MKG Cable Gram - Volume 21, Number 1

The first meeting of the Northern Lights Affiliate of MKG was held in the basement meeting room of Chester Creek Café in Duluth on February 25, 2004. The northern branch of MKG was launched that evening over a simple hot soup and bread meal by an enthusiastic group of the 25charter members. From its modest beginnings, the group increased in numbers (total of 60 on 12/31/04) and quickly outgrew first one, then two meeting locations. Finally in April an adequate meeting site was located and it could be announced that there was a regional MKG Affiliate Guild that meets monthly on the fourth Wednesday at 6 PM at the Portman Community Center (4601 McCulloch St., Duluth, MN).

MKG Cable Gram - Volume 21, Number 1

I finished my first sweater!! It fits and it’s gorgeous and it’s warm and cozy and I made it! That just feels so incredibly good. It’s also one-of-a-kind, since I modified a basic Pure and Simple pattern with a cable edging from Nicky Epstein’s Knitting On the Edge. For buttons I  went to Treadle Yard Goods in St. Paul, where they were incredibly  helpful in finding something that was chunky enough for the yarn weight  I used and special enough for my unique creation. They even encouraged me to lay the sweater out and place all six buttons down to see how  they were going to look before I decided whether to buy them.

MKG Cable Gram - Volume 21, Number 1

We continue our statewide tour with a visit to the yarn shops of St.  Paul.

Borealis Yarns
The Place: Named for the north wind, this new shop at the corner of Thomas and Hamline in St. Paul’s Midway area is delightfully open and airy. The 1930s building once served as the neighborhood drug store and still boasts many original features -- including soaring tin ceilings and wide windows that provide plenty of light. You won’t have to strain to see your stitches here, even on a cloudy spring day. Add ceiling fans, hardwood floors and hundreds of skeins of yarn, and you’ve got an oasis of calm where knitters can escape from urban bustle. Owner Abby Lamberton, formerly an Asian history teacher at Gustavus Adolphus College, opened her shop in May 2004 and has already expanded to 1500 square feet. The purr of a cappuccino machine can be heard through an open door that leads to Dadders Coffee Company, and Abby encourages customers to grab a cup before settling in to knit. An antique table near the front window has room for eight, so you can unwind with your  latest project and a hot latte while you watch the city whirl by.