Volume 14 Issue 4 - West Coast Knitters` Guild

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W E S T C O A S T K N I T T E R S ’ N E WS
• Editor: Paulette Lane 604-730-4628 [email protected], [email protected]
• Contributors: Anna Knowlson, Valerie Pollock,
• Distribution: Janet Crawford, Stephanie Langley
Volume 14 Issue 4
Whole number 81
July 2012
Published 6 times per year. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author.
To be content in life, you must have a passion, ours is knitting.
West Coast Knitters’ News
Summer Knitting
These cool temps we’ve been experiencing are medal for making donations to charity. Winners
perfect for knitting. I like to look on the posi- all around.
tive side. However, when the thermometer
Keep Canada Knitting and Crocheting
climbs, many knitters put down their knitting
altogether; they say it is too hot to knit. In the
summer months, I like to work on smaller projects like swatches for yarns that I’ve collected
What’s Inside
or newborn caps for the Period of Purple Crying or facecloths for Canada Comforts. These
4
Show and Tell
small projects are easy to carry for summer
6
Jessica Glesby and Tag You're Knit!
travelling, standing in line, at the playground,
or lounging at the beach or by the pool. The
7
Lacy Knitters Guild has a New Website
small size does not over heat me and does not
require a big knitting bag, the project will fit in
7
From the Bookshelf
my purse or a tucked in a carry bag.
8
Dandelion Lane Fibre Studio
The Summer Olympics are on the horizon and
8
many knitters participate in Knitting Olympics.
How to Remove Common Stains from Wool
They choose a project to start and finish during
9
Finger Puppet Assembly Line
the days that the Olympic Games are held. Cast
on at the opening ceremonies and bind off at
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Guild Members Charity Knitting
the closing ceremonies. It is a great idea but for
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Calendar of Events
the summer Olympics when it is hot, I have a
better idea, knit or crochet multiple small items
12
Farewell Throw
- a purple newborn hat a day or a facecloth a
day during the Olympics. If you really want a
challenge, knit/crochet one of each. You get a
gold medal for finishing and another gold
Membership due in September
Overview of May Meeting
Courtesy of Anna Knowlson
be sent by e-mail, [email protected].
Mariela welcomed members and guest, Jean
McLeod, a new knitter, who was introduced to Edita Michalek has been nominated for President. We are seeking a nomination for Vice
the Guild by Heather Mahaffy.
President. Rachel Zuckerman has volunteered to
On behalf of the Oakridge Senior Centre, Janis
take over membership with Jane Stringer's guidWaller thanked the members for our donations
ance. Paulette Lane needs a back-up person for
of household items for their fundraising sale on
the newsletter just in case she is not able or
May 15 and 16.
available. Lorna Brown would like an assistant
Past President, Bev Gray, who is managing
who could take on the Treasurer's position in
nominations for the Guild Executive positions at September 2013. Several volunteer positions are
the AGM in June was not in attendance but
open: member at large, and door prize coordinator.
wanted members to know that nominations can
(Continued on page 2)
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Catherine Backman, the Director of the School of Occupational Therapy at UBC will come to speak to the Guild at the
July meeting. Part of the mission of occupational therapy is to
keep people doing what they love for as long as possible. The
School of Occupational Therapy wants to do a research project on knitting. Knitting can be used in many ways for health.
It is meditative, productive, creative, keeps the hands nimble,
engages community, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and
has other benefits such as helping the management of stress,
tension and pain, and slows or prevents memory loss through
keeping the mind engaged and active.
Arts Council office. So far, more than fifty people have
signed up for this project.
to fund the Tag You're Knit project, one of the North Vancouver City councillors was put off by the word “bomb”
and so the project was side-lined. A new young female
councillor brought it back for re-consideration and it was
then passed 4/3 and then 5/2! The project has to be successful now because public money has been spent on it. The
first project will be yarn bombing of the tree outside the
Thought for the month: In the nineteenth century, knitting
was prescribed to women as a cure for nervousness and hysteria. Many new knitters find this sort of hard to believe because, until you get good at it, knitting seems to cause those
ailments. The twitch above my right eye will disappear with
knitting practice.” - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Janis Waller adds that the chain link fence near Gallery
Gachet at 88 East Cordova is currently being entertainingly
yarn bombed. It changes every week.
At the June meeting, skeins of New Zealand wool yarn will
be raffled. What is so special about New Zealand yarn?
What makes it different from Australian and North American yarn? Sheep are extremely adaptable and can live in a
number of environments, even very harsh ones, but climate
stresses affect the density and length of the fleece. So does
The Guild has secured a table for the Delbrook Christmas
diet and breeding, exposure to pollutants, as well as the time
Craft Fair at 600 West Queens Road, North Vancouver. Sat- of year when the sheep are sheared.
urday and Sunday November 17-18, December 1-2.
www.northvanrec.com/facilities/rec-centres/delbrook.aspx The quality of the feed is responsible for the greater part of
the difference in the yarn. Consistent nutrition produces betJessica Glesby spoke to the Guild about yarn bombing, knitted ter, more pliable yarn. Also, the fleece is easier to process if
graffiti and the Tag You're Knit! project with the North Van- the sheep are in lush grass pastures, such as those found in
couver Community Arts Council. Jessica is a graduate of the New Zealand where less vegetable matter clings to their
Emily Carr University of Art and Design and is currently
coats. Sheep are sheared in New Zealand in the southern
working on her Master’s thesis on Yarn Bombing.
spring before the summer heat and, consequently, the fleece
Mariela added that this year, before the decision was made is less yellowed by exposure to sunlight.
Executive -The following members volunteer their time
to make the guild better.
President - Mariela Johansen
Past President - Bev Gray
Vice-President - Edita Michalek
Treasurer - Lorna Brown
Secretary and Recorder - Anna Knowlson
Membership - Jane Stringer,
Newsletter Editor - Paulette Lane
Distribution - Janet Crawford, Stephanie Langley
Web Editor - Anne Walsh
Members at Large - Elizabeth Purves, Mary Scott, Janet Crawford
Workshops - Holli Yeoh, Irene Martin
Show & Tell - Valerie Pollock
Door Prizes– Eileen Kitamura
The Guild meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 pm
in the Oakridge Centre, 41st and Cambie, Vancouver in the
Seniors Room. Annual Membership: $25 per year September
to August. Associate Membership is $12 per year to receive
the newsletter and registration notification for workshops.
[email protected] www.westcoasknitters.org 
West Coast Knitters’ News is published 6 times per year.
Contributions are welcome and encouraged. If you have read
a good knitting book or magazine, have an interesting story to
tell about your knitting or travels with your knitting or
another knitter's knitting, or how you found the WCK, if you
have a knitting tip or learned something from a book or
another knitter that enlightened you, or if you have an idea
for the newsletter or a complaint, we would like to hear about it.
If you have something knitting or fibre related to sell, you
can reach all the members with a free ad in the newsletter.
If you have a fibre related business, we accept advertising
from members or fibre related shops for a nominal fee.
To make a contribution, ask a question or ask for assistance
in preparing a contribution, contact Paulette at 604-730-4628
or [email protected]
Deadline for submissions is the 15th of the month previous
to publication:
December 15 for the January newsletter
February 15 for the March newsletter
April 15 for the May newsletter
June 15 for the July newsletter
August 15 for the September newsletter
October 15 for the November newsletter 
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Overview of June Meeting
Mariela welcomed 45 members and guests: Irene Roth visiting with Jane Stringer, and Sue Bates who was a guest of
Stella Li.
Bev Gray’s friend, Christina, sent the Guild a thank you
card for the Dolls for Haiti that members created. She included pictures of children holding the dolls we sent to her.
Janis Waller mentioned that Marjory Noble from Canada
Comforts/Teddies for Tragedies was happy to get so many
bears and dolls from the Guild. We were treated to another
bunch of these very sweet comfort dolls and bears ready to
be donated.
June 9 to 17 is World Wide Knit in Public Week. Some
events include:
- North Vancouver Community Arts Council will be holding a
stitch together afternoon on Friday June 8, and on June 9,
they invite knitters to help cover the tree in front of the Arts
Council office with the knit fabric that so many have contributed.
- 88 Stitches in Langley will have a KIP event June 9 at their
shop on the patio.
Stringer and Bev Gray as required.
- Distribution – Stephanie Langley and Janet Crawford will
continue
-Newsletter – Paulette will continue as Editor with assistance from Mariela Johansen
- Show and Tell – Valerie Pollock will continue
- Door Prize – Eileen Kitamura is stepping down. Stella Li
and Jane Stringer will share the position
- Workshops – Holli Yeoh and Irene Martin will continue
and will ask for assistance when they need it.
- Craft Sale Co-ordinator – The position is open as Lorna
Brown wants to step down during the next year. This position requires collecting and tagging items, storing them
somewhere, and paying the rental to the Dunbar Community Centre in the January a year before the craft sale date.
Most of the work takes place just before and during the
sale, and members do help.
Nominations for President and Vice-President were opened.
Edita Michalek was nominated for President by Bev Gray,
seconded by Anna Knowlson, and voted in as President, to
serve two years starting in September 2012
Stephanie Langley was nominated by Paulette Lane, seconded Heather Mahaffy, and voted in as Vice-President, to
serve two years starting in September 2012.
- Three Bags Full has planned an event for June 12.
Other knitting events include:
- Peace Arch Weavers and Spinners will spin or knit under
the trees on July 28 from 10 am to 4 pm at Stewart Farms, AGM concluded.
13723 Crescent Road.
For the July meeting, Mariela has arranged for Dr. Catherine
- Surrey Museum - 5th Annual Pick-Knit on August 4, 11 am Backman, the Department Head and Professor of Occupato 4 pm, at the Surrey Museum, 17710 – 56A Ave in Surrey. tional Therapy at UBC, to speak to us about the benefits of
- West Coast Knitters' Guild 15th Annual Knit in the Park on knitting for keeping arms and hands active. Dr. Bachman is
Saturday, August 11 at the covered picnic shelter near the also looking for volunteers for their research into knitting
and Occupational Therapy.
playground, Miniature Railway and the Bus loop
- Knit City is October 13 - 14 at the Croatian Cultural Cen- At the July meeting, Mariela will provide an update
regarding the Dunbar Craft Fair.
tre, 3250 Commercial Drive. This event is sponsored by
Knit Social, who gave us a presentation at the July 2011
Janet Crawford showed us the premiere issue of a new knitmeeting.
ting magazine Noro Knitting. Holli Yeoh's Bobble Hat is on
the
cover! Cornelia Tuttle-Hamilton wrote an article on EiArrangements for Lucy Neatby workshops in the Fall of 2013
saku Noro, who designs the Noro yarns and has new yarn
are in progress, 45 workshops possibilities are available!
designs in progress. There are several beautiful tea cozies to
Annual General Meeting
see, a felted tote, shrug, scarf, fingerless gloves, sweaters
Bev Gray conducted nominations:
and altogether thirty-five other patterns in the magazine.
- Mariela Johansen is stepping down as President
Janet found this magazine at the grocery store but thinks it is
probably available wherever magazines are sold.
- Edita Michalek is stepping down as Vice-President
www.noromagazine.com/
- Anna Knowlson will continue as Secretary
Homecraft Yarn Importers on 4th Avenue at Vine in Vancou- Lorna Brown will stay on as Treasurer for another year but
ver is closing at the end of August. They have a sale on right
is asking for an assistant to work with her this year and
now, with discounts up to fifty percent .
take over the position in September 2013.
Janis Waller thanked everyone for bringing household items
- Members-at-Large – Janet Crawford, Mary Scott, and
to the Oakridge Seniors' Centre Sale. Some items were used
Elizabeth Purves will continue
in their raffle. The sale and raffle were very successful.
- Membership – Jane Stringer is stepping down and Rachel
Zuchermann is taking over, with support from Jane
(Continued on page 5)
Ma
mo
Ho
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May Show & Tell
by Valerie Pollock
Noreen Murphy shared a lovely original design, a bunting
bag that she created for her grandchild out of multi-rainbow
Noro. It has wide ribbed button and buttonhole bands along
one side for ease of putting baby into the bag. Another deep
row of ribbing at the chin will help keep of drafts, and the
wide hood will offer lots of protection. Noreen also showed
a sweet kimono sweater made from Smiley Stripes. For this
project, Noreen learned three needle bind off and I-cord.
garter stitch edge with picot bind off.
Stephanie Langley shared four striped hats that she knit in
pink and white acrylic left over from a previous project. The
hats have been knit for charity and she is happy to have conquered the jogless stripe technique on these projects. She
also showed us a camel coloured cowl that she knit, also for
charity, in an arrowhead design. The top and bottom edges
are waved like rick rack.
The second yarn was Habu Textiles Nettle, also from The
Silk Studio; next to wool, one of the simplest yarns to make.
Nettle is hollow so it is a matter of removing the outer skin,
drying the fibre and spinning. It was easy to knit, not hard
on the hands, even though the finished swatch, worked on
2 mm needles, was “crispy” with no memory. Paulette expected the yarn to be dry on the hands and stiff to knit but
not so.
The freeform beret was started five years ago at the
Okanagan Knitting Retreat in Sorrento with Janet Armstrong and Wendy Henderson. Paulette was not attracted to
freeform knitting, being a more structured knitter, but she
took the challenge. The main yarn in the beret was medium
blue angora with an assortment of coloured and texturedstash yarns in in the gold, orange, beige, red, green range.
The resulting free-form piece was rectangular which
Janis Waller showed eight multi-coloured comfort teddy
bears knit by Marjorie Noble for the Canada Comforts So- Paulette was inspired to turn into a circle using short rows
of blue angora. The circle became the top of a beret but
ciety project that Mary Smith spoke about. Very cute and
cuddly, these bears in a wide variety of colours will be well- once it was complete, the top was still a rectangle inside a
circle. To soften the hard edges of the rectangle, Paulette used
loved by their recipients.
the yarn ends for surface design in the form of French knots,
Sharon Mowat showed us an intriguing pair of socks in
braids, weaving and embroidery. Mission accomplished.
Panda Soy fingering weight yarn. The yarn is twig brown,
Paulette also spoke about three yarns that she swatched for
and composed of 49% bamboo, 33% soy and 18% fuzzy
nylon. The socks are ribbed in 2x2 ribbing at the cuff, with the Foundations of Fibre Workshop she will be teaching at
the end of May at the Okanagan Knitting Retreat in Sorthe shaft and foot knit in 3x1 ribbing.
rento, BC. The first yarn was Habu Textiles Stainless Steel
Marlene Purvey showed us two pairs of the French Press
Felted Slippers by Melynda Bernadi (available on Ravelry) and wool from The Silk Studio on Granville Island. The
thread-like yarn was not difficult to knit on 1.75 mm neethat she knitted using wool from her stash. One pair was
knit in pink/grey with a pink strap and the other pair in dark dles. It is amazingly soft with no memory whatsoever.
grey. They were a very easy knit - Marlene knit a pair up in Paulette squeezed the swatch into a flower shape and it rean evening - and she used puff paint on the sole to help pre- tained the shape. Great for jewellery as Agnes Merton later
remarked.
vent slipping.
Mariela Johansen showed us the cardigan that she knit for
herself in a navy 50/50 alpaca and wool from Denmark,
combined with two strands of lace weight Merino from
Knitpicks. She adapted the cardigan pattern from a Drops
design; the body of the cardigan is in stocking stitch, with a
very deep lacy rib on the bottom. She replaced some of the
lace rows with short row garter pleats to add width around
the hips.
Paulette Lane participated in Mariela’s challenge list in
January 2011 and showed two of the three items she competed on her list, the Silver Star top down raglan cowl neck
pullover and her freeform beret. The Silver Star is Paulette’s
original design created to test her top-down raglan pattern
instructions. It is worked in Silver 6-ply Hemp for Knitting
yarn and uses a single motif from the overall Star Stitch pattern placed alternating every 14 stitches on every 16 rows.
The long sleeves cover the wrists and are finished with
stacked stars stitches separated with stockinette stitch and
The third yarn was Schulana Cashmere Moda bought at
Wool & Wicker. Clara Parkes’ wrote about this yarn in her
newsletter, Knitters Review, with the headline, “Caged
Cashmere” and the cashmere is indeed caged. The cashmere
single is wrapped in an almost invisible netted cashmere
casing in a slightly darker shade than the yarn. Paulette
brought an 8x magnifying glass for members to see it. The
fine netting gives strength to normally weak cashmere and
prevents pilling without compromising softness. Paulette’s
violet swatch was worked in 4.5 mm needles and she plans
a pair of fingerless mitts in this lovely yarn.
Joan Conklin showed us the top-down raglan turtleneck
pullover that she designed herself. The body of the sweater
is dark blue mountain mohair wool and the cuffs, neck and
waist ribbing are brown, turquoise and blue Noro silk/wool.
The challenge of creating her own design and experiment(Continued on page 5)
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June Show & Tell
Elizabeth Purves opened show and tell this month with a
stunning afghan knit in large colour blocks of smoky
browns, pinks, purples and blues, with borders defining the
blocks. Sitting in the blocks, silhouetted in black, are
cats! Elizabeth adapted the pattern from a Mary Maxim crochet pattern, and was even able to reproduce the same gauge
of 11 stitches/4 inches using 2 strands of mohair yarn. Because the colour work was such a large project, she lowered
her ironing board, and laid the project on the board. When
she finished a row, instead of turning the work, she switched
sides of the ironing board - no tangling of the yarns!
Joan Taylor showed us a wee baby cap in bright colours of
red, green, blue and lime green, a self-patterning yarn that
she knit in a simple stocking stitch with rolled brim. The cap
is for the fall sale. She also showed a second shawl she knit
from the pattern, Color Shawl, by designer Miriam LethEspensen of Miram's Well in Santa Fe. This interesting
shawl is triangular, but with truncated front edges; this
unique shaping helps the shawl stay in place on the shoulders. The sides are lacy in an allover eyelet design, with the
centre back a solid, textured knit. This time, Joan knit it in
beautiful green, raspberry, yellow and blue variegated merino and silk yarn. She found the yarn a joy to knit.
Sharon Mowat had two pairs of socks to share. The first
pair, in Panda Soy Fingering in shades of brown (subtly
variegated), was knit in a ripple pattern. She then knit the
same pattern in a Kroy 4-ply fingering in variegated blues/
rusts and greys; the surprising difference in the size of the
by Valerie Pollock
two pairs was remarkable. Gauge is everything!
Fiona McLean showed her lovely Spoked Cardigan by designer Carol Feller, which appeared in the Weekend 2011
Interweave Knits. The cardigan is knit from side to side,
with Garter Stitch short row shaping for the yoke. With the
short row section knit over the stocking stitch body, the garter bumps appear to be spokes extending into the body of the
sweater. Fiona chose lovely greens, greys and beiges in Noro
Kureyon, and since it is knit sideways, the striping appears
lengthwise, rather than widthwise. Her only frustration is
with the button/buttonhole band, which wants to bubble
slightly, regardless of the button placement.
Amanda Milne showed a beautiful hat in Brooklyn Tweed
Loft in the colour, Button Jar, lovely shades of greens. The
pattern, Norby, by Jared Flood (available on Ravelry) has a
garter edging, with the body of the hat alternating stocking
stitch and garter stitch in waves. The fine weight of the yarn
gives this hat a delicate, refined look.
Guest Irene Roth was happy to share two of her recently
completed projects. She knit herself a pair of stocking stitch
socks in green self patterning yarn varying from almost offwhite to a quite dark green. She can't remember the name of
the yarn. Her second project was a hooded cardigan in dark
sage green in Rimu double knit 60% merino, 40% possum.
The cardigan is a one year size, made for a friend's son. The
stocking stitch body has a few accents of garter stitch, and
the possum makes this a particularly soft garment. 
- Te Awa Natural Wool, 2 ply DK (8 ply), cream/beige, 2June Meeting (Continued from page 3)
Purple Hat Campaign for newborns’ period of purple crying
300 grams skeins, 769 m each.
will continue this year. Purple baby hats will be collected in - Fleece Artist Thrum Mittens kit
October, so please do keep your yarn set aside for it or start
Note: With warmer weather still around the corner, this is a
knitting a few purple caps now.
great time to clear out those light-weight yarns for which
Special yarn raffle to raise funds for Nova House. The Guild you no longer have use and that are just cluttering up your
received a donation of several very nice New Zealand yarns stash. Someone else might just love to have them for a sumplus a Fleece Artist kit. Odds of winning were really good! mer project.
The yarns were:
- Ruskdale Natural Coloured Yarn, 85% wool, 15% mohair, Thought for the month: Properly practiced, knitting
soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled
beige/grey, 1-200 gm skein
spirit, either. - Elizabeth Zimmerman 
- Ruskdale Natural Coloured Yarn, 85% wool, 15% mohair,
cream, 1-200 gm skein
May Show and Tell (Continued from page 4)
ing with the sweater was its own reward! She also showed
us an open short sleeved cardigan in a summer weight
marled pink Sweet Georgia Silk, held together with a fingering sport weight wool. Another raglan sleeved sweater,
this ribbed summer cardigan from the Knitting Pure and
Simple was a quick and easy knit for herself.
Mary Scott knit herself a double moss jacket in a variegated turquoise/mauve Marble Chunky. The jacket, which
has shallow pockets and a wide collar, and suited Mary
very well! 
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Jessica Glesby and Tag You're Knit!
to the students she had taught and asked them how their involvement with yarn bombing had affected them. Yarn
bombing had helped free them from constraining aspects of
tradition and conservative perfectionism regarding art. It
created community and a transformation of art concepts.
Installing knitting in a public place without permission is
slightly illegal and fun, but not likely to get you arrested. In
Jessica began knitting in a textiles class at UBC, and was
London England, a group covered one of those red phone
introduced to yarn bombing and knitted graffiti through a
booths with knitting. A police officer tried to give them a
group in Houston called Knitta, http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Knitta_Please. Some of her thoughts about knit graffiti citation but was confused about the issue. He ended up simand yarn bombing are related to perceived stereotypes. For ply having his picture taken beside the knit-altered booth.
instance: street art, sometimes destructive, is assumed to be Knitting helps to improve concentration and heals the brain.
According to a Harvard study, knitting creates a relaxation
done by young men. Knitting is done by old women. And
yet men knit at sports events, beginning in Seattle at Safeco response similar to yoga. It lowers the heart rate and blood
pressure, and puts the knitter into a soothing state of flow.
Field with the Seattle Mariners. http://www.meetup.com/
http://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/fulltext/2001/07
Newbie-Knitters/events/60498262/.
000/knitting.4.aspx
The first knitting class Jessica taught had forty-five students
Jessica Glesby spoke to the Guild at the June meeting about
yarn bombing and knitted graffiti. Jessica’s passion is art,
and she teaches art in high school. She has a Bachelor of
Arts from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and a
teaching degree from UBC. She is currently working on a
Master's Degree; her thesis is on Yarn Bombing!
of all backgrounds and interests. She taught garter stitch for
knitting grafitti. Jessica would ideally like to have a lesson
plan for knit graffiti but it is still in the planning stage. The
idea of the class was to make something in our lives warmer
and brighter. Knitting can be the “constraint that enables”; it
helps us to be motivated.
One of her students wanted to make knit graffiti for Chinatown. He wanted to make an installation to link himself to
his ethnic roots, from which he felt disconnected. Another
student made “plarn” - plastic yarn made from discarded
plastic bags - and with that created knit coverings for shopping cart handles. She included a tag that explained the
ways in which plastic bags impact the environment. A third
student covered a photo booth with knitting. She felt moved
to do this because she had an emotional connection to photo
booths. She had travelled with her mother and taken pictures
in photo booths in many locations, but felt lonely without
her father there, too. After covering a photo booth in a mall
with knitting she waited to see how people would react. The
first couple that used the booth loved the knit graffiti, but
after that a security guard came along and dismantled the
knitting and threw it all away.
Yarn Bombing, or Knit Graffiti has several characteristics:
- it is impermanent
- it doesn't destroy
- it creates memories for viewers
- people add to it
- creators create community among themselves
- knitting helps ADD students to concentrate
In terms of community, Jessica is inspired by businesses
such as the yarn store and coffee shop in New York City
called, The Point, whose slogan is Eat, Knit and Be Happy!
http://majorknitter.typepad.com/major_knitter/2005/04/east
_knit_and_b.html
The Tag You're Knit! project with the North Vancouver
Community Arts Council has recently been supported by a
grant. http://nvartscouncil.ca/tag-youre-knit The first yarn
bombing will happen in early June. Jessica would like members to come to the meetings as learners or mentors from
now until late September. She imagines that we can knit in
the sunshine around the community and experience yarn
bombing together. We will meet others, such as a certain
fellow from Richmond who is a very active yarn bomber, as
well as other guests. For a ten dollar deposit, knitters receive
“a lovely canvas bag, including yarn, 10 mm knitting needles and a fabulous knitting zine by Jessica Glesby along
with instructions about what colour and size to make the
knitted pieces”. Knitters who return at least three finished
samples will have the ten dollar deposit returned and can
keep the kit and bag.
Each piece will have information such as the age and profession of the knitter attached on a tag. All the pieces will be
put together to yarn bomb a few public locations in North
Vancouver, and after September the pieces will be washed
and re-purposed into blankets. Knitters can knit at home, or
on Thursdays and Saturdays during the day, in the company
of others at the Arts Council office, 335 Lonsdale between
2nd and 3rd Avenue, just up from the Seabus. See the website
above for meeting dates or phone 604-988-6844.
Mariela adds that this year, before the decision was made to
- students help each other to learn, which creates community fund the Tag You're Knit project, one of the North Vancouver city councillors was put off by the word “bomb” and so
Jessica has done the course work for her Master’s degree,
and now working on her yarn bombing thesis has returned
(Continued on page 7)
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W E S T C O A S T K N I T T E R S ’ N E WS
Lacy Knitters Guild has a New Website
The Lacy Knitters Guild is an international organization dedicated to the joy and preservation of lace knitting. Membership provides an outlet to share the passion and promote the art of lacy knitting.
The new website features pictures of patterns featured in the newsletters and a photo gallery of knitting by members.
Membership include the quarterly newsletter with lace patterns, profiles of lace knitters, events and news. Members can
volunteer to test knit lace patterns especially patterns that have been converted from vintage to current terminology.
Yearly membership from January to December, $18.00 US for international members, $15.00 US for US residents.
(postage fees out of the US are the difference). For more information [email protected] www.lacyknittersguild.org/ 
From the Bookshelf
Folk Socks: The History & Techniques of Handknitted
Footwear, Updated Edition by Nancy Bush
Originally published in 1994, Folk Socks taught knitters in
North America how to knit socks with careful instructions,
charts, and illustrations. Folk Socks is a collection of 18
sock patterns from European and British traditions, including boot socks, Birkenstock socks, lacy stockings, kilt hose,
cabled and clocked socks. A chapter on essential sock knitting techniques includes heel turns, toe shaping, and top
ribbing for all skill levels.
Extra Yarn, by Mac Barnett, Illustrated by Jon Klassen
This picture book for ages 4-7 shows the value of creativity, sharing and happiness that money can't buy and even
has a knit-covered tree. Annabelle opens a small box and
discovers a never-ending gift of colorful yarn. She knits for
everyone and everything in town until an evil archduke
decides he wants the yarn for himself. The greedy archduke
opens the stolen box to find it empty. Winner of the 2012
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Picture
Books, A New York Times Bestseller, A Junior Library
Guild Selection
Folk Socks still contains the in-depth history and the stepBalzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2012, 40 pages, ISBN: 978-0
by-step instruction that sock knitters came to depend on.
-06-195338-5 
The Updated Edition has information on new yarns plus
modifications and new techniques that Nancy Bush learned
since writing the first edition. Still a classic reference book
for all sock knitters.
Interweave Press; 2012, 152 pages, ISBN-10: 1596684356,
ISBN-13: 978-1596684355
Membership due at the September meeting.
Jessica (Continued from page 6)
the project was side-lined. A new young female councillor brought it back for re-consideration and it was then passed
4 to 3 and then 5 to 2! The project has to be successful now because public money has been spent on it. The first project
will be yarn bombing of the tree outside the Arts Council office. So far, more than fifty people have signed up for this
project.
Janis Waller adds that the chain link fence near Gallery Gachet (88 East Cordova) is currently being entertainingly yarn
bombed. It changes every week.
We invited Jessica to come to our Knit in Stanley Park event in August. 
Page 8
W E S T C O AS T K N I T T E R S ’ N EW S
Welcome to DandeLion Lane Fibre Studio
The Dandelion Lane Fibre Studio was created to provide
local Vancouver Island, handmade, high quality knitted
items for children, adults and their pets.
In addition to having a local focus, they are also committed
to giving back to the community. 10% of sales for adults
and children items are given to the BC Cancer Foundation
After receiving many requests for custom knitted garments and 10% of the sales for pet items are given to the SPCA.
(that have run the gamut from a cold dachshund in need of The studio was founded on custom requests so if you
a sweater to children who need slippers for daycare), our
would love to have a custom twist on popular items or you
have been dreaming of a something completely new, conmost popular items are assembled on this site.
They also work with local farmers to collect and hand proc- tact the studio - they love a challenge!
ess raw sheep and alpaca fibres. From raw fibres to
cleaned, carded, hand dyed and hand spun yarn, we can
also provide hand dyed yarns and completed knitted and
crocheted custom projects.
Sandy Walker, 2132 Dandelion Lane, Shawnigan Lake, BC
[email protected] 250-743-9303 www.lionlane.ca/home 
Thanks to Knits by the Sea March 2012 newsletter
How To Remove Common Stains from Wool
Ink... To remove ink you should submerge the garment in cold water.
Red Wine... To remove red wine, you should submerge the garment in cold water.
Butter or Grease... To remove butter or grease, you should sponge the spot with a dry cleaning solvent.
Blood... To remove blood the garment should be blotted with starch paste, and then rinsed with soapy water.
Lipstick... To remove lipstick a piece of white bread should be rubbed firmly over the spot.
http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/sheep/ansc442/Semprojs/wool/wool_facts.htm 
Thanks to Langley Spinners and Weavers Guild May 2012 newsletter
Did you know…
The Knitting Olympics began with the 2006 winter Olympics in Turin, Italy when Yarn Harlot, Stephanie
Pearl-Mcphee blogged that it would be fun to challenge ourselves by casting on a project during the opening
ceremonies of the Olympics with the goal of completing the project by the closing ceremonies, 17 days later.
The first Knitting Olympics were a major success and this is now a tradition for many knitters to go for their
personal knitting gold medal watching the games. We’d loved to hear about your Knitting Olympics projects,
[email protected] 
To knit Garter Stitch in the round instead of purling every other row, "wrap" the first stitch on the next round and then
turn your work and knit back. To wrap a stitch, slip the first stitch of the new round as if to purl, bring the yarn to the
front between the needles, slip the stitch back to the left needle, turn the work, and you are ready to continue knitting. 
Guild Contact e-mails
President: Mariela Johansen
[email protected]
Vice-president: Edita Michalek
[email protected]
Membership: Jane Stringer - [email protected],
Newsletter editor: Paulette Lane
[email protected]
General information or comments
[email protected]
Comments can also be posted on the guild website,
www.westcoastknitters.org 
Page 9
W E S T C O A S T K N I T T E R S ’ N E WS
Our Back Pages
For the Guild’s 20th Anniversary, this space featured previously printed articles from the Guild newsletter. With only six
issues in the year to share some of the treasures, I decided to keep this going for a few more issues. The article below is
from March 2004 Volume 6, Issue 2.
Finger Puppet Assembly Line
I knit finger puppets for our local hospital and
medical center, as well as for the children's hospital in the
city. They give them to kids when they have needles or
blood work to help them calm down a bit.
We actually have an assembly line going for them. My
Mom and I knit the main part of them, and then give them
to my sister. She sews them up and puts the faces on them.
We don't do a fancy puppet...it's 12 stitches; knit a row,
purl a row till it looks long enough, finish it off however
you wish, and pass it on to my sister.
from Dorothy in Shelburne NS
story about it, and invite as many people as we can to knit
finger puppets for that one month. Have "puppet time" at
the Lions Hall on Saturdays, so people can drop off yarn or
puppets, pick up yarn and instructions, and have a group
there that will sew and put faces on those that come not
finished. Don't know if it will ever happen, but it's something that we talk about once in a while. We spend a lot of
time at the Children's Hospital in Halifax, last year we were
there once a month, some months more than that!
Here is the pattern.
We had a goal last year to fill a box that soda crackers are
shipped to the grocery store in with puppets. And in Nov
we delivered over 3000 puppets to the children's hospital.
Now we're starting to build up a stash of little balls of yarn,
and then will start to fill another box; we collect yarn from
whoever wants to give it to us, and also buy it at yard sales.
Cast on 12 stitches. Do one row of K1, P1. Then do 1—
1.5" of stocking stitch. Do one row of k2tog the whole way
across, then cut the thread and draw through the remaining
stitches. Sew up the seam, and add eyes and a mouth.
We (my hubby and I) are toying with the idea of picking a
month and making it "puppet month". We'd like to get the
Lion's Club to work with us, get the local paper to do a
Would you believe that neither of us have a puppet on hand
so I could take a picture of one to send you? We're on puppet strike until next month.. 
My sister just puts on X eyes, and a long V shaped
mouth...nothing fancy.
Did you know…
Since 2007, two million knitters have joined the Ravelry knitting community and it has become the go-to place for all
things knitting: patterns, discussion groups, yarn swap, test knitters, yarn information and much more. www.ravelry.com 
Guild Friendly Yarn Shops offer 10% discount on yarn to guild members.
Show your membership card before making your purchase.
Baad Anna’s, 2667 East Hastings, Vancouver BC V5K 1Z5 604-255-2577
Beehive Wool Shop, 1700 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC V8W 2G7 250-385-2727, 1-888-334-9005
Black Sheep Yarns, 88 Grant Street, Port Moody, BC V3H 0B6 778-355-9665
88 Stitches, #602-21183-88th Ave, Langley, BC V1M 2B5 604-888-6689
Gina Brown Yarns, 3424 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6R 2B3 604-734-4840
Homecraft Importers, 2348 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6K 1P1 604-738-2614
Knitopia Wools Company, #1411 Hillcrest Mall, 1457 Johnston Rd, White Rock, BC V4B 3Z4 778-294-5440
Maiwa Handprints Ltd., #6 1666 Johnston St., Granville Island, Vancouver, BCV6H 3S2 604-669-3939
Needle & Arts Centre, 910 Island Highway, Campbell River, BC V9W 2C3 250-287-8898, 1-888-588-7834
Pagan Yarns, 112 Hilchey Road, Campbell River, BC V9W 1P4 250-923-2780
Penelope Fibre Arts, 16055-8th Avenue, Surrey, BC V4A 1A1 778-292-1282
Shan's Needleworks, Suite 101-624 Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 1X6 604-526-2637
Three Bags Full, 4458 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5V 3R3 604-874-WOOL/604-874-9665
Unwind Knit and Fibre Lounge, #8, 1161 Sunshine Coast Highway, Gibsons BC V0N 1V4 604.886.1418
Urban Yarns, 4437 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6R 2H8 604-228-1122
Wool & Wicker, #120-12051 Second Avenue, Richmond, BC 604-275-1239, 1-877-966-5945 
Page 10
W E S T C O AS T K N I T T E R S ’ N EW S
Guild Members Charity Knitting
Project Linus
Mary Scott—[email protected] or Wool and Wicker in
Steveston.
Everyone is welcome.
New, handmade, washable blankets given as gifts to seriously ill and traumatized children, ages 0-18. All sizes and
styles of blankets are welcome, including quilts,
tied comforters, fleece blankets, crocheted or knitted afghans, and receiving blankets in childfriendly colors.
http://sites.google.com/site/projectlinuscanada/
night and day, The Mission to Seafarers provides help and
support to those in need. www.missiontoseafarers.org/
Margaret also collects used postage stamps for Union Gospel Mission. Please leave the stamps on the envelopes or cut
The second Friday of each month at Wool and Wicker ( 120 a half-inch margin around the stamps. Thousands of dollars
are raised for the Mission from donated used postage
- 12051 Second Ave. Richmond), to fold and pack up donated blankets. These blankets are all new, machine wash- stamps.
able and dryable. Some are knitted, others are crocheted,
Union Gospel Mission offers hope to hungry, hurting and
some quilts have also been donated. All sizes are accepted homeless men, women and children in Metro Vancouver.
but larger than 36"x36" up to crib/lap size are the most
www.ugm.ca/our-work
practical. The Variety Club picks up the blankets and disLoneliness, danger and separation from loved ones are just
tributes them
some of the problems seafarers face. Around the world,
Guild Sale for Nova House
Lorna Brown—[email protected]
Items are collected all year: Hats, flap caps, mittens with and without fingers, socks, children's
garments, animals/dolls/toys to sell in the Fall.
Whatever is not sold at the sale is given to Nova
House or one of the other charities.
Nova House, a transition house for abused women and children. CHIMO Crisis Centre in Richmond is responsible for
funding and managing Nova House. CHIMO relies on donations from groups like the WCKG and caring individuals
to keep this essential service operating.
www.chimocrisis.com/02programs/02novahouse.html
Aunt Leah’s Independent Lifeskills Society
Journey with youth to self sufficiency
Mariela Johansen—[email protected]
Purple Cap Campaign for the Period of Purple
Crying
Newborn-size purple caps will be collected at the
October Guild meeting.
Purple cap knitting campaign aims to raise awareness
about the Period of PURPLE Crying. Purple caps are
distributed to new parents in birthing hospitals across
BC along with the PURPLE DVD and booklet during
the week of November 22 in celebration of National
Child Day, November 20. http://clickforbabies.org/
www.purplecrying.info http://dontshake.ca
Canada Comforts Society
Mary Scott—[email protected]
Knitted items for the needy of the world are required: clothing, hats, scarves, blankets, washcloths for cleaning newborns.
Blanket sizes: Baby: 40in x 40in Crib: 45in x 60in
Single Bed: 60in x 72in
http://artofyarn.livejournal.com/21218.html
www.crwarehouse.ca
Canada Comforts Drop-Offs:
Throws or Afghans for the resident’s to wrap themselves in
Vancouver: Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, contact
while watching TV. Baby blankets and newborn sweaters
Nancy 604-879-8208 - 800 E. Broadway (east of Fraser St)
for teen Moms are also appreciated.
N. Vancouver: North Shore Neighbourhood House 604-987
Aunt Leah’s Society helps prevent children in foster care
from becoming homeless, and mothers in need from losing -8138 - 225 E. 2nd Street. Leave items in the laundry bag in
custody of their children. To support them on their journey the Exec. Director’s office
of self-sufficiency, we provide supported housing, job train- Surrey: Charlotte Phillips 604-531-8712
ing and coaching on the essential skills. www.auntleahs.org 3838 156B St. (close to White Rock)
Union Gospel Mission, Seaman’s Mission
Victoria yarn donations: Beehive Wool Shop, 1700 Douglas
Street, Victoria, BC 250-385-2727, 1-888-334-9005 
Margaret Venkatay—[email protected]
Meet at Margaret’s home in Richmond to knit toques on the
second Tuesday of the month from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
W E S T C O A S T K N I T T E R S ’ N E WS
Page 11
Calendar of Events
July 11-14—Imagination with Catherine Nicholls—It’s time to find those images you have tucked away – you know the
ones – the beautiful images of inspiring subjects and you have always wanted to do something with them. Well, now’s the
time. This 4-day workshop will show how to develop your own designs from images or sources of information. Each day
will begin with creativity exercises to get those ideas flowing! Fibreworks Studio & Gallery, 12887 Sunshine Coast Highway,
Madeira Park, BC 604-883-2380 [email protected] www.fibreworksgallery.com
July 12—Artist Talk with author and yarn bomber, Leanne Prain presented by North Vancouver Community Arts
Council—The increasingly, worldwide phenomenon of knit graffiti (or yarn bombing)- a form of public art has spread to
North Vancouver! Find out why people all over the North Shore, and beyond, have joined the TAG... You’re Knit! project,
and started yarn bombing. Leanne is the co-author of Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti, and the author
of Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery. www.leanneprain.com/ 7-8 pm CityScape Community Art Space,
335 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver.
July 16-22—Fibre Arts Week in Pincher Creek the beautiful foothills of Southwest, Alberta at the Bloomin’ Inn
to work with industry-leading instructors and learn new techniques to perfect your skills. Incredible classes,
fibre arts demonstrations, interesting lectures every day for one fibre-intensive week. Visit www.fibreartsweek.com regularly
for updates, or register to be updated by email, [email protected]
July 28—Peace Arch Weavers and Spinners at Stewart Farm—Everyone is invited to spin or knit on the lawn or under
the trees from 10 am to 4 pm. Bring a lunch. 13723 Crescent Road, Surrey. www.bookselects.com/paws/welcome.htm
August 4—Pic-Knit—Pack a lunch and join a summer picnic of knitters, crafters and suppliers. Watch demonstrations,
get tips and learn tricks, shop at the Fibrearts Marketplace. Drop in by donation. 11:00 am-4:00 pm. Surrey Museum,
17710 - 56A Avenue, Surrey, BC. 604-592-6956 www.surrey.ca
August 11—15th Annual WCKG Knit in the Park—Gather in Stanley Park at the covered picnic area near the miniature train. Bring your knitting and a chair to sit in the sun. Bring your lunch and/or some goodies to share, coffee and tea
provided. 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. Close to the bus and parking.
September 28-30—Haus of Stitches Knitting Retreat—St. Peter's Abbey at Muenster, Saskatchewan
www.hausofstitches.ca/ Follow Haus of Stitches on Facebook.
September 29 - October 10—The Italian Knitting Tour 2012—sponsored by Knit Traders of Kingston (formerly WoolTyme Kingston) in conjunction with Service Guaranteed Travel. Eleven days of Italian delights. Rome then Florence via
for the International Lace Biennial. On to Pisa with visits to textile museums and leisurely yarn store hopping. Then Tuscany with wine and cheese tasting activities, and an Italian cooking class. Flight, transportation, activities, accommodations, activities and most meals for under $3500. www.knittraders.com/travel Contact Pam [email protected]
October 13-14—Knit City, Vancouver’s Own Fibre Festival sponsored by Knit Social, vendors, workshops and more.
Saturday,11 am-7 pm Sunday,11-5 pm. Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive, Vancouver.
http://knitsocial.ca/knit-city
October 25-February 24, 2013—BAM Biennial 2012: High Fiber Diet—Bellevue Arts Museum: Creative approach to
the fiber medium, considering both traditional expressions of fiber art and the fringes of the medium, where concepts of art
and craft merge. Intended to recognize the innovative and extraordinary work being produced by contemporary Northwest
makers (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, British Columbia), and to celebrate the region's distinctive
character. 510 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue WA www.bellevuearts.org/exhibitions/upcoming/bam_biennial_2012
November 2-4 Fiona Ellis Knitting Retreat—Knits by the
Sea—Creating Cables and Finishing with Finesse, Knitting as
Meditation. Friday evening opening event, yoga in the mornings. 250-725-3700 [email protected] Middle Beach
Lodge, Tofino, BC
www.knitsbythesea.com/knitsbythesea/Retreat.html
Fall 2013—Lucy Neatby is coming to town, . Watch this
pace for more details as they are confirmed.
Page 12
W E S T C O AS T K N I T T E R S ’ N EW S
A Farewell Throw
by Leigh Witchel www.danceviewtimes.com/leigh_witchel/
This story and pattern was first published in 2003 WCK Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 3. Leigh Witchel is an incredible
knitter and modern dance choreographer. He resides in New York City.
sion, "Go in good health . . .but go." There is also the lingering question I have of appropriateness - if someone is
refusing to attend your wedding, do you want his or her
A very long friendship with a friend is in its final stages,
final enough that although I appreciated receiving an invita- wedding gift staring you in the face in your home? For postion to her wedding as an olive branch, I can't bring myself terity's sake (since these posts end up being a knitting journal that gets read by me years after) I'll say there's a good
to go. (It isn't local, if it didn't involve overnight travel I'd
chance that ten years hence I may regret this decision, but it
force myself to attend and deal with the rest later.) After
much deliberation, and asking a lot of advice from friends, was not made easily, and there were reasons. It helped to
a mutual friend advised sending something personal rather put honest effort into the gift. As I said, I learned a great
deal from it, but I hope to not be knitting in those circumthan money. So I cast on a throw.
stances again any time soon. I have two other couples to
I learned a lot from the experience. I learned once again
knit for - one recently married and the other (my brother!)
that you think of the recipient with every stitch you knit.
recently engaged. I'll probably do the same pattern for at
This was not remotely pleasant at the outset; every stitch
least one of them to take the edge off of it.
reminded me of why our friendship was ending. In a perEpilogue
verse way, it certainly made the knitting go faster. I just
wanted the damn thing out of my house. In the midst of this Proving that you never can say goodbye, shortly after
anger and irritation I could see these feelings were getting Christmas, my friend sought me out and apologized. I was
happy to attend her wedding and share in her joy, and happy
me nowhere. But the time it took me to make it forced a
cooling-down period, and that was a better thing than
to not lose a friendship about to go into its third decade.
scrawling out a check and ticking the "regrets" box on the
reply. I worked hard to make her something beautiful for
her home, and I wish her well. There's a Yiddish expresA throw, just completed and fringed today, has a strange
story, though a very easy pattern.
Quick-Knit Throw Tips
Some knitting tips for a throw. It took me only a week to knit it on size 19US/16 mm needles. I used Seeded Rib Check the usual version is over twelve rows, but at this big a gauge, I find an eight row pattern to be better proportioned.
Multiple of 4 + 3
Rows 1, 3: K1, P1,*K3, P1*, K1
Rows 2, 4: *K3, P1*, K3
Rows 5, 7: As Row 2
Rows 6, 8: As Row 1
I used several strands of yarns combined together to about a bulky weight - were it a sweater it would have probably
been knit on US 13/9 mm needles, but a throw should have more drape. I slipped the first stitch of each row for a neat
selvedge.
A simple backwards loop cast works well for me in large-gauge projects - I made it 59 stitches across. Interestingly, over
a smaller, shorter swatch, this looked to be close to four feet wide, but the weight and pull of the throw as it was knit
makes the throw narrow significantly, it was only three feet across when done. So when working a large heavy project,
you may want to make it a bit wider than you think you need it to be.
My throw was about 62 inches long, exclusive of fringe. I fringed this pattern lavishly, using a double strand of all yarns
attached with a half-hitch every other stitch. A quick way to measure off fringe is to wind it around a length of stiff cardboard and then cut one end (the same end of the cardboard at which you have begun and ended winding.)
Copyright, Leigh Witchel, 2002. 
Membership due at the September meeting.