1-20-18 Happy New Year! ....and we are off! Attending 15 So far, for 2018 we have 24 volunteer hours and 7 items donated.
Old Business:
Charity Report for 2017> 373 hours total! Good job, all!
We don't have a reliable count for items donated. Please, when you sign the log at meetings for the number of hours, include the number and general category of the items, so that next year we can have more precise data.
Re: Dues $25: For those who haven't yet paid, please mail your check to Susan S. Check the 2018 membership document, emailed to you recently, for her mailing address. Your new membership card, serving as a receipt, will be provided at the Feb. meeting. Remember that by presenting your card at the ever popular yarn shop, The Knitting Bee, you'll get a membership discount. Other shops might also offer this, so just ask!
Re: Gloucester Retreat
Date: Feb. 10th, 9:00-5:00
$5 admission to go to support local humane society,
A covered dish to share, please include serving utensils as the small kitchen is not stocked
Location details click> Whitcomb Lodge at Beaverdam Park
Vendors: Dirt Woman, The Wren's Daughter
New Business:
Programs for 2018: A tentative calendar of events is available on our "Coming in 2018" page, linked here.
Gene has created a page for our guild on Ravelry. Found under 'groups.' Hanover Knitting Giuld
[note: spelling "giuld' distinguishes us from any other by that name]
Upcoming at our Feb.17th meeting, to support the American Heart Association project "Little Hats, Big Hearts", in association with the Children's Heart Foundation, and celebrating American Heart Month by providing red hats to newborns and premies, we will have a "sit 'n knit" making the little red hats, either knit or crochet. Gene will then carry them to our local affiliated hospital.
***for those interested in knitting for premies or newborns, click this link for info about the best fibers and why
afridgefulloffood.typepad.com/knittingforthenicu/2012/06/the-rules-for-knitting-for-nicus.html
Refer to Ravelry for patterns: Knit newborn/premie hats on Ravelry
or Crochet newborn/premie hats on Ravelry
A Suggestion: just for fun.... consider wearing a red hat to our Feb. meeting. Members of the "Red Hat Society" get a chance to show off their chapeau! :-)
Note: There is a new yarn shop in Williamsburg: Flying Needles, click to go to their web page.
Re: Membership list. The list was sent, as an attachment, on a recent email. If you would like a printed copy but don't have a printer, email Elaine B. who will bring you one to our Feb. meeting. A new addition to our list is the notation of each member's craft/crafts of choice, i.e. knit, crochet, spin, weave, dye, etc. please send updated info to Elaine B. who will maintain the list's accuracy.
REQUESTs: A request has come up for a program on Brioche stitching. Please notify Gene or Elaine B. if you can do brioche and would be willing to demonstrate at a fall program. Thanks :-)
Jeri would like those who might be phoning her to know that her landline is adapted for hearing impairment, so she would prefer that you text on her cell number.
Show 'n Tell:
- Mary has finished her entrelac scarf and tam o'shanter set... Beautiful in shades of purples, rust, olive, and blues.
Tip from Mary: do not block entrelac, it will lose it's 'pillowy' look.
- Deb T. has already knit some newborn red hats to donate to our Feb. American Heart Association, "Little Hats, Big Hearts" project. Though
we were hard pressed to choose a favorite, the one with the soft rolled edge received the most, "ahhh"s.
- Andree is admirably still working through her stash. She modeled her adaptation to a pattern for an 'urban poncho' in variegated shades of
wine and green. Picture a turtle necked vest. Currently she is working on a circular cowl with a highly geometric, "cuboid" design in
contrasting turquoise and white. Can't wait to see the finished product! To check out the pattern on Ravelry, click here.
Andree's colors are so much more striking than the one depicted with the pattern!
- Linda is crocheting another "corner to corner" afghan. She brought a few she had already completed in different sizes. Some had just 2
opposite corners in contrasting colors, some just one. This play with color certainly ups the "wow" factor on a simple double crochet stitch
afghan!
- Elke showed us a beautiful teal lace scarf done with sport yarn. She has also done a crocheted "corner-to-corner" pink/black blanket. The
real show stopper though was an Irish knit looking crochet afghan done in panels. That one is truly and heirloom piece! Elke's tip: It is
essential to maintain the same stitch tension throughout the project otherwise the panels won't line up when it's time to sew them
together.
- Suzanne T. made a blanket in chocolate with a raised garter stitch. Very toasty!
- Becky is almost finished her self-striping baby blanket. It never ceases to amaze us to seen a skein of yarn with dots of color sprinkled
though it result in a stunning pattern of decorative stripes! The yarn was from a Mary Maxim kit. Her newborn niece will look darling cozily
wrapped up in it.
- Elaine K. finished a corner-to-corner blanket, in knit, with the main body in white, but opposing corners in blue. She is currently working
on a baby blanket with stripes that fade through the spectrum of teal, to turquoise, to aqua. Lovely colors!
- Marie modeled a scarf made from 'wacky yarn', that is a skein of yarn with segments of differing textures, even eyelash yarn was in the
mix, AND the colors were variegated too! Very cool! Of course, it was accessorized by a pin that she made herself. Talented lady! On the
needles she has a stockinette stitch scarf in variegated shades of blue. We can expect to see that one next month.
- Corky made a 'to-die-for' red triangle lace scarf. She highly recommends Dragonfly yarn. The pattern is from a book of sock yarn shawls. On
the needles she has a scarf, in stockinette, in shades of reds, pinks, and white. We are really looking forward to what she produces from the
up-coming Master Lace Class she will be taking at Dances With Wool.
- Tearessa, a visitor and hopefully new member-to-be, showed us a lovely premie hat done in crochet.
- Gene has finished a baby blanket in white with blue speckled stripes. As well, he's finishing up a sweater for a 4 year old girl in shades of
purple and pinks to have ice cream cone buttons; a primary colors, horizontal stripes sweater for a 6 year old nephew that will have
basketball buttons. Too cute!
- Elaine B. is still struggling with a deep green alpaca, top-down sweater, with a panel of twisted Irish knit cables, for a great-niece. With any
luck, which has so far been in short supply, it will be ready to show for the Feb. meeting.
PROGRAM: Basic Crochet Stitches, from our home page, see Favorite Sites, from the drop down menu choose "crochet references."
With thanks to our volunteer instructors Gene and Elaine B.
2 great books for reference:
150 Crochet Trims, by Susan Smith
ISBN-13 978-0-312-35982-9 paperback, available used for $3.56 on Amazon
ISBN-10 0-312-35982-9
and
200 Ripple Stitch Patterns by Jan Eaton
ISBN 0-89689-276-x paperback
$12.49 on Amazon
We began by passing out 3 simple patterns: a girl's headband, a crochet hook bag, and a scarf. Conceivably either of the first 2 could have been finished in less than one hour. For many this was a refresher, for others an introduction to crochet.
We proceeded from chain stitching, to single, then double crochet. In the process we learned to go up to the next row by chaining, then starting the next stitch a couple stitches further on the chain. Most left with at least a sense of what crochet was all about.
A note of caution about viewing YouTube for reference on crochet. The ones on our Crochet Reference page have been vetted to be using American terminology, with clear, close-up video and slow speaking presenters. British English speakers could confuse American crocheters. For example: what the Brits call a 'double crochet' is what we call a 'single crochet.'