Monday, August 29, 2011

Did You Hear a Bang?

This e-mail just came from Needle Nook. The important part is that yes, they are open and doing business during their regular hours. And don't park underneath the transformers, if you can help it.

PHONE TROUBLE AT NEEDLE NOOK

Our Phone Is Out Of Order
Our phone has been out since Friday afternoon when a transformer exploded and fell on two cars at the back of our shopping center. We don't know when it will be back on but rest assured we are open our regular hours and here to serve you.

I have my Nook with me and you can contact my by email at the address below. Leave a phone number and we can call you back on our cell phone. Hopefully it will be fixed soon.

Contact Us
email: needlenut@comcast.net
phone: (404) 325-0068
web: http://www.needlenookatlanta.com

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Learning from Others

One of the benefits of guild membership -- in any guild -- is the opportunity to learn from others who share your hobby passion. In a guild the size of AKG, there is a whole lot of knowledge just there for the asking at every meeting. Thus, it is a delight to post that our founder, Whit Robbins, will be offering a Tips and Tricks mini-workshop on Sunday 11 September at her home. The list of conventions Whit has attended or classes she has taken would over-fill this humble blog space. I took a version of this workshop from Whit some years ago when I first joined the guild. This is a great opportunity to learn from someone who has been knitting passionately and continuously for a lifetime.

Tips and Tricks for Knitters will help new knitters and those who just need a refresher, save time and avoid costly mistakes. Whit will guide you through several easy ways to make your knitting less work and more fun! Basic skills will be reviewed including increasing, decreasing, slip stitches, yarn-overs, correcting mistakes, gauge, blocking, joining yarns, and so much more!

Whit is a Master Knitter and Master Teacher who has shared her expertise with us for many years. You will leave this class with much knowledge and so much more confidence!

E-mail Kathleen at workshops@atlantaknittingguild.org to reserve your spot!!

Date: Sunday 11 September 2011
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (Bring your lunch)
Place: Home of Whit Robbins
2498 Echo Drive NE
Atlanta, GA 30345
Fee: $10 for guild members, $15 for non-guild members

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Jump in the Pool

We've been having a lot of fun this summer with intentional pooling. Pooling or flashing can be a touchy subject amongst knitters. Some people love the interesting almost tie-dye effects, others will go to great lengths with stitch patterns and gauge swatches to avoid pooling. Some pooling produces gorgeous stripes or even faux argyles, while other patterns produce the notorious "clown barf" effect. With so many hand-painted self-striping yarns available, it helps to understand whether and when a yarn will pool, and how to make that work to the best effect in your project.

AKG is sponsoring Mini-Workshops coming up this Saturday 27 August on intentional Pooling. We are delighted to have the class taught by Eve Borkenhagen. Eve is a member of our AKG Board and will unravel the mystery of pooling. Pooling is a technique using careful and deliberate planning to create a vertical stripe effect in a hand knitted garment using colorway yarn. It is especially beautiful in lace patterns and can create a work of art in certain garments.

In the Pooling Mini-Workshop, students will learn how to map out the yarn, match the colors correctly and make adjustments to keep it all in place.

Email Kathleen Pickens at workshops@atlantaknittingguild.org to reserve your spot!

Prerequisites:
1) Beginning to Intermediate knitting skills.
2) Check out Gladys We who has free patterns on Ravelry and on her blog at www.yarnfloozies.blogspot.com. Gladys has posted beautiful free patterns using the intentional pooling technique.

Date: Saturday, August 27, 2011
Time: morning class from 10:00 am - 11:30 am
or afternoon class from 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Place: St. Patrick's Episcopal Church
4755 North Peachtree Road
Dunwoody, GA 30338
Fee: $10 for guild members, $15 for non-guild members

Remember that results of the pooling knit-along will be featured at our September meeting!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Industry Standards

The Craft Yarn Council helps to establish and maintain industry standards for knitting and crocheting in the United States. For example, they have worked to establish a numerical system for identifying yarn weight and encouraging manufacturers and pattern publishers to use that standard system. They've updated their web pages recently. In particular, in addition to standard abbreviations you'll also find standard chart symbols, information on how to read patterns, how to take body measurements, and definitions for skill level. This is a good resource that you may want to bookmark.

Follow this link.