The Purpose of The Shenandoah Knitting Guild is to promote the continuing education of persons interested in improving their knitting skills through meetings, workshops, and networking with other knitters locally, regionally, and nationally. Daytime Meetings are held at the First Christian Church, 75 Merrimans Lane, Winchester, Virginia at 10:30 a.m. on the second Friday of each month. When the Frederick County schools are closed due to inclement weather, the meeting will be postponed until the third Friday of the month. Our next meeting day is August 13. We will meet at the church. The program planned is a talk by our Historian, Juliet Martin, about the history and early years of our guild. If you want to join our group, we will welcome you warmly. Guild ActivitiesEach month our members meet to learn new techniques, share stories and inspire each other by sharing our current projects during Show and Tell.
An informal gathering called Sit and Knit is held on the fourth Tuesday of each month, starting at 10:30 am. at the Never Enough Yarn shop in Winchester VA. Our next scheduled meeting will be July 24, 2010. Never Enough Yarn holds its own Sit and Knit gatherings every Sunday from 1 p.m. until closing at 5 p.m. Community OutreachThe Guild members enjoy helping out in the community. One of our on-going projects is “Sweaters and Hats” for two daycare centers, Winchester Day Nursery and Fremont Street Nursery. There is free yarn available to anyone who wishes to participate in this voluntary effort. Many of the Guild members are happy to be a mentor/instructor to new knitters. You may contact Pat Hays - 540-888-4348.
MembershipDues of $20.00 are paid at the start of each year. If you join mid year we will adjust the amount of the dues. We have a monthly newsletter which may be postal mailed, accessed through the web site, or sent directly as a pdf attachment to an email. NewsIn July we learned how to do Picot Cast On, Picot Edging, and Picot Cast Off as well as a number of other ways to cast off.
Our June 2010 meeting program had speaker Steve Jennings. Steve is a man of many talents. He is a long time knitter, a singer in the jazz band Jump Alley, coaches tennis, does needlepoint, weaves on a loom, does woodworking, is choir director at Sherando High School and at his church. Our group enjoyed his talk about his knitting experiences.
Our May 2010 meeting was a field trip to Pat Hays' farm to see the lambs. Members brought pot luck salads and desserts to share. It was a pleasant spring day and we had a very nice time.
Our April 2010 meeting was a Baby Shower for Jessica who is due in less than a month. We had snacks brought by members and Jessica received some lovely gifts for her first child, some of them hand knitted.
Our March 2010 meeting was a discussion of knitting abbreviations and how to read charts.
In February 2010 members had a Swap Meet to rid their stash of unwanted items that other members found were just what they needed. We had treats of many varieties along with tea and coffee. In January 2010 members brought examples of their favorite knitting resources such as pattern books, knitting how to books, magazines, and discussion of how to find a knitting show on television. In December 2009 we went to Fremont Street Nursery in Winchester to give away the sweaters that our members had been knitting all year. Below, a caregiver holds one of the children with her new outfit. For our meeting we had our annual potluck social and each member brought a handmade gift to exchange. It was interesting to see the many talents of our members as the gifts were unwrapped. Below, our feast was shared and enjoyed.
Our November 2009 meeting was a field trip to Fibersmyth yarn shop in Woodstock. We met to carpool at the church at 10:30 a.m., had lunch together at the Cup and Crumpet which is run by family members of Fibersmyth owners and in the same old farmhouse as the yarn shop at 135 Lora Drive. Fibersmyth's web site is: www.fibersmyth.com
At our October 2009 meeting Dee Dee Heuer brought her folding 48 inch by 30 inch blocking board and told us her blocking methods. She recommends you finish the garment, wash it, and then pin it damp to the board with double pointed u-shaped pins that are made especially for blocking. Dee Dee uses long thin metal rods to help keep lace in place when blocking. The Guild will be at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival with a table to display knitted items and promote the art of knitting. Please stop by and say Hello. The Festival is held at the Berryville Fairgrounds in Clarke Co. Virginia on Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25 from 10 until 5 p.m. Admission fee is $5, children under 12 free. The web site for the festival is www.shenandoahvalleyfiberfest.com
In September 2009 we had a Fashion Show of members showing their knitted items on the "red carpet" runway. After the fashion show we had a surprise baby shower for member Catherine Kelly and her daughter Moira who are expecting a new arrival to the family around Thanksgiving.
In August 2009 members shared ideas for gifts for the holiday season. Below Dee Dee Heuer shows us her lacy scarf.
In July 2009 eighteen members attended the meeting to learn how to use beads in our knitting. Susan Marquardt of Winchester Virgina, volunteered to show us how to string the beads onto the yarn and how to add them as we knit.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
