Dedicated to advancing the art of knitting through the sharing of ideas and techniques, education and community involvement.
Next Meeting: June 21st | Doors Open: 6:30 | Meeting Starts: 7:30
Location: Innis Town Hall
June Guest Speaker & Vendor:
Cindy of Studioloo Fibre Art Studio
Read our interview with guest speaker and vendor Cindy below. Find out more about Studioloo on their website.
JOIN US IN JUNE!
Message from the President
I would like to start my tenure as President by thanking Debra Rowland for everything she has done for the Guild over the past few years, first as Programme Coordinator, then as President, and by covering all those little extras being President require. I'm only beginning to find out just how much happens behind the scenes.
Thank you Debra.
The only other thing I'm going to do this month is to introduce, in writing, your Toronto Knitters Guild Board. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact any of us either in person at a meeting (we're wearing the Pink nametags) or by email (see the Contacts page of the Guild website).
Carole Adams - Treasurer; Frolic Co-chair
Jill Cameron - Secretary
Anastasia Pelechaty - Registrar
Marjolein Winterink - Programme Coordinator & Member At Large
Roberta Brown - Newsletter
Ramona Ng - Local Yarn Store (LYS) Coordinator & Social Media
Patrick Madden - Creative Director, Member At Large
Vivian Goffart - Webmaster
Sarah Gibson - Webadmin
Debra Rowland - Past-President
And yours truly,
Carol Mather Miles - President; Frolic Co-chair
The June meeting is our last for the year. Have yourselves a great summer, and I’ll look forward to seeing you all in September!
Announcements
Yarn Scraps Requested for Maker Festival Workshops: There is a group of volunteers who do science communications events in Toronto, called SciCommTO, and they are putting together a workshop for the upcoming Maker Festival in the Toronto Reference Library (July 8 & 9). Maker Fest is an all ages event usually attended by families to showcase makers in Toronto. The workshop is called Knit-a-Neuron where participants learn to knit or crochet neurons whilst chatting to neuroscientists from the Ontario Brain Institute and learning about the latest research.
They are looking for donations of yarn ends/scraps as the neuron patterns are very small. They can make use of anything from 30cm up to 3m.
Knitting needles or crochet hooks in the 3.5-5mm range would also be appreciated. However they have nowhere to store them, so unless needles or hooks are well labelled, they will be donated to the Toronto Tool Library after the event.
They’d also welcome a few volunteer knitters or crocheters to help out at the event.
Elli will be at the June Guild meeting to collect any contributions.
Contact Elliann Fairbairn, elliann.fairbairn@oicr.on.ca Volunteer Knitting Teachers for Seniors: The Weston Village Seniors Centre is looking for volunteers to help with teaching knitting during their weekly knitting circle.
Contact: Aziza Hassan, Program Coordinator, www.westonseniors.ca; 416-245-7104. TTC Knitalong. Register Now! TTC Knitalong is back on Saturday July 15th, 2017. Full details available at http://ttcknitalong.blogspot.ca.
Pattern of the Month
Urban Lace Infinity Scarf by Tanis Gray
In honour of Pride our Pattern of the Month is a colourful scarf with just enough texture to add a bit of visual interest. The pattern is a free Ravelry download.
This month we interviewed Cindy from Studioloo who will be our June meeting vendor and our guest speaker.
TKG: What is Studioloo’s origin story?
Cindy: Studioloo originated in the 90s as a blog that I used to record my creative process in sculpture and other art. I spent many years experimenting with different art mediums and working in themes, finding myself as an artist. I was introduced to fibre through sculpture using crochet as a medium. I then delved down the long garden path of fibre arts getting involved with many facets. The name Studioloo comes from my nickname Cindy Loo.
TKG: It seems like you have a great sense of fun and adventure in your work - what or who inspires you in your creative process?
Cindy: I take inspiration from many places, often really themed around childhood. I create yarn based on inspirations and supplies from pop-culture, nature and literature such as fairytales, history, and poetry.
TKG: What is your favourite type of yarn to work with or your favourite type of knitting project?
Cindy: By far, my favourite yarns to work with are handspun art yarns. I love them because they tell a story as you stitch with them. You share in the experience of making along with the spinner. I really enjoy using yarn for art projects such as sculpture and toy making. In my leisure knitting time I enjoy knitting all kinds of projects but I really enjoy hats and baby clothes because of the instant gratification.
TKG: Is there such a thing as too much yarn?
Cindy: I am of the opinion that all things should be managed in moderation. I'm an avid collector of many things so I have to use self control. I do have a lot of yarn but I organize it well by colour so it's really inspiring to just look at. I try to use a ball each time I buy one. Of course some yarn gets to just override my rules altogether....because YARN!!!!
TKG: What is the best advice that you have received as a knitter?
Cindy: The best advice I have received as a knitter is to take the time to go back and fix mistakes because they will haunt you as an eyesore forever, and when you spend as much time on a project as you do, you might as well commit to loving it completely or embrace the concept of making your mistakes into design features.
TKG: Anything else you would like our guild members to know?
Cindy: Don't be afraid to try something new, and take risks. Spoil yourself from time to time and do things that scare you. Every steek, wild yarn or new craft is life experience and will go into another chapter of your creative book of life, and will give you more ideas and inspiration.
Our May meeting guest speaker was Emily Foden. She shared her journey from Toronto, to the UK and then to rural Mooresberg, Ontario. Emily spoke about her creative process, and how nature and photography have inspired her wool colours. To find out more about Viola Yarns and Emily check out her blog at www.violaandthemoon.com.
Thank you also to Emily for being our vendor for the month, and sharing her wonderful nature inspired colours.
The May Show 'N Tell brought a little texture into our lives with lovely work presented by Cheryl, Janet, Daphne, Pat to name a few. And Chris brought in her mini spinning wheel for a demonstration. See all the projects here.
Our raffle prize winners for May were:
Book: Knitting Loves Crochet - Susan Loube
Sweet Georgia Tough Love - Anne Marie Corrigan
Plucky Knitter (3 skeins) - Gloria Williams
2016/17 Meeting Schedule
Location & Times:
Innis College Town Hall
2 Sussex Ave.
7:30 - 9:30
Doors open 6:30 p.m. for social knitting
Members: Free
Guests: $8
Dates:
June 21, 2017 will be our last meeting of the season. Stay tuned for more information about the upcoming Guild season.
Visit the Toronto Knitters Guild website for more information on upcoming events.
