M A R C H 2 0 1 1

Tidewater Knitting Guild of VirginiaP r e s i d e n t ’ s M e s s a g e

March 7 MeetingMeet and Greet, 7 p.m.

Business Meeting, 7:15 p.m.Program will be

I n t r o t o En t r e l a c.

We meet the first Monday of the month (except for holidays) at Westminster Canterbury, 3100 Shore Drive,Virginia Beach.

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

Questions? Please email us at tkgv1@yahoo.com.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR APRIL NEWSLETTER:

MARCH 15 Please send your questions,

comments, suggestions, ads, photos, stories and patterns you’d

like to share to editor Sonja Barisic at snbarisic@gmail.com or 734 Delaware Ave., Norfolk,

VA 23508. Thank you, and happy reading and knitting.

Hi, Everyone,     I hope you have been warm and enjoyed knitting since I last saw you. I have been working on a variety of things this month. I spent time working on the sweater I started for myself last month, but I needed to take a break this past weekend to do a baby hat and booties set for a friend at work. This project has taught me a lot. I typically never do crafty things as commissioned work. I just do not enjoy doing things under the pressure of time constraints and naming a price for my work. But for some reason I said “yes” when I was asked to do this project. Then I inadvertently made it worse for myself by handing the woman a one-skein wonders book and showing her the section of children's things and saying, “pick something.” She did! I have made baby hats before and they usually take a couple hours. Not this one. It took just shy of 10 hours to knit because the entire thing was made by creating elongated stitches and then crossing these stitches. (Slipping four of them and then crossing stitch #4 over the other three and then knitting it followed by slipping #3 over the remaining two and knitting it as well, then knit stitch #2 followed by #1.) Does this sound fiddly and fussy and complicated for a baby hat? It was. Oh yes, the four stitches were followed by picking up a stitch 2 rows down and knitting it together with the next stitch in the row I was working on. Lord have mercy, I will NEVER again hand someone a book and just say "pick something." The yarn cost more than I planned (the project required 560 yards, so I needed two balls of the sock yarn I chose). The time took me five times longer than expected. I had already told her $25, so I made $6.20 for my 14-plus hours of making this set. Live and learn. It turned out nice, but I was sick of being involved with it by the time I was done. I have happily returned to my sweater. I look forward to showing it to you at our meeting. Returning to Westminster Canterbury was like returning to working on an enjoyable project. It just felt "right." Please come and have some fun in the penthouse with all the rest of us on Monday, March 7, at 7 p.m. Until then ... Ahh, the simple joy of a stockinette-stitch, worsted-weight sweater. Happy knitting. Allison Hun t

M e m b e r B i r t h d a y s T h i s M o n t h

Mark Your CalendarsGuild meetings start with Meet and Greet at 7 p.m., followed by the Business Meeting at 7:15 p.m.

March 7 Meeting – Program: Katie Gerwien will introduce us to entrelac knitting. Bring worsted-weight yarn and a pair of needles to use for practice in the program.

April 4 Meeting – Program: To be determined.

April 8 – Shearing Day Open House, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Cornerstone Farm Alpacas, 26298 Spivey Town Road, Windsor, Va. Call (757) 651-3335 for more information. $1 admission.

May 7-8 – Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. Information at www.sheepandwool.org.

Sept. 21-25 – The Knitting Guild Association conference, Greensboro, N.C. More information at www.tkga.com/conference.shtm.

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General Fund: $2,735.28 Charity Fund: $299.60 Total Funds: $3,034.88

T r e a s u r e r ’ s R e p o r t

R e m i n d e r : W h e r e t o S e n d D u e s If you need to pay your dues for the 2010-2011 membership year, please send them to our treasurer, Kathy Brown. If you’d like her mailing address, please contact her at (757) 515-3922 or kjbrown@nyl.com.  

Page Leslie, March 15

Is your birthday missing or listed incorrectly? Please email Sonja Barisic at snbarisic@gmail.com to make sure we set the record straight. Thanks.

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N a m e Y o u r N e w s l e t t e r What do you think of these suggestions for a name for our newsletter?

The Loop Purls of Wisdom Please email Sonja Barisic at snbarisic@gmail.com with your choice. The person behind the winning idea will receive a knitting-related prize.

C h a r i t y K n i t t i n g U p d a t e By Debbie Henderson Congratulations to the Guild’s 2010 Charity Knitters of the Year. First place went to Margaret Faust, followed by Wanda Gunnoe, Mel Hutchinson and Lee Werbin. Each winner will receive a $25.00 gift certificate to her favorite yarn shop.   A total of 16 Guild members knit 196 items for charity last year. In the past our numbers have been higher, and this year our goal is to double the number of knitted items. To help reach our goal, the Guild held its first 2011 Potluck Charity Knit-in on Feb. 26 at Debbie Henderson's house.   Throughout this year, the newsletter will feature some charities in the area that would appreciate knitted items from the guild. Two charities that have an immediate needs are Hats for the Homeless and Save the Children, Caps for Good.   Pat Link started Hats for the Homeless three years ago when she realized the Hampton Roads area had a real need. She had retired as a project manager from NASA and wanted to focus her time and energy on a new project. She distributes hats through the Salvation Army,  The Veterans Transitional Home, The Rescue Mission and three churches. She visited the Guild at our January meeting to chat about her organization and donate yarn for hat-making. The primary need are hats for men; however she will take hats for women and children to be distributed to the homeless shelters   Save the Children, Caps for Good is an international effort to make caps for babies born in third world nations that have a high mortality rate. These babies often have a low birthweight and need  to keep their heads warm. This is our only project outside the Hampton Roads area.      Throughout the year we will continue knitting items such as lap blankets, hats, mittens and slippers for St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children  Most of the children range in age between 4 and late teens. Items should be machine-wash and dry.

K E E P K N I T T I N G T H O S E C H A R I T Y I T E M S    Raise those needles (or hooks) and challenge yourself with a goal for charity this year. You can report charity items at the Guild meetings or email Joanne at artsyfish@cox.net or Debbie at hendersonjb@cox.net.

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H i s t o r i c a l l y S p e a k i n g The column will resume soon. Please stay posted.

In the meantime, Karen Richardson found a blog with a historical bent that you might want to check out: One More Stitch. You can read the blog at http://historyknits.blogspot.com. The writer researchs and recreates garments and objects from the past. Sources range from original items to photographs in books, periodicals, art works, literary references and period patterns. Her research also involves the history of knitting needles and related implements.

The NPR program “On Point” recently examined the resurgence of knitting, taking a look at how knitting is making a comeback via social media. Whether you agree with the program’s presence or suspect that knitting has been “hot” for much longer than the mainstream media realizes, the program is worth a listen. Guests included Susan Strawn, professor of apparel design and merchandising at Dominican University; Franklin Habit, author of the popular knitting blog “The Panopticon;” Jenna Woginrich, who runs Cold Antler Farm, an online community-supported sheep farm in Jackson, N.Y.; and Street Color, a “yarn bomber” (knitting street artist). If you missed the program when it originally aired, you can listen to it online at http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/02/15/knitting-resurgence.

O n t h e R a d i o : R e s u r g e n c e o f K n i t t i n g

Find Us on Facebook On Facebook, search for Tidewater Knitting Guild of Virginia. Or click on http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_147279678658247.

Luck of the Irish: Pattern Roundup No blarney -- here are some free Irish-inspired patterns for St. Patrick’s Day, and beyond:

Irish Hiking Scarf: http://www.helloyarn.com/irishhikingscarfpf.htm

Irish Aran Sweater: http://ramwools.com/pdf/irish-aran.pdf

Irish Crochet Pincushion: http://www.knittingdaily.com/media/p/13976.aspx

Irish Hiking Hat: http://learningmywaythrough.wordpress.com/2007/02/08/irish-hiking-hat/

Shamrock Basket Liner: http://knitting.about.com/od/homepatterns/p/shamrock-cloth.htm

Virginia Beach Has New Yarn Shop By Andrea Riddle Hampton Roads knitters have a new local yarn shop. The Yarn Club opened on Saturday, March 5, in Virginia Beach. At The Yarn Club, everyone is a member.  Come join The Club and immerse yourself in luxurious yarns from around the world. From yarn staples to the most exquisite fibers, The Yarn Club has it all. We also stock needles, patterns, books and accessories to compliment your knitting and crochet.  All are welcome to sit and knit at The Yarn Club, located at 240 Mustang Trail, Suite 8, in Virginia Beach, one block from Lynnhaven Parkway off Lynnhaven Road or Virginia Beach Boulevard behind Beach Ford. We will be open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed on Sunday so the owner can knit. Call (757) 486-KNIT (5648) for more information.

Wow … it's almost spring already. Where is the time going? Yeah, I know … don't ask. Things are turning springy (springish?) around here as well. We're eagerly awaiting the arrival of new spring lines from Rowan and Berroco, along

with some of the coolest, must-have buttons you've ever seen. If you're thinking of making yourself a cardigan to keep off the chill as the nights get shorter, keep an eye on our new arrivals – we'll have exactly what you need! Speaking of things you need, mark your calendars for the season's best parties: Spa Night and the annual PJ Party. Spa Night on March 5 kicks off at 6:30 p.m. It's limited to 25 lucky KnitWits and the cost for an evening of pampering is $65.00. Jason will be offering massages as usual, the nail ladies will be there for your manicure pleasure, and there'll be plenty of great food. Hazel has a great project planned for all the participants as well – you're not going to want to miss this! The PJ Party promises all its usual hijinks and fun.

Bring something to work on and your favorite party munchies to share. (And yes, wear pajamas. That's the best part.) There'll be door prizes, bad jokes and a lot of fun for everyone. Make sure you reserve April 16 starting at 6 p.m. so you don't miss out on the madness! We're chugging along to our fourth year of fabulosity and going strong! It couldn't happen without you – our marvelous KnitWits! Come join us!

Please support our advertisers, as they help defray the cost of this newsletter.

 

yarn patterns notions classesall in the company of friends.

945 Providence Square Shopping Ctr Virginia Beach757-495-6600 knitwitsyarn.com

March 5 begins our second year in our current location. To celebrate, we’re having a big sale. All books are 30 percent off and yarns are 20 percent to 50 percent off. Most crochet threads are on clearance. Spring yarns are coming in. The last two colors of Riveting are in stock. Upcoming workshops: March 19: Dying Your Yarn. $25; materials included. March 26: Knitting Doilies. $5 plus materials. May 7: Beaded Scarf Class. Make the perfect present for mom.

Be sure to mark your calendar for our Third Anniversary sale on Friday, April 1. Most items in the store will be 30 percent off, including needles and books. Sale does not include consignment items or items already on sale. Hours that day will be 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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