One of our members is involved in the Little Hats Big Hearts Knit/Crochet Event happening in Spicer, MN on Saturday, April 14th and would like to invite any interested Guild members.

The American Heart Association’s Little Hats Big Hearts Campaign honors babies, moms, and heart healthy lives in a very special way. Supporters are knitting and crocheting red hats to be given out to thousands of babies during American Heart Month in order to empower moms to live heart healthy lives and to help their children do the same.

The Little Hats Big Hearts Campaign is working to raise awareness, provide resources and inspire moms to take their family’s heart health to heart while also raising awareness about Congenital Heart Defects.

Everyone is welcome to join us for all or part of the event. Anton Thissen will be sharing tips and techniques with us.

Registration Fee includes lunch, yarn, patterns and surprises.

Prizes will be awarded to the first hat, and the most hats.

They will be using a medium/worsted weight yarn. Here is a link to patterns provided by the American Heart Association - however you can use any infant or preemie hat pattern you like.

You can register here.

Looking for ways to be more involved with the Guild or the knitting community as a whole? The Minnesota Knitters' Guild keeps a running list of opportunities on our  Volunteer Page and in our Ravelry group.

Here are some of the current openings...

• Shepherd's Harvest Festival - Come share your passion for knitting at Shepherd's Harvest Festival May 12-13, 2018! Sign up to volunteer for a shift and receive FREE ENTRY into the Festival for the day! 
• Volunteer at Yarnover - Various volunteer positions are still open for Yarnover including manning the Guild table, greeting Marketplace guests, helping vendors, and tear down. Sign up here. 
• Volunteer at a Guild Meeting - We always need members to help set up and sign members and guests into meetings. Sign up is open for May and June meetings.
• Teach at Ebenezer - Do you have a passion for knitting and aging adults? Ebenezer is looking for two teachers to continue their popular weekly “Tight Knit” class for residents. This class currently meets on Wednesday mornings for 1 1/2 hours and has a dedicated following of 10-15 diverse adults with varying abilities. Due to the size of class two teachers are preferred and a stipend is available for this position. If you are interested in this opportunity, please reach out to Christine Mangold at cmangol1@fairview.org or 612-879-1418.
• Demo at the Let's Make Booth at the American Craft Council Show - The Textile Center and several fiber guilds will facilitate a hands on experience in the Let’s Make creative space found in the center of the American Craft Council exhibition hall. Instead of watching demonstrations, you will help visitors try their hand at weaving, kumihimo braiding, arm knitting, and other fiber techniques. This is a chance to help others learn while you share your passion for fiber arts. Questions/Comments? Contact Marjorie Fedyszyn at mfez515@gmail.com
• Join the Guild Governance Committee - Want to get involved but can't commit to regular meetings? We are looking for volunteers to support our Board activities. If you are interested or would like to know more, reach out to Amy Hawley, President: presidentmkg@gmail.com.
• Join the Guild Service Committee - Want to help facilitate the Guild's service knitting? This committee is for you. Meetings will be held virtually. Contact Dawn at servicemnkg@gmail.com
• Join the Social Media & Content Committee - This committee is another great option for people who would prefer to "meet" via email. We are looking for content curators to keep our social media channels current and fresh, photographers for our meetings and events, and contributors for our blog. Duties will vary based on the position. Time commitment: 1-2 hours per week. If you are interested in any of the above or would like to know more, reach out to Kate Westlund, Social Media & Technology Director: socialmediamnkg@gmail.com.

Coming soon we will announce opening to volunteer at Shepherd's Harvest in May. 

The Minnesota Knitters’ Guild wants you to show off your knitwear designer skills! We are looking for a pattern for the Lavender Lune yarn that will be given to everyone who attends the Guild’s Great Guild Getaway in September of 2018. If you’ve never designed before this is a chance to give it a try and if you done lots of designing this is a chance to show the Guild what you’ve got.

Pattern Requirements: We are looking for a pattern for a one-size fits most, wearable accessory that uses the GGG mini skein bundle. The pattern should be workable by an adventurous beginner.

Appropriate items for this collection include: shawls, stoles, scarves, mittens, gloves, fingerless mittens, hats, socks, cowls and wraps.

Yarn Details: Five mini skeins of 4ply fingering weight yarn that is 75% superwash merino and 25% nylon. Each skein is 92 yards for a total of 460 yards. The colorway is pictured below and called Winter Sunset.

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 15^th, 2018

Winner Announced: June 1st, 2018

Sample and Pattern in Editable Format Due: August 3rd, 2018

Great Guild Getaway Dates: September 27^th – 30^th, 2018

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.

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.

Rights: The Minnesota Knitters’ Guild will give printed copies of the winning pattern to all attendees of the Great Guild Getaway September 27 – 30^th, 2018. The pattern will also be available as a free pdf download in the members only portion of the MKG website in perpetuity. The designer retains the copyright to the pattern and will have the right to distribute or sell it wherever they wish starting October 1, 2018. The designer is responsible for guaranteeing that their pattern is original and does not break anyone else’s copyright. Any copyright issues that arise are the designer’s responsibility.

Other Information:

• You must be a current member of the Minnesota Knitters’ Guild to enter the contest.
• Members of the Minnesota Knitters’ Guild board or the Great Guild Getaway committee are not eligible to win.
• Kathy Lewinski will be available at the April meeting to answer questions and help with submissions.
• Submissions will be judged by members of the Getaway committee for originality of design, general appeal, how they meet the pattern requirements, and effective use of the yarn. All decisions are final.
• The Guild will provide a mini skein bundle of the Lavender Lune yarn in the Getaway colorway or similar in June to the winner to knit a sample of the pattern.
• The Guild will provide tech editing of the pattern (tech editing by aersknits), assistance with pdf creation, photography of sample if needed, and printing of the pattern for the Great Guild Getaway. If the designer choses to use their own tech editor, graphic designer, or photographer, it will be at their own cost.
• The sample will be on display at the Great Guild Getaway.
• The sample will be returned to the designer after the Great Guild Getaway.

Please email Kathy Lewinski at membershipmkg@gmail.com with any questions.

** April 5th - Stitch N' Pitch 2018 is sold out! **

On Sunday, June 10th, join the Minnesota Knitters' Guild for an afternoon of baseball and knitting! The Twins will be taking on the Los Angeles Angels at Target Field at 1:10pm.

MKG has 60 tickets in the Great Clips section, this section is on the main level in right field. All the seats are stools with backs and have a small table (drink rail) in front of them. We'll be enjoying the game, knitting, and playing Twingo for prizes.

Tickets will go on sale this Friday, March 23rd at 8:00am and can be purchased here. Last year tickets sold out quickly, so don't miss out.

How much: Tickets cost $40.00. Each ticket is loaded with $10 worth of credit that can be used to buy food and drinks at the game. 

Who: Guild members are welcome to bring non-Guild members with them. 

Deadline: Tickets are on sale through Friday, May 11th or until they sellout.

What to bring: Weather appropriate clothing, sunscreen, and your knitting, of course!

Refunds: Refunds are not available. If you find you can't make it, you can give the ticket to someone else.

Tickets: We will have physical Twins tickets. You will be contacted about delivery of those tickets closer to the date.

If you have any questions, contact Kathy at membershipmkg@gmail.com