were visiting celebrities, team cheerleaders and at least one team mascot. Local artists Dante Ventresca and Rebecca Hutton created a large art installation that included a mobile of swaying, oversized knitting needles with images of hands. The artists noted that “The process of knitting is something that is timeless and it is something that reaches across cultures with a rich, beautiful history.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Indianapolis Mayor Ballard and volunteer Pam Turner. These photos and others featured on this website: http://stories.indianapolissuperbowl.com/blog/super-scarves Granddaughter Leisha, from Minnesota made two scarves. Donna Twedt, Indianapolis, IN Knitting in the News” is a regular column on sightings related to knitting and fiber in the news and public media. Readers may forward sightings of their own to [email protected]. Cable Gram - Spring 2012 MKG Service Project 2012: Something for Everyone - and Every Basket of Odd Skeins! by Joyce Fitzgerald Y our Service Committee is pleased to announce a new project for 2012. To follow up on the success of last year’s donations of over 600 chemo caps for the American Cancer Society, we wanted a service project that will harness the abundant creativity and varied stashes of our Guild membership. Toward that end, our campaign will focus on children and teens, and benefit two organizations: Hennepin County Medical Center, and Afghans for Afghans. For Hennepin County Medical Center we will make soft toys to give to children in need of comfort. Your gift of a cuddly toy will make a difference to kids who are hospitalized, in the care of ambulance personnel, or guests at the Crisis Center. Here are some recommendations for making toys: Use soft, machine washable yarns Wash the toy with non-toxic soap before stuffing and finishing Embroider eyes on the face, as sewn on safety eyes or buttons can be pulled off and become choking hazards Secure seams by tying a small knot into the fabric at the end of each seam Afghans for Afghans partners with various relief organizations to distribute warm, durable clothing to children and adolescents in Afghanistan. Donating mittens, hats, sweaters, vests and socks will help young people to survive harsh winters that typically include waves of subzero cold. Guidelines for these items are: Use durable yarns with a minimum of 75% animal fiber content, such as wool, mohair, alpaca, or llama Dark and bright colors are best, as recipients typically do not have frequent opportunity to wash clothing Colorful patterns are welcome, but avoid incorporating symbols or representational designs Densely knitted fabric without lace is best for warmth and durability Free patterns will be available at meetings, and we will link to more on the Service Committee blog. For each item you donate, your name will be entered in a drawing for prizes at our July picnic and our December holiday party. Links: Hennepin County Medical Center: http://www.hcmc.org/index.asp Afghans for Afghans: http://www.afghansforafghans.org/ 9 10 Cable Gram - Spring 2012 Knitting in the Northland by Shannon Szymkowiak, Northern Lights Affiliate I nspiration: where do you get yours? So far, the winter of 2012 has been the winter that wasn’t. Despite the fact that we are being told that we are getting 16” of snow this coming week, we are still woefully behind with our total winter snowfall. But what does that have to do with inspiration? I find that my most productive days playing with yarn are often the cold, snowy days of winter and the windy, rainy days of spring. The desire to stay inside flips my internal knitting switch. I suspect it may have something to do with a deep-seated survival instinct, but maybe I just don’t want to shovel. If I find myself getting bored with what I’m working on, I set my current project aside and find inspiration in organizing and reacquainting myself with my work area. Hey, I forgot about that lovely merino/silk blend! How come I have three size eight bamboo circulars? Maybe if I sort my yarn by size instead of quantity...? After messing around with the abundance of my stash, I seem to get revitalized to complete the project at hand because I came across something I want to make next or I get an idea about how to customize that project. A knitter I know has a very organized stash of single balls of yarn. She knits a swatch to feel what it is like to work with that particular fiber and notes it with the ball. I am envious of this method because she is inspiring herself each time she buys one of those single balls of yarn – even if she never makes a project with it. Since we haven’t had many “hunker down with your yarn” kinds of days, some of my inspiration has come from the desire to slap some color against the mostly-brown landscape. My completed red scarf has been around my neck even on the practically-balmy 40 degree days of January just to cheer me up. I went crazy and bought some grass-green yarn to make a hat even though I have miles of yarn on hand already, perhaps because my subconscious is looking forward to mowing the yard. When you feel stale and dull with your knitting, take a trip to your LYS, to a friend for a sit-n-knit or down the hall to your stash room. Throw ten random balls of yarn into a basket and see what looks fresh and interesting. Then get out your needles and get started. Inspiration. Where do you get yours? Northern Lights Affiliate Meeting Schedule NLA meetings are usually held at Portman Square which is located at 46th Ave East and McCulloch Street on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. Meet and Greet is at 5:30, business meeting at 6:00 p.m., followed by a program. Meetings adjourn about 7:30. March 21, 2012 Knitting on the Net Host: Susan Dolph Learn about Ravelry and other knitting related sites. April 18, 2012 Knits for Kids Host: Cameron Hubley May 16, 2012 Yarnover Discussion Hosts: Shari and Kathryn Knitting Bingo Host: Amy Roz June (date TBD), 2012 On the Road Again: Visit Sunrise Alpaca Farm near Rush City Host: Shari Carlson Knitting in Public Day Meet at Sir Bens Cable Gram - Spring 2012 n eta 11 7 Charting the Future . . . retreats, workshops and events for knitters who like to plan ahead. Minnesota Knitters’ Guild Events May 2012 Yarnover April 28, 2012 Hopkins High School, Hopkins, MN Our Guild’s annual day-long knitting event. Classes taught by nationally known instructors plus a vendor market. knitters.org Shepherd's Harvest Sheep & Wool Festival May 12-13, 2012 Lake Elmo, MN Washington County Fairgrounds. Free parking and admission. Class registration begins March 1, 2012. http://www.fiberandfolk.com/ April 2012 Minnesota Alpaca Expo April 14-15, 2012 Owatonna, MN Free parking and admission. Alpacas show along with classes and vendors. Registration opens January 2, 2012. http://www.minnesotaalpacaexpo.com/ Wisconsin Spin-in April 21-22, 2012 Waukesha, WI Classes and a market with a fiber arts focus http://www.wispinin.org/ Mid-Iowa Shop Hop First annual shop hop in Ames, Ankeny, Carroll, West Des Moines and Winterset http://yarnshophop.wordpress.com Door County Shepherds' Market May 19-20, 2012 Egg Harbor, WI Wisconsin’s oldest fiber event and sale. Promotes products from locally raised sheep, goats and camelids. Most vendors only accept cash or checks with ID. http://www.dcshepherdsmarket.com/ June 2012 Iowa Summer Sheep & Wool Festival June 9-10, 2012 Adel, IA Dallas County Fairgrounds. Serving sheep enthusiasts throughout Iowa. http://www.iowasheep.com/festival.php Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair June 22-24, 2012 Grayslake, IL Lake County Fairgrounds (air conditioned). $10/day or 3/$25. Kids 10 and under are free. Workshops, demonstrations, marketplace, exhibits and music. http://www.fiberandfolk.com/ Since 1985 . . . Promoting interest, appreciation, education and fellowship in the art of knitting. Minnesota Knitters’ Guild 3000 University Ave SE, Suite 2 Minneapolis, MN 55414 Officers President: VPs/Programs: Secretaries: Treasurer: Members At Large: Historian: Librarian: Textile Center Liaison: Web Infomaster: Brigid Brindley Mona Phaff , Ellen Reeher, Jennifer Williams Mary Brown, Brandy Snyder Michele Buck Shelley Monitor, Jenny Wilder, Jennifer Presnell OPEN Lorri Talberg Karen Lehman PJ Wollum Cable Gram Volunteers Editor: Elizabeth Watkins Design and Layout: Elizabeth Kimber Contributing Writers: Brigid Brindley, Pam Duffy-Kope, Shelley Hermanson, Kristy Kringle, Shelley Monitor, Diane Pecoraro, Jennifer Presnell , Ellen Reeher, Shannon Szymkowiak, Lorri Talberg, Elizabeth Watkins, Jennifer Williams The Cable Gram is a quarterly publication. Copy Deadlines: February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 1 (November has an earlier deadline because of the holiday season). Contact the MKG at 612-436-0464 or www.knitters.org for more information or if you have a story idea. Questions? GIVE US A CALL! MKG at the Textile Center: 612-436-0464 OR visit us at www.knitters.org Bring Your Knitting! Coming Up At MKG Twin Cities Meeting Schedule 7-9 PM. Non-members are also welcome to attend. Location: Textile Center of MN, 3000 University Ave SE, Minneapolis. See our Web site, www.knitters.org, for directions and details. March 20, 2012 Lion Brand Margery Winter from Lion Brand Yarn will be flying in just for us! She will be talking about the famous brand and their yarn. There just might be a surprise or two. April 17, 2012 Blocking Demonstration Your Vice-presidents are going to talk about a few knitting tools, focusing mainly on blocking. So bring your questions and garments that you have not yet blocked and we will do our best to make you a blocking master. May 1, 2012 Special Guest Speaker—Susanna Hansson Note special day. We will meet early this month so that Susanna Hansson, fresh from her appearance at Yarnover, can speak at our meeting. You can check her out at www.oneofsusannas.com The Minnesota Knitters’ Guild meets on the third Tuesday of each month, 7 to 9 PM at the Textile Center of MN, 3000 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN. Northern Lights Affiliate meetings are on the third Wednesday of each month, at 6 PM, at the Portman Community Center, 4601 McCulloch St., Duluth, MN. Come Check It Out Be our guest! Come to meeting and see if MKG is for you. Whether you are just beginning or have years of experience knitting, MKG is a place to meet folks who share your passion, and a place to share our knowledge and love of the craft. Want to Join? Yearly dues are $30, January 1 through December 31, not pro-rated. Benefits include programs at our monthly meeting, the quarterly Cable Gram, public service projects, members-only knitting contests, early registration for our annual Yarnover event, and the support of fellow knitters! Make checks payable to MKG, and mail them to: Minnesota Knitters Guild Attn: Treasurer 3000 University Ave SE, Suite #2, Minneapolis, MN 55414