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Leadership Team
2008
Westchester Knitting Guild
December 2008
You are cordially invited to the 2008 WKG
♦ Judi Tepper, President
914-238-0545
[email protected]
♦ Olive McNeil, Programs
914-664-3513
[email protected]
♦ Jeanne Scofidio, Treasurer
914- 923-0712
[email protected]
[email protected]
♦ Sharon Barette, Newsletter
914- 739-7648
[email protected]
♦ Dorothy Freeman, Charities,
Library
914-271-5743
[email protected]
♦ Linda Higham, Yahoo Master
914-277-7803
[email protected]
Inside this issue:
Charity , Congratulations 2
Dues
Blanket, KAL, Knit on the 3
Net
Knit for Kids
4
Knitting through the
Downturn
5
Directions, Calendar,
Announcements
6
Holiday Party with
“Style”
Monday, Dec. 15th at 7 PM
Put on your favorite knit garment and join
the fun for this year’s new event at the WKG
Holiday Party- the end of year fashion show.
How wonderful to receive accolades from your fellow knitsters as you
walk the runway!
Also featured will be a Yarn Swap. Place two or more balls of
yarn in a plastic or zip lock bag (3 bag limit). You will receive a
ticket for each donation. Tickets will be selected randomly and you
will then select a bag of yarn from the display.
Please bring an appetizer or dessert to add to the festivities.
Beverages will be provided.
This is also the time for giving. Our WKG charity projects this
season are preemie hats and blankets.
Let’s continue our generosity by bringing these welcomed handknits
which will be donated to Westchester Medical Center for their
Christmas Eve distribution.
Page 2
Westchester Knitting Guild
Charity Knitting
December is the
time for giving and at
our holiday party we
will be giving gifts to
our members. We, the board members, would like to ask each of you
to knit preemie hats which we in
term will give to those who will be
spending the holiday in the hospital. If you need a pattern, please
go to Knittingpatterncentral.com
and select “preemie” in their index.
They have so many patterns from
Dorothy Freeman
I’ve collected quite a few preemie blankets over the last few
My contact at Westchester
months so I would like to combine
County Medical Center (WCMC)
the hats and blankets and deliver
told me that these babies and their them just before Christmas. These
families are in the hospital for such are quick little projects so I hope
a long period of time; when the
you can find the time to make at
holidays come around they feel
least one. I thank you in advance,
very alone and forgotten. The staff on behalf of the families spending
puts together a little gift basket for their holiday at WCMC.
each family and distributes them on
You can see Sandy Waldman’s
Christmas Eve. There can be as
adaptation for a preemie blanket
many as 50 babies so that’s a lot
on page 3.
of hats.
which to choose.
Congratulations Sharon!
Dorothy Freeman
I am pleased and proud to announce that our very own Sharon Barette was the recipient of
the Volunteer of the Year award for her outstanding work and leadership at the Taconic Correctional Facility. Thursday, Nov 13th, the Taconic administration held their annual volunteer
recognition dinner where they announced that Sharon and the knitting group volunteers were
recipients. They presented her with this beautiful bouquet and a plaque, and described the
work we have been doing for the past three years -- and more importantly the positive impact
on the women who have participated in the program. The volunteers who work with Sharon
are: Myra Cohen, Olive McNeil, Marylyn Rosenblum , Linda Higham, Carolyn DePalma and me, Dorothy Freeman. She has accomplished a great deal on behalf of the women at the Taconic and I feel this award is richly
deserved. In these situations one gives and gets a lot, but this program is the success it is because of her special
skills and concerns. Thank you Sharon, from all of us.
2009 WKG MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
Dues in the amount of $30.00 for membership in our Westchester Knitting Guild are due on January 1st,
2009 for the year 2009.
I will begin collecting dues at the December holiday party. Please bring your check (or cash) to me there.
Or you may mail your check (made out to Westchester Knitting Guild or WKG) to me at my home address:
Jeanne Scofidio, 2 - 4 Brooke Club Drive, Ossining, NY 10562
A 2009 membership card will be sent to you once I receive your dues.
Thanks! Enjoy the Holidays! Jeanne Scofidio, WKG Treasurer
Page 3
Westchester Knitting Guild
Sandy’s Preemie Blanket
Sandy Waldman knit this adorable preemie blanket and
brought it to the November meeting.
She found the blanket on the Better Homes and Gardens site:
www.bhg.com/crafts/knitting/projects/knitted-baby-rainbow-quilt
Sandy used Red Heart TLC Baby yarn in 5 colors, size 6 needle,
made 25 squares and modified the border.
The knit-a-long group will meet before the holiday party at
the usual time so bring your projects and knit on.
Knit on the Net
produces 70% of the
world's finest wool.” There
zine that focuses on all
is a wonderful article
things English. Each issue
about the “Merisol” proincludes patterns, news,
market place, as well as a ject and subsequent line
of yarn and patterns. An
shop where you can buy
publications from “Knit on article about ganseys is a
fascinating tale about a
the Net” designers.
woman’s quest to knit authentic gansey patterns,
My favorite place on
based on the interests and
the site is the Features.
locations of the people in
They have regular colher life.
umns, as well as really
interesting historical and
Reoccurring features
philanthropic focused artiinclude:
“Cat Walk to
cles.
Cast On”, “Spinning A
Issue 7 includes features Yarn”, and the mandatory book and yarn resuch as an article on the
views. Interviews with
Australian wool industry.
designers offer a chance
A fact from the article:
to meet and see designers
“Australia's flock of 107
that are not common to
million sheep are comAmerican knitters.
prised of 88% Merino,
9% crossbred and 3%
Patterns in each issue
other breeds, Australia
Melissa Shinsato
Knit on the Net is a
run the gamut from beginner scarves to a more
advanced “little black
dress”. Socks and home
dec and accessories are
also included in each
issue.
Sit down with a
“cuppa” and peruse this
wonderful online zine,
one which I hope has a
long life.
Page 4
Westchester Knitting Guild
Knit for Kids in January
Dorothy Freeman
At our January Guild
meeting we will work on
charity knitting projects.
Over the past few months
I’ve collected so many
preemie hats and blankets, I thought it would be
fun to expand our horizons so to speak. Knit for
Kids, which has a local
branch in Carmel NY, collects knitted items for children who live in NY as
well as all over the world
(as you can see from the
illustration). They are now
collecting only sweaters,
sizes 2 to 10, and are
eager to receive larger
sizes. Younger children
can grow into their
sweater and older children are not left out. They
accept wool or acrylic, or
a combination; they feel
there are advantages and
disadvantages to both.
www.Knitforkids.org
does provide a basic Ttop sweater pattern and
some nice tips with good
illustrations for finishing
and sizing. You do not
have to use this particular
pattern and when you go
to their web site you can
get more specific information about the items they
are looking for.
This should be a quick
little sweater to work up
but I really don’t expect
anyone to make an entire
sweater that evening.
Please get started as soon
as you can and perhaps
finish it at the meeting. If
not, I am more than willing
to accept the sweaters
whenever.
I’ve been so pleased
with how generous you
have been over the years.
This morning when I called
the Women’s Shelter and
the VA Hospital to asked
when I could deliver hats
and scarfs, they were
pleasantly surprised that I
was calling “out of the
blue” to bring clothing to
them.
It’s fun, as you know, to
knit for others, especially
those in need. It is also a
great way to reduce your
yarn stash, just a little.
And before you know it,
the project is finished. It is
such a good feeling . . . in
so many ways.
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Pattern for T-Top Sweater at www.knitforkids.org
Page 5
Westchester Knitting Guild
Knitting Through the Downturn
Glenn Collins
lectures and book signings. It
will also encourage free
“yarn tasting,” sampling from
spools so that knitters can test
colors and types.
“This is not just a yarn shop,”
Mr. Blumenthal said of the
2,000-square-foot store.
“We want to inspire people,”
he said, adding that the store
had been “a dream of mine
for years.”
The privately owned,
fourth-generation company
has $100 million in annual
The Lion Brand Yarn Studio on 15th Street will be the company’s first retail store, after
revenues and sells its yarns
130 years as a wholesaler. (Photo: Glenn Collins/The New York Times)
to nationwide chains like
Wal-Mart and Michael’s, and mails
Lion Brand Yarn Studio at 34 West
A time of looming recession
a million of its catalogs to enthusi15th Street, between Fifth Avenue
might seem a bizarre moment to
asts twice a year. Mr. Blumenthal
and Avenue of the Americas — will
open a high-end Manhattan store
said that despite the economic
carry a large sampling of wools,
that sells a low-tech product: yarn.
downturn, sales have been rising at
wool blends, cottons and recycled
“But I see this as a perfect time,”
a pace to achieve a double-digit
and organic materials.
said David Blumenthal, president of
increase by the end of the year.
Lion Brand Yarn Company, which on
“In this high-stress environment,
Tuesday is opening the first retail
people want to zone out with a
store in its 130-year-old history as skein of yarn,” he said. “Knitting
a wholesaler.
reduces stress; it’s today’s yoga.”
“Knitting has always been recession-proof,” he explained. “In a recession, people are cocooning. So
for $5 or $10 in yarn, you can have
a great weekend and come away
with a scarf that would cost $60 in
a store.”
“Knitting
The store will showcase “a very
low-tech product with a very hightech presence,” he said, referring to
the company’s Web site, which offers crafters’ podcasts and 2,000
free patterns available for
downloading.
His company sells 49 yarn lines in
The store will offer classes in cro600 colors, and the store — the
cheting and knitting, get-togethers,
reduces stress;
it’s today’s
yoga.”
Westchester Knitting Guild
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•
Preemie hats and blankets will be collected at the Holiday Party. If you have
squares for Warm Up America, please bring them to the monthly meetings.
Knitting News
c/o Sharon Barette
2023 Crompond Rd
Cortlandt Manor, NY10567
•
Consider volunteering for a leadership position in the WKG. Elections will be
held in December. The office of President is open.
•
KAL needs a leader. If interested, contact Olive McNeil. The KAL will meet before the Holiday Party.
•
Join the WKG Yahoo site by sending an e-mail to Linda Higham at:
[email protected]
•
Please bring donations of yarn and plastic knitting needles for the prison knitting program at Taconic to monthly meetings. No blue, black, gray or orange.
Solid colors only.
Annual Holiday Party: Monday, December 15, 2008
Calendar
Directions to Chappaqua Library
195 South Greeley Ave.
914-238-4779
•
Dec. 15
Holiday Party
•
Jan. 26 mtg.
Charity Knitting
•
Feb. 23 mtg.
Kathy Goldner
From the South: Go north on the Saw
Mill Parkway, Exit #32 - Chappaqua,
Rte. 120. Make left at end of exit
ramp and a left at first light. *Go over
parkway and bear right at the fork
onto S. Greeley Ave. Proceed down
street. Library is on the left, across
from Town Hall.
From the North: South on the Saw Mill
Parkway, Exit #32 - Chappaqua, Rte.
120. Right again at light. Then follow
from *above.
Meeting Schedule
6:00 KAL
7:00 Hands on help
7:15 Announcements
Show and Tell
7:30
Program
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