Dedicated to advancing the art of knitting through the sharing of ideas and techniques, education and community involvement.
Next Meeting: May 17th | Doors Open: 6:30 | Meeting Starts: 7:30
Location: Innis Town Hall
May Guest Speaker: Emily Foden
Emily Foden of Viola will join us in May to talk about setting up her new studio in Mooresburg Ontario and how she got started in the hand dyed yarn business.
Emily will also be bringing a selection of her small batch hand dyed yarns with her to the meeting including sock yarn (and kits), DK and merino 4ply. Cash or Credit accepted.
Reflecting on my 2 years as guild president, I am in awe of the things we can accomplish together and the potential the guild holds. At the Frolic Spring Social I was lucky to sit beside Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, and chat about the wonderful community of knitters we are all part of. I said 'We can’t change the world', to which Stephanie replied 'Yes, you can! If you can’t do it...who can? You are the largest knitting guild in the country.' I never thought of that, but she is right.
It is a common thought, especially for knitters, so much yarn, so little time. Our craft encourages us to slow down, be reflective, and enjoy each moment that we have. If we could just teach the world to knit, what a wonderful world it would be.
Knittingly yours,
Debra Rowland,
TKG President
More Hands = Lighter Work
There are still some positions on the executive to be filled!
Secretary
Attend all Exec meetings (or arrange alternate)
Work with the President to develop Exec Meeting Agenda
Take, type up, & distribute minutes
Various other writing or proofing/editing tasks, as appropriate (writing minimal; proofing is regular)
Registrar
Attend all Guild & Exec meetings (or arrange alternate)
Greet members and guests at Guild meetings
Distribute Membership cards
Maintain Membership Record
Maintain Name Tags
Assist people to purchase Membership
Graphics/Marketing Coordinator
Attend all Exec meetings
Produce marketing flyers/posters for Facebook, Ravelry, etc., and Slideshow for upcoming meeting(s), Frolic, as needed
Work with the Social Media coordinator for publishing of graphics
Do you want to know more? Ask any member of the executive about these roles or other ways you can help out your guild.
Thank You to All Our Frolic Volunteers
It takes many hands to bring the Toronto Knitters Frolic and Spring Social to life and we could not have achieved these successful events without you.
A huge thank you to everyone who assisted with Frolic set-up, fundraising table, admission and workshop registration, line marshalls, information desk, hospitality suite, frolic café, front & rear door monitors, raffle prize table, Dr. Knit, book sale table, yarn winding table.
Spring Social set-up, admission, greeters, photographer, food service, bussing, fashion show models, fashion show lineup coordinators, designers, cleanup crew.
Thank you from the Toronto Knitters Frolic Organizing Committee on a successful Knitters Frolic & Spring Social.
Carole Adams, Frolic Co-Chair & Treasurer
Carol Mather Miles, Co-Chair & Secretary
Patrick Madden, Communications & Promotions
Vivian Goffart, Webmaster & Admissions
Roberta Brown, Volunteer Coordinator
Fiona Ellis, Workshop Coordinator
Thank you
Frolic Door Prize Winner:
Marian Scharnagl
Marian was the winner of the amazing door prize provided by sponsor Universal Yarn.
Did you miss out on the Frolic project bags and t-shirts? You can pick one up at the next Guild meeting.
T-shirts $16
Project Bags $10
Cash and Credit available.
Exact change appreciated!
Announcements
Handmade @ Nelson Park Creative Centre, Saturday June 10th. They will be hosting a spring sale to showcase resident groups' projects and a variety of vendors' works. This will include Rugcrafting, Calligraphy, Fibre Art and Quilted items. Vendors' booths will have jewellery, stained glass, paintings, sculptures, wood carving, pottery, and artwork for sale. The Handmade sale coincides with World Wide Knit in Public Day and the Centre will be hosting all interested knitters. Details are available on their site.
TTC Knitalong. Save the date, for the TTC Knitalong is back on Saturday July 15th, 2017. More details to follow.
Show and Tell Spotlight with
Guild Member Fiona Ellis
At the April meeting I was excited to show my Rosalind cardigan in River City Yarns “Epic" yarn, having two reasons for being proud of it.
Each of our projects tells a story doesn’t it? I think of them as being like journal entries. River City Yarns describe Epic yarn: “ With Epic yarn, every project is an epic itself... tell your tale” ...so here’s my tale.
Firstly the professional story. This is a design that I did for River City Yarns (Edmonton AB) as pattern support for their line of yarns. I’m also involved in co-ordinating the pattern development for them as Design Manager. The collection aims for a modern Canadian look - think Hudson Bay blankets, the great outdoors, camp fires, cosy garments suitable for our climate. Rosalind is a warm but not bulky cardigan featuring stranded colour work, stripes and colour blocking. I love asymmetrical designs, so the patterning is off-set and there are non identical sleeves too. It’s striking but not a difficult pattern, being mostly Stockinette or stripes. The model garment was made using bright red as the main colour but when I came to make mine I chose a mid grey as my base with red, white & black accents. This pattern lends itself nicely to the kind of “choose your own adventure” knit that I’m very fond of. You can read about my suggestions on the RCY blog.
My second reason for being proud of it is an entirely personal tale. I had intended to make myself a version of Rosalind to wear when I was out in Edmonton teaching in April & thought I had tons of time to complete it. I had the project all lined up to work on while I was going to be on jury service the last week of Jan. On my way to the courthouse I fell and broke my wrist, an injury that required surgery to fix. The following six weeks meant that I couldn’t knit a single stitch; which I’m sure you can imagine was very hard for me. I got the go ahead that the break was mended on March 9th and started my rehab…which included knitting! I was so thrilled when my ability to knit came right back and I could work for several hours at a time without pain. This included six hours straight on a plane coming back from London. That’s when I noticed my colour choices fit right in with Air Canada’s branding. I completed Rosalind in just over two & half weeks and wore it in Edmonton as I had intended. PS: I sewed the buttons on at 8am an hour before I began teaching at 9am.
This month we interviewed Emily Foden of Viola who will be our May meeting vendor.
TKG: What made you decide to make the move to Mooresburg? What is the best thing about it?
Emily: I’ll speak more about this in my talk on Wednesday, but can say for now that the move was a quite spontaneous decision. There are so many things about Mooresburg that I really love, but the best thing has to be how close I am to nature here.
TKG: Your website is filled with wonderful photography - are the photos taken by you?
Emily: Yes I do! I love taking pictures. My phone is always warning me that I’ve run out of space, but I keep on taking pictures anyway.
TKG: What is your favourite type of yarn to work with or your favourite type of knitting project?
Emily: My favourite type of yarn changes with the seasons, and with the type of project I’m knitting. Recently, I’ve been working on lots of garments and socks, so a sturdy sock yarn is essential as well as a warm rustic wool for jumpers…with the odd bit of mohair in the mix because I love it so much.
TKG: What is the best advice that you have received as a knitter?
Emily: To experiment and explore as much as possible, and to have patience.
TKG: Anything else you would like our guild members to know?
Emily: I am very much looking forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday!
Thank you to Emily for the great interview!
Make sure you follow Emily's blog and sign up for her newsletter.
Our April meeting had guest speaker Amy Singer from Knitty.com. For many of us Knitty has been an invaluable resource, with patterns that are fantastic and at times whimsical. Amy took us behind the scenes on the journey from humble beginnings to today and the user supported model that's keeping the site going now.
Thank you to our vendor The Cozy Knitter for bringing a beautiful selection of yarns.
The April Show 'N Tell showcased some fantastic projects - including beautifully crafted sweaters from Ramona, Margaret, Pat and Fiona. As always our members delighted with their knitwear . . . and even one rughooking piece! See all the projects here.
Our raffle prize winners for April were:
Tough Love Sock Yarn from Sweet Georgia yarns won by Janet
RIB Magazine won by Greta
Cotton Novelty Top pattern + yarn won by Roberta
“Sunshine in My Pocket” specialty dyed sock yarn donated by Cozy Knitter won by Daphne
Book “No Sheep for You” by Amy Singer (signed) won by Dorene
She’s clever. She’s creative. Her math skills are extraordinary. Her fashion sense is on point.
But she rarely seeks the spotlight, despite being one of the busiest and most knowledgeable creative talents in the knitting world this decade. She’s Kate Atherley, and Knitty is lucky to have her.
In 2005, Kate started writing articles and patterns for Knitty. Issue by issue, we began to rely on the mix of technical skill and creativity she embodies, until she officially joined our staff in the fall of 2008. First she was our Sock Technical Editor, then Sock + Knittyspin Technical Editor. and soon she was in charge of the whole shebang. Then she added Editorial Assistant to her list of titles, and finally her essential place on our team was correctly identified in her current title: Managing Technical Editor.
That’s a lot of titles, but none of them are honorary. In the 10 years since she joined Knitty, Kate has proven to be an essential part of our team in almost every aspect of editorial and production. Along with Jillian and I, Kate helps choose the patterns that go in every issue. She often splits a tie when Jillian likes something about a pattern and I don’t see it, or vice versa. One would be wise to listen to Kate Atherley because she knows her sh*t.
In the meantime, while building her Technical Editing client base, Kate has continued to teach extensively, all over the world. She’s worked nearly every notable knitting event since the first Sock Summit, including Vogue Knitting Live, Edinburgh Yarn Festival, Interweave Yarn Fest, and more guild appearances than I have fingers. You can see her online, 24/7, in her popular video classes at Craftsy and Interweave. She’s written 4 books to date (with 2 more on the way!), contributed to many more, and designed some of the most lovely sock and shawl patterns I’ve ever seen. I’m lucky enough to have been able to shoot quite a few of them for her. (She’s also a great model. Seriously, is there anything she can’t do?)
So for those who attended my talk on Knitty’s 15-year history at the April Guild meeting, this detailed tribute will, I hope, make up for my oversight in specifically mentioning her significant achievements, which all began with her publication of a wee training sock pattern in our pages, when we all were very young.
Kate, we are lucky to have you, and so is your Guild.
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
Did you miss out on the Frolic project bags and t-shirts? You can pick one up at the next Guild meeting. 
My second reason for being proud of it is an entirely personal tale. I had intended to make myself a version of Rosalind to wear when I was out in Edmonton teaching in April & thought I had tons of time to complete it. I had the project all lined up to work on while I was going to be on jury service the last week of Jan. On my way to the courthouse I fell and broke my wrist, an injury that required surgery to fix. The following six weeks meant that I couldn’t knit a single stitch; which I’m sure you can imagine was very hard for me. I got the go ahead that the break was mended on March 9th and started my rehab…which included knitting! I was so thrilled when my ability to knit came right back and I could work for several hours at a time without pain. This included six hours straight on a plane coming back from London. That’s when I noticed my colour choices fit right in with Air Canada’s branding. I completed Rosalind in just over two & half weeks and wore it in Edmonton as I had intended. PS: I sewed the buttons on at 8am an hour before I began teaching at 9am. 
