Category: Tips

Events, Meeting Minutes, News, Tips

April 2021 Minutes

Salem Millstream Knitting Guild

We had 14 members and a guest at our April meeting.

Guild Business

Business included a discussion about the Guild Board members and roles that need filled. Please be thinking about ways you can help keep the Guild functioning and let Janet Bubl know if there’s a role you’re interested in filling in the coming years.

Reminder that Tia Purdy is looking for donations of hats and scarves for a Christmas tree project at her school. Please feel free to reach out to Tia or the Board if you have any questions.

Program – Where’s Your Stash?

Our program was facilitated by Marcia Smith and included people sharing about their yarn, pattern, and tool storage. One nice thing about the Zoom format for our meetings is that we got some peeks into some of our fellow members’ yarn rooms. We saw baskets, pretty yarn-filled bookshelves, bins, books, and binders. It was a lot of fun!

Su’s Tips and Tricks

After the meeting, Su shared a document with important tips about organizing and protecting our yarn stashes. We’ve invested time and money in our stashes, and it’s worth the effort to keep all the lovely yarn safe and accessible.

Show and Tell

During show and tell, Cindy Barrick shared a lovely knitted Christmas ball from a pattern she found on a blog – www.arnecarlos.com.  If you visit, you’ll need to scroll back a few entries to see the Christmas balls, but there’s plenty more to see, as well.

Upcoming Events

May Meeting – May 8, 10 AM to Noon (see Zoom info below)

We’ll be discussing all sorts of things about socks! Su Fennern sent out questions and is putting together a program that will include Kathy Holt sharing about repairing our precious hand knit socks.

May 11, Newsletter Deadline

If you’d like to share an upcoming event, pattern, or other news with the Guild members, please email Teresa at SalemKnitters@outlook.com. Deadline for newsletter content is the first Tuesday after our monthly meeting. We look forward to hearing from you!

Zoom Info

Join our meetings using your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Call into our meetings (audio only)

  • Dial +1 253 215 8782 (Note: this is a Tacoma number, which is the closest available for Zoom users in Oregon. You could be charged for the call depending on your phone plan.)
  • You will need both the meeting ID and the Passcode.
  • Meeting ID: 826 2206 6475
  • Passcode: 227463

Resources to help you use Zoom:

Zoom video tutorials: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206618765-Zoom-video-tutorials

YouTube search results for “using Zoom”: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=using+zoom

Zoom’s support page: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362033-Getting-Started-on-Windows-and-Mac

Events, Meeting Minutes, News, Tips

March 2021 Minutes

Salem Millstream Knitting Guild

We had 14 members join our Zoom meeting for our March Guild meeting.

Guild Business

Birthday Cards

Tia Purdy has volunteered to send birthday cards to members and reach out to members who might need some contact. Tia told us all that if we don’t share our birthday months, she’ll just pick one at random. 😊

Charity Knitting Project

Tia also shared about a school project we can get involved in. Every year in November/December they put up a tree and place scarves, mittens, and hats on it. Each of the 300 kids, grades K-5th, can take them off the tree. Contact Tia or Su to provide knitted items. Su shared a great hat pattern with basic instructions that includes size suggestions for various ages that you’ll find attached.

Retreat

Due to COVID-19, Twin Rocks Conference Center could not accommodate our group this year, so we cancelled the retreat, and refunds are being sent out. Contact Su Fennern if you have questions.

Program

Patty Scruggs shared how to make glove fingers, and several members shared gloves they had made. Patty shared that her favorite fitting gloves repeat the pattern of 2 rows of K, then a row of K1, P1. She also shared a link to a YouTube video for knitting gloves with magic loop and one for making top down gloves without a pattern.

Show and Tell

We’re getting a little bit better working with our cameras on these Zoom meetings and enjoyed seeing a whole bunch of projects. I’m sure we missed some, but here’s what we captured:

Free Yarn

The Guild has received a yarn donation that we’re passing on to the Guild members. It’s first come first serve, so if you want any, don’t hesitate to email Su Fennern to claim it.

The yarn is 3-ply Persian Wool by Paternayan Yanrs. Each hank is 4 oz with 160 yards, except for the Mixed Lot – not sure how much is there.

Persian yarn is well known the world over for its superiority for needlework such as needlepoint, embroidery, and cross stitch. It can also be used for knitting and felting.

Su’s Tips and Tricks – Weaving in the Ends

A class on weaving in ends could take 2-4 hours, but Su put together a one-pager for us to help make weaving in all those ends a bit more bearable. Thanks, Su!

Upcoming Events

April Meeting – April 10, 10 AM to Noon (see Zoom info below)

We’ll be sharing with one another how we stash our treasure – aka yarn and tools. 🙂
Some things to consider talking about during the meeting:

  • What helps you keep your yarn/knitting stash available – organized or not?
  • Where do you keep your yarn stash?
  • Do you sort by: color, yarn weight, or projects?
  • Is your yarn in plastic bags, bags, or containers?
  • How do you store your needles: all longs, double points, circular?
  • Are needles sorted by size? Or something different?
  • Do you have a chart listing which needles you have?
  • Do you have a chart for your yarn?
  • What is the oldest yarn you have?

If you have a picture or link to a helpful “knitting thing” for stash organization, please send it to Teresa at SalemKnitters@outlook.com by Thursday, April 8. You can also share your screen or camera during the meeting if you’re comfortable with the technology.

April 13, Newsletter Deadline

If you’d like to share an upcoming event, pattern, or other news with the Guild members, please email Teresa at SalemKnitters@outlook.com. Deadline for newsletter content is the first Tuesday after our monthly meeting. We look forward to hearing from you!

May Meeting – May 8, 10 AM to Noon (see Zoom info below)

We’ll be discussing all the different types of sock heels that we use. Su Fennern is planning to get some folks lined up to share their favorites. She said she has a list of oodles of different heels that she’ll be sending out and asking us to share what we use, so keep an eye out for it!

Zoom Info

Join our meetings using your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Call into our meetings (audio only)

  • Dial +1 253 215 8782 (Note: this is a Tacoma number, which is the closest available for Zoom users in Oregon. You could be charged for the call depending on your phone plan.)
  • You will need both the meeting ID and the Passcode.
  • Meeting ID: 826 2206 6475
  • Passcode: 227463

Resources to help you use Zoom:

Zoom video tutorials: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206618765-Zoom-video-tutorials

YouTube search results for “using Zoom”: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=using+zoom

Zoom’s support page: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362033-Getting-Started-on-Windows-and-Mac

Tips

Yarn Stash Tips – What Color Yarn Will Your Next Project Be?

Salem Millstream Knitting Guild

Do you have a new project in mind to start?  Choosing colors can be fun.  It’s an opportunity to be creative and express your own personal style.  What is the right color style, the right color design for that project?   

Is your new project one with simple stitch patterns?  Or is it one with complicated stitch patterns?  Having this answer will help you determine what color style of yarn would work up best for our project.

Check out the new Yarn Stash Tips on our Tips and Tricks page!

three skeins of fingering weight yarn in various colors