Archive for category "News"
Walking Away a Winner
To outsiders, entering a hand-knitted item in the Minnesota State Fair competition sounds quaint—a cozy throwback to a simpler time. But if you've ever stood in line outside the Creative Activities building the week before the fair opens, balancing an oversized bag on one wrist, frantically paging through a pink booklet to see if your hat fits Lot 331, 332, or maybe even 356, and casting furtive glances at the amazing piece of intarsia peeking out of someone else's bag, you know that, at least in Minnesota, the State Fair is a hotbed of cutthroat competition on a par with the Tour de France.
State Fair Knitting Winners
Here are the 2007 Minnesota State Fair winners in hand knitting, as posted on the State Fair Web site, http://www.mnstatefair.org/pages/results.html . From the State Fair site, click on "Needlecraft" to download the full list of all this year's handcraft winners, including machine knitters, crocheters and quilters, in PDF form.
We've put the sweepstakes winners first, but otherwise we have kept the State Fair format intact (we hope), including the descriptions of the “lots” (general item categories). Don't forget to come to our September meeting if you want to see some of the faces behind the prizes. Congratulations to all!
You’ll Get a Lot Out of Volunteering for the Guild
MKG Cable Gram—Volume 23, Number 2
Volunteering for MKG is a great way to introduce the textile art of knitting to those unfamiliar with it. It is also a way to get to know other guild members—and it is a lot of fun into the bargain!
Most of us volunteer in some way: by driving in a work or school carpool, chaperoning a child’s field trip, organizing a neighborhood garage sale, or baking for a fundraiser. Why not extend that experience to your knitting life? The old saying, “If you want something done, do it yourself” still holds true.
Memories of Yarnover 2007
MKG Cable Gram—Volume 23, Number 2
Wow. Now that Yarnover 2007 is over, it doesn’t seem possible. We plan for a year, and then the big day is here for our annual workshops, keynote speaker, and vendor market. Before we know it, the day ends, with everyone tired and happy.
The Ships project -- Community Service Project
MKG Website Exclusive — knitters.org
Each quarter, the Minnesota Knitters' Guild encourages members to knit for a special charity or community service. Our second- and third-quarter projects for 2007 both involve the Ships Project. This national organization was founded by Florida knitter Ellen Harpin (who was named XRX Stitches’ “Knitter of the Year” in 2005) shortly after the 9/11 attacks. From the pair of knit slippers that Harpin sent to an "Any Sailor" respondent aboard the U.S.S. Bataan have grown thousands of handmade hats and slippers sent to soldiers, sailors, airmen (and -women) and marines deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. A list of tested patterns is on the Ships Project Web site.
'MaggiKnits' comes to MKG
If your idea of Irish knitting is a traditional fisherman's sweater, you haven't visited Maggie Jackson's Web site. At MaggiKnits.com, the County Antrim–born knitting designer shows off some amazing garments, some of which look like a mermaid or a spider might wear them, others as elegant as an evening in Paris.
Get the most out of your love of knitting! Membership benefits include pre-registration for Yarnover, a subscription to our quarterly Cable Gram, organized public service projects and camaraderie with fellow knitters. Annual dues are $30.