Calling all Minnesota Knitter's Guild designers and budding designers! The Minnesota Knitters’ Guild wants you to show off your knitwear designer skills! We are looking for a pattern for the MUSE2320 Fiber Co. yarn that will be given to everyone who attends the Great Guild Getaway. If you’ve never designed before this is a chance to give it a try, and if you’ve done lots of designing, this is a chance to show the Guild what you’ve got!

A printed version of the pattern will be given away to all attendees of the GGG. A pdf version of the pattern will be available to all MKG members through the Exclusive Patterns page of the Members' Area of the website. 

Pattern Requirements: We are looking for a pattern for either hands or feet that uses the GGG exclusive colorway. The pattern should be workable by an advanced beginner to intermediate knitter. Appropriate items for this collection include: mittens, gloves, fingerless mittens, arm warmers, legwarmers, and socks.

Yarn Details: One 100g/437yd hank of MUSE2320 Fiber Co “Whippoorwill” fingering/sock weight, 85% SW Merino/15% nylon yarn. The special Getaway colorway is a subtle but rich variation of tonal platinum grays with a very light speckle of gray and ice blue called Repose.

Prize: $200 or Free Registration for the Great Guild Getaway

(Registration includes a double room for Friday and Saturday night as well as meals. Any additional classes, services, or purchases incurred during the Great Guild Getaway will be at winner’s expense.)

Deadlines: Submissions Due: May 19, 2020

Submission Requirements: One paragraph written description, sketch of design, and designer contact information. Also include a swatch or a picture of your swatch showing any special knit textures or patterns using a yarn of similar weight. Patterns should be original and not be previously published anywhere. Download a sample submission.

Submissions can be emailed as a pdf or word document to membershipmkg@gmail.com or delivered in person to Kathy Lewinski at the April or May Guild meeting.

Download a pdf with all the details and rules. 

Here is the list of classes that are sold out or close to selling out for Yarnover 2020. We will update it as things change.

Updated 2/29/20 12:18PM

Sold Out Classes

• Brioche Pastiche: 2 Color Brioche in the Round - Michele Lee Bernstein
• Cozy Your Way to Colorwork - Mary Lou Egan
• Bohus Stickning - Susanna Hansson
• Stranded Knitting: Unlocking the Secrets of Locked Floats - Kyle Kunnecke
• Portuguese Style of Knitting — Basic Skills - Andrea Wong

Classes with less than 5 seats

• Herringbone Braids and Beyond! Braided Wristlets - Michele Lee Bernstein
• Confident Substitutions - Jeane deCoster
• Needle Felting Steeks - Gretchen Funk
• History, Methods, and Styles of Lace Knitting - Franklin Habit
• Fixing Mistakes with Keith, The Perfectionist! - Keith Leonard
• Short Row Fun! - Keith Leonard
• Downside Up Socks -Sarah Peasley
• Portuguese Style of Knitting — Stranded Knitting - Andrea Wong

If you would like to be put on the waiting list for a class, please email Becky at mkg.yo.reg@gmail.com

It's a new year and that means new service knitting projects.

This year we are knitting for three organizations which have been suggested by members and chosen by the Service Committee. All donated items are due by the November 2020 Guild meeting. Our January guild meeting will give everyone a chance to hear more from each of these organizations. Watch your email and Ravelry for details.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINNESOTA – 100-year-old organization that serves refugees, unaccompanied children, and survivors of human trafficking in Minnesota

Knitted item needed: Warm hats for infants, children, teen family members receiving services and resources in the transition to a new life leading to economic self-sufficiency. Any fiber is welcome, but machine washable preferred 

ASERACARE HOSPICE – serves hospice patients in their homes

Knitted item needed: Fingerless mitts for adults to keep hands warm, any soft, warm fiber

BRIGHTER DAYS GRIEF CENTER – offers counseling and grief support groups for adults that have experienced the loss of a family member

Knitted items needed: Shawls, scarves, wraps or softies for adult, teens and children who have experienced the loss of a family member. Any fiber is welcome.

We have links to pattern ideas for all of these projects on our service knitting page.

We also have a service knitting event, Crafting Warmly, coming up at the Minneapolis Central Library on Sunday, January 26th. We need teachers to help teach knitting and as well as donations of warm weather accessories. More details are available here. 

If protecting animals, and knitting with unique yarn, is something that interests you, there is also a service knitting event on February 1st at the Textile Center in support of the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN. You must sign up for this in advance. Get all the details here. 

Guild members and all local knitters are invited to participate in a unique service knitting opportunity benefitting the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN.  You must email Chillon Leach at chilloncleach@hotmail.com to reserve your spot for this event as there is only a limited amount of this unique yarn.

Spend an afternoon knitting mitten cuffs with handspun wolf undercoat fur novelty yarns provided by members of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota’s Whorling Spinster spinning group. This is a rare chance to knit with yarns created from the International Wolf Center’s ambassador wolves’ hand groomed undercoat fur. (All government and IWC approvals have been attained for the collection and product creation from IWC’s captive ambassador wolves’ annually shed undercoat fur.)

Finished mittens will be donated to the IWC. They will be included in the annual online silent auction, March 13-22^nd, raising money for the Wolf Care Fund. All proceeds go directly to funding the ambassador wolf care fund initiatives. This will be the 3^rd year in which we’ve participated with wolf undercoat fur products, garnering thousands of dollars by doing so. Your name will be in the product description for all to see your handiwork and to purchase! Auction bidding and final sales of wolf undercoat fur products is only legally allowed to those living in the United States.* The IWC has been given a 4-Star Charity rating by Charity Navigator.

PLY Magazine’s “Fur” issue will be released March 10, 2020, with an in-depth article, creating extra exposure for this year’s online auction.

When: Saturday, February 1st, 2020 noon - 4:00pm (Allow <1 hour to create 2 full cuffs from a selection of handspun colorful Aran/bulky weight wolf undercoat fur yarns.)

Where: Textile Center Spinning Room

What to bring: 

• One finished pair of adult size (S/M/L) handmade wool mittens, any color(s), any style, without cuffs, for you to knit added ribbed cuffs using hand spun wolf undercoat fur yarn. 
• Size 6-10 DPNs or circular needles, scissors, darning needle
• Optional: matching wool yarn to double knit with wolf yarn for a thicker, coordinated cuff

As there is only a limited amount of this unique yarn, please email Chillon Leach at chilloncleach@hotmail.com to reserve your spot. Also contact Chillon with any other questions.

*Due to government regulations and approval needed for working with this endangered species’ fiber, all items will be finished and donated on site. All wolf yarn remnants will carefully be collected to be used in other finished products. Limited wolf yarn amounts available.