Building an Ark

Glub, glub, glub…that’s the sound we’re making as we try to keep our heads above water. So far the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul for you non-locals) metro area of Minnesota has received more rain than Seattle, Washington! That’s saying a LOT. Out of 31 days in May, 23 of them were cold, cloudy and rainy. We even had measurable snow on the first few days! Where’s our spring? The state’s annual fishing opener was a bust in some locations due to the lakes still being iced over! One thing’s for sure: We still need our sweaters.

 

A knit-in was held on May 25th, but there were very few knitters that showed. It could be that we’re all grumpy and depressed from lack of sunlight and warmth, or it could be that it was Memorial Day weekend. Your author stands with the incessant rain and gloom.

 

As part of our ongoing drive to get ourselves out in the public arena, we’ve been looking into demonstration times at the different local county fairs. Nothing concrete was planned at the May meeting, however, but it was noted that this year we do not have a demo slot at the State Fair. It’s unfortunate, but there’s still hope that we might get in due to a cancellation. That being said, just because we don’t have a demo slot does NOT mean that we cannot show our knit items, so get those machines humming, and get something made for the Fair! This is our greatest opportunity of the year to show off what we can do! There could be a blue ribbon in your future!

 

We now have more information on our big 50th anniversary extravaganza! We already know it will be held on Saturday, October 5th (this is a change from the original post stating it would be held the same day as the knit-in), but the time has been narrowed down to be held from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.. It is being presented as an afternoon tea. We will be having a vintage style show, so get out those items you might have knit 50, 40 or 30 years ago. Even if you haven’t been knitting that long, bring along something you’ve made, and wear it. Don’t worry if it no longer fits (because it’s too big, right?) We will have “models” there to wear those items for the show! It’s shaping up to be a wonderful celebration of 50 years of knitting. Save the date, and plan to be there!

 

Ellen knit this really pretty afghan at the May knit-in.

 

She shows off some more of her knit/fleece hats. Isn't the pattern on the blue one on the left gorgeous?

 

She also made some Norwegian dish towels.

 

Carol knit this lovely blanket as a wedding gift. It says "Bless This House" at the top, and has the date and names at the bottom. The middle is a pattern of a house in dollhouse form.

 

Carol shows off her first baby hat knit on her circular sock machine (CSM) that she just refurbished.

 

Diane knit this one baby bootie as a sample. Pretty tuck stitching! Nice and thick to keep little toes warm.

 

Karen was also working on baby booties.

 

MKGM members don't just knit. Karen is also a weaver and made this really cool table runner!

 

Carole shows off a summer top with "bedazzled" jewels stuck to it. Very pretty and "bling"-y.

 

Carole shared a really nifty idea for making sock blanks. Knit two separate cones or balls of yarn together...

 

...then dye the sock blank. When dry, unravel the blank, and wind the two balls of yarn back into separate balls...

 

...and your socks will knit up perfectly matched each time! No more pulling through the ball of yarn to try to match the pattern! Thanks for the awesome idea, Carole!

 

Carole also showed a cool way to use up odds and ends of sock yarn. Knit them into a hat as a contrasting color! It looks like complicated colorwork, but it's just self-patterning yarn bits. They don't even have to come from the same ball of yarn or dye lot! Isn't that pretty?

 

Sue knit this cute girl's summer top.

 

And using the weaving technique of the machine was able to make these potholders/trivets.

 

She had made a few of these circular baby blankets at the May knit-in.

 

Mar shows off a different technique for making pom-poms. Wind the yarn with a yarn winder until you have about a half inch thick ball of yarn. Carefully remove it, keeping your finger in the center hole. Tie yarn around the edge tightly, cut, and you get this great big fuzzy pom-pom!

 

Mar also tried knitting a hat with two different yarns together. Didn't the striping come out really cool looking? It looks like one strand of yarn that was dyed to self-pattern!

 

Mar also knit a baby sweater that was a pattern provided for one of the classes at this year's Purls of Joy seminar.