Purls of Wisdom January 2013

January 2013

Purls of Wisdom T I D E WAT E R DECEMBER MEETING Monday, Jan. 7 Help Clinic, 6:30 p.m.

Meet and Greet, 7 p.m.

Business Meeting, 7:15 p.m.

Join us for

Yarn Sale Westminster Canterbury 3100 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach

K N I T T I N G

G U I L D

O F

V I RG I N I A

A Message from Our President Now that the holidays are over I can focus on the RETREAT, the RETREAT and the RETREAT. The biggest challenge I have is deciding what classes I want to take since I want to do all four, and which projects I want to bring to work on in between class projects. Oh, the stress.

No matter what I decide, it will be right because I am going to spend three days knitting, knitting and knitting. Of course, there will be food, vendors, masseuse ($), and did I mention lots of knitting with other knitters. If I feel the need to clear any cobwebs, get inspired or walk off some food, the beach is out the hotel back door. Life doesn’t get much better. Check out the details in the newsletter and sign up now. The deadline is Feb. 4.

Check tkgv.blogspot.com to confirm the meeting date.

Questions? Email us at tkgv1@yahoo.com.

Submissions for the February issue of the newsletter are due Jan. 15.

Email Editor Sonja Barisic at snbarisic@gmail.com.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 2 Member Birthdays, Calendar, New Member,Treasurer’s Report 3 Charity Knitting, Knitting Myths 4 Random Acts on Ravelry, Game 5 Meeting Minutes 6 Knitting Retreat Information plus Retreat Registration Form

photo by Lynn Clements

I want to thank everyone who made or brought baby items for our Newborns in Need baby shower in December. We donated more than 160 items. As I was bringing in the “stuff,” Pat Johnson, the NIN president, said, “This is like Christmas.” Many of the items were needed to fill out and make the bundles that are delivered to new mothers and babies in need. I was so proud of the Guild’s answer to this call of need.

Our January meeting is our first 2013 yarn yard sale. Feel free to bring yarn, patterns, books and knitted items that need new homes. You must be a Guild member to sell, although anyone can buy. All sales are negotiated between buyers and sellers.

Notice I did not mention any New Year’s resolutions. I can’t seem to keep any past the first week, so what is the point. Creating a bucket list is much more fun.

See you in the New Year.

Debbie Hen derson

Member Birthdays This Month

Vickie McLean, Jan. 3

Marilyn Estrada, Jan. 7

Vici Kahookele, Jan. 13

Chris Gerloff, Jan. 20

Kiki Rangel, Jan. 29

Mark Your Calendar s

Guild meetings start with Meet and Greet at 7 p.m., followed by the Business Meeting at 7:15 p.m. The Guild also offers a Help Clinic, starting a half-hour before the meeting.

Jan. 7 – Guild Meeting. Yarn sale.

Jan. 18-20 – “Winter Wonderland” Knitters Weekend Getaway, Stonewall Resort and Spa, Roanoke, W.Va. Info: www.yarnandcompany.net/knitterweekend-winter2013.html Jan. 18-20 – Vogue Knitting LIVE! New York Marriott Marquis, Manhattan.

Info: www.vogueknittinglive.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=46373& Feb. 4 – Guild Meeting.

March 4 – Guild Meeting.

March 7-10, 2013 – TKGV Outer Banks Knitting Retreat, Knitting by the Sea. Hampton Inn, Corolla, N.C. Details at end of newsletter.

W ELCOME N EW M EMBER : M ARY M AC E LROY T R E A S U R E R ’ S

R E P O R T

The Guild’s current bank balance is: $4,837.92.

Beverly Boler

Thirty-One Gifts’ motto is CELEBRATE, ENCOURAGE & REWARD. January is a great time to celebrate friendships, to encourage those who come into your home with kind words and hospitality and in turn you will reward yourself with close friendships.

Thirty-One Gifts offers exclusive products for women that are beautifully designed with many fabric choices from flashy and sassy to reserved and classy. Items include skirt purses, various thermal totes, a wide variety of organizing bins and totes (great for holding knitting projects and yarn) and Mini Zipper and Zip-Up Pouches for your knitting notions. What a better way to get your knitting and yarn organized then with Thirty-One products!

Monthly Customer Special: Visit my webpage to view the complete catalog and the monthly special, or place an order.

Should you have any questions, or want to receive the monthly specials flyers via email feel free to contact me directly.

Mention my ad when ordering -- 5 percent of sales will be donated to the Guild.

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Charity Knitting Update

By Chris Goudeau Wow! You outdid yourselves. In case you didn’t make it to our holiday meeting, we had three tables filled with charity items. We collected 38 scarves and 23 adult hats for our homeless project with Carrollyn Cox’s church and many, many baby items filling two tables. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to our charity knitting night.

We’ll be announcing our three top charity knitters for 2012 at the January meeting. Just to give you some numbers for the year, we had 24 members participate and 359 items were either collected or mailed to charities throughout 2012.

While I was at the holiday craft show at the convention center in December, I stopped at a booth and met Brenda Breedlove from The Alpaca Boutique in Ashland, Va. While I was telling her about our Guild and our charity knitting, she very generously gave me two skeins of her alpaca blend yarn for us to use. Those skeins were knit into two scarves for our homeless project. Her website is: www.ashlandalpacaswest.com/ node/51. If you are ever in the area, please stop by and see here.

Thanks, Brenda.

We’ll have a new charity sign-in sheet to start the new year next month. Please remember to sign the charity knitting log each month when you attend our meetings or email me at cgoudeau@cox.net.

Knit Bits: Knitting Myths and Tips

Lynn Clements passed along this great article from the online knitting magazine Twist Collective. Click on the link below for a look at some “questionable common knowledge” about knitting: http://www.twistcollective.com/collection/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1334

Too many winters in snowy Michigan have left me with perpetually cold feet during the winter season, so I decided it was time to break out of my knitting box and knit a pair of socks. So with a group of intrepid knitting buddies we're starting a sock knit-along in January. Buying sock yarn has been great fun. I have several colorways of hand dyed yarn from Pagewood Farm. My favorite color combination of Nordlys by Viking of Norway is wine, green and navy. Knitting Fever's newest sock yarn, Indulgence, is 75% extra fine merino wool and 25% polymide. Its 6-ply weight is perfect for Thank you those of us that much prefer using a US 3-6 needle than a size 2. I to the members of the Guild enjoy Opal sock yarn as much for its themed color combinations as who have made me feel its content. My favorite is the Vincent Van Gogh series, which takes welcome in the Tidewater its colors from Van Gogh's most famous paintings. Also available at knitting community. I look the shop now is the Romance series, with more to come in early forward to meeting many more 2013. And a sock yarn selection wouldn't be complete without of you. Roz Klein Noro's Silk Garden Sock. It is currently available in eight colorways.

Baa Baa Sheep LLC We'll be meeting on Thursday mornings at 10:30, beginning on 754 W. 22nd Street January 10. I hope to see you. My best wishes for a happy new year.

Norfolk 23517 Roz

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Commit Random Acts of Kindness

By Denise Call Are you looking to spread some fibery joy and maybe de-stash a little in the process? Then you should check out the Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Group on Ravelry.

Every month, hundreds of people post little wish lists with high hopes that a generous RAKer will grant one or two of them. Some examples of smaller wishes are for encouraging private messages (PMs) or snail mail, patterns on Ravelry or a mini skein of sock yarn for their Bee-Keepers.

All members of the group are welcome to post wish lists (please be sure to read all the rules prior to doing so) and anyone can grant wishes – even non-members.

Check it out today and share some yarny goodness, and maybe get a little in return.

Test Your Knitting Memory

By Linda Johnson DROPS Design has come out with an online knitting-themed memory game, which you can play at http://www.garnstudio.com/game.php?lang=en.

While you’re at it, explore the website and you’ll find many interesting free patterns. And, plan ahead for the holidays next year: The website also features an online knitting advent calendar that features free patterns.

You can see this year’s version at http://www.garnstudio.com/julekalender.php?lang=en.

Welcome 2013! The Yarn Club has new and exciting yarns and classes for you this year!

New colors of Madelinetosh have arrived. Enjoy the splendor of Spectrum, open your eyes to Star Gazing and be whisked away

by Whiskers in most their amazing yarn bases! We have sweater quantities and great pattern suggestions for any project.

On Jan. 26, we welcome Guild member Beverly and her Thirty-One Bags and Totes to the shop. Bev will be at the shop from 10-4, so come out and support her. We will also have some great prices on yarns to fill up those lovely bags.

January also brings us more classes on how to fix your mistakes and seaming and finishing techniques. We have a Knita-long from Knitter’s Magazine K108 for the Vanilla Crisp jacket.

Really interesting construction on this one. We are expecting trunk shows from Shibui, Malabrigo and Rowan, so stay close to all the news on Ravelry and Facebook.

Unplanned Peacock, a Virginia company, has joined our list of awesome hand-dye companies. We have yarns and roving in her many fantastic colorways. See it all in person Feb.15-16 when Natasha brings much of her studio to The Yarn Club. She will 240 Mustang Trail have a ton of yarns and teach a few classes, too. More Suite 8 information will follow in February.

Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Join us for social knitting, classes, and so much more in 2013!

Andrea

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TKGV MEETING MINUTES, 12/4/12 The president opened the December 2012 meeting at 7:42 p.m. by thanking our hostess for the meeting and welcoming our visitor. The president extended birthday greetings to members celebrating birthdays in December. The Welcome Committee chair introduced our visitor.

The March 2013 TKGV Retreat committee members advised registration for the retreat is open and space remains in all classes. The committee seeks donations of full skeins of fingering weight yarns for the retreat.

Yarn Shop/Vendor News:

-- The Knitting Corner is receiving new yarn and has all Manos on sale in December.

-- Thirty-One Consultant gave a check to the Guild’s treasurer for 5 percent of the proceeds of sales to Guild members.

The Charity chair thanked everyone for their generous contributions to the Newborns in Need Baby Shower, the hat collection and the scarf collection. As part of the shower, the Guild participated in a baby name contest.

The Ways and Means committee conducted the raffle.

The Guild enjoyed the show and tell.

The January program will be a yarn sale. Guild members may offer yarn and knitting accessories for sale.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Ka tie Gerwien Secretary, TKGV

Happy New Year to all our friends at TKGV!

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Tide water Knitting Guild of Vir ginia

“Knitting By The Sea: Knitting with Sock Yarn” Retreat March 7 – 10, 2013 Hampton Inn, Corolla, N.C. Join the Tidewater Knitting Guild of Virginia for the “Knitting by the Sea: Knitting with Sock Yarn” Retreat from March 7 – 10, 2013, at the Hampton Inn in Corolla, N.C. Classes (which are optional) will focus on knitting designs/ patterns and techniques using sock yarn.

Friday afternoon and evening enjoy meeting everyone, a reception and knitting fun. Saturday will be busy with yoga, knitting classes, a boxed lunch, vendors, knitting time and surprises. After dinner Saturday night (on your own) there will be desserts and more knitting fun. Sunday morning get energized with yoga before taking another knitting class and join everyone to close the retreat and bid farewell.

Retreat with classes: $125.00* Includes 1 class on Saturday morning and 1 class on Sunday morning, Friday evening reception and activities, Saturday evening dessert reception and activities, Saturday lunch, and a registration goodie bag.

Retreat without classes: $100.00* Includes Friday evening reception and activities, Saturday evening dessert reception and activities, Saturday lunch, and a registration goodie bag

Payment (check or cash) is due with registration. *Non-Guild members pay an additional $20.

Cancellation: Full refund minus, $25.00 processing fee until Jan.15, 2013. After that date no refunds, but finding a replacement is acceptable.

Lodging: You will make your own room reservations directly with the Hampton Inn & Suites, 333 Audubon Drive, Corolla, N.C. Phone: (252) 453-6565. Rooms are $89 plus taxes and fees (about $100/night) and include breakfast.

When making reservations mention the Knitting Guild. Reservations must be made by Feb. 4 to get the group rate.

Class Descriptions Design a Stranded Cowl: Using the two-handed knitting technique for stranded color knitting (sometimes called Fair Isle) and a few charts, design your “one-of-a-kind” cowl in fingering weight yarn. We’ll make a sample size in class.

Techniques: two-handed stranded knitting, corrugated ribbing, reading charts in the round, inserting your design and maybe a few more. You should know how to knit, purl, cast on, bind off.

Design a Shetland Style Shawl: Starting with one stitch, you’ll increase, bind off, pick up. Knit down and knit across to design your one-of-a-kind triangle-shaped shawl using fingering weight yarn. We’ll make a sample size in class.

Techniques: knitted bind off, yarnover at beginning of row, suspended bind off, reading charts and maybe a few more.

You should know how to knit, purl, yarnover, knit front and back, and knit two together.

Mosaic Knitting Technique: Would you like to add a little color-work to your socks without carrying or stranding colors? Using a simple slip stitch technique or mosaic technique, you can create intricate and beautiful patterns in your socks or anything you knit. Need to be able to knit, purl, and slip a stitch.

Sweet Tomato Sock Heel: Learn to knit the Cat Bordhi sock heel of short rows without wrapping and turning. Must be able to knit in the round using DPN, 2 circulars or Magic Loop and purl.

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Tidewater Knitting Guild of Virginia

“Knitting by the Sea: Knitting with Sock Yarn� Retreat Registration Form

Name________________________________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________________________________________ Email________________________________________________________________________________ Amount enclosed ______________________________________________________________________ Make checks payable to: Tidewater Knitting Guild of Virginia or TKGV Class Choices: Pick one each day: limited to 15 students/class.

Saturday:

_______ Design a Shetland Style Shawl _______ Sweet Tomato Sock Heel

Linda Johnson Chuck Dunn

Sunday: _______ Design a Two-Stranded Cowl Linda Johnson

_______ Mosaic Design Sock

Chuck Dunn

Return or mail form with payment (check, money order, or cash*) to: Linda Johnson 1009 Shoal Creek Trail Chesapeake, VA 23320

* Do not send cash if mailing. Can be handed in at the Guild meeting.