Friday, November 29, 2013

Happy Holidays!



We had a great time at out holiday party at the November meeting! We've got some pretty awesome cooks in our midst and it was nice to knit and eat and chat.  It's been an amazing first year for our Guild and I can't wait to see what we do in 2014!

A reminder: There will be no meeting in December (as our regular meeting day would fall on Christmas Eve).  Our first meeting of 2014 will be Tuesday, January 28 and the program will be Bag Dye a Silk Scarf with the super fun Pat Lorenz of Bird Mountain Creations!  Program cost is $20 for the first scarf, and she will have more on hand to purchase, because once you dye one, you'll want to dye another ;-)  Bring a friend!  Also, bring your 2014 membership form and dues.

Until then, don't forget there is Third Thursday Knitting at the Village Knittery on December 19 and January 16, from 5-8pm.

We have also been invited to party with the Summerville Knitters on December 15 at 2pm. (That's a Sunday.)  Contact MaryBeth or Lynn to RSVP by Dec. 10 (not a Sunday). You'll need to bring a dish to share and a handmade ornament to exchange. The Summerville Knitters meet every Sunday from 2-4 at the Atlanta Bread on Main in Summerville, though (except for Dec. 15, due to the party).

Lastly, the last (for awhile) meeting of the Monday Morning Knitters will be Monday, December 2 from 10-11:30am at the Panera near the Outlet Mall.  I am going to be putting MMK on hiatus for a bit due to an increase in my workload.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Emily's Blanket

As we sat around in the spring, knitting at our Knit-in-Public Day at the Flowertown Festival, discussion turned to the new building that Emily had purchased to house our beloved LYS.  Consensus had it that we should do something special for her to celebrate and commemorate, and the Secret Patchwork Blanket for Emily Project was born.

The plan was this:  Guild members and friends were to knit a 7"x9" block or two to be sewn into a 49-block afghan.  A couple of us picked out some coordinating colors of Plymouth Encore's Solids and Tweeds and the yarn list was emailed out along with some sample patterns to knit.  A sewing-up party was planned for summer, with the presentation to occur in July when the new shop opened.

As you know by now, the new shop took a little longer than planned to open (Oct. 7!) and we ran into a snag on the knitting, too.  WE HAD TOO MANY BLOCKS! So we made it bigger, and made a pillow, too.




"Out of Many; One"

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

October Events


This month is going to be crazy busy, y'all!  Here is a list of some of the things on the schedule.  Let me know what I miss, because I'm sure I'll miss something...

Oct. 2-6 TKGA Fall Knit and Crochet Show-Charlotte/Concord, NC

Oct. 10 Knit in Public Day at the Park Circle Farmer's Market 4-6pm

Oct. 10 Charity Knit Night Potluck at Victoria's house-6:30 pm

Oct. 12 Lowcountry Fiber Fair, Walterboro, SC-9am-4:30pm

Oct. 22 Flowertown Knitting Guild Monthly Meeting-6:30-8pm

Oct. 25-27 SAFF in Fletcher, NC

And if all goes well....

Oct. 7 The Village Knittery will open in their NEW location! 219 S. Cedar Street, Summerville (around the corner from the current location)

Friday, September 13, 2013

De-Stash Swap!


Have some yarn you like but have too much of?  Have two copies of a book that is one too many?

Join us for a De-Stash Swap!

Place: Joyce's house 
Date: TOMORROW! Saturday, Sept. 14
Time: 1-4 pm

Bring: yarn, needles, books, patterns, knitting notions for swap/sale


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Charity Knitting--Patterns and Potlucks


The members of the Flowertown Knitting Guild are currently knitting warm hats for two local charities:

Flowertown Elementary School and TriCounty Family Ministries 

So whether you want to make hats for children or adults, we will have plenty of opportunities! 

Here are two pattern options: 
Hat with Heart (web link) (Ravelry link)
Churchill--A Knitted Hat (web link) (Raverly link)

You can knit one of these or if you have another pattern you like, feel free to make it--any color, any size. It would be best to use fully washable yarn.  If you need some yarn for any of our charity projects, we have had several generous donations of free skeins!

 If you're looking for a chance to gather with your fellow knitters, work on charity knitting projects, and share a yummy potluck supper, mark your calendars for September 16 at 6pm.  Victoria has graciously opened her home to us--just bring your own materials to knit (she will have some of that free yarn for charity projects) and a dish to share.  Contact her on Ravelry for address and to RSVP, or contact the Guild at flowertownknittingguild@gmail.com

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Lowcountry Fiber Fair


(For those of you with some free time in your October...)

 Announcing:
First Annual Lowcountry Fiber Fair
October 12, 2013

One day fair

The fair is a new endeavor put on by 
dedicated fiber artists and 

506 E. Washington Street
Historic Walterboro, SC

And they have a Facebook Page for this shindig, too :)


Tuesday, August 20, 2013

August meeting--8/27

We are one week away from our next meeting on Tuesday, August 27!  Remember we are looking into putting our logo on shirts, so don't forget to bring your shirt if you have one. Also, we will be accepting hats for our current charity knitting projects, so bring those, and if you're working on one, bring it to work on :) 

We will be having a short program/class on cables--you don't want to miss it!

As always, further details are on our Ravelry group.  Hope to see you all there--NEXT Tuesday!

Monday, August 5, 2013

How we turned a molehill into a "Cold Mountain"





A few weeks ago, I did the unthinkable. I cast on for a lace shawl. I know, I know, all of you lace-ites don't question your sanity when you decide to tackle the next mission the lace god's have sent you on. But I, a lowly crafter, who enjoys a good challenge, quake every time I see the words "lace weight", or "blocking".  For years I avoided the lace path by keeping myself busy with cables, sweaters, bobbles, scarves (for EVERYONE) Fair Isle, socks, dishcloths, hats, and last, and most certainly least intarsia.  I have done very easy lace before for market bags, the random scarf, and a teapot cozy for my Mum. The problem is, even though it's labeled "easy", for me it was anything but.

To be honest I never found shawls to be very chic. In my mind a shawl is what your grandmother who knits wears. I already knit I thought, lets not add the shawl just yet... Then my Mother a few years ago roped me into helping her with a shawl class she was teaching. She wanted two different pattern options, She would knit one, I the other. She picked a civil war era, garter stitch, triangle shawl. I picked a 1950's wrap, which had a collar and, drum roll, was nothing but lace. It doesn't look like lace; it looks like a faux cable. Needless to say it drove me up a wall and almost over a cliff before my mother helped me by knitting the last ten or so inches. NEVER AGAIN, I thought. 

Then fate intervened, while at the Knit In Public/take over the sidewalk in front of the Village Knittery Day, Mary Beth needed help taking a picture of a recent lace shawl she had just finished.  It. Was. Beautiful. I don't even remember what she said about it besides the dreaded words "lace weight" and I just finished "blocking" it. I have never fallen so hard for knitting before. Sure, I have drooled over many, many, patterns and types of knitting. But I have never suddenly NEEDED to knit something!

I went to my knitting enabler with my problem. "Why don't we make it a knit-along? And include the guild, so we'll be sure to finish it?" She said. "Sure Mom, sounds like a good idea."
Over the next few weeks I searched and searched for the perfect shawl. The words circling in my head were:
  •       It must not have too many repeats
  •       It must be free
  •       It must be a rectangle
  •       It must look like lace  (Not faux cables. Been there, bought the t-shirt)

      I enlisted the enabler again to help me decide. A lovely pattern from Knitty.com (Free!) called Cold Mountain by Kieran Foley caught our eyes. It was perfect; it had the right amount of repeats, not too many and not too little and was visually interesting. It was free, it was a rectangle, and it looked like lace! It also had variations so you could be different if you wanted! I know I said this already but it was perfect! 


      I know what you're thinking, or what I hope you're thinking; how can I join in? Easy! Pick which Cold Mountain you want to climb, the original or a variation.  And start knitting it's that easy! Our goal is to hit 15 rows per week. We are on our third week so we should have just finished doing the 45th row (in each of our patterns.) Note the word should, I am quite behind, but it's okay, with a little work I can catch up. Besides, it's not about if you finish it, but when! 



To all of you who have already joined me in this journey, WE CAN DO IT! We are knitters; we do not give up!
-Josie


For more information on this knit-along please visit the Flowertown Knitting Guild Ravelry page.









Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Knit Night at the Joe

We had so much fun celebrating World Wide Knit in Public Day at the RiverDogs game back in June, that we decided to have another shot at it....

Announcing!!
~~~
Knit Night at the Joe
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Game time: 5:05pm
Ticket price: $7
CLICK HERE to go to the RiverDogs site and purchase your discounted tickets. Group password is "knit"

We are in Section 203 (one over from last time, but still on the top 2 rows. When you click on the link to buy the tickets, it shows most of Section 203, but WE ARE ONLY ON THE LAST 2 ROWS! PLEASE choose seats on either Row 11 or 12!!!!)

Bring your friends and family--knitting or otherwise!
Can't wait to see you there!!





Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Pet blanket drop-off--Success!

Just a quick update--

We turned in 15 pet blankets during the SPCA donation drive on Saturday, June 29. 15!!  That is awesome work!  I know there are still some pet blankets out there in progress (including the one on my needles!) so we will continue to take them during the month of July.  Bring them to the July meeting or give to Cathy if you see her throughout the month.

Here she is with Angela, dropping off our donation:

Great job, ladies!!

Monday, July 1, 2013

A Knit-a-Long!

Hello all!

Having always wanted to knit a lace shawl I thought I might start a knit-along to ensure a finished project.
 
Here is the link to the project, Cold Mountain

The casting on day is Sunday, July 14th. Our goal will be 15 rows per week. We will be done with the shawl in 36 weeks, around mid February, unless you plan on shortening it or making it even longer.
Our goal could be 30 rows per week, but some of us, including myself, are not fast knitters. This is also lace which is much slower then doing ribbing or stockinette.

Everyone, I assume, is busy and I do not want to cause stress for anyone on reaching these goals. You do not have to do 15 rows per week, you can do 0 or you can do 30, it really doesn’t matter, knitting is supposed to be fun! It’s about enjoying the journey and the finished object. :)

Please post pictures and updates on your progress! There is a discussion thread on our Raverly group already.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Josie

Thursday, June 27, 2013

From pet blankets to warm hats--charity knitting update



Our Guild charity project from March-July has been pet blankets for critters awaiting adoption at the SPCA.  Cathy is planning to take those we have knitted thus far to the "Paw-ty" on Short Central this Saturday (a fundraiser/donation drive/adoption event).  The event is from 10am-4pm and is open to the public, including those of the furry variety.

If you still have pet blankets to turn in, we can get them to her during the month or at the July meeting, and she will take them to the SPCA.

Up next: Warm Hats!
We have two destinations for warm hats for this winter-- a local elementary school and
 TriCounty Family Ministries. So whether you want to make hats for children or adults, we will have plenty of opportunities!  At our next meeting, Tuesday, July 23, I will do a short program showing how to knit a hat in the round. There is also an option to knit a hat flat and then sew up.

Here are some pattern options: 
Hat with Heart (web link) (Ravelry link)
Churchill--A Knitted Hat (web link) (Raverly link)


Thanks to a very generous yarn donation, we have many skeins of free yarn to use for any of our charity knitting projects--just see Cathy.

Monday, May 13, 2013

WWKiP Day Events

WWKiP Day Events!!

The Flowertown Knitting Guild is sponsoring the following events to celebrate World Wide Knit in Public Day (WWKiP).  Both events are open to all knitters (and crocheters, etc).


 The Village Knittery sidewalk
Saturday, June 8, 2013 
 10 am--2 pm
Bring: Knitting (!), a chair, snacks, drinks, sunblock, maybe a pop up tent if you have one.
Cost: Free


Knit in Public Day at the Charleston RiverDogs
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Joe Riley Stadium--Charleston RiverDogs vs. Asheville Tourists
Gates Open at 4pm
Game Time is 5:05pm
Follow this link and when prompted, enter the Group Password: knit
Link: RiverDogs Group Tickets for WWKiP Day
Click BUY and click on the GREEN seats you would like. Complete the order with a credit card and print the tickets out at home. We are in Upper Reserve seats, section 202 behind the RiverDogs dugout.
Tickets Must Be Purchased by 2pm the day of the game!
Cost: $7/per person (free parking since it’s on a Sunday game!)
Bring: Knitting (!) and extra money for concessions.

---Tamara :)

Monday, May 6, 2013

Westview Primary Spring Carnival

On Saturday, May 4, seven of our intrepid Flowertowners (and Ewenice the Sheep!) demonstrated "From Sheep to Sweater" at the Westview Primary School's Spring Carnival in Goose Creek, SC.

There were a LOT of folks there and we may have sparked enough interest in some of the younger attendees to inspire a whole new crop of future knitters!  We also had lots of questions about the Guild from parents and teachers.  And a few of us tried our hand at learning to spin (WAY harder than it looks!!).








Friday, April 19, 2013

APRIL!

Our April meeting is only days away--Tuesday, April 23!

Come with your item(s) for Show and Tell and if you're working on a pet blanket for our charity project (see our Ravelry discussion for more info), bring that to work on.

We'll also firm up details for our next knitting outreach which will be Saturday, May 4 at the Westview Primary School's Spring Carnival. 

Can't wait to see y'all!!

---Tamara :)

Upcoming Fiber Arts events in North Carolina

I received this info from a knitting friend and thought it might be worth a look. I know some of you have taken Knitting Cruises before and we ALL need to put SAFF on our calendars now!                                                                        
 --Tamara :)                 

- Fantasy Fiber Arts/Knitting  Cruise departing from Charleston, SC  on July 26st for 5 days. An exceptional value package which also includes classes on the cruise during the two days at sea to/from the Bahamas.

- Friends and Fiberworks Summer Retreat in Asheville, NC on July 14th – 16th at Biltmore Square Mall. Lots of classes and supplies for your fiber art/knitting needs.

-Asheville Area Yarn Crawl on May 10th-12th in Asheville and surrounding areas. Many great shops in the area.

and last but not least,

-Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF)in Asheville will be celebrating its 20th year in 2013 so please save the dates of Oct 25th-27th and join us for three days of all things fiber!

Monday, March 25, 2013

March Meeting!


A reminder that we have our monthly meeting tomorrow, March 26, from 6:30-8:00 pm at The Village Knittery in Summerville. We will have registration forms available if you’d like to join!

For those of you have already officially joined, we will have committee assignments and time for the committees to meet briefly and start planning for a great year!

Hope to see you there!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Welcome!

Welcome to the Flowertown Knitting Guild, located in beautiful Summerville, SC.

Our meetings will be held at the Village Knittery, on fourth Tuesdays of every month, from 6:30-8:00 pm. Our next meeting will be on February the 26th. Please feel free to join us!

We will be discussing future plans for the guild, also registration will be open. Before then if you would like to register with the national guild, please do so! It is not a requirement, but it is recommended.
The Flowertown Knitting Guild will be affiliated of The Knitting Guild Association. (TKGA)

Some of the ideas we came up with at the first meeting was to have Show & Tell's, Book Swaps, and A Knitting Emergency "Hotline". If you have an idea or would like to help orchestrate an activity please feel free to contact us!

Here are a couple of photos from our first meeting held on January 13 at the Panara Bread. : )



Happy Knitting Everyone!
-Josie