News
Sock Possibilities
The May MKG meeting (held Tuesday May 15 at the Textile Center) was all about socks! Members were invited to bring enough sock yarn to knit a pair. At the meeting, they exchanged their yarn with that from another adventurous attendee, and picked up a free sock pattern or two. (For MKG members who remember previous “sock exchanges,” that wasn't what this was; we exchanged only the yarn, not a finished pair of socks.)
If you're new to knitting socks, or if you want to jazz up your sock repertoire with a few free patterns, here are some possibilities:
Read, Learn -- and Knit! The Advanced Beginner
MKG Cable Gram––Volume 23, Number 1
With the world of knitting books exploding, publishers (and writers) seem to reaching lately, making often desperate attempts to grab oversaturated readers’ attention. “Sex it up and it will sell” seems to be the idea behind many of these books. But do they deliver what they promise? No. And Yes. Sometimes even I can’t figure out what they’re promising.
Driving Miss Diva
MKG Cable Gram—Volume 23, Number 1
The life of a librarian is popularly supposed to be reclusive and quiet, surrounded by peaceful things like books, ideas, and card-catalog data. To a knitters’ librarian’s existence is added the soft padding of yarn balls and the rhythmic clicking of needles—in short, Dullsville. So it may surprise you to learn that, in my office of Knitters’ Guild Librarian, I found myself one recent weekend under the bright lights of a live television studio with celebrities on every hand.
Hello from the New President of the Northern Lights Affiliate!
MKG Cable Gram––Volume 23, Number 1
As Alice Adams is out in sunny California nanny-ing her granddaughter, she has stepped down from leading the NLA this year. She has worked hard to get the Northern Lights Affiliate, the Duluth chapter of the Minnesota Knitters' Guild, up and running. We appreciate all of her hard work over the past few years. This may seem like a contradiction due to the handful an infant can be, but we hope she enjoys her well-deserved rest!
Time for a 'Fiberlicious' Spring Break!
MKG Cable Gram - Volume 23, Number 1
Dreaming of warm tropical breezes? Look no further than your yarn basket.
How about yarn made from the leaves of the pineapple plant? Habu Textiles, everyone’s favorite stop on the Web for its unusual fibers, carries a yarn called “Fique” that is 100 percent pineapple fiber. The distinctive qualities of pineapple leaf fiber are its strength and lustrous sheen. Fique is said to work up like hemp, but it is softer on the hands. Suggested uses are placemats and other hard-use items. Habu also carries a lace-weight yarn that is a blend of pineapple fiber (60 percent) and ramie (40 percent). This blend works up into a lightweight fabric with a bit more drape than Fique. Check out these yarns at www.habutextiles.com.
Guild Member is 'Viewers' Choice'
MKG member Shelley Monitor's "Counterpane Crib Blanket" has won the Viewers' Choice Award in a Textile Center show. Monitor's white knitted blanket is part of the "Traditions and Interpretations: Needle Art in the 21st Century" exhibit in the Joan Mondale Gallery. The show opened March 23 and will be up until April 28.
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.