Rally at the Capitol

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who found time to join us!

We couldn't have asked for a prettier day for our celebratory rally on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol. We also couldn't have asked for a nicer group of people. A few of those in attendance included:
Current AKG President Marian.
AKG Founder Whit Robbins.
AKG board member Brenda.
AKG Trauma Bear chair Jean.
AKG Past Presidents Linda, Diana, and Jolie as well as other past board members.
North Georgia Knitting Guild board members Jolie, Carol, Carole, Janie, Barbara, and Cheryl as well as other past board members.
SEFAA board members Linda and Nancy.
Clicks and Sticks board member Ethel.
Lawrenceville knitting group organizer Sandy.
Published designers Susan, Lou, and Karola.
Crochet by Numbers artist Ty.
Representative from Atlanta Institute of Stitches and Crafts, Nell.
Representative from Universal Yarn, Tammy.
Managing owners of Fiesta Yarns Jeanine.
CEO of XRX, Inc, Benjamin.

Linda, a past AKG board member, in the spirit of the day.

So many of these people volunteer their time so that the fiber arts organizations in our community can serve us. And so many of you wonderful knitters, crocheters, and other fiber fanatics join us to make our events the happy, festive social occasions they are. We are incredibly fortunate to have a vibrant fiber arts community. We have plenty of educational opportunities to expand our enjoyment of our craft. And we have plenty of opportunities for community service to make our corner of the world better through the loving and creative act of crocheting or knitting.

Todd proving that crochet is art!

Briana, an insouciant new knitter!

We'll see ya'all at the totally rockin' "after" party -- STITCHES South.

Meeting the Governor

Benjamin Levisay, CEO of XRX, Inc.; Whit Robbins, founder and chair emerita, Atlanta Knitting Guild; Governor Nathan Deal (R); Marian Rose, president, Atlanta Knitting Guild; Jolie Elder, president, North Georgia Knitting Guild
photo credit Alana Joyner, Governor's Photographer

Today was the big day. Governor Deal signed a proclamation proclaiming Saturday April 14, 2012 as Knitting and Crochet Day in Georgia!

We did ask the Governor if there had been an important knitter or crocheter in his life. He answered that yes, his mother had crocheted. He also said his daughter had been a crocheter before she had children.

Marly Bird -- who will be teaching crochet classes at STITCHES South -- hosted two podcasts this week that talked about our Knitting and Crochet Day! You can listen to the first one, featuring Marian and Jolie, here. The second show featured Drew Emborsky, The Crochet Dude. Drew will also be teaching crochet at STITCHES South. Marly and Drew spoke about their upcoming trips to STITCHES South as well as the upcoming Knitting and Crochet Day rally. You can listen here.

And we have more news about the rally on Saturday. We have heard that Fiesta Yarns, Kollage Yarns, The Buffalo Wool Co, and Universal Yarn all plan to attend. Kollage Yarns and Universal Yarn are old friends, as they have attended guild meetings and done programs for us. Fiesta Yarns did a program last year for North Georgia Knitting Guild. And we are excited to meet the folks at The Buffalo Wool Co and make new friends.

And, of course, you are not going to want to miss tomorrow evening's guild meeting. Just sayin'.

See ya all on Saturday at 11 AM at the Capitol!

Governor's Proclamation!

By now, we hope most of you have seen this big announcement!

Governor Nathan Deal will be issuing an executive proclamation recognizing the knitters and crocheters of Georgia. As part of that proclamation, he will be naming Saturday April 14, 2012 as statewide knitting and crochet day. There will be a rally on the Capitol steps that day from 11 AM until 2 PM. You can find a map here. Notice that this will be on the northwest side of the Capitol building, so we should have some shade at least some of the time.

When you attend, please bring your knitting and crochet. You may also wish to bring:
lunch
water in bottles
sunscreen
hat
folding chair
pillow or blanket (if you prefer to sit on the Capitol steps)

Driving directions and visitor information are available from the Georgia Secretary of State website. There are also driving directions on the Facebook link at the end of this post.

For those of you who would prefer to take MARTA, you can find information here. Basically, you would exit the train at the Georgia State Station on the blue and green rail line (one stop east of Five Points). Take the Piedmont Avenue exit out of the station and turn left on Piedmont Avenue.  Walking time is less than 10 minutes. If you need to get your bearings, look up and walk towards the big gold dome.

For the latest information and to RSVP, you can follow these links:
Facebook
Ravelry
Flickr
Twitter

We’d love to see thousands (from all over the South and from across our great nation) crowding the Capitol steps in show of appreciation to Governor Deal for his recognition of the knitters and crocheters of Georgia! This is our moment! Spread the word—statewide and nationwide.