Atlanta Knitting Guild gives for the Season

December is the traditional month for the Atlanta Knitting Guild to present Trauma Bears to the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy. All year, members knit clothes for the bears. As you can see, they always show a lot of creativity. The Center allows the children to pick a bear to help them deal with the trauma they have experienced. This year, we presented 170 bears to the Center.

Now we are starting to knit for the 2010 Bear season. You can provide your own bear or pick up a "naked" bear at the monthly meeting. Dress them any way you like. Patterns are also available on the Community Service page on the AKG web site.

Needle Donations for New Knitters

Mary Mattimoe is an AKG member who teaches high school chemistry. She is planning on offering an after school program to teach her students to knit. At the November AKG meeting she asked for donations of needles in sizes 7 to 12 or so for her students to use.

If you have some needles you can donate in the interest of creating new knitters, please bring them to the December 3 meeting. Mary will collect them there, or if you can't make the meeting, email her at mmattimoe3@gmail.com and she will coordinate with you to pick them up.

The Royal Alpaca Challenge

The Georgia Alpaca Association is presenting the first annual The Royal Alpaca Challenge November 21 - 22, 2009 at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, GA. The show will be open to the public Saturday November 21 from 9 am - 5 pm and Sunday November 22 from 9 am - 4 pm. Admission is free.

You will be able to meet alpacas up close and personal as 300 alpacas from across the country compete for top prizes. Alpaca breeders will be happy to answer any questions you may have about these fabulous creatures.

This show also features a "knitters' lounge" where you can sit, relax, and spin a yarn.

November Workshops Rescheduled

As announced at the November AKG meeting, the two November workshops have been rescheduled. Both will take place at The Knitterie at Rare Purls Yarn Boutique.

If you have questions, contact workshops@atlantaknittingguild.org. If you plan to have lunch at the adjacent Park Cafe, please check with their host or call ahead for reservations.

Holiday Decor
Saturday November 14, 1-5 pm
$10

Holiday ornament patterns are a free download on the Interweave Knits website. Download the patterns, grab some odds and ends of stash yarn, the recommended needle size, and join us for fun and creativity. We will have a big basket for a "share pile", so extra yarn would be appreciated. (Remember, many of our new knitters have not yet nurtured large stashes.) There will be other holiday patterns available for inspiration.

Duct Tape Dress Form
Saturday November 21, 1-3 pm
$10

In this workshop youwill make an inexpensive replica of your figure for use when crafting hand knits or making sewn garments. Our new friend Jamie will guide us through the steps. She has made 2 of these and swears by them. The materials list includes an old, long, expendable t-shirt, plastic wrap, good scissors, 2 rolls of duct tape (3 for large or extra large sizes), batting (plastic grocery bags work great) and a wrapping buddy. (Duck Tape now comes in many colors!)

AKG November Meeting and Workshops

The guest speaker for the November meeting is Brittany Newberry of The Knit Witch. The Knit Witch is run by Brittany and her husband Wayne. They produce handmade pottery and hand-dyed Knit Witch yarn and roving from their home in Blue Ridge, GA. Their Lotions and Potions are custom blended.

Two workshops are scheduled on Saturday November 7.

• The Holiday Decor workshop will explore various knitted items for holiday decorating and gifts. It is from 11am to 3 pm.
  
• In the Duct Tape Dress Form workshop, you will create an inexpensive dress form of your own body to use for fitting and sizing knitted garments. The Duct Tape Dress Form workshop is from 3 - 5pm.
  

Both workshops will be held at Rare Purls Yarn Boutique & Knitterie, 3579 West Lawrenceville St., Duluth, GA 30096. Contact Kay Mather, Jr VP of Workshops, 678 373-3564 or kmather@rarepurls.net.

Kate Jacobs Book Signing

Kate Jacobs has a new Friday Night Knitting Club novel coming out November 3. On Wednesday, November 4, she will be at the Georgia Center for the Book. The Event begins at 7:15 pm, but you can arrive any time after 6:30 pm for a Knit In .

Kate is teaming up with Lands End and Warming Families to make as many as 25,000 hats this year and donate them to displaced people across the United States. Georgia Center for the Book will be collecting knitted and crocheted hats at Kate's event and will be donating them to a local homeless shelter.

Georgia Center for the Book
215 Sycamore St
Decatur, GA 30030
404-370-8450

Community Service Update

Guild members are enthusiastically participating in our Community Service projects. Last week, Whit sent off the most recent set of Helmet Liners. This brings us to a total of 500 liners knitted for US troops.

We continue to have a good response on preemie hats and other items. Elizabeth Halberstadt showed a selection of hats at the October meeting. We have updated the Community Service page with links to four other sites offering patterns; Bev's Country Cottage, P2Designs, Carewear, and Lorraine Majors

In December we will be presenting this year's group of Trauma Bears to the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy. Jean Guneysu showed her new design for a bear dress at the October meeting. That pattern and other designs are also available on the Community Service page.

The folks from Georgia Mountain Fiber were so impressed with our Community Service projects at the September meeting that they donated 20 skeins of their 100% alpaca yarn to the Guild. We thought it would be great for hats for the ladies at the Atlanta Day Shelter for Women. If you would like to knit a hat with this luscious yarn, sign out a skein at the November meeting and turn in the finished project at the December or January meeting.

The Helmet Liners require wool yarn in specific colors, but the Preemie Hats and Trauma Bear garments are great projects for using up stash and trying new techniques on a small scale. If you have spare knitting time, consider knitting for one of these projects.

Special Olympics Georgia scarves for Athletes

Special Olympics Georgia is celebrating its 40th Anniversary at the State Indoor Winter Games, January 15-17, 2010. They are looking for volunteers to knit scarves for the athletes. You can chose any pattern you want, but they would like the size to be 6" x 60" and the color to be red or red & white. They have chosen Red Heart Yarn, Color Red Hot.

Mighty Joe's Espresso Coffee in Decatur and The Needle Nook on Briarcliff Rd at Lavista Rd have agreed to be collection points for completed scarves.

If you need more information, contact Jennifer at the SOGA office, 770 414-9390, ext 110, or Robbin Bonner with the Knitwits - Tucker, at 404 406-1267.

Stitches South 2010

Stitches South is returning to Atlanta in April 2010. There will be four days of wonderful classes on a range of knitting topics, as well as exciting shopping in the Market. The brochure describing the classes is now available online - click here to download a copy. Online registration begins November 10 at 10 am EST.

AKG welcomes Candace Eisner-Strick in October

Candace Eisner-Strick will be with the AKG for the October meeting and a weekend of exciting classes. Candace taught cello for 16 years before turning to designing, writing about, and teaching knitting. To learn more about Candace, click on www.strickwear.com.


At the October meeting, Candace will be sharing with us "Ten Things I Learned From Being a Knitwear Designer". Candace is very energetic and entertaining, so plan to catch this program.

On Friday, she will be teaching an all-day workshop on Strickmuster, The Beautiful Twisted Stitch Patterns of Austria. On Saturday she will teach a morning workshop on The Art of Knitting Backwards and How It Applies to Edging, and an afternoon workshop on a Little Beaded Bag. The Sunday afternoon workshop is Strick Nine, nine fabulous cast ons and bind offs.

There will be a pot-luck dinner for Candace on Saturday evening.

See the Workshops page of www.atlantaknittingguild.org for details of the workshops. The October newsletter will have details of the pot-luck dinner.

Cat Bordhi Book Signing @ The Whole Nine Yarns

Cat Bordhi will be doing a book signing at The Whole Nine Yarns on Sunday, September 27, from 11am until noon. The Whole Nine Yarns expects to have copies of Cat's new book, the second in her sock construction series, available. Stop by to meet Cat and get your books signed.

Click here http://www.catbordhi.com/for Cat's web site.

September Meeting - Georgia Mountain Fibers

Join us at 7:30 at St Patricks for our September meeting. The program will feature Michael Lipinski of Georgia Mountain Fiber, which produces alpaca, llama, cashmere goat, and yak yarns. Also, the new directories will be distributed. In addition to contact information on our members, it contains the recently updated Bylaws and updated Policies & Procedures. There's also an updated listing of our shop affiliates

AKG Scarecrow has a Name!

The American Textile History Museum, home of the Atlanta Knitting Guild's Scarecrow, has selected the winning name. That's OZ at the left, shown on location in the museum. The winning name was submitted by Louise Pugh of Boxford, MA. I'm sure OZ will be quite happy in his new home, being loved and photographed by many visitors in the years to come.

Big Happenings at Sock Summit 2009

A video on the Oregonian website records knitters breaking a world record for most people knitting at the same time. The previous record, from Australian, was for 256 knitters. I can't help thinking that there have surely been times when we had at least 100 people knitting simultaneously at an AKG meeting.

Also, this gets me thinking (plotting?) about STITCHES South 2010. Anybody have any clever ideas?

Thank you to Barbara Argo for the link!

Happy Birthday, Atlanta Knitting Guild!

Come help us celebrate our 25th birthday at the Guild meeting August 6. Share with us sample projects from across the decades. Those of us who have been around from the beginning can't believe how the Guild has grown to the dynamic organization it is today. Share with us your memories from your time in the Guild.

Sheep Incognito at Virginia-Highland Summerfest

Conni Tögel, the artist who paints Sheep Incognito, will have a booth at the Virginia-Highlands Summerfest this weekend. You might have seen Sheep Incognito at Stitches South 2009. Summerfest was voted "Best Neighborhood Festival" in Creative Loafing, and is considered one of the best artists' markets in the Southeast.

The festival hours are:

• Saturday, June 6 from 10 am - 6:30 pm
• Sunday, June 7 from 11 am - 6 pm

Atlanta Knitting guild members are eligible for a 10% discount off of in-stock Sheep Incognito artworks and prints (but not books or calendars). Email blog@atlantaknittingguild.org for the coupon.

Good Press

The Summer 2009 Knitter's magazine has arrived. This one is particularly Atlanta-friendly, and not just because the models were photographed here. Our knitted flowers are featured in the article "Atlanta Blooms" on pages 6-7. Also, local resident Betty Salpekar features prominently in the long article about the Think Outside the SOX contest. If you are going to sit back and read a little as well as knit, then here's some happy reading material.

Head Hugs?

Our friends at Cascade Yarns -- one of the sponsors of STITCHES South -- have graciously donated 52 skeins of Cascade 220 Wool, Cascade 220 Heathers, and Cascade 220 Superwash to our helmet liner initiative. This is in addition to the many, many skeins they have donated previously. In turn, AKG has donated more than 400 helmet liners to our armed services. Thank you Cascade Yarns for your generosity to us and to our armed forces!

If you are making helmet liners, some reminders:

• They must be 100% wool.
• They must be in military-approved colors.
• You can find the pattern here or in the community service portion of our website.
• Do be aware that an earlier version of the pattern had a too-short neck. The 2x2 ribbing for the neck should be at least 6-inches long, so that it can pass from the nose, over the mouth, down the chin, and to the neck.

I've made a fair few of these over the years. If you are a newish knitter looking to practice knitting in the round, please consider trying one of these. You can work on a 12-inch or 16-inch needle for most of it, or you can work other methods such as double-pointed needles, two circulars, or magic loop. This is also a fairly portable project for travel knitting, and much of it is mindless enough for television, knit-night socializing, or even reading! And as it requires only one skein of Cascade 220, it really doesn't take all that long to complete.

Whatever your political persuasion, it is proper to remember this Memorial Day weekend that the women and men of our armed services often give great sacrifices for the security and freedom of the rest of us. Even those fortunate enough to avoid harm's way spend precious time away from family in places that can be inhospitable to downright scary. A little time knitting to keep someone far from home warm and well is a compassionate gesture.

More STITCHES Links

Alexis Xenakis has a lovely blog post about our flowers here.
And don't forget, there will be more of Atlanta in Knitter's magazine this summer!

Cheryl Oberle & Snow Leopard Trust Knit-In

The knit-in at Whit Robbins' home last Saturday was a great success. Guild members got a chance to meet Cheryl Oberle and hear about the Snow Leopard Trust from one of their representatives, Siri. On top of that, we got to eat delicious food, knit, and chat with our friends. A truly perfect evening!

Cheryl shared some recent experiences, including spending two weeks at the John C. Campbell Folk School. She also signed some books, and told us that her husband creates the linocuts found on her books. On Cheryl's needles was a multi-directional scarf in Noro sock yarn.

Siri joined us shortly before 8 pm, because she was busy minding a Snow Leopard Trust booth at the Alive Expo earlier in the day. She told us about the history of the Snow Leopard Trust, their research to learn more about snow leopards, and how yarn and felt help conserve the snow leopard population. Snow leopards are killed for two main reasons: first, for food and traditional medicine ingredients, and second, in retaliation for killing herd animals. If the herders have other ways of getting food and money, they won't kill the snow leopards for their meat, pelt, and bones. And if they have enough money to provide for their families, they don't feel the need to retaliate when a snow leopard kills one of their herd.

To help herders improve their economic situation, the Snow Leopard Trust has taught them to spin high-quality yarn, and then buys that yarn at a fair price. Siri told us about a Mongolian woman who was spinning with a drop spindle made out of an old spoon when they first contacted the herders. Now women can take out microloans for spinning wheels. The women also make felt, and then make slippers, booties, ornaments, hats, glasses cases, toys, and many other things out of the felt.

Siri brought several lovely items that the Snow Leopard Trust sells. She brought several skeins of hand-spun and hand-dyed camel yarn in brilliant jewel tones. She also brought some undyed yak yarn. Both yarns were soft, but the camel yarn was surprisingly downy. The herders had never tried spinning yak yarn - and so they have found a new source of income that they never had before. Siri also brought the aforementioned felt items - baby booties, mouse-shaped cat toys, and ornaments. She told us the two ways that felt is made - by several women wetting and manually kneading the wool, or more traditionally, rolling it up in a mat and dragging it behind a horse. She showed us an album with several photographs of Mongolian and Kyrgyzstani women preparing the wool (by whipping it), spinning it, and turning it into felt, in and around their yurts.

Everyone had a fantastic time - we learned from a knitting master and discovered a new aspect of knitting that we had never thought of before.

Stitches Flowers Video

XRX has released a video on the Atlanta Knitting Guild's centerpiece flowers. Check it out at http://www.knittinguniverse.com/video/#6/28/3.

A Good Cookie

Many of you have already discovered this top-down sock book. It is full of wonderful patterns and a great discussion about design. Definitely two thumbs way up. Alas, it also has some errata. If you have this book and need to find the corrections, they are here.

Caution: Busy Weekend Ahead

Cast-On Cottage is having an anniversary sale tomorrow, Saturday 16 May, from 9 AM to 5 PM. The deals:
10% off everything in the store (needles excluded)
15% off Araucania sock yarn & needlepoint canvases
25% off DoggiKnits, Lamberino, Encore DK, Ambrosia, Kimono Angora, Jameson & Simply Shetland, Gedifra, Nautical Cotton, Big Kureyon, Inca Cotton, Ella Rae Classic, Ulmo
Pomaire, and more!
40% off all Tahki Stacy Charles
50% off Plymouth Royal Cashmere & selected needlepoint canvases

Selected shop samples and additional lines will also be on sale.

And when you are done with that don't forget:
4 PM Saturday at Whit's house for Cheryl Oberle and, after 7 PM, Snow Leopard Trust.
11 AM Sunday for the pre-harlot party at The Whole Nine Yarns, then Yarn Harlot Stephanie Pearl-McPhee at 1 PM in Woodstock.

Edit: Just got an e-mail. Knitch is also having a sale this weekend, as they'd like to have less to count next week for inventory. The details:

This Saturday and Sunday all merchandise on the main floor of the shop is 15% off! And, Inventory on the second floor is 10% off! All hardcover books are 25% off and we have more special deals as marked in the shop including a sale bin with fabulous yarn 50% off!

Sale applies to in-stock inventory only and excludes needles, special orders, holds and prior purchases. For online orders, simply put the word "sale" in the comments section and we'll take the discount at the time of shipment. All Sales final. You will receive credit for sale purchases towards loyalty program discounts but discounts cannot be combined during the sale.

Not Just for Eggheads

Local shop Knitch has come up with a very inventive contest:

We're really Egg-cited about our latest contest and we hope you'll have fun participating! Just pick up a copy of Blue Sky Alpacas Knit Chicken pattern at Knitch and let your imagine go free range - after all, this knitting is for a great cause- no yolk! The first five entries will receive a half dozen fresh eggs from Kim's chickens. All chickens will be judged on originality of theme, creativity and execution. All yarn used must come from Knitch (new or stash) but you can add other materials as you wish! The wackier the better! The grand prize winner will receive a $25 credit at Knitch EACH MONTH FOR ONE YEAR! The contest runs through June 15th and all chickens will be posted on the Knitch blog. Once the judging is complete our happy brood of chickens will be donated to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (known locally as EGG-leston!) to comfort and delight children undergoing treatment.

For more information, follow this link.

A Good Laugh Coming

This Sunday, 17 May, the famous Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, will be speaking in Woodstock. You can find information here or here.

Details:
Event will be held at The Cherokee County Recreation and Parks Facility (7545 Main St., Woodstock 30188). Ticket includes two $5 coupons redeemable at the event and at sponsoring stores, FoxTale Book Shoppe (770.516.9989) and The Whole Nine Yarns (678.494.5242). Call today for your ticket!

Additionally, The Whole Nine Yarns will be having a pre-speaking party, beginning at 11 AM at the shop.

For those of you unfamiliar with the location, Woodstock is north of Atlanta. Take I-75 north to I-575. Follow I-575 to either exit 7 or 8, depending on which approach you like into the town. You can get driving directions here.

A Gift from New Friends

We've made lots of new friends throughout the region and beyond thank to STITCHES South. Among them are Yarn Bazaar, an online vendor based out of New Jersey. Yarn Bazaar came all the way to Atlanta to be in the STITCHES South market. You may remember the stall with all 170 colors of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn? Or maybe you recall the merging colors kits by our upcoming October 2009 superstar, Candace Eisner-Strick? We were delighted to meet Jo Ellen and her group and look forward to seeing them again next year.

She has been very encouraging of our group, and has given us a gift. This lace blocking wire kit, a $45 value, will be available for check-out. If you have never used blocking wires, one of the new benefits of AKG membership will be that you can take these home and try them. Wires can be especially helpful for blocking delicate lace. They are almost essential for scalloped edges. And they can simplify sweater assembly by making sure the edges of garment pieces are straight and square. Additionally, Yarn Bazaar will be offering AKG members an ongoing 10% discount. Information about how to get the discount will be in the June newsletter.

Many thanks to Jo Ellen and Yarn Bazaar!

Bonus Double-Feature Potluck

Whit will be hosting a potluck on Saturday 16 May at 4 PM. Originally, this was going to be a chance for us to share our experiences at STITCHES South. Instead, we hope to do that at our July guild meeting. Why wait until July? Because some awesome people are going to be in town on Saturday and we want to spend time with them.

Cheryl Oberle, author of Folk Vests and Folk Shawls, will be passing through Atlanta after a trip to John C. Campbell Folk School. Cheryl plans to join us for the evening. The vest knitted and modeled at right by Joyce F. is a design from Folk Vests. Be sure to bring your copies of the books with you so you can get autographs. We will be able to visit with Cheryl beginning at 4 PM and throughout the evening.

Sometime between 7 and 8 PM, Siri from Snow Leopard Trust will be joining our merry group. Snow Leopard Trust, as you might guess from the name, is an organization that aims to protect the critically endangered snow leopard. One way in which they do so is by helping Mongolian people who live in the same areas as snow leopards to find sources of income that do not involve practices harmful to the big cats. In this case, local peoples are learning to spin yak and camel fibers. Siri will be speaking to us about this interesting nexus between conservation and commerce. And she will be bringing some yarn to sell. You can learn more ahead of time by going to the website here or viewing the items in their shop here.

See you Saturday evening for food, excellent company, and interesting discussions!

STITCHES memories

Robyn Putz, our outgoing VP of Communications, has graciously agreed to put together a special STITCHES South version of our newsletter. Members, if you have any stories to share -- and I know you do -- please e-mail them over to Robyn by Friday 15 May.

Also, Elizabeth Clause is moving from VP of Programs to Webmaster. Elizabeth will be organizing the photographic material and probably be putting together something grand on our website. Please e-mail photographs to Elizabeth, or e-mail to her the link to where you have posted them (such as Flickr), or send her a CD of them.

Our historian, Pat O'Grady, would like to have some photographs for the archives. If you don't mind printing a few pictures and mailing those to Pat, that would be great. Please be sure that with any photographic material, you've identified who the subjects are and where and when the photograph was taken.

As for the photograph at the top, that's our founder Whit Robbins and centerpiece designer Megan Brightwell. This picture was taken on Wednesday 22 April, the day before STITCHES. Whit and Megan are here unloading centerpiece flowers on the loading dock at Cobb Galleria Center. You can all see how glamorous behind the scenes really is.

May Beauties

It is always a delight to see what guild members show off at a meeting. This month's meeting started off with show and tell.
First up is Linda W. with a jacket that incorporates ribbon yarn. (Joyce is graciously assisting Linda.) Ribbon yarns can be fun and interesting, but sometimes they aren't well suited to an entire project. Sometimes they are expensive, further discouragement from knitting a whole garment from ribbon yarn. Linda has shown us a lovely way to incorporate ribbon yarn as stripes. This doesn't require a lot of extra calculations. It is a lovely way to jazz up a fairly plain pattern and also economize with an expensive material. Linda is well-known in our group for the knitting she does for her grandchildren. You can see the stack of new child garments on the podium.


Marie showed off this true magnum opus. A Kaffe Fassett vest is always an exciting and challenging project. And this much intarsia with this many ends to weave in is truly an act of devotion and love. Wow! Thank goodness there is a multi-billion dollar industry in Southern California dedicated to keeping us amused while we swatch or weave in ends.



This beautiful shawl by Joyce is here presented by Joyce, Marjorie, and Linda as Marie looks on. It turns out this is a stash project. Joyce used a variety of yarns that were in similar colorways. A beautiful and successful project that reminds us sometimes all we have to do is open our closets and look around.

As always, more pictures can be found in the members only section of the guild website.

May Business Meeting

Is everyone still basking in the afterglow of STITCHES South?

Tomorrow night is our annual business meeting. Additionally, we've invited the shops for a Market Night. TNNA, the big trade show, is in June. So this meeting will be a chance to talk to the local shops about upcoming trends. What do you want to be knitting with this fall? What have you heard about but not yet seen? What are the shops eager to show you?

For a change of pace, we'll start the meeting off with show and tell. As the shops have been encouraged to bring some of their bargains -- things that have fallen out of season, a discontinued yarn, or just the last ball from a dye lot -- members are encouraged to show off any stash-busting or one or two skein projects. What can we do when we find a great bargain but there's only one skein? Tomorrow night, ya'all can show us!

In the business part of the meeting, there will be a few announcements and lots of thank-yous for this unprecedented year. Finally, we'll end with voting on the proposed by-laws changes and the new slate of officers for the Executive Board.

See you tomorrow at 6:30 PM for socializing, 7:30 PM for the meeting.

STITCHES South 2009 links

We'll keep updating this post as new and interesting links become available. For now, here are a few to get you started.

Even before the convention began, Woofgangpug gave us ten reasons to attend. She also reminded us why the market is such a wonderful thing. And pictures on her Flickr account.
BavGirl writes about the market and dinner at Scalini's.
Knits4Bears scored well in the market, including a baby camel/silk blend, lots of Bugga, Schoppel Wolle Zauberball, a cone of alpaca/silk, Kauni, and Lisa Souza bombyx silk/merino.
The Knifty Knitter has two posts. In the first post, she reviews a class with Sandi Rosner, puchases from Indie Dyer, Malabrigo, Sanguin Gryphon, Creatively Dyed Yarns, Mass Ave. Yarn Shop, and Schaefer Yarns. In the second post, she describes vanquishing her yarn budget by acquiring Cascade Eco + from The Yarn and Fiber Company, Cascade 220 in assorted colors (including a rather nice red tweed) from Cast-On Cottage, and handmade sock blockers from Purrfectly Catchy. She also reviews a cable class with Melissa Leapman.

Sheep Incognito

Ya'all remember the great sheep pictures at SAFF and STITCHES South? Connie and Peter Togel will be at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend. More information can be found here. I don't know how many AKG people will be in Maryland this weekend, but at least some of us do have relatives up north. Maybe a good opportunity for Mothers' Day or Birthday gift acquisitions?

Summer Sale & Cook Out

From Main Street Yarns and Fibers in Watkinsville:

Sizzlin' Summer Kick-Off Sale and Soiree
20% off this entire weekend

School is almost out so let's get summer started and play this weekend!

Sale - Extended Hours
Everything in the store is 20% off Friday, Saturday and Sunday – this includes on-line shopping too! For web purchases please enter coupon code summer09 to apply the discount. We will stay open extended hours both Friday and Saturday evenings until 8:00 p.m. to give you extra time to take advantage of this excellent last minute sale. Shop now for Mother's Day gifts and projects!

Burgers & Bingo for Yarn
Our 2nd Annual Summer Bingo Cookout is this Saturday night with good food and fabulous yarn prizes.....remember last year?! Last fall's cookout was a blast with 30+ people in attendance and every seat in the shop was taken! Once again we will grill chicken and hamburgers and play bingo for yarn prizes, so bring a side dish to share and come have fun! The grill fires up around 5:00pm.

Game Night / Knit - in
Friday night is game night on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month. We get together for dinner and games (and lots of crafting, too!). Dinner starts around 6:30 and the games begin around 7:00. If you would like to eat with us, the cost is $ 6.00 and you must call the shop by 5:00 pm so we know to include you in the food count. We usually play Scrabble, Hand and Foot, Boggle, etc. If you have a favorite board or card game you want to play just bring it along.

Closed for Sundays
Starting May 10th the shop will be closed on Sundays until September 13th. Our Monday – Saturday hours will be the same as usual.

Philanthropic Opportunity

This past Friday, April 24, at STITCHES South I met two wonderful sisters, Peggy and Joan. Peggy has some special needs and their mother devoted three years to teach Peggy how to knit. Peggy loves knitting and she makes scarves to donate to the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception which in turn gives them to needy people. Joan told me that Peggy uses any yarn she can find or is given, and she especially likes to combine colors in the scarves. If anyone has any yarn that they are not using and want to get rid of, please consider donating it to Peggy. I can collect the yarn and take it to them.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Halberstadt

XRX & AKG

I'm sure there will be more posted later about STITCHES South. For this post, I just need to say a huge THANK YOU both to XRX and to AKG.

To XRX and especially Benjamin Levisay:
Thank you for coming to Atlanta. Thank you to Benjamin for being willing to take the risk on us, the risk in coming south where there "aren't any knitters," and the risk in having a new show in this tepid economy. Thank you to all his staff -- I would name names here as I know a good many of them now, but I know I'd leave out somebody by mistake. This was my first STITCHES, and the first STITCHES for many people here. And it was amazing. And when I asked if they are all like this, other people said, "Oh, yes. It is always this fabulous and amazing." That means that four times a year, you folks come out of South Dakota and go make a perfect, magical, fantastic weekend for several thousand people. I am in awe that you can do that even once. I am flabbergasted that you can do it repeatedly. Thank you so much for being willing to do that here, and for being willing to come back again next year. Know that all of you are loved here. You are family now.

To all the Atlanta Knitting Guild members:
Thank you for being the most friendly, warm, hospitable people on the planet. All weekend long, people came up to Whit and Diana and I and said how warmly welcomed they felt. I almost couldn't shop the market because so many people came up to me to pass on their compliments. Late in the day on Sunday as I was heading out, Susanna Hansson bumped into me. She said it felt as if the weekend was co-hosted by both XRX and AKG. For that, again I must thank XRX, who let us participate at such an active level. There are other companies who, I am sure, would have seen us an interlopers. Instead, we were two teams, the home and the visitors, and we played as one for the weekend.

A special big thank you and kudos for those of you who worked on the flowers. People were talking about them all weekend. When attendees entered the banquet hall on Friday, there was a bit of a traffic jam at the door because people were stopping and staring and forgetting that they needed to walk into the room. Many, many pictures were taken. Many. People were talking about which flowers they liked, and how clever this or that one was, and how this was on the same level as the big show in Italy. Benjamin very kindly arranged for the flowers to be on display in the market on Sunday, so that more attendees could see them. And XRX is now taking the flowers on the road to STITCHES Midwest and probably STITCHES East as well. There will be more information in an upcoming Knitter's magazine and on KnitTalk and elsewhere. We started this weekend with half our industry thinking that there are no knitters in the South. We will be ending the year with our industry knowing that Atlanta and the South is full of talented, creative knitting artists. You AKG members made that happen. If you are reading this, stand up and take a bow. You deserve it.

Edit: If you are on Ravelry, go take a look at the STITCHES South boards. It will warm your heart.

Loading up the GPS

Here is a list of shops that you might pass close to if you are driving to STITCHES South. Most of these are affiliated with either AKG or NGKG, but a couple are new and haven't yet joined a guild. Each has its own niche and its own sense of style. The list gives you the nearest exit to a major thoroughfare, so you can know if your route will take you close by. Please contact each shop directly for hours, complete driving directions, and to be sure the shop is still in business at that location. You can also find more shops by going to knitmap.

Inside Atlanta:
Knitch
1052A St. Charles Avenue
Atlanta GA 30306
404-745-9276
www.shopknitch.com
From I-75/I-85 in downtown Atlanta, use Exit 248C, Carter Center/Freedom Pkwy. This is the shop that is closest to city center. It is near the Carter Presidential Center, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, and Fernbank Natural History Museum.

Sheepish
335 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue, Suite G
Decatur, Georgia 30030
404-377-6875
http://www.sheepish.biz/
From I-285 on the east side of Atlanta, take either Exit 40 or Exit 39. Follow signs to Decatur. Knitch and Sheepish are about 3 miles apart, via Ponce de Leon Avenue. Fernbank Natural History Museum is between them. Sheepish is formerly Nease's Needlework, and still appears in some navigation systems under that name.

Needle Nook
2165 Briarcliff Road
Atlanta GA 30329
404-325-0068
www.needlenookatlanta.com
In the Briarcliff area over near Emory University. From downtown, stay on I-85 as you head north out of the city and use Exit 86, Buford Hwy. Can also be accessed from Exit 89, North Druid Hills.

Strings and Strands
5299 Roswell Road, Suite 114
Atlanta GA 30342
404-252-9662
From northside I-285, use Exit 25 Roswell Road and proceed south. This is the closest LYS to STITCHES South, about 6 miles from Cobb Galleria Centre.
www.stringsandstrands.com


Heading north of Atlanta on I-75, from closest to farthest out:
Knitting Emporium
2803 S. Main Street
Kennesaw GA 30144
770-421-1919
www.knittingemporium.com
From I-75, use Exit 271 Chastain Rd & Kennesaw State University.
You can also use Exit 269 Barrett Pkwy, but the traffic tends to be very bad on Barrett Pkwy.

Krazy Knitz
311 W. Emery Street
Dalton GA 30720
706-259-6713
www.krazyknitz.com
From I-75, Exit 333 at the Tanger Outlet Center.

Genuine Purl
140 N. Market St.
Chattanooga TN 37405
423-267-7335
www.genuinepurl.com
From I-75, follow I-24 west, then US 27.


Heading north of Atlanta on I-575, from closest to farthest out:
The Whole Nine Yarns
105 E. Main Street, Suite 126
Woodstock GA 30188
678-494-5242
www.thewholenineyarns.com
Use Exit 7 or Exit 8 and head for downtown Woodstock.

The Flying Sheep
38 Wall Street, Jasper GA 30143
706-692-5648
www.theflyingsheep.com
Follow I-575 as it becomes route 5/515 Appalachian Development Hwy/Zell Miller Mountain Pkwy. Turn right on West Church Street and head for downtown Jasper.

Strings & Sticks Yarn Shoppe
449 Industrial Boulevard
Ellijay GA 30540
706-698-5648
www.stringsandsticksyarn.com
Follow I-575 as it becomes route 5/515 Appalachian Development Hwy/Zell Miller Mountain Pkwy. Turn west at 282/US 76

Mountain Yarn
29A Highway 515
Blairsville GA 30512
706-835-1078
Keep following Route 515/US 76. Blairsville is where US 129, Route 11/US 19 intersects Route 515/US 76.

Yarn Circle
Indigo Hills Suite E
4540 Highway 64E
Murphy NC 28906
828-835-4592
www.yarncircle.com
Murphy is north of Blairsville. You can reach it by following I-575, etc. on up into the Blue Ridge Mountains and following US 19/129.


Heading north of Atlanta on GA 400, from closest to farthest out:
Cast-On Cottage and Needlepoint Garden
1003 Canton Street
Roswell GA 30075
770-998-3483
www.castoncottage.com
From GA 400, use Exit 7, Holcomb Bridge Rd

Only Ewe and Cotton Too
780 Mayfield Road
Milton GA 30004
770-740-0844
www.onlyeweandcottontoo.com
From GA 400, use Exit 10, Old Milton Pkwy

Knots of Yarn
2360 Bethelview Rd #106
Cumming, Georgia 30040
706-974-9525
www.knotsofyarn.com
Follow GA 400 to Exit 15 Bald Ridge Dr., then Route 9 west to Route 20 north.

Magical Threads
315 Church Street
Dahlonega GA 30533
706-867-8918
www.magicalthreads.com
Follow GA 400 to Route 249/US 19.


Heading north of Atlanta on I-85, from closest to farthest out:
Rare Purls
Duluth GA 30096
www.rarepurls.net
From I-85, use Exit 104, Pleasant Hill Road. On the web, with bricks and mortar shop coming early summer! Please check back!

Twisted Skeins
124 Washington Street, Suite A (Highway 197)
Clarkesville GA 30523
706-754-7048
www.twistedskeins.com
Clarkesville is northeast of Gainesville and Lake Lanier. From I-85, use Exit 144, and take US 441 some distance north. If you are traveling in from North Carolina on US 23/US 441, use Route 385/Historic US 441.

Silver Threads & Golden Needles
41 E. Main Street
Franklin NC 28734
828-349-0515
www.silverthreadsyarn.com
Even farther north on US 23/441.

Yes Yarn
3014 N. Main Street
Anderson SC 29621
864-222-8244
www.yesyarn.com
From I-85 just inside SC, use Exit 19.


If you take the GA 316 spur towards Athens and University of Georgia:
Yarn Garden Knit Shop
159 W. Pike Street
Lawrenceville GA 30045
678-225-0920
www.yarngardenknitshop.com
From GA 316, follow either Duluth Highway or Buford Drive into downtown Lawrenceville.

Main Street Yarns and Fibers
100 Barnett Shoals Road
Watkinsville GA 30677
706-769-5531 or
866-399-YARN (toll free)
www.mainstreetyarns.com
Go about 40 miles on GA 316, turn right at Oconee Connector.


South of Atlanta on I-85:
Sugarfoot Yarns
100 N. Peachtree Parkway
Highway 54
Peachtree City, GA 30269
770-487-9001
http://www.sugarfootyarns.com/
From I-85, use Exit 47, Bullsboro Drive, and then follow Route 34 to Route 54.


South of Atlanta on I-75:
Creative Yarns
134 Speer Avenue
Macon GA 31204
478-476-5648
creativeyarns.net
Follow I-75 around Macon, use Exit 164 onto US 41.

Me and Thee
2360 Ingleside Avenue
Macon GA 31204
478-746-2223


West of Atlanta on I-20:
Ewe Knit Yarn
909 G South Park St. (Trojan Center)
Carrollton GA 30117
770-830-6480
www.eweknit.net
On I-20 west of Atlanta, use Exit 11 and follow US 27 south to Carrollton.

The Taming of the Ewe
26 Public Square
Jacksonville AL 36265
256-782-9080
taming-the-ewe.com
From I-20, take Exit 185 and follow Route 21 north to Jacksonville.


If you are along the coast:
Wild Fibre
409 E Liberty St
Savannah GA 31401
912-238-0514
wildfibreyarns.com
I-16 & I-95

The Stitchery of St. Simons
3303 Frederica Road
St. Simons Island GA 31522
912-638-3401
shopthestitchery.com
From I-95 near Florida, use Exits 29 or 36 and head to St. Simon's Island.

Food on Spring Road

If you head north on Cobb Parkway, duck under I-285, but turn left at the light, you'll be on Spring Road. Options include:

On the left:
Wendy's -- national burger chain
Applebee's -- national pub grub chain
Chin Chin Chinese -- local chain, cuisine and sushi
Panda Express -- national Chinese fast food

On the right:
Minato Japanese Restaurant -- local sushi and steak
Papa John's Pizza -- national pizza delivery chain

After the light at Cumberland Blvd:
On the right:
McDonald's -- international burger chain giant
Aldi -- grocery store
On the left:
Burger King -- other international burger chain giant
Further up on the right:
Wing Lab -- wings
Subway -- national sandwich chain giant

A couple more lights, past Argyle Elementary School and the fire station, on the left in the Plantation Pointe Shopping Center:
Smyrna Liquors -- alcohol
US Cafe Express -- burgers, wings, onion rings, fries, shakes
China Station -- local Chinese
Cobb International Farmers Market -- Asian grocery, hot wings and sushi available inside

You may have noticed by now that the street Cumberland Blvd seems to cross everything. There is both a Cumberland Blvd and a Cumberland Pkwy in the area. Cumberland Blvd crosses Cobb Pkwy north of I-285, then crosses Spring Rd, runs west of Cumberland Mall (behind it), and intersects Cobb Pkwy again but south, down by the Parkway Pointe shopping center. There is an HHGregg Crossing shopping center on Cumberland Blvd between Spring Rd and Cobb Pkwy. So if you turned left on Spring, and then right on Cumberland Blvd (just before McDonald's), up the hill on the left you would find:
Domino's pizza -- the other national pizza delivery chain
Juice and Java -- local coffee and juice drinks
Unique Indian Cuisine -- local Indian buffet
Bar-B-Q and Seafood -- local and just what it says

None of these several food posts takes you beyond exit 20. There is more food one exit West/South at Paces Ferry/Vinings, Exit 18. And there is some truly lovely upscale dining in Vinings. If you continue yet one more exit to Atlanta Rd, Exit 16, there are also some very good choices. I mention this because J. Christopher's is at the corner of Atlanta Rd and Cumberland Pkwy, just a right turn and half a mile from the exit. Sunday morning food may be a little hard to find, and local chain J. Christopher's is a good option, although crowded as it is well-known in the area. They are open at 7 AM.

For more food options check out:
The Blissful Glutton -- local blogger reviewing local restaurants
Access Atlanta -- web portal run by local newspaper
Creative Loafing -- web portal run by other newspaper
Urban Spoon -- reviews and more, try either Atlanta or if you don't want to drive too far, just Smyrna (north of I-285) and Vinings (south of I-285).

Food on Cobb Parkway North of Galleria

If you want to drive in the other direction through Smyrna 30080, here's what you'll find if you go north on Cobb Parkway.

Ducking underneath I-285, the first restaurant is Atlanta-based Waffle House, on the left, open 24 hours.

Past the light at Spring Rd. and heading up the hill you'll find on the right:
Indian Cuisine -- local Indian food
Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin Robbins -- donuts, coffee, and ice-cream
Jade Palace -- Chinese buffet and sushi
on the left:
Steak N Shake -- burgers and shakes
and in Cumberland Marketplace:
Starbucks Coffee -- coffee, pastries
blu Sushi -- local sushi, grill, seafood, bar, has a good Chrysanthemum roll
Continuing up the hill:
Taco Bell -- national chain Mexican fast food
Doc's Food & Spirits -- basic American, Sunday brunch begins at noon

At the top of the hill past the Cumberland Blvd/Windy Ridge Pkwy light, on the right:
Kentucky Fried Chicken -- national fried chicken chain
Red Lobster -- national seafood restaurant chain
The Border Mexican Restaurant -- local Mexican cuisine

And continuing down the hill on the right in Cumberland Square North shopping center:
Olive Garden -- national Italian restaurant, outparcel
Thompson Brother's Bar-B-Q -- local barbecue, worth a trip is you are unfamiliar with Southern barbecue
Yakitori Jinbei -- Japanese and sushi
Wise Ash Cigars -- tobacco
Quizno's Sub -- warm sandwiches

From the top of the hill on the left in Heritage Pavilion:
Cost Plus World Market -- chocolate and wine
Then headed down in the hill on the left in the Promenade shopping center:
Lee's Golden Buddha #7 -- local Chinese restaurant chain
Scalini's -- local Italian, location of Saturday Ravelry meet-up
and the outparcels:
Bruster's Real Ice Cream -- ice cream
IHOP -- pancakes, Sunday morning food, open 24 hours; their local link

Food on Cobb Parkway South of Galleria

If you don't mind getting in a car and driving a little, there are even more food options on Cobb Parkway / US 41. Most of these take you out of line of sight of Cobb Galleria Center, but as long as you can remember one turn to get back, you'll be fine. Going south, you are in postal code Atlanta 30339, also called Vinings.

On Akers Mill Road, south of Cumberland Mall and across from Sears is Quizno's Subs.
At the corner of Akers Mill Road and Cobb Parkway is a Barnes and Nobles. Inside is a Starbucks Coffee.
On the same side of the street but further south are:
Olde Mill Steakhouse -- red meat
Mykonos Grill -- local Greek cuisine, but be patient if you go

Then in the Cumberland Festival strip mall you will find:
Planet Smoothie -- Atlanta-based chain, smoothies,
Pizza Hut / Wing Street -- pizza, wings
Philly Connection -- cheesesteaks
Schlotzsky's Deli -- deli sandwiches
Haagen Dazs -- ice cream

If you continue south, past the AT&T tower on the left, you'll find Parkway Pointe shopping center with a Borders Bookstore and a movie theater. There are two outparcels:
Don Pablo's Mexican Kitchen -- Mexican restaurant
Copeland's Famous New Orlean's Restaurant and Bar -- Cajun cuisine, cheesecake, and Sunday brunch begins at 10 AM

Past the light at Cumberland Blvd and still on the left is the Cumberland Pointe shopping center. In there you'll find:
doc green's -- Atlanta-based chain, salads, grill, healthy fare
Shane's rib shack -- barbecue ribs
Moe's southwest grill -- southwest and Mexican food

A little farther south but now on your right will be:
China Moon -- local Chinese & sushi, well-reviewed in the newspaper
T. P. Cigars -- tobacco

And next to them in the Riverview Village shopping center:
Olive Bistro -- Mediterranean cafe, two Atlanta locations
Tomo Japanese Restaurant -- Japanese & sushi
Thai diner -- local Thai
Kroger -- grocery
And along the side that faces Paces Mill not Cobb Pkwy:
Vinings Bottle Shop -- alcohol
Taverna Florentina -- local Italian cuisine

Across the street back on the left side of Cobb Parkway in Vinings Junction shopping center:
Subway -- national sandwich chain
Laseter's Tavern -- nice pub grub
Pizza Construction Co. -- pizza

A little farther south puts you across the Chattahoochee River and into Fulton county.

Food at Akers Mill Square

(Stitched photo: from left to right Soup Garden, Honeybaked, Sprint, Subway, My Friends Place, & Wine Styles.)
South of Cobb Galleria Center is Akers Mill Square Shopping Center. There are several food options here:
Soup Garden -- soups and salads
Honeybaked -- the famous hams
Subway -- sandwiches
My Friends Place -- deli
Wine Styles -- wine & cigars

There are several outparcels in the shopping center. They include:
Hooters -- need I say more?
Chick-fil-A -- Atlanta-based chicken sandwich chain
Chipotle Mexican Grill -- Mexican restaurant
Longhorn Steakhouse -- red meat

Hidden at the far south end but worth finding, between the post office and Toys "R" Us, is Top Spice -- Thai & Malaysian cuisine, a local restaurant with only two locations.

Food at Cumberland Mall

One of the most obvious architectural landmarks on Cobb Parkway/US 41 is the pedestrian bridge connecting Cobb Galleria Centre with Cumberland Mall. If you don't mind walking a little, there are many, many food choices just across the street.

On the Cobb Parkway side of the mall are a number of well-known national restaurant chains.
You will see:
Jason's Deli -- sandwiches and box lunches, located between Sears and Maggiano's
Maggiano's Little Italy -- Italian, including carry out
Cheesecake Factory -- a wide assortment of foods, plus amazing desserts
Ted's Montana Grill -- red meat, founded by Atlantan Ted Turner, located between Cheesecake Factory and P. F. Chang's
P. F. Chang's China Bistro -- Chinese food
Stoney River Legendary Steaks -- more red meat, located at the end of the mall, towards Costco

Inside the mall on the downstairs level:
F2O (Fresh to Order) -- salads and sandwiches, an Atlanta-area chain, located just inside the Costco end of the mall
Planet Smoothie -- Atlanta-based chain offers smoothies, sandwiches, and soups, located in a kiosk toward the Costco end of the mall
Nestle Tollhouse Cafe -- cookies, ice cream, coffee drinks, located in a kiosk toward the Costco end of the mall
Starbucks Coffee -- coffee, pastries, and other nibbles, located in the center court, enter between Cheesecake Factory and P. F. Chang's
Haagen Dazs -- ice cream, located in the center court, enter between Cheesecake Factory and P. F. Chang's

Inside the mall upstairs in the food court, which is towards the Sears end of the mall:
Cinnabon -- cinnamon buns
Tokyo Express -- Japanese carry out
Farmers Basket -- chicken, vegetables, home-style meals
Mandarin Express -- Chinese carry out
A&D Buffalo's -- wings & cheesesteaks
Dairy Queen -- ice cream, burgers, hot dogs
Big Easy Cajun -- Cajun cooking
Taco Bell -- Mexican fast food
Chick-fil-A -- Atlanta-based chicken sandwich fast food, not open on Sundays
Sbarro -- pizza and Italian
Great Wraps -- wraps, sandwiches, pitas, and salads
Auntie Anne's Pretzels -- soft pretzels
Nestle Tollhouse Cafe -- cookies, ice cream, coffee drinks, in a free-standing kiosk

Additionally, there are a number of emphatically-not-Atlanta-based Pepsi vending machines and bubble gum/candy machines throughout the mall.

Food at Cobb Galleria Center

This will be the first of several posts about where to find food while you attend STITCHES South.

The convention is in the Cobb Galleria Centre and Renaissance Waverly Hotel. The Galleria does have a speciality shopping area and there are a few restaurants right there on site. You can also find more information at the official site for the Cobb County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Firstly, let's remember that there are several eating opportunities during the convention. If you are taking The Works or Almost the Works, you already have these. Other attendees can register for these as well:
Thursday lunch from noon to 1 PM, right after the spotlight with Elise Duvekot.
Friday fashion show at 6:30 PM followed by dinner at 8 PM.
Saturday student banquet at 6:30 PM and student fashion show.

Secondly, remember the basics for attending any convention -- bring a no-spill thermos/mug and pack a few granola bars. We don't want anyone surviving off Cheetos and diet Coke. If you don't keep your blood sugar at a good level, you'll be frogging your classwork. Nobody wants that.

Your choices on site:
Chow Baby -- a create your own stir fry restaurant near the main entrance to the Galleria
Jocks and Jills -- a sports bar, located near the entrance by the parking deck
Subway -- national sandwich chain, located in the mall center, near the escalator
China Sun Express -- Chinese & Thai carry out, and Asian ice cream, located in the mall center, near the escalator
Espresso Bar -- a coffee and snack stand, located in the mall center, near the escalator

There will also be concessions on site in the market and expo area.
And there is a Coca-cola machine in the downstairs hallway that leads back to the hotel.

A Sneaky Back Way in to the Galleria

For those of you driving to STITCHES South, we hope you'll find that getting to Cobb Galleria Center and the Renaissance Waverly Hotel is not terribly difficult. Basically, you just follow the interstate highways until you get to the intersection of I-75 and I-285 on the north side of Atlanta. If you are taking classes, there is a nice map with directions in your confirmation packet. That map and those directions are based on this page, direct from the Cobb Galleria Center website.

But for those of you traveling northbound on I-75 from the city, there is a sneaky back way not mentioned on the website. First off, you have to have a friend in the car, because it requires using the HOV lane. If you are driving to STITCHES South from Florida, trust me, it will be worth your time to be in the HOV lanes through downtown Atlanta. After you cross the Chattahoochee River at the Cobb County line, you'll see signs for the I-285 interchange and signs indicating that the HOV lane will end. Stay in the HOV lane past the Cumberland Blvd. exit and exit instead at Akers Mill. It is a left-hand HOV-only exit. The ramp will dead end at a traffic signal. Turn left at the end of the ramp, go to the second light, and turn right. And there you are -- the sneaky back way to the Renaissance Waverly Hotel and Cobb Galleria Center!

Ovarian Fundraiser

Local merchant Needle Nook will be hosting a second annual fundraiser and sidewalk event this Saturday the 18th from 2-6 PM. Needle Nook has invited local artisans to set up tables on the sidewalk, with 15% of sales donated to ovarian cancer research. This year at least 18 vendors will have their beautiful handmade goodies for sale. Additionally, there will be a silent auction, a raffle, and a bake sale. There will also be a Tarot card reader and a spinning demo. For just $5, you can buy a chance on this beautiful shawl, knit by Shirley Robb. What a generous donation of time and talent! (I believe that is Marsha behind the shawl.)

At the April guild meeting, Arlene showed off a beautiful yarn bowl, made and donated by the Knit Witch. If you want to see more, you can follow these links to photographs of some of the beautiful jewelry, colorful quilting, baskets, and woodwork that will be offered this Saturday.
1st set: jewelry, felting, quilting
2nd set: jewelry, woodworking, basketry, quilting
3rd set: jewelry, knit hat
4th set: jewelry, painting, knotting

Laugh Out Loud

There's a shop called City Knitting in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have a very clever "Know Your Cuts of Lamb" design for t-shirts and tote bags. Be sure to follow the link, then laugh out loud.

(Credit to Donna D. for the discovery.)

Bitten by a Creative VW Bug

The shop owners in our area are a very creative bunch. This time, Debi Light, owner of The Whole Nine Yarns, has truly gone beyond the ordinary. Check out her car, the giant pink ball of yarn:


From the front, the knitting needles are coming at you. If you aren't alert on the expressway, the attack of the giant needles in your rear view mirror should wake you up! I guess that does raise the question of whether the web address should be in regular or reverse font. Hmmm. Well, not that many people jot things down as they look at them in the mirror.

And notice that no detail has been overlooked. From the back, you see the knob ends of the needles. And there's even a very appropriate license plate: W9YARNS. If you see this car around town, be sure to wave and honk! And since The Whole Nine Yarns will have a booth at STITCHES South, maybe Debi will indulge us and park somewhere obvious at the Galleria?

April Flowers

Work continues on the centerpieces for STITCHES South. There is still some assembling and embellishing to do as the flowers need to be attached to their stems, the stems set in pots, and the tops of the pots embellished to cover up the cement. Megan, Whit, Salley, and Jolie did a little more on Thursday morning. There will be another gathering tomorrow (Saturday) at Megan's house. For more information, contact Megan.

Also, finished flowers are being displayed in the library hallway in the education center of Spruill Center for the Arts, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd, Atlanta GA 30338. If you are over in that part of town, be sure to get a sneak peek! Those of you who may have time on Wednesday April 22nd, we will probably need people and vehicles to gather at Spruill to transport flowers to the Galleria on the eve of STITCHES.

Whit was kind enough to supply some photographs from earlier assembling sessions. Thanks, Whit!

Here's Linda with two flowers.

And here's Joyce with a flower.

And more pictures -- just a whole garden of flowers. Enjoy!

Knitting is Everywhere

I went shopping at my local big box bookstore -- acquired copies of What Not to Wear and The Science of Sexy. I'm trying to learn to design for body types other than my own, and I want to design garments that are flattering and fabulous. When I got home and looked at the receipt, I saw this:

Here's the online link.

I can't help but notice this discussion is the first evening of STITCHES South. If anybody in our guild isn't preview shopping in the market that night, maybe you want to drop by your local Borders?

Spring Sale

Just arrived in the ol' e-mail box, from Knitting Emporium in Kennesaw:

Stretch Your Dollars Sale!!
We want to help you make the most of your knitting budget. Bring a friend and enjoy great bargains throughout the shop.

For the first time, we are having a SAMPLE SALE. Many one-of-a-kind shop samples will be available for purchase. Shop early for best selection.

All in stock yarns, kits, books and pattern booklets will be on sale.

What’s the hottest project? Socks, socks & more socks!
All sock yarns on sale!!

Sale hours
Saturday, April 11 from 10:00 A.M – 5:00 P.M.

Knitters, ya'all know what to do.

When needles attack!

My apologies to those of you who have already tossed this issue. If you check out the 2 February 2009 issue of Newsweek, you will find an interesting article on pages 50-53. The article is titled "What It Takes to Survive" by Ben Sherwood. The first sentence: "The knitting needle pierced her heart."

Do I need to tell you more?

More Good Health News

Here is yet another report in the media regarding the health benefits of knitting. This time, it is CBS doing the reporting.

Thanks to Kay for sending the link

New Officers

Our new Executive Board for the 2009-2010 fiscal year will be voted in and installed at our annual May business meeting. Past President Donna Daniels introduced the nominated board at the April meeting. The nominees are:

President Linda Fetter
Secretary Donna Black
Treasurer Lori Armstrong
VP Membership Valerie Cross
VP Communications Jennifer Wilkins
SVP Programs Margaret Hollis
VP Programs Marian Rose
SVP Workshops Diana Baber
VP Workshops Kay Mather

Also on the board will be:
Past President Jolie Elder
Chair Emeritus Whit Robbins


In the photo from left to right: Donna, Lori, Valerie, Linda, Marian, Margaret.
In the back row: Whit, Jolie, Diana.
Not present: Jennifer & Kay.
Photo credit: Tiina Veko. Thank you, Tiina!

Socks & Lace

What are the two things Atlanta knitters seem to be working on? Socks and lace. This month's show and tell was no different.

First up is Tiina, who is well-known in our group for being a lightning-fast knitter. Wow! In this case, Tiina designed socks with a traveling stitch. And she mirrored the traveling pattern, so that they go left on one sock and right on the other. Stylish!

Glad to see Marsha at a meeting! She's a long-time member who has been scare recently. Marsha showed off a baby blanket with a beautiful diamond lace pattern. Then she got out the matching cap, booties, and a not-quite-finished baby sweater. The whole ensemble will be a gift for the person who mows her lawn. Makes you want to go mow Marsha's lawn, doesn't it?


Ellen shared both her lace shawl and her fabulous dry sense of wit. This beautiful cashmere shawl was part of a lace knit-along. Ellen shared that this wasn't the most fun to knit. But the result is breathtaking!

If you left early, you also missed Glenda's hilarious recounting of why she needed an Atlanta Knitting Guild bumper sticker in order to cover another bumper sticker on her car. Show and tell is sometimes about sharing the stories of how knitting affects our lives, rather than just showing off our latest accomplishments. Thanks for a great chuckle, Glenda!

Only last note -- Linda F. had on a great Chris Bylsma crayon box jacket, her second. You can see it in the next post, or pictures will be available as always in the members' only section of the Atlanta Knitting Guild website.