If you’re like me, you’ve got (a few) mystery skeins of yarn in your stash. Check out the new Yarn Stash Tips on our new Tips and Tricks page!
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October 2020 Minutes
This Month:
We held a Zoom meeting today at our regular meeting time and it was great! Thank you to all the ladies who joined in the conversation this morning. We only had about 11 attendees but we had a nice time talking about knitting, families, work, and all the other things we talk about when we get together in person. We even got to see a picture of Cindy Barrick’s new granddaughter. We discussed continuing with monthly Zoom meetings and decided that we’ll have one each month during our regular meeting time. Our next meeting will be on November 14 from 10 to 12. We’ll be sending out meeting details about two weeks before the meeting and then a reminder on the Thursday prior to the meeting. We know that virtual contact can’t take the place of in-person, but we miss seeing you and would love to have everyone join in if you can and share what’s going on in your lives – knitting or not.
We also discussed ways to make the Zoom meetings more engaging and had some good ideas. Laura Wegman stepped up to give a presentation on historical knitting at our November meeting! We’re looking forward to hearing from her and hope you’ll join us for that meeting. We also hope that any of you who have techniques you enjoy will volunteer to present in future months. You don’t need to be an expert, and it doesn’t have to be a long presentation; just share something you enjoy or find interesting in the knitting world. Another idea that came up was to share your favorite knitting related website and how you use it, or even a favorite YouTube video. That’s one advantage of a Zoom meeting – it’s really easy for everyone to see someone’s computer screen. If you’d like to volunteer to share in the coming months, please send an email to the Guild address – salemknitters@outlook.com.
Donations also came up, and we would like to know if you’ve donated items in the name of the Guild this year. Kathy Goebel has worked with Kathy Howald to get some items donated, but you can also donate on your own and just let us know. We’d love to see the good you’re spreading around. One of our own lost everything in the recent fires, and it is very likely that others displaced by the fire would enjoy some hand-knitted comfort.🧣 If you know of any places accepting donations specifically for people affected by the fires, please send us an email, and we’ll get that shared with everyone.
Stay safe and healthy. We look forward to seeing you when we can. Thank you!
NEXT MEETING IS NOVEMBER 14, 2020
Virtual Knitting Live! by Vogue Knitting
July Virtual Knitting Live!
With virtual events, no one has to miss out on attending Vogue Knitting Live! Register and buy tickets on the Vogue Knitting Live website for the July 16-18, 2020 events. There will be live virtual classes with designers like Karida Collins, Lucy Neatby, Connie Peng, Safiyyah Talley, Natalie Thomas, and so many more, plus knitting classes, free content, and dozens of vendors to shop from!
Take advantage of this opportunity to experience Vogue Knitting Live from the comfort of your own home devices. Use #virtualknittinglive to follow the events on Facebook and Instagram.
There will be another Virtual Knitting Live! in August as well. Go to the main Vogue Knitting Live website to register for the August 13-16, 2020 event.
June 2020 Minutes
This Month:
We had a total of ten members attend the Zoom meeting on Saturday morning.
We did not have an agenda for the meeting other than to chat about life and knitting. We didn’t take notes about everything that was shared, but do remember that a lovely brioche shawl (Leaf Crescent Brioche Shawl), ear-savers and mask cover, blankets, romper, hat, and a felting project were shared and discussed. There were other items discussed and shown, so apologies for any that were missed.
Patty Scruggs shared an article last week via email that she found enjoyable, so we’re passing the link along to you: Shearing Sheep, and Hewing to Tradition, on an Island in Maine.
We need to decide whether or not we want to continue to have more virtual meetings via Zoom. We want to get YOUR opinion. Please take this SurveyMonkey survey by June 27 to have your opinions heard.
Thank you!
Virtual Events!
Virtual Knitting Live! by Vogue Knitting
With virtual events, no one has to miss out on attending Vogue Knitting Live! Register and buy tickets on the Vogue Knitting Live website for the May 11-18, 2020 events. There will be live virtual classes with designers like Norah Gaughan, Denise Bayron, Brandi Cheyenne Harper, Mieka John, Angela Tong, and so many more, plus knitting classes, free content, and dozens of vendors to shop from!
Take advantage of this opportunity to experience Vogue Knitting Live from the comfort of your own home devices. Use #virtualknittinglive to follow the events on Facebook and Instagram.
2020 Cancellations
It is with heavy hearts that we have to share the news of the following cancellations. Remember that the SMKG Ravelry Group is always available for chatting and sharing projects you’re working on or have completed, asking questions, or just to stop by and look at what others might be working on.
Salem Millstream Knitting Guild Beach Retreat
May 14-17, 2020 at Twin Rocks Conference Center
The safety and well-being of the retreat attendees is our utmost concern, and mid-May is too soon to ensure your safety. This year’s retreat will not be held.
We are all disappointed by this decision, but we know it is the best decision for you, your family, our event, the staff at Twin Rocks, and our community.
Black Sheep Gathering
June 25-28, 2020 at Linn County Fairgrounds in Albany, OR
With heavy hearts, we have decided it is in the best interest of our community to cancel the 2020 Black Sheep Gathering. The safety and well-being of our attendees is our utmost concern, and the June timeframe is too soon to ensure that safety. We will plan to see all of you June 25-27, 2021.
To help our vendors, please visit our Marketplace page. By April 30, you can find links and/or contact information to make purchases and support our community. We will be working with our animal exhibitors to see if we can find a way to similarly support them.
If you made camping reservations through Linn County, they will be refunding you.
Be safe and stay well!
April 2020 Meeting CANCELLED
Given the Covid-19 pandemic, it will come as no surprise that the April 2020 meeting of the Salem Millstream Knitting Guild is cancelled. We will reschedule Kathy from Ryberry Yarns in the future. Also, the Retreat Committee is discussing what to do about the Rockaway Beach Knitting Retreat in May.
If you’re not already knitting charity items, Donna Cowan has suggested that now would be a great time to start, and we totally agree! You can knit hats, blankets, scarves, whatever you fancy. I’m sure we will be able to find someone who wants whatever we’ve made.
Remember that you can visit the Ravelry group to stay in contact with members and other knitters. Please do what it takes to keep yourself as safe as possible from this deadly pandemic. Stay home as much as you can, and practice social distancing and frequent hand-washing when you can’t. We want to see everyone back for a knitting party as soon as we can! 🧶
March 2020 Meeting CANCELLED
Due to the concerns about the spread of Coronavirus, the March 14, 2020 meeting of the Salem Millstream Knitting Guild is cancelled. The Board thought about it carefully and considered holding the meeting and just reminding people to stay home if they are sick. Ultimately, we decided that canceling was best because it’s possible for people to be contagious even if they don’t have any symptoms. We care about all of you and want you to be safe and healthy!
Hopefully, you’ll still have a morning full of knitting, and maybe even knit up something new to show everyone in April. If you would like to make a hat with a pom-pom, we have a nice hat pattern from Purl Soho and some really easy instructions for making a pom-pom with supplies you probably have on hand at home. 🧶
February 2020 Minutes
This Month:
Welcome new members and guests!
Birthdays in February:
Joyce Cook
Patty Scruggs
Guild Business
Audit Committee
We need members to serve on the Audit Committee. Marcia Smith and Kathy Goebel volunteered.
SMKG CafePress Store
Members are all encouraged to visit the CafePress site that Teresa has set up if they would like to purchase items. There are water bottles, hats and nice tote bags available.
Show and Tell
We passed around a form for everyone to write down their show and tell projects with the pattern details.
- Su Fennern was a test knitter for the Eclipse shawl from Theressa Silver’s new book, Crescents, which was just published in paperback.
- Nancy was working on the shawl 28’s Cousin 53 which is free on Ravelry.
- Karen L made some really cute Options Slippers for Women, also a free pattern on Ravelry.
- Cindy is working on Barley Hats, a free pattern from tincanknits.
- Sharon is working on a Lujoso Cowl from Northwest Wools, a yarn shop in Portland.
- Debbie Juul made Vickie Howell’s I Heart Cowl, which is available free on her website.
- Linda made a Slouchy Hat with some beautiful Teresa Ruch tencel yarn.
- Marsha made a Simple Sample Hat, which shows off various knitting techniques.
- Donna C is making a Bog Jacket from Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitting Around book.
February Program
Charity Sit & Knit
We had a sit & knit for charity! If you already have projects that you knit for charity, bring them to the next meeting. We will take some time for everyone to share the patterns they use when doing charity knitting. If you don’t have any charity knitting, here are some free patterns that can get you started making items for other folks.
Hats of all kinds!
- Giving Tree Chemo Cap
- Many styles of cute crochet and knit patterns are available at Knots of Love. They ask that you only use their patterns to make hats to donate to them but will also accept donations for the patterns.
- Simple Chemo Cap in the round
- Warmth for Warriors hats knit in the round or flat
- Simple Knit Hat in the round or flat
Here are some patterns that you may want to purchase that give proceeds to various charitable causes:
- Sales from Australia Ablaze Beanie will go to the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park.
- Sales from Koala Tea Cosy and Koala & Panda Beanies / Hats will go to the “Queensland Koala Crusaders” who are raising funds to provide a koala sanctuary near Noosa.
- Sales from Toy Kangaroo & Joey, Toy Wombat, Toy Bat and Spider & Bat Hats will go to “AnimalsAustralia” who support charities caring for injured and displaced animals.
- Sales from Water hat go to Mari Copeny, a pre-teen activist making sure people pay attention to the ongoing water crisis in Flint, MI.
This list is for free patterns that are used by other wildlife refuge places:
- Sweater for penguins
- Hanging Bird Nest
- Rescue Nests for Birds
- Rescue Nest for animals
- Shelter Kitten and Wildlife Cozy
- Rescue Cave Nests
- Patterns for pet blankets
- Rescued Battery Hen Jumper
Next Meeting
March Meeting will be Pom-Pom making
Please bring any pom-pom makers you have and/or instructions to make your favorite pom-poms! We’ll set up several “making” stations around the room. If anyone would like to lead a make & take, let us know of your interest along with a list of supplies needed to participate. We’ll send the info out to the rest of the members. Also, if you’d like to practice making some Poms that match your existing projects, bring some yarn! All weights and types of yarns can be turned into cute pom-poms.
NEXT MEETING IS MARCH 14
TERRACE LAKE COMMUNITY CENTER
2120 ROBINS LANE
AT 10 AM
January 2020 Minutes
This Month:
Welcome new members and guests. We had one new guest, Debbie Paxson.
Birthdays in January:
Kelli Bold
JoAnn Crawford
Marsha Graciosa
Kathy Howard
Clara Stoner
January Program
Teresa Furnish hosted a fun afternoon of Bingo with prizes.
If anyone has program ideas, please let Teresa know.
Guild Business
The meeting came to order by Janet Bubl, our new president.
UFOs for 2019
We had a discussion on saving the gift certificates for another occasion, as there were only a few participants. Members discussed whether to do this again in 2020 or have a contest on the most challenging projects.
SMKG CafePress Store
Teresa shared a bag and a water bottle with the Salem Millstream Knitting logo. If you’d like to purchase items, you can find them in the SMKG CafePress store. The cost of the items is set by CafePress, and we can add a markup if we’d like to make a profit. We did NOT add a markup because the idea is to make them available to you at the lowest cost possible.
Beach Retreat
Su Fennern reported that the final payment for the retreat is to be paid in full by February 15. Contact Sue Munson to find out the exact amount.
Show and Tell
The show and tell projects are too many to report; it’s a challenge to get all the names and details. So it’s been suggested to have a form passed around for everyone to write down their show and tell projects with all the details. This will start in February.
Patterns for January/February
- Bojagi Shawl by knitboop designs
- White Frost hat or beanie by Babette Ulmer
Next Meeting
February Charity Sit & Knit
We’re going to have a sit & knit for charity! If you already have projects that you knit for charity, bring them along! We will take some time for everyone to share the patterns they use when doing charity knitting. If you don’t have any charity knitting, here are some free patterns that can get you started making items for other folks.
Hats of all kinds!
- Giving Tree Chemo Cap
- Many styles of cute crochet and knit patterns are available at Knots of Love. They ask that you only use their patterns to make hats to donate to them but will also accept donations for the patterns.
- Simple Chemo Cap in the round
- Warmth for Warriors hats knit in the round or flat
- Simple Knit Hat in the round or flat
Here are some patterns that you may want to purchase that give proceeds to various charitable causes:
- Sales from Australia Ablaze Beanie will go to the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park.
- Sales from Koala Tea Cosy and Koala & Panda Beanies / Hats will go to the “Queensland Koala Crusaders” who are raising funds to provide a koala sanctuary near Noosa.
- Sales from Toy Kangaroo & Joey, Toy Wombat, Toy Bat and Spider & Bat Hats will go to “AnimalsAustralia” who support charities caring for injured and displaced animals.
- Sales from Water hat go to Mari Copeny, a pre-teen activist making sure people pay attention to the ongoing water crisis in Flint, MI.
Hope to see you there!
NEXT MEETING IS FEBRUARY 8
TERRACE LAKE COMMUNITY CENTER
2120 ROBINS LANE
AT 10 AM
