Pixie delight

Pixie Purls was our speaker for our 5 February meeting. She told us about her experiences as a blogger, a podcaster, and a knitwear designer. She talked about how she got into designing. Then she took many, many questions from the floor. She gave us a recommendation on microphones. She suggested that bloggers post about once a week, so as not to spam your audience. She recommended carefully branding yourself, including having a good logo. And she talked about her delightful designs for her daughter, and for others who have sweet wee ones to clad in hand-knitted goodness.

All of these patterns are available through Pixie Purls or some of our local shops, including Only Ewe and Cotton Too. You can see more at Pixie Purls' website and blog.

This first outfit is Countrie Kiddie. It is a cute top made from sock yarn. As you can see, self-striping sock yarn can do really nice things in a baby garment.

The second picture is Fruit Loop. This looks like a very fun pattern, the color and texture adding visual and knitting interest.

Bitty Bolero is the most recent pattern. We wouldn't want our wee ones to be chilled on those autumn and winter nights. (It isn't spring yet!)

If you would like to read what Pixie Purls had to say about her experience at our meeting, you can read this blog entry. Thank you to Pixie Purls for agreeing to speak at our meeting. And thank you to our programs chair, Elizabeth C., for her work bringing us interesting speakings such as Pixie Purls.

February Meeting with Pixie Purls

From the newsletter:

Our program in February is local blogger, podcaster, and pattern designer . . . who goes by the "handle" of Pixie Purls.

There are now three Pixie Purls patterns available for purchase at yarn shops around the country. Only Ewe and Cotton Too will be selling these patterns at the February guild meeting, so you can buy one and have it autographed! Our guest will be talking about how to start a blog, a podcast, and how to start designing your own patterns. You can read the Pixie Purls blog, and listen to the podcast . . . by visiting her website at http://pixiepurls.com/.

This month is a raffle month -- a great chance to de-clutter if getting organized was one of your resolutions for 2009.

There will also be the usual opportunities -- library, swift & ball winder, and yarn tasting.

And if you are working on Stitches South centerpiece flowers, now is the time to get those back to the committee so that they can be assembled! April will be here before you know it, so the more we do now the more relaxed we can be in the spring.

One final reminder -- we need bears for the trauma bear table at Stitches South. If you don't want to knit a giant flower but you do enjoy teddy bear fashion, Jean would really appreciate some finished bears that will help get the table off to a good start.

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!

December meeting

Many thanks to all the members who brought good stuff to the meeting. That includes delicious food for the potlucks, adorable dressed bears, raffle items, women's shelter donations, and supplies for the centerpieces. As always, the central activity of the December meeting (besides eating and socializing) is the presentation of the trauma bears to the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, which has offices in both Fulton and Dekalb counties.


The Center provides counseling services to the children as well as aiding law enforcement by conducting the interviews necessary to secure the evidence needed to bring convictions. These are children who have suffered an assault (often sexual) or who have been witnesses to a violent crime, such as a rape or murder. After the interview, the child is given a trauma bear. Many of these children come from destitute backgrounds and are not accustomed to having toys of their own. Our designer of teddy bears extraordinaire, Jean Guneysu, presented 170 bears to Senior Psychotherapist Sally Horan (photo above). Jean loves knitting bear outfits and is responsible for dressing a significant fraction of what the guild gives. This year Jean contributed more than half of the total. Thank you to all the members who contributed to this worthy cause through donating a new bear and/or dressing a bear, but an especially big thank you to Jean for consistently donating her time and creativity to this heartbreaking, worthy cause.

And because the bears are cute, here are more pictures of bears:



As we move into the new year, remember that a bear can be a great way to use up scrap yarn or to try out a new technique without over-committing yourself. There are several books and patterns in our guild library that can help you dress a bear. Also, we currently intend to have a table at Stitches South so that attendees can donate a bear.

Tomorrow Night

Since holiday season can be busy, many people are tempted to skip the December meeting. There are several reasons to attend. This is our annual presentation of the Trauma Bears to the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy. The range of creativity on the bears is always inspiring. This is your once-a-year chance to see and participate in this important Atlanta Knitting Guild tradition.

Also related to charity knitting, Rare Purls will be attending with a special offer on helmet liner yarn. This is a fun knitting in the round pattern and a great way to show your support -- regardless of your politics -- for our service men and women overseas who are putting their lives on the line.

Needle Nook will be bringing great holiday gift ideas. Gale's Art will be bringing pretty rovings. You can get some of the stuffing that you want for in your stocking -- Santa will thank you for saving him the trouble of shopping!

There will be a raffle to benefit the women's shelter. You may bring items to donate as you like. There will be kits and patterns to pick up for the Stitches South centerpieces. You may donate yarn and other craft items to that cause. There will be opportunities to sign up for Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer classes. There will be opportunities to sign up for The Mountain. And there will be food since this is our annual holiday potluck. If you can, please bring something tasty to share and possibly show off your culinary skills.

See ya'all at the party!

November meeting

Our November meeting featured superstar Theresa Gaffey. Theresa was a friendly and interesting speaker. If you missed her, find someone who was at the meeting to tell you the story Theresa told us of her own very scary personal struggle and how knitting helped her. This was a wonderful, moving biographical account. Theresa showed off some of her knitting patterns and spoke about how she designs. Many of her patterns are striking and interesting without being difficult. And many of her patterns make very good use of yarn she already has lying around. There's an artful practicality to her work that is quite in keeping with her Midwestern upbringing. If you happen to travel, Theresa teaches and designs at the Yarnery, in St. Paul Minnesota.
(both photos credit Joslyn Ratcliff)

October Meeting

The guest speakers for our October meeting were CEO Benjamin Levisay and Editor Rick Mondragon of XRX Inc. These are the fine people behind Knitter's magazine, the Stitches conventions, and those great XRX Books. Benjamin (at left, in a vest knit by Rick) started out the presentation by giving us a taste of what Stitches South will be. Remember, everybody save 23-26 April 2009! Although the list is not yet finalized, there should be some wonderful teachers and awesome classes. The marketplace will also be a sight indeed. And for those of you who want/need a hotel room, the rate at the Renaissance Waverly is excellent. It is a very nice hotel and they have extended a very gracious rate to Stitches South attendees. With any luck, this could be the first of several southern Stitches events in the coming years.

The second part of the presentation was given by Rick, who gave us a sneak preview of the next issue of Knitter's magazine. There were many, many good items. Quite a few people gasped with delight at a Laura Bryant jacket. There is a sweater that looks like reverse applique -- very mod and unique. There are even a couple beaded knitted necklaces, which would be nice gifts to be appreciated by other craft people. The local shops shouldn't be surprised if the next issue of Knitter's moves just a little faster than usual. With so many wonderful projects, no wonder Rick was willing to share with us!

Other important bits from the meeting:
Debra reminds us that Theresa Gaffey will be here next month. This is an excellent opportunity to take classes from a very good teacher. I'll post more later.

Becky and Susan organized the bi-monthly raffle. This month's auction benefited our library. To that end, Lois kindly included library duplicate copies in the raffle. Our guild membership is always very generous both in what is donated to the raffle and in general participation. The raffle raised about $120 that Lois will be able to use to acquire the newest and niftiest knitting books -- maybe even some books published by XRX?

And one final bit of business, Randie handed out the new membership directories. Thank you to Randie and Debra for their hard work on the directories.

XRX

Thursday's meeting should be fun. CEO Benjamin Levisay and Editor Rick Mondragon of XRX, Inc. will be at the meeting to give us the inside scoop on how awesome and fun Stitches South is going to be this April. This is a great opportunity to ask questions about what to expect and how best to enjoy a major convention. It is very kind of these gentlemen to take time out of their busy planning schedule to come meet with us.

Additionally, Randie will be handing out membership directories. Becky will be organizing the raffle to benefit our library. And Debra will have the information for signing up for our November superstar, Theresa Gaffey.

Gas is still a little tight here in the metro area. Here's encouraging ya'all to carpool if you have to. Rick Mondragon has a reputation for being an engaging and hilarious speaker, so the evening should be electric!

The books we love

Our replacement program, which was put together on about 50 hours' notice, featured various guild members showing off their knitting creations and the books that inspired them. The initial idea for the program came from Ellen and was refined by Debra. And it was a surprisingly good program.

Linda W. spoke about Katia and other books that she enjoys as sources for knitting children's clothing. As we guild members all know, Linda W. has the best-dressed grandchildren in the Atlanta Metro Area. Linda F. knit a kilim pillow (top photo) based on ideas she got from a kilim rug coffee table book. Linda F. also designs her own garments, and recommends Designing Knitwear as a good resource. Ellen was a total stitch as she talked about Knitting Lace Triangles and Victorian Lace Today. The magic of blocking couldn't turn the red lace triangle scarf into a shawl. (photo left) Elyse gives Victorian Lace Today a thumbs up and also recommends Knitting Little Luxuries. Elizabeth loves both The Opinionated Knitter and Mason-Dixon Knitting. It is amazing how Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket pattern can still set a room full of knitters buzzing. Our Librarian, Lois, recommends Beyond Wool by Candace Eisner Strick for its good pattern support and information about natural fibers such as angora, mohair, and qiviut. Debra showed off her Mardi Gras cardigan from a very early (read: out-of-print, expensive, impossible to find) Alice Starmore book. (photo right) Debra also sang the praises of Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting. Arlene showed off her Malabrigo squares from 365 Knitting Stitches a Year. Those are part of a knit-along and will eventually become an afghan. And Jolie showed a couple sculptural scarves from Knitting New Scarves. That constituted a nice range of knitting interests. And Diana (coral top in photos) did a lovely job as "Vanna," helping to display the knitted items so that the whole room could see and enjoy.

More photos will be available in the members' section of the Atlanta Knitting Guild website.

August meeting

Our August meeting was another opportunity for socializing. We had lots of guild business to attend to, especially since we have superstar Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer coming to the September meeting. There will be little time for announcements at the September meeting, so we'll have to make good use of the newsletter and the blog.

In the photo above (credit: Randie Cowan) our founder, Whit, is talking about her knitting "mistake." We were going to do a program on stashes and also knitting mistakes, but we didn't have many submissions. I guess our membership rips out all their mistakes and reuses the yarn? In this case, Whit felt that the white top didn't turn out as she had hoped. Maybe a little obviously '80s, but still, as "mistakes" go, not too bad? You might also notice the very nice poster hanging from the podium. Debra made those to promote Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer's visit.

There were a number of very stylish items during show and tell. There were a pair of crazy socks made from leftover sock yarn. They had been knit at the same time, so all the crazy color changes and striping matched! There were a couple great lace shawls as well. Ya'all move fast however -- didn't get any photographs of those. The photo at right (credit: Randie Cowan) is a beautiful entrelac sweater knit in one of the Noro yarns. Made for a husband, who claims he will wear it every day this winter. Here's a reason for knitters to stop global warming -- it is reducing the number of days we can wear great knitted sweaters in Atlanta.

Community Service

Valerie is our Community Service chair. For the July meeting, Valerie and the community service subcommittee chairs took a few minutes to tell us about what projects are in the works and what is needed to make them happen. Valerie also wrote up and ran off a nice handout that summarizes the projects.

Whit spoke about the helmet liners. The guild has been knitting these for some time, and we've donated almost 300. Earlier this year, we received a certificate of thanks for the first 250. Helmet liners are knit in the round out of wool. A link to the pattern is on our website. A typical liner can be knit in just a couple evenings. The military requires drab colors only, with black being the most desired. Wool in the appropriate colors is welcome.

Jean (photo at top left) spoke about the trauma bears that are donated to the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy. The guild has been dressing teddy bears for about twenty years. This is a great opportunity for creativity. We've seen beach bears, sailors bears, even chef bears over the years. And it's a great way to use up scrap yarn or to try out a new technique. There are bear clothes patterns on the website. Jean also had a bear clothes pattern published in this year's Knitting Pattern a Day calendar. And our own library has several patterns for adorable bear clothes. New or very gently used bears are welcome donations.

Diana spoke about the Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children. This is another project that the guild has been doing for quite some time. In this case, we donate money or household items, toiletries, clothes, baby items, blankets -- whatever someone setting up a new household with children might need. As school is about to start, school supplies such as notebook paper will be needed. These items are collected at each meeting and Diana graciously delivers them to the shelter.

Julie was not available to discuss stoma covers. These are small, bib-like items with adjustable ties that are used to cover the stoma (hole) left after a tracheostomy. The yarn cannot be anything fuzzy, because the fuzz could be inhaled. Cotton is great for this. Men prefer neutral colors, but the women patients are not afraid to have some fashion style. Again, patterns are available on the website. These are very quick to knit up -- just an hour or two. Donations of cotton yarn for this are appreciated. Even leftovers work well, as these items are not large.

Ro, who also could not attend the July meeting, is our contact person for preemie hats and blankets. Patterns for these items are also available on our website. Again, these are often small items that can be made from leftover yarn and that can be finished just in one evening which watching television.

Thank you to the many guild members for all you give to the wider world. We know that not everybody will want to participate in every project, but we hope that there is a little something for everyone.

(Photos credit: Randie Cowan)

July potluck meeting

A big THANK YOU to Joni for organizing the potluck. Joni was our hospitality chair for many, many years. She's also a passionate Georgia Bulldogs fan who knows how to host a tailgate party. And Joni was kind enough to do the shopping, so that we now have plates, napkins, cups, and flatware to get us through the year. Thank you, Joni, for lending your skills in making the party happen!

The potluck meeting gave us all the chance to eat, sit and knit, and enjoy each other's company. Needle Nook and Only Ewe and Cotton Too both attended and had beautiful things to show. With the cost of gas, many of us very much appreciate the opportunity to see what's new and maybe buy some of it without having to drive around Atlanta.

We had a short program from our Community Service chairs to remind us about our current projects and what we need to make those happen. I'll post that information and pictures in a separate entry.

(Photos credit: Randie Cowan)

Information Age Knitting

Our own SVP of Programs Elizabeth Clause gave a wonderful presentation this month about knitting resources on the Internet. For those who were unfamiliar, Elizabeth opened eyes to the wonders of blogs, on-line shopping, Ravelry, pod casts, knit-alongs, and more. There were many, many things to say and show. We didn't have enough time for Elizabeth to cover all she had planned. If you missed the meeting, you can download the presentation here or the handout here. Please remember that this is Elizabeth's own work, so do respect her rights to her intellectual property. Both of these files are laden with links and information that will keep you busy for days, so do be sure you've cleared your calendar. With all these great resources, we may need to have a follow-up discussion on how did anybody ever knit before 1980?

On final note: Elizabeth mentioned that there is a Ravelry group for Dragon*Con. There was a murmur in the crowd of people whispering to their neighbors, "What's Dragon*Con?" Dragon*Con is the BIG science fiction/fantasy convention held every year in downtown Atlanta. It is four days of costumes and round-the-clock merriment. If you are a geek, nerd, trekker, Jedi, elf, or the like and you live in the Southeast, this is where you are Labor Day weekend. And if you knit, you are there, in costume, with your knitting, possibly making another Griffindor scarf for your Harry Potter costume.