TKG September Newsletter

September 2015 Newsletter

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Welcome to the TKG 2015-16 season!

2015 Guild Membership - online registration

Thanks to all who have already signed up!
Please take the time to sign up for your 2015 membership before the September 16^th meeting. Whether you choose to pay in person or on-line, registering on the website in advance speeds the process at our first meeting.

When you register on-line, you can choose to pay with PayPal or defer payment until you pick up your membership card. Membership fee is $50.

What does membership get you?

Admission to all 2015/16 guild meetings, including talks by guest speakers
Discounts at most Toronto area yarn stores.
Inspiration and camaraderie

Announcements

The Woodstock Fleece Festival – October 17th – Looking to get behind the wheel? The festival will give you the chance to learn about spinning and has a great line-up of vendors.

New York State Sheep & Wool Festival – October 17-18th – Carpool anyone? If it is your first or tenth time this is one of the not to be missed knitting events of the year. See what this year’s festival has to offer.

Message from the President

I feel like a kid going back to school. I missed my friends over the summer. Yes, I had a great summer, flew out to Calgary, visited Banff and Canmore, and finally the West Edmonton Mall. I went sailing for a week with friends off the coast of Maine. I knit a lot. But I missed my knitting friends. I look forward to seeing everyone again… and seeing what everyone is up to. We have an invigorated executive this year. I feel blessed to have such a wonderful team of people to work with. Dreams come true. Ever since attending my first meeting about 6 years ago… I thought how anyone could take over from Carole? She was so incredibly entertaining! (does anyone remember the knit banana?... some of you are laughing now…) Last year Catherine took over as President, and brought wisdom, insight, and levity through a challenging transition. I enjoyed last year in the Programme role, and look forward to the line-up Bree has established for this year.

We have created a new position on the executive this year, “Member-at-large”. Gilda will be the voice of the membership, and will bring members concerns or issues to our monthly executive meetings. Please reach out to Gilda if you have any ideas or questions.

We are going to have a lot of fun this year, and I hope to make some new friends. I am happy to be your President, and can’t wait to see everyone. Connect with us, let us inspire you, and create some lasting memories, Debra

Your 2015 Executive Committee:
President - Debra Rowland
Past President - Catherine Osborne
VP – currently vacant (will draw from current executive)
Programme Coordinator – Bree Zorel
Programme MC – Amanda Bertoia
Treasurer – Helen Harper
Registrar – Vivian Goffart
Secretary - Trish Denhoed
Communications - Patrick Madden
Local Yarn Store Coordinator - Cindy O’Malley
Member at Large - Gilda Grossman
Webmaster – Vivian Goffart

Upcoming Meetings

September 16th

Innis College Town Hall
2 Sussex Ave.
7:30 - 9:30
Doors open early at 6:30 for member registration and card pick-up.

Guest Speakers:
Becky Porlier and Jennifer Osborn of Upper Canada Fibreshed

Jennifer & Becky will speak about local yarn and fibre, and of production systems within a 250 mile radius of Toronto that span from farm to fashion.

Becky and Jennifer became fast friends at the Rare Breeds Canada table during the Guelph Organic Conference in 2013. They had both discovered the work of a Rebecca Burgess’ Fibershed initiative out of California. Over much coffee and chocolate, they discussed how to replicate a similar initiative in Canada — as long as California would allow the Canadian spelling of fibre — and Upper Canada Fibreshed was created.

Next Meeting: October 21st

Guest Speaker:
Kate Atherley

Math for Knitters
Designer, teacher and technical editor Kate Atherley will join us for our October meeting. She’ll be sharing tips and techniques for handling the numbers problems that come up in knitting: from yarn requirements to buttonhole spacing and instructions like “increase 12 sts evenly across”, to questions of and issues around gauge. And if you’d rather knit than spend time with a calculator, she’ll also talk about ways to avoid the numbers entirely!

Next Meeting: November 18th

Guest Speaker:
Patrick Madden

Doing it All
Patrick Madden of Signature Yarns in Toronto will be presenting about the life/work balance of running a small business, the importance of volunteering and making time for creativity. Patrick will also have an assortment of his hand knitting yarn collections for sale at the meeting.

Visit the Toronto Knitters Guild website for more information on upcoming events.

Yarn Store Update

We now have 24 yarn stores in the GTA that offer discounts to Guild Members upon presentation of your current TKG Membership card. That is 9 more stores than last year and includes 2 online stores.

In order to receive your discount from an online store, you will need to email the site with your membership information. This can be done by scanning your membership card and attaching it to the email, or by providing your name & membership number. The online store will verify your membership through the LYS Coordinator and send back details on how to receive your discount when ordering.

For most stores, the discount typically applies to regular priced merchandise, however, some restrictions may apply. Check with your local yarn store for specific restrictions.

If you know of a yarn store that is not listed on the TKG Yarn Store page, contact Cindy at lys@torontoknittersguild.ca.

Guild Member Show and Tell:

I completed this shawl/cardi at a campsite on the north shore of the St. Lawrence in August. I loved how the lace-weight yarn was in stark contrast to my rocky surroundings. Although it is a fine gauge yarn, I was surprised how quickly the project went. I found the yarn a bit odd to work with as it has no elasticity, but I was determined to get it out of my stash having bought it years ago. And it is great to have knitwear for warmer weather. — Vivian Goffart (viv-id on Ravelry)

Pattern: Shleeves (available on Ravelry)
Yarn: Infiknit Pollyanna Hand Dyed, silk/polyester blend, Lace 2-ply, 2 skeins
Needles: 4mm

Tips and Tricks:
Mastering your Yarn Stash!

As our 2015 Guild season approaches, it may be a good time to review what is currently in your stash and maybe – if you're like me – get organized. With great events and inspiring talks ahead, it is important to know what you have and what you need! After all, there is always room for a few more skeins of yarn . . .

Tips for Getting Organized:

Pick a scheme – whether it is by colour, weight, fibre or volume.
Get it contained – ideally to avoid insect infestations or mildew, look at some air tight containers, or if you have some space make a show of it like this wall mounted system.
Tracking your collection – there are a variety of ways to keep track of your yarn that don’t involve an excel spreadsheet. Ravelry has a great feature called “Stash” that will track it all for you, with lots of options for sorting. Here is a good link about getting started. If Ravelry isn’t your thing, there are a variety of apps that work on your tablet or smartphone. Here are a few options.
Annual Review – Once a year, spend some quality time with your stash and remind yourself about the yarn you may have forgotten.