Don't Give the Dog Any More Ideas

Linda F. was kind enough to alert me to this interesting video. A groomer of cats has found a way to keep all that lovely fiber from going to waste.

Knitting Flowers in Duluth

The centerpiece knit-in at Kay's house was quite a success. There were about a dozen people packed in to Kay's dining room. I should add here that Kay's home is decorated in Chinese motifs, and it is quite striking and lovely. There was a little bit of assembling of flowers going on, but mostly the usual knitting, socializing, and snacking.

Amongst our crowd, Madeline brought her granddaughter Siobhan (pronounced Sha-vaughn). Siobhan is already a competent knitter in her own right. With what she can do now, there is no telling what she'll be making in 2029!

Also at the knit-in was Melissa, who is a new guild member. It is always a delight to welcome new knitters to our group. So, if you see Melissa at a meeting, do be sure to go up to her and say, "Hello!" In this picture, you can see that she is working on a giant flower. If you haven't gotten enough experience knitting with multiple strands held together or with large needles, the centerpiece flowers are a chance to expand your range of knitting experiences.

Thank you to Kay for organizing knit-ins and for opening her home. And thank you to everyone who is participating in making the centerpieces. We hope everyone is having fun.

Giant Flowers

There will be several knit-ins over the next couple of months so that the centerpieces for Stitches South can be assembled and embellished. Some of the flowers will also be felted before they are assembled. So, there is lots to do but in typically guild spirit, we'll do it together. Thank you to our members who are opening up their homes in the coming weeks. The upcoming calendar includes:
Saturday 17 January at 2 PM at Kay's house
Friday 30 January at 5 PM potluck at Elizabeth's house
Saturday 21 February 1 PM at Whit's house

Check your newsletter for more information and personal contact details.

Thank you to everyone who is working on this project. Already, some of the kits that went out before the holiday are coming back as completed flower parts. It is so exciting to see the centerpieces beginning to come together! The picture at the top of the page is five petals knit by our secretary, Donna, and a center knit by our historian, Pat. At right, you can see two centers that Pat knit. Very colorful! Many of the flowers are using brightly-colored yarn or novelty yarns that were languishing in our stashes.

This last photo is two trumpet-shaped hanging flowers knit by Nancy W. The flower shapes and colors are very diverse. Each centerpiece will be different, which should make the whole experience that much more interesting for the attendees. It should also be making the creative experience that much more interesting for everyone who is participating.

January Show & Tell

Guild members never disappoint. Someone is always doing something interesting, and January was no exception.






Margaret showed off this gorgeous Hanne Falkenberg coat. It is worked in a very interesting mitered pattern. And the colors ensure that it will work with many different outfits. Fabulous!


LaVonne showed off several Christmas stockings that she has made for her family. This particular stocking has beautiful motifs on both sides.



Lynne knit this vest by from the Colourscape Chunky Collection. The pattern (in the book Lynne is holding) calls for Rowan Colourscape Chunky, which is a yarn designed by Kaffe Fassett. It is a very nice yarn, but it is also priced accordingly. Lynne substituted a more budget-friendly yarn and still ended up with a wonderful final product!





As always, more show and tell photos will be available on the members only section of the Atlanta Knitting Guild website.

January superstar meeting

Our January meeting featured Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer of HeartStrings designs speaking to a crowd of more than 100 knitters! Jackie spoke for nearly an hour about smoke rings -- how to knit them, why to knit them, how to choose yarn, how to choose patterns, and just generally how to have fun! Since smoke rings generally take only a single skein of yarn, they can be great projects for luxury skeins. As they are worn around the head and neck, the softest yarns are especially well-suited. Jackie showed designs that included patterning throughout as well as some that were plain in the middle but with attractive patterns at each edge. The edges don't even need to match! Lace is popular for smoke rings and beads can also be added. Some smoke rings incorporate shaping so that they are wider where they lie on the shoulders and then narrow for the neck and head. Jackie also showed how to measure so that you get enough length to wear your smoke ring as a cowl. And she passed many, many samples around the room. Who knew there were so many great things to do with a smoke ring project?


Jackie also very kindly donated a Flared Smoke Ring kit as a door prize. As you can see, this project is lace throughout. The yarn is a baby alpaca, merino wool, and angora blend. The lucky name was drawn at the end of the meeting.

A busy weekend

Looking forward to seeing people tonight for what originally was supposed to be our September 2008 meeting. Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer is here for the weekend. Lace enthusiasts rejoice! For more information about the workshops, see the blog entry here.

In addition to Jackie E-S workshops, there are other knitting-related events this weekend. In Woodstock, the Whole Nine Yarns will be having a Purl-jama Party on Saturday evening from 7 PM until midnight. Wearing your pajamas will get you 10% off on most items. As this is a party, you can be sure to expect food, games, and fun.

Also this Saturday at 2 PM, Borders Buckhead will be hosting Kate Jacobs to sign her new book Knit Two. More information can be found at this link.

Next weekend, Main Street Yarns and Fibers in Watkinsville will be hosting their semi-monthly game night. This will be at 7 PM on Friday the 16th. If you call ahead of time for details, you can get in on dinner as well. Also, congratulations to Main Street Yarns for their recent charity efforts. The shop was able to donate more than 250 preemie hats. They also supported 5 children in the Oconee County DFCS program during the holidays.

Be sure to check back over the next few days for more pictures and information! Happy lace knitting everybody!

Welcome to the New Year

First off, Happy New Year to everyone! Secondly, a reminder that our meeting will be next week on the 8th, rather than today. So everyone should be out having a good time ringing in the new year in whatever fashion you see fit.

As you think about what you'd like to do in the new year, please remember that it takes lots of volunteers to make our organization as vibrant as it is. We'll be forming the nominating committee at the January meeting. Please consider if you would be willing to help out in some way by filling a board post or committee chair.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in a week for Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer!