Month: June 2025

Meeting Minutes

June 2025 Minutes

Salem Millstream Knitting Guild

This Month

Birthdays

knitted slice of yellow cake with pink icing, raspberry filling, and a pink knitted birthday candle on top

Happy June Birthday to:

  • Nancy Compton
  • Carol Jones
  • Sue Tyvoll

June Meeting Highlights

Guild Business

Our meeting happened to fall on Worldwide Knit in Public day. Did you get to knit in public?

Fiberarts Stash Sale was held on Willamette Heritage Center grounds. Only members could sell their stash, but anyone could buy.

President Joyce Arthur is working on the Guild Roster with Sue Culbertson. Joyce asked if there was any objection to distributing the Roster to Guild members. There was no objection. When completed, the Roster will be distributed to all members.

Marjory Lange and Kathy Goebel have health challenges and could not attend the meeting. Joyce asked members to text/send cards if they would like.

Joyce asked each member to review and sign the “Hold Harmless” forms and return them.

Reminder that Black Sheep Gathering is coming up June 27-29 at the Linn County Expo Center in Albany.

The Oregon State Fair is announcing “Calling All Young Makers,” a Creative Living Competition for young artists and creators in the textile dept. See the Oregon State Fair website for more info on this and other ways to enter all the categories, plus submission deadlines. The Oregon State Fair dates are August 22 – September 1, 2025.

Su Fennern announced there are nine listed Guild members who will participate in the Salem Fiberarts Guild November sale. There will be a meeting of these members after the regular Guild meeting on July 12, 2025. At that time, seller info will be shared and questions answered. If you would like to be a seller and are not listed, please contact Su Fennern and plan to come to the meeting. 

Service Project Donations

  • Hope Pregnancy Clinic – 3 baby items
  • Watch Caps for OSH Museum of Mental Health – 5 Watch Caps
  • Operation School Bell – 20 hats

Show & Tell

Marion Thomas made a very handsome hat for Operation School Bell. She couldn’t remember the pattern, but it might have been brioche or twisted ribbing.

Program

Speaker Makayla from Hooked in a Flash presented many interesting ways to conquer gauge questions when beginning a sweater pattern. She stated that we should check our gauge, because each person knits differently… are you a tight, loose, or somewhere in-between knitter? 

Knowing your measurements: circumference of the neck, bust, hips and the arm hole are critical for a good fit. She gave a math equation of stitch count divided by stitches per inch to make your gauge swatch for further calculations on how many stitches to cast on. She also mentioned two other helpful guides as noted below. 

Wraps Per Inch – Wrap yarn snugly for 1” on a pencil. Each inch represents the number of stitches/types of yarn as listed below.  This can vary widely or can be just right.

  • Lace  30-40 wpi
  • Fingering  13-30 wpi
  • Sport/DK  12-28 wpi
  • DK  11-15 wpi
  • Worsted or 4-ply 8-12 wpi
  • Bulky 6-9 wpi
  • Super Bulky 5-6 wpi
  • Jumbo 1-4 wpi                       

Folding Yarn Together to knit an item:

  • 2 strands of Lace = Fingering weight
  • 2 strands of Fingering = Sport weight
  • 2 strands of Sport = DK light weight
  • 2 strands of DK light = Worsted/4-ply weight
  • 2 strands of Worsted/4-ply = Bulky weight
  • 2 strands of Bulky = Super weight

If you would like to contact Makayla, she works at Teaselwick Wools (971-304-7050) and creates pattern and videos which can be seen on “Hooked in a Flash” on YouTube, Etsy or Facebook.   

Upcoming Events

Next Meeting

“Christmas in July” will commence at our next meeting, July 12, 2025. We will meet at the usual location – first floor of the Mill Building. Bring all knitting items, yarn and the like so they can find a good and new home.

Other Events

Meeting Minutes

May 2025 Minutes

Salem Millstream Knitting Guild

This Month

Birthdays

decorated birthday cupcakes with birthday candles shaped like the letters HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy May Birthday to:

  • Sara Amend
  • Cindy Barrick
  • Rosemary Blakely
  • Kathy Goebel

May Meeting Highlights

Guild Business

President Arthur started the meeting by recognizing birthdays of members (above) and new members and guest: Cindey Giratt, Westley Starling and Grace Maurer, with guest Carol Wagner.

Su Fennern stated that “Sheep to Shawl” was a success and graciously thanked members Debbie Paxon, Diane Williams, Judith  Bither, Sara Almond, Marsha Graciosa, Tia Purdy, Michelle Sanguinetti, Janet Bubl and Heather Sly-Haley for their assistance.  It was unclear if attendance was more than last year. 

It was announced that Salem Fiberarts Guild (SFG) is having a Stash Sale on June 14, the same day as our June meeting. If members want to sell their stash, they must be members of the SFG; however, you can shop without membership from 10 AM – 3 PM in the grassy area of the WHC parking lot.

Pres. Authur called for nominations for Guild Secretary, with Su Fennern nominating Margaret Fizer. This was seconded by many members, and votes were secured without dissent. Margaret Fizer is the official Guild Secretary. Congrats and thank you!

Service Projects Donation Update

Su Fennern reviewed our 2025 Service Projects: 

basket full of watch caps

WATCH CAPS: donated over 40; HOPE BABY ITEMS: over 70.  Su suggested we shift our knitting focus to Operation School Bell (OSB) hats, stating that last year, we knitted 339 items. She recognized top knitters: Kathy Goebel – 94 hats, Sue Culbertson – 45 hats, Sue Tyvoll – 40 hats, Cheryl Kleckner – 35 hats, Sandy Galbraith – 33 hats, plus 2 scarves. Thanks to all who participated!

Sue Culbertson and Margaret Fizer spoke about OSB hats helping Head Start to third graders. About 20 have been collected in 2025. They offered the hat pattern copies for worsted weight yarn and stated that the pattern was on the website. Parameters: hat should fit head circumference 20”, height 8.5”, solids, stripes, or colors yarn makes as knitted. Best colors: red, pink, blue, green, purple, brown and black.

Show & Tell

  • Sara Amend sported a sweet sweater with slant pockets that fit perfectly after she altered the pattern.
  • Joellen Kay showed off a striking subtle lime green and white striped sweater.  Both were well received with positive comments.
  • Judy Ozalan handed out her popular mosaic “Phone Cozy” pattern.

Program

Our speaker was Lois Olund owner of Blakesley Farm in Philomath, Oregon. She shared her love of sheep and her journey into the sheep business. She moved to Oregon in 1978 and purchased land. Her love of spinning and sheep came together as she taught Special Ed classes by day and spun and planned by night. Her dreams sprouted a home, barns, land for Wensleydale sheep to roam and breed, an AirBnB, heritage apple grove and a Wool Company. 

She imparted her knowledge to us with the interesting fact that sheep were domesticated  9-11,000 yrs ago. Stats: over 1 billion sheep are alive in our world, with 165,000 in Oregon, which is one of the top 10 sheep-raising areas in the U.S., mainly due to our climate. 

She set up a dynamic display of 140 single photos of sheep with touchable samples of the fleece each breed produces. Sixty of the sheep breeds pictured can be found in the U.S. Yarn balls with the sheep’s breed were available for us to touch. She made a visual board listing the breed name with sample strands of wool noting the fiber characteristics that turn into yarn we use. She also showed a very large book with “everything sheep” that she has created, drawing from her research, knowledge and many photos and wool samples mailed to her over the years. 

Needless to say, the entire program plus the displays was so impressive!

For more info: contact Lois at 541-609-0838; lolund@peak.org; Blakesley Creek Farm in Philomath, OR. Wensleydale sheep breeding stock and products, heritage apples and owner of Bellwether Wool Company. Sheepherder Wagon AirBnB.

Upcoming Events

Next Meeting

June’s meeting will be held in the old Pendleton Store area at Willamette Heritage Center (WHC) due to a scheduling conflict.

August’s meeting will be held at WHC – probably outdoors, with possibly Little Lois Lunches ordered. All Knit Along is the featured activity.

Other Events