Ruthann Marquis, OT was our guest for the July 2016 meeting. She shared information that will help make our knitting more pain-free and therefore, more enjoyable. She discussed posture, and why and how often we should change what we’re doing. Ruthann also covered what to do when our hands feel tight and achy and many other aspects of making knitting more fun and pleasurable for everyone. There is a copy of the handouts she brought for us on the ‘Articles’ page. (Look for the link on the menu on the right. You have to be logged in to see it.)
Posts related to regular guild meetings.
Yarn Swap 2016
Our annual (more or less) yarn swap auction took place at our June meeting. The new meeting space was perfect and we pretty much filled it to the brim with yarn, bags and books to sell. If you weren’t there you missed out on some great deals on great stuff! A free table loaded with patterns was popular too. Remember to bring your no-longer-wanted items to any meeting for the sharing table.
We also had a show and tell for items made at the spring workshop in May. It is always fun to see all the creative things made from the same pattern. Thank you to everyone who shared!
Debbi Stone: Gauge, and why worry about it?
At the May 2016 meeting, Debbi Stone (website here and Ravelry page here) told stories and gave examples of why worrying about stitch and row gauge is so much more important than many of us might think. I know many of you make only large or small items that don’t have to ‘fit’ anyone in particular but stitch and row gauge do matter. (more…)
Anne Berk – Knitting Publishing, Past, Present, and Future
Our guest speaker this month was author, teacher, Master Knitter, and designer Anne Berk. Anne gave us a fascinating look at the world of knitting in print from the early part of the 1900s to today. Did you know that the first “real” knitting pattern book was Elizabeth Zimmerman’s “Knitting Without Tears”, published in 1971? Before that, knitters relied mainly on patterns published by yarn companies to sell their own yarns (often with no yardage information included, to make it more difficult to substitute a different yarn). These frequently had very brief instructions, no photos, and minimal (or no) illustrations.