“I’m a self taught dyer and I learned to dye in 2006 but didn’t start Lotus Yarns until 2007. All my colorways are named for songs or album titles and pin up girls. I only dye high quality base yarns and I use a couple of different techniques to get what I want, but I really love dyeing semi-solids! I’ll be bringing fingering and sport weight Louet, some MCN, and some sparkly yarn. Most will be purchasable that day, though some I’ll have to take orders for (specifically the sparkly stuff as I don’t have much in stock).

I’ll be talking about how I got started and my inspirations (and anything else you guys would like me to discuss!).”

Guild Business

The August meeting marked the start of our “guild year” in terms of getting in your annual dues. If you missed that meeting, please consider ‘re-upping’ by bringing a check for your dues with you to the next meeting.

Florence Crittenton Services of North Carolina

We’ve updated the Service Projects Page on the site with photos of some recent donations to the Guild’s service project. There is so much creativity and good heart shown in the wide range of items you’ve made for the folks at Florence Crittenton.  THANK YOU for all you do for the community.

On the Site

Remember, if your email software doesn’t show you these meeting announcements in the best light, you can see all of our posts on the web site at http://www.charlotteknittingguild.com/

Have you visited the site lately?

Meeting Information

The Charlotte Knitting Guild meets on the 1st Tuesday of each month at Providence Baptist Church, 4921 Randolph Rd, 28211 from 6-8pm in the upstairs parlor (the second entrance to the church).

The first half hour is knitting and socializing, the remainder of the time is dedicated to learning new things. Contact us at info@charlotteknittingguild.org.

We continue our year’s theme of ‘texture’ with a presentation by Michelle Chase, a member of the Golden Bobbins Lace Guild, who will be talking to us about the history of lace. She’ll be discussing both bobbin lace and knitted lace.

Guild Business

Gina reminded us that our annual dues of $25 will be collected at the August meeting.

Florence Crittenton Services

Jeanie has links to two baby patterns for Florence Crittenton Services. One pattern is for lace booties in keeping with our meetings on lace and texture. The other is an easy pair of baby slippers. The designer makes these using leftover scraps of yarn when she’s finished with a pair of socks.

Fiber-related Event at the James K. Polk Center in Pineville

(We’re a little late with this information, but look at the August 14 event!)

This summer the President James K. Polk State Historic Site will collaborate with other historic sites and museums all over the Tar Heel State to present Second Saturdays. This new program is being launched by the Department of Cultural Resources and gives artists an opportunity to showcase their work at more than 30 state historic sites and museums. This initiative will give local artists an opportunity to sell their work, broaden their audiences and make connections with a larger community. Second Saturdays will be held on June 12, July 10 and August 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

August 14, 2010, 10:00-4:00: We end our series with Threading the Story: The Art of Spinning and Weaving. This program focuses on the process of creating clothing with materials such as cotton, silk, and wool. Staff and volunteers will interpret the various steps that are involved in making fabric.

Visitors will learn about spinning, weaving, spinning, and dyeing. The market area will feature the creations of local artists. Free Admission!

Facebook and Twitter

We’re now on Facebook …and on Twitter.

Links From This Post

• Lace baby booties: http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/babybootslacetop.htm
• Baby slippers: http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/babyslippers.htm
• Florence Crittenton Services: http://www.fcsnc.org/
• James K. Polk State Historic Site: http://www.nchistoricsites.org/polk/polk.htm
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=122865431090690
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/CLT_knitting

Meeting Information

The Charlotte Knitting Guild meets on the 1st Tuesday of each month at Providence Baptist Church, 4921 Randolph Rd, 28211 from 6-8p in the upstairs parlor (the second entrance to the church) The first half hour is knitting and socializing, the remainder of the time is dedicated to learning new things. Contact us at info@charlotteknittingguild.org.

Address for the President James K. Polk Site

The President James K. Polk S.H.S., 12031 Lancaster Highway, Pineville, NC 28134 P: (704) 889-7145

Members need to bring:

• Yarn and needles, scrap yarn
• Red colored pencil (I will have some extra red pencils)
• Blue colored pencil (or other color if blue is not available)
• Regular pencil, eraser
• 4-6 markers (yarn loops can be used)
• crochet hook (if available)
• Ruler or straight edge (optional)
• Sense of humor

Graph paper and note cards will be provided by the instructor.

She will also have a handout on the following:

• Cheat sheet on K2tog, p2tog, ssk, ssp, and provisional CO
• Shawl pattern with schematic
• Practice session on a pattern with increases on both the knit and purl side. (Answer sheet for people to take home)
• If time allows, we will practice working right and left leaning increases on both the knit and purl side.

BJ writes…

If people want to make a shawl, we could discuss knitting a border that runs 90 degrees to the main work on the bottom edge (at a later meeting).

I will bring an example of lace knitted with increases on the knit side and purling only on the purl side. I will also bring a shawl that increases on both sides.

Depending on the group, this lesson could be completed at another guild meeting during the 6-7 p.m. time or at Charlotte Yarn. To me, understanding charts is critical to textured knitting (lace and cables, etc.)

As for Guild business, we’re fast approaching August, and that means that our dues will be due! Plan ahead for the August meeting.

Several meetings ago, Cristi showed some tiny baby shoes that she said stay on very well. We asked her to send us the information about them, and here we are with the ‘follow-up.’

Cristi said…

The pattern is Christine’s Stay On Baby Booties.  Here’s the link:

On the Fuzzy Galore site, the post mentions… This pattern was published in Threads no 22 (April 89) in a letter to the editor from Christine Bourquin. She was, at the time, 95 and living in Redwood City CA, still knitting, and expressed the desire to have her pattern live on.

Jeanie suggested that these would make excellent items for the Florence Crittenton center.

We’re now on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=122865431090690

…and on Twitter! http://twitter.com/CLT_knitting

more in future posts as we work out what we want to do with these channels, but we’re glad to be where our members hang out. Join us!

Cristi said…

The pattern is Christine’s Stay On Baby Booties.  Here’s the link:

On the Fuzzy Galore site, the post mentions… This pattern was published in Threads no 22 (April 89) in a letter to the editor from Christine Bourquin. She was at the time 95 and living in Redwood City CA, still knitting, and expressed the desire to have her pattern live on.

Our wonderful Charities Coordinator, Jeanie, suggested that these would make excellent items for the Florence Crittenton center, and that you could cast on a pair while having fun at our Knit in Public day this Saturday, June 12.

Stitch-N-Pitch

As a side note, we heard from Betsey at Baskets of Yarn that they’re having a ‘stitch n’ pitch’ event at the Knights that same evening. She wrote:

Letting you know about a Stitch-N-Pitch event we have set up with the Charlotte Knights on Saturday, June 12. Here are the details we have…

• Saturday, June 12
• 6:00pm-7:15pm Buffet BBQ dinner at the ballpark
• 7:15pm game starts
• Fireworks after the game!

Tickets are General Admission and we usually sit up top behind 3rd base where we can usually spread out a little!  We have registration available on our website at www.basketsofyarn.com. People can register just for tickets for $7 each OR for BBQ buffet and ticket $25. If they register on-line we will have the tickets available for pick-up at Baskets of Yarn, or we can mail them to people.

(not a Guild event, but let us know if you go!)

Hello Charlotte Knitting Guild Members!

Our next meeting is Tuesday, June 1^st. Many people find that meetings on the first of the month “sneak up on them,” so put this one on your calendar!

June’s program will be a cast-on clinic. Bring some smooth, sport-weight or heavier yarn and appropriate needles and we’ll see if we can add a new technique to our skill sets.

Annual Elections: The Guild’s members elected a new Board during the May meeting. The new board is:

• President: Jet LeBlanc
• Vice President: Heather Storta
• Treasurer: Gina Barrett
• Secretary: Jorah Lavin
• Volunteer/Charity Coordinator: Jeanie Hanover
• Special Event Coordinator: Davey Roberson

Our past president is Cristi Brockway.

In other news: We’re still collecting items for the Florence Crittenton home. Bring any washcloths, baby items, or other crafted things of use to a new mom. Items for the moms is welcome, don’t restrict yourself to baby items. Jeanie, our Charity Coordinator, wrote to me “…ask the members to start thinking about this year’s charity project.  We can continue with Florence Crittenton, or if someone has a charity that they feel particularly  passionate about we can consider it as well.  Thank you!  -Jeanie” We might consider switching charities after the New Year, or supporting more than a single charity.

Our next meeting is Tuesday, May 4th. We will be announcing the winners of the 2010 Excellence in Knitting awards, and holding our annual election.

May’s meeting program is on Problem Solving. If you have any thorny issues or burning questions about a knitting technique that’s stumping you, please email them in ahead of the meeting (or post them on our ravelry group)  and someone in the Guild is sure to know the answer! Also, feel free to bring in a project that’s stumping you. We’ll share ideas and resources for taming your troubled knits.

If you like to knit in the round, have you ever gotten that annoying “jump” when you change colors, so that your nice stripes don’t match up so nicely? Our own Cristi Brockway will conduct a mini-seminar on mastering the “jogless stripe” to help you solve that particular problem. If you care to try it during the meeting, prepare ahead of time as follows:

You’ll need 2 colors of yarn in a similar weight, and your favorite needles for knitting in the round (two circs, magic loop, or DPNs).  Cast on in the round (any number of stictches that are comfortable), and join without twisting. Knit 2 rows in color A, 2 rows in color B, 2 rows in A, 2 more in B. That will be your basis for the technique.

In other news:

We continue to knit for the Florence Crittenden home. This time of year, we’re told, donations tend to slow down, so we came up with the idea of knitting or crocheting little flowers that can be made into pins for the women at Crittenden for Mother’s Day. This is coming up really soon – Sunday, May 9 – but if you have a few moments of spare time before the May meeting, please consider making a little flower or two and bring them along to the meeting, We’ll provide pins and make sure they get to the ladies by Mother’s Day.

Here are some free patterns for your convenience:

Knitting:
http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/flowers.php — try the Flower (rose) pin or Rose Corsage

Crocheting:
http://www.allcrafts.net/crochet/crochetflowers.htm — we liked “Crochet Flower” (the first one listed), the Crocheted Rosette and the Pansy.

One more thing — SAVE THE DATE for WorldWide Knit in Public Day on Saturday June12! More details to come.

Davey Roberson
Secretary

We will be moving forward with last month’s scheduled program. We have a very special HANDS ON program brought to you by Debbie Davis, owner of The Fibre Studio at Yarns to Dye For: SOCK YARN DYEING! Yes, this is your chance for some hands on dyeing fun. Come ready to play with colors and spacing…and Debbie has very generously offered to take the yarns we dye, set them, and bring them back next month all ready for you to keep at NO CHARGE TO YOU! (The Knitting Guild is picking up the tab!)

One favor – if you plan to attend, please try to send an email to Jet, our VP, at seekritknitster@gmail.com so she can let Debbie know approximately how many kits to bring. Let her know by NOON on TUESDAY. Also Debbie asks that you wear old clothes that you don’t mind getting dye on.

We will also be collecting submissions for the Excellence In Knitting Awards at this meeting. Please bring your submissions as we would love celebrate your handmade projects!

The meeting, as usual, is at Providence Baptist Church, 4921 Randolph Rd, 28211. Park on the Sardis Road side & go in the covered entrance. Turn right through the rotunda to find the stairs or elevator, go to the second floor and take the short flight of stairs to the upstairs parlor.

Show and tell will be from 6-7 pm and the program will begin at 7.
See you there!
Davey

Davey

Hello everyone,

This month we have a very special HANDS ON program brought to you by Debbie Davis, owner of The Fibre Studio at Yarns to Dye For: SOCK YARN DYEING!

Yes, this is your chance for some hands on dyeing fun. Come ready to play with colors and spacing…and Debbie has very generously offered to take the yarns we dye, set them, and bring them back next month all ready for you to keep at NO CHARGE TO YOU! (The Knitting Guild is picking up the tab!)

One favor – if you plan to attend, please try to send an email to Jet, our VP, at seekritknitster@gmail.com so she can let Debbie know approximately how many kits to bring. Let her know by NOON on TUESDAY. Also Debbie asks that you wear old clothes that you don’t mind getting dye on.

We will also be collecting submissions for the Excellence In Knitting Awards at this meeting. Please bring your submissions as we would love celebrate your handmade projects!

The meeting, as usual, is at Providence Baptist Church, 4921 Randolph Rd, 28211. Park on the Sardis Road side & go in the covered entrance. Turn right through the rotunda to find the stairs or elevator, go to the second floor and take the short flight of stairs to the upstairs parlor.

Show and tell will be from 6-7 pm and the program will begin at 7.

See you there!

Davey

Heather Storta is a knitting instructor at Yarnhouse in NoDa. She’s been knitting for over 6 years, and is currently working through the TKGA Master Knitter Program. She passed Level 1 in September of last year, and is currently working on Level 2. Over the last 6 years, she has experimented with many different knitting techniques, taking the attitude that one should be a fearless knitter.
Heather is a Georgia Tech grad with a Chemical Engineering degree and worked as a High School Science teacher prior to having children. She is now a stay-at-home mom who homeschools her two little boys. She knits, reads, plays drums and designs knitting patterns in her free time.

Our program tonight will be on Illusion knitting, a very interesting colorwork knitting technique. If you would like to try the technique out during our program, be sure to bring two highly contrasting colors of dishcloth cotton and appropriately sized needles.

See you there!