Were you born and raised in SC? If not, where and how did you end up here?
No, I was born and raised in Cupertino, CA. I was stationed here for 5 years in the early 90's and loved it......wanted to come back when I retired.
How long have you been a member of the FKG?
2 months
When did you learn to knit/crochet? Are you self taught? Who taught you?
After I retired in 2010, I bought the Boye Learn to Knit book.
What was your first knit/crochet project? Do you still have it?
I think it was a pair of purse slippers. They didn't match and had dropped stitches and were crooked and not the same size and WAY TOO BIG. I was so proud of them......no, I don't have them. I threw them in the garbage because they were hideous.
What is one benefit of knit/crochet that you really enjoy?
Busy hands. Keeps me out of trouble
What advice would you give a beginning knitter/crocheter?
Be organized and when.....not if......you get frustrated and have to rip it all out, put it down for a hot second and do a stockinette beanie.
What are you most proud of when it comes to your craft?
Actually understanding what others are talking about and being able to see it in my head.
What is a little known fun fact about you?
I am a proud member of TWO Guilds: I am also a member of Nightmares in a video game called Neverwinter with a 15.3k Oath Bound Pally. And I know what that means too!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for taking the time to get to know Christina! Christina has taken on the task of planning our out of town trips to various yarn shops and fiber festivals. I hope you will join us next month as we travel up to Columbia to Luna Lola for National Local Yarn Store Day.
Our trip yesterday to Knit~n~Purl was a huge success! They were super friendly and welcoming and they had a vast array of yarns to chose from. The various projects they had displayed around the shop had the yarn that was used either right below it or close at hand so you can see how it wore and draped. They were just finishing up a KAL so ladies were bringing in the Butterfly/Papillon shawls to take a group picture. Please go and check out there Facebook page for the pictures. Also check out the LIVE feed on the Flowertown Knitting Guild's Instagram account before it disappears as I gave a tour of the store. After shopping we stopped at Croissant Bistro & Bakery, everyone was really pleased with their meal. I had a Fried Green tomato and pimento cheese sandwich. Y'all that thing was so very good!
Enjoy your weekend and happy crafting! See y'all next week!
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Introducing Mrs. Renee Wolfe
Were you born and raised in SC? If not, where and how did you end up here?
I was born in PA and moved to SC when I married by high school sweetheart who was in the Navy. We have never left.
How long have you been a member of the FKG?
I started knitting at Panera Bread in July of 2017.
When did you learn to knit/crochet? Are you self taught? Who taught you?
My mother-in-law taught me to crochet in 1976 and Joyce Stebbins taught me to knit in July 2017.
What was your first knit/crochet project? Do you still have it?
My first crochet project was a small doily. I might still have it somewhere. My first knit project was a scarf - I gave it to my niece for Christmas.
What is one benefit of knit/crochet that you really enjoy?
Both are very relaxing
What advice would you give a beginning knitter/crocheter?
Don't give up if you feel overwhelmed. It is very rewarding when you get the hang of it.
What are you most proud of when it comes to your craft?
That I made something useful or beautiful
What is a little known fun fact about you?
I learned to play guitar when I was in my 50's.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you so much for taking the time to meet Renee. I hope you enjoyed her recap of her crafting adventure.
Next up is a field trip to Knit n Purl in Myrtle Beach, Wednesday, March 14th. We are leaving promptly at 10am from St. Luke's Lutheran Church. We have at least 3 cars available so we would love to have you join us! Christina Rice has taken on the job of planning our road trips and we have a few in the works out of state to a few nearby fiber festivals. Stay tuned for those details.
I was born in PA and moved to SC when I married by high school sweetheart who was in the Navy. We have never left.
How long have you been a member of the FKG?
I started knitting at Panera Bread in July of 2017.
When did you learn to knit/crochet? Are you self taught? Who taught you?
My mother-in-law taught me to crochet in 1976 and Joyce Stebbins taught me to knit in July 2017.
What was your first knit/crochet project? Do you still have it?
My first crochet project was a small doily. I might still have it somewhere. My first knit project was a scarf - I gave it to my niece for Christmas.
What is one benefit of knit/crochet that you really enjoy?
Both are very relaxing
What advice would you give a beginning knitter/crocheter?
Don't give up if you feel overwhelmed. It is very rewarding when you get the hang of it.
What are you most proud of when it comes to your craft?
That I made something useful or beautiful
What is a little known fun fact about you?
I learned to play guitar when I was in my 50's.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you so much for taking the time to meet Renee. I hope you enjoyed her recap of her crafting adventure.
Next up is a field trip to Knit n Purl in Myrtle Beach, Wednesday, March 14th. We are leaving promptly at 10am from St. Luke's Lutheran Church. We have at least 3 cars available so we would love to have you join us! Christina Rice has taken on the job of planning our road trips and we have a few in the works out of state to a few nearby fiber festivals. Stay tuned for those details.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Introducing Mrs. Kaye Heins
Were you born and raised in SC? If not, how did you end up here?
I was born in Macon, GA. I moved with my mom, sister, stepfather and stepsisters to Charleston the week after I graduated from high school in 1965. I have moved in and out of the Charleston area about 4 to 5 times.
How long have you been a member of the FKG?
Tamara Goff and I discussed starting a guild about a year before she started the guild. I could not be a "charter member". I was an associate member for a couple of years while my husband and I traveled.
When did you learn to knit/crochet? Are you self taught? If not, who taught you?
I have always played with string. Probably I learned to crochet in order to earn a badge in Brownies or Girl Scouts. I was taught to crochet by my mother. I have made countless baby blankets and afghans. She could not knit but she taught me to sew and quilt in addition to embroidery and simple weaving. I learned to knit in the 70's. My husband's aunt taught me to cast on, knit and purl.
What was your first knit/crochet project? Do you still have it?
I made a feather and fan afghan as my first project. and it's long gone.
What is one benefit of knit/crochet that you really enjoy?
I enjoy learning how a particular stitch pattern is made. I am definitely a process knitter, not a product knitter. The running joke is that I never finish anything and that I need to focus. That's a tough task.
What advice would you give a beginning knitter/crocheter?
My advice is BEGIN. Knitting is loops on a stick, not anything life threatening. Make YouTube your best friend. But really, just begin. When I learned, I probably cast on and ripped out a miles worth of yarn.
What are you most proud of when it comes to your craft?
Honestly, the thing I am most proud of is the sisterhood of knitters.
What is a little know fun fact about you?
My dream is to sing like Janis Joplin or Bette Midler.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for taking the time out to meet the next member of the FKG. Hope you enjoyed Kaye's recap.
If you missed our February 27th meeting, you missed a chance to knit Lynn Dukes' first knitted pattern for Dr. Suess hat bookmarks. The bookmarks were donated to the Flowertown Elementary School. In March Joyce will be teaching us how to knit cables without using a cable needle. Hope to see you there!
I was born in Macon, GA. I moved with my mom, sister, stepfather and stepsisters to Charleston the week after I graduated from high school in 1965. I have moved in and out of the Charleston area about 4 to 5 times.
How long have you been a member of the FKG?
Tamara Goff and I discussed starting a guild about a year before she started the guild. I could not be a "charter member". I was an associate member for a couple of years while my husband and I traveled.
When did you learn to knit/crochet? Are you self taught? If not, who taught you?
I have always played with string. Probably I learned to crochet in order to earn a badge in Brownies or Girl Scouts. I was taught to crochet by my mother. I have made countless baby blankets and afghans. She could not knit but she taught me to sew and quilt in addition to embroidery and simple weaving. I learned to knit in the 70's. My husband's aunt taught me to cast on, knit and purl.
What was your first knit/crochet project? Do you still have it?
I made a feather and fan afghan as my first project. and it's long gone.
What is one benefit of knit/crochet that you really enjoy?
I enjoy learning how a particular stitch pattern is made. I am definitely a process knitter, not a product knitter. The running joke is that I never finish anything and that I need to focus. That's a tough task.
What advice would you give a beginning knitter/crocheter?
My advice is BEGIN. Knitting is loops on a stick, not anything life threatening. Make YouTube your best friend. But really, just begin. When I learned, I probably cast on and ripped out a miles worth of yarn.
What are you most proud of when it comes to your craft?
Honestly, the thing I am most proud of is the sisterhood of knitters.
What is a little know fun fact about you?
My dream is to sing like Janis Joplin or Bette Midler.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for taking the time out to meet the next member of the FKG. Hope you enjoyed Kaye's recap.
If you missed our February 27th meeting, you missed a chance to knit Lynn Dukes' first knitted pattern for Dr. Suess hat bookmarks. The bookmarks were donated to the Flowertown Elementary School. In March Joyce will be teaching us how to knit cables without using a cable needle. Hope to see you there!
Monday, February 26, 2018
Introducing Ms. Joyce Stebbins
Hello fellow fiber enthusiasts!
I would like to introduce Joyce Stebbins. She hails from Rhode Island and has the accent to back it up. She moved to Summerville in 2007 and soon joined the staff at The Village Knittery. She was the knitting instructor there for 9 years and enjoyed sharing her love of knitting there by giving knitting lessons on various levels.
Joyce learned to knit at age 7 from her mother. Her first finished object was a scarf. By age 12 she was making gifts for her friends and family. Joyce's mother was a good knitter, she would knit argyle socks for Joyce's dad on dpn's without a pattern. By high school Joyce had knitted her first Fisherman's sweater.
Joyce also has designed Christmas stockings, Christmas tree ornaments, scarves and fingerless gloves. And she still provides knitting lessons weekly. She joins us for the Wednesday Knit meet up at Panera Bread in Summerville.
Joyce has been a member of the FKG since it's conception and she served as treasurer since the beginning as well. She is also a member of the The Knitting Guild of America and has been doing casework toward becoming a master knitter. She joined the TKGA 3 years ago.
She has a one daughter, who just moved to Summerville from Hawaii last year and also 2 wonderful grand boys that she enjoys doting on and spoiling. One resides here and the other stayed in Hawaii so she still has a great vacation spot to go to.
Unfortunately, we can take the girl out of Rhode Island but we can't get her to support the local football teams. She is an avid and very vocal New England Patriot fan. Much to my chagrin and I give her grief about that every chance I get. So when you see her around town be sure to remind her that the Panthers are right up the road and her Patriots laid an egg this year at the Super Bowl. lol
Thanks for taking the time to meet Joyce. Stayed tuned later in the week to meet another member of the FKG.
**Side note - don't forget about the FKG meeting tomorrow evening. Hope to see you there!
I would like to introduce Joyce Stebbins. She hails from Rhode Island and has the accent to back it up. She moved to Summerville in 2007 and soon joined the staff at The Village Knittery. She was the knitting instructor there for 9 years and enjoyed sharing her love of knitting there by giving knitting lessons on various levels.
Joyce learned to knit at age 7 from her mother. Her first finished object was a scarf. By age 12 she was making gifts for her friends and family. Joyce's mother was a good knitter, she would knit argyle socks for Joyce's dad on dpn's without a pattern. By high school Joyce had knitted her first Fisherman's sweater.
Joyce also has designed Christmas stockings, Christmas tree ornaments, scarves and fingerless gloves. And she still provides knitting lessons weekly. She joins us for the Wednesday Knit meet up at Panera Bread in Summerville.
Joyce has been a member of the FKG since it's conception and she served as treasurer since the beginning as well. She is also a member of the The Knitting Guild of America and has been doing casework toward becoming a master knitter. She joined the TKGA 3 years ago.
She has a one daughter, who just moved to Summerville from Hawaii last year and also 2 wonderful grand boys that she enjoys doting on and spoiling. One resides here and the other stayed in Hawaii so she still has a great vacation spot to go to.
Unfortunately, we can take the girl out of Rhode Island but we can't get her to support the local football teams. She is an avid and very vocal New England Patriot fan. Much to my chagrin and I give her grief about that every chance I get. So when you see her around town be sure to remind her that the Panthers are right up the road and her Patriots laid an egg this year at the Super Bowl. lol
Thanks for taking the time to meet Joyce. Stayed tuned later in the week to meet another member of the FKG.
**Side note - don't forget about the FKG meeting tomorrow evening. Hope to see you there!
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Introducing the 2018 FKG members
Hello fellow fiber enthusiasts!!
My name is Natalie Jett and I am manning the blog this year. I figured I would introduce myself to you.
You can find me on social media as the Knottee Hooker. When I came up with that name I was a direct sales consultant for Pure Romance, which means I provided in home parties for adult women. And the play on words just seemed to fit. Well, let me tell you the Pure Romance corporate office wasn't as impressed so I couldn't name my Pure Romance team that so I just transferred it over to my crochet business.
I have been a hooker for more years that I want to count. When I taught myself to crochet I couldn't figure out how to make the square be straight on the ends so I ended up with a bunch of halter tops and I was young enough to get away with wearing them. When I was in college I decided to really learn how to crochet so off to the library for a book (this was in the pre YouTube era) and I taught myself the nuances and viola! I had straight edges. But back then crochet was mostly granny squares or afghans. Crochet was rarely the beautiful garments that you see from knitters. A few years ago I decided that I wanted to make more than just afghans so I challenged myself to make crocheted garments and wear them proudly.
A very unexpected drawback of being a crocheter is how you are treated in some local yarn shops. For some reason, crocheters are looked at and treated like red headed stepchildren. As if, for some reason, that craft is less than knitting. That just motivated me to crochet more beautiful items so that when people asked I could proudly say it was crocheted not knitted. I will admittedly raise my hand to being a yarn snob. I will use certain brands of acrylic yarn but mostly for clients from my Etsy store. If I am crafting for me, it's got to be the good stuff.
Which leads me to another passion of mine - hand dyeing yarn!! OMG is that fun! I started out using Kool-Aid, food coloring or Wilton's cake icing and then quickly gravitated to acid dyes from Dharma Trading. It is so much fun and truly addicting to see the yarn come to life. I did a few hand dyeing workshops at the Village Knittery and in May I will be teaching a workshop for the FKG monthly meeting.
I always wanted to learn to knit but I just couldn't grasp the concept of holding 2 needles and the yarn. I tried several times over the years and just ended up frustrated. Until last year when a friend who had been a lifelong crocheter as well told me to try Portuguese knitting. That clicked and I was so thrilled. So I am now bi (bi-stitchual). I actually finished my first knitted shawl! It was The Grocery Girls shawl by Joji Locatelli and it was for an Etsy client. And I have cast on my first pair of socks. Now the challenge is to not succumb to "one sock syndrome". lol
I am the mother of 2 sons and 1 daughter. I have 5 grands with one more due in May/June. I bleed Carolina Blue and am an avid sports fan. If you look at most of the things that I crochet for myself they have some kind of sports theme. When I see a pattern I automatically think of knitting/crocheting it in sports team colors. I am also a Braves fan and a Carolina Panthers fan. If I am listening to tv while knitting/crocheting it's on either Criminal Minds, NCIS or Blue Bloods. I probably know each season by heart by now.
Oh well, I guess that is it about me. Nice to meet you! Next month I will feature another guild member.
Go Heels!!
My name is Natalie Jett and I am manning the blog this year. I figured I would introduce myself to you.
You can find me on social media as the Knottee Hooker. When I came up with that name I was a direct sales consultant for Pure Romance, which means I provided in home parties for adult women. And the play on words just seemed to fit. Well, let me tell you the Pure Romance corporate office wasn't as impressed so I couldn't name my Pure Romance team that so I just transferred it over to my crochet business.
I have been a hooker for more years that I want to count. When I taught myself to crochet I couldn't figure out how to make the square be straight on the ends so I ended up with a bunch of halter tops and I was young enough to get away with wearing them. When I was in college I decided to really learn how to crochet so off to the library for a book (this was in the pre YouTube era) and I taught myself the nuances and viola! I had straight edges. But back then crochet was mostly granny squares or afghans. Crochet was rarely the beautiful garments that you see from knitters. A few years ago I decided that I wanted to make more than just afghans so I challenged myself to make crocheted garments and wear them proudly.
A very unexpected drawback of being a crocheter is how you are treated in some local yarn shops. For some reason, crocheters are looked at and treated like red headed stepchildren. As if, for some reason, that craft is less than knitting. That just motivated me to crochet more beautiful items so that when people asked I could proudly say it was crocheted not knitted. I will admittedly raise my hand to being a yarn snob. I will use certain brands of acrylic yarn but mostly for clients from my Etsy store. If I am crafting for me, it's got to be the good stuff.
Which leads me to another passion of mine - hand dyeing yarn!! OMG is that fun! I started out using Kool-Aid, food coloring or Wilton's cake icing and then quickly gravitated to acid dyes from Dharma Trading. It is so much fun and truly addicting to see the yarn come to life. I did a few hand dyeing workshops at the Village Knittery and in May I will be teaching a workshop for the FKG monthly meeting.
I always wanted to learn to knit but I just couldn't grasp the concept of holding 2 needles and the yarn. I tried several times over the years and just ended up frustrated. Until last year when a friend who had been a lifelong crocheter as well told me to try Portuguese knitting. That clicked and I was so thrilled. So I am now bi (bi-stitchual). I actually finished my first knitted shawl! It was The Grocery Girls shawl by Joji Locatelli and it was for an Etsy client. And I have cast on my first pair of socks. Now the challenge is to not succumb to "one sock syndrome". lol
I am the mother of 2 sons and 1 daughter. I have 5 grands with one more due in May/June. I bleed Carolina Blue and am an avid sports fan. If you look at most of the things that I crochet for myself they have some kind of sports theme. When I see a pattern I automatically think of knitting/crocheting it in sports team colors. I am also a Braves fan and a Carolina Panthers fan. If I am listening to tv while knitting/crocheting it's on either Criminal Minds, NCIS or Blue Bloods. I probably know each season by heart by now.
Oh well, I guess that is it about me. Nice to meet you! Next month I will feature another guild member.
Go Heels!!
Saturday, February 10, 2018
5 Reasons to join your local knitting guild
1. GROUP FIELD TRIPS
This year if we get enough interest we are thinking of taking trips to the following Fiber Festivals:
- Carolina Fiber Festival, Raleigh, NC, March 23-24
- Smoky Mountain Fiber Festival, Townsend, TN, April 20-22
- Tennesse Fiber Festival, Dickson, TN May 25-26
- Southeastern Animal Fiber Festival, Fletcher, NC, Oct. 26-28
Just think a road trip with fellow yarn enthusiasts to take workshops and have the chance to find new yarn businesses or to visit some old favorites!
2. DONATE TO CHARITIES
I know a lot of us like to crochet/knit so that we can share our gift with those less fortunate. The FKG donates to various local organizations. Cathy has a list of the various charities that call her for donations, several local schools have needs that they communicate to her. Several hats were taken to the Greenville Knit In for the red hats for Red Cross babies.
3. ALL ACCESS PASS TO FKG WORKSHOPS
We have several workshops planned during the guild meetings this year. Suzy taught us Sequence knitting last month and Lynn will be showing us how to make Dr. Suess bookmarks this month and they will be donated to Flowertown Elementary school. Natalie will be conducting a hand dyeing yarn workshop in May.
4. FKG CONTEST AND KAL
Carolina Fiber Festival has a 1st Annual cowl KAL for those planning to attend. I am sure it's a play off of the Rhinebeck Festival's KAL. The cowl was designed for the Festival and is only available right now at carolinafiberfest.org. It will be available on Ravelry after the festival.
5. CAMARADIE OF GROUP KNITTING
There is just something soothing about knitting/crocheting in a group of like minded people. The conversations cover a myriad of topics. And the ability to teach or learn a new stitch or pattern can't be beat. One thing about crafters, we love to share our love of all things yarn.
This year if we get enough interest we are thinking of taking trips to the following Fiber Festivals:
- Carolina Fiber Festival, Raleigh, NC, March 23-24
- Smoky Mountain Fiber Festival, Townsend, TN, April 20-22
- Tennesse Fiber Festival, Dickson, TN May 25-26
- Southeastern Animal Fiber Festival, Fletcher, NC, Oct. 26-28
Just think a road trip with fellow yarn enthusiasts to take workshops and have the chance to find new yarn businesses or to visit some old favorites!
2. DONATE TO CHARITIES
I know a lot of us like to crochet/knit so that we can share our gift with those less fortunate. The FKG donates to various local organizations. Cathy has a list of the various charities that call her for donations, several local schools have needs that they communicate to her. Several hats were taken to the Greenville Knit In for the red hats for Red Cross babies.
3. ALL ACCESS PASS TO FKG WORKSHOPS
We have several workshops planned during the guild meetings this year. Suzy taught us Sequence knitting last month and Lynn will be showing us how to make Dr. Suess bookmarks this month and they will be donated to Flowertown Elementary school. Natalie will be conducting a hand dyeing yarn workshop in May.
4. FKG CONTEST AND KAL
Carolina Fiber Festival has a 1st Annual cowl KAL for those planning to attend. I am sure it's a play off of the Rhinebeck Festival's KAL. The cowl was designed for the Festival and is only available right now at carolinafiberfest.org. It will be available on Ravelry after the festival.
5. CAMARADIE OF GROUP KNITTING
There is just something soothing about knitting/crocheting in a group of like minded people. The conversations cover a myriad of topics. And the ability to teach or learn a new stitch or pattern can't be beat. One thing about crafters, we love to share our love of all things yarn.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Life After the Greenville Knit In/Road Trip
Hey All!
Joyce and Kaye are back from Greenville and both came back with colds. They both attended the Wednesday Meetup at Panera Bread. Joyce took 2 classes, a felted rose class and a steeking class. She enjoyed both classes but she felt that the sweater she had for the steeking was not the best choice. It was so tightly knit that it was hard to pick up stitches. The class itself was great but she didn't benefit as much as she would have wanted.
One of the things I love about meetups is the array of topics that flow. Today's topics ranged from bullying amongst today's children, to big head children, to the classes that were taken in Greenville, and Christina had some great new books on knitting in the round.
You'll have to attend the February meeting to hear about Kaye's classes and experience in Greenville. Don't wait to tell all the goodies from that weekend.
Also who is down for a road trip to Raleigh, NC, March 23rd-24th from 9am-6pm for the 12th Annual Carolina FiberFest? Please comment below if you're interested. We need to decide if we'll make it a one day trip or stay overnight and enjoy both days. Look at the available workshops here carolinafiberfest.org. There is also a 1st Annual CFF Knit-Along for the SpringDrops Cowl. The free pattern is available on the website for now. It will be available on Ravelry after the festival.
Joyce and Kaye are back from Greenville and both came back with colds. They both attended the Wednesday Meetup at Panera Bread. Joyce took 2 classes, a felted rose class and a steeking class. She enjoyed both classes but she felt that the sweater she had for the steeking was not the best choice. It was so tightly knit that it was hard to pick up stitches. The class itself was great but she didn't benefit as much as she would have wanted.
One of the things I love about meetups is the array of topics that flow. Today's topics ranged from bullying amongst today's children, to big head children, to the classes that were taken in Greenville, and Christina had some great new books on knitting in the round.
You'll have to attend the February meeting to hear about Kaye's classes and experience in Greenville. Don't wait to tell all the goodies from that weekend.
Also who is down for a road trip to Raleigh, NC, March 23rd-24th from 9am-6pm for the 12th Annual Carolina FiberFest? Please comment below if you're interested. We need to decide if we'll make it a one day trip or stay overnight and enjoy both days. Look at the available workshops here carolinafiberfest.org. There is also a 1st Annual CFF Knit-Along for the SpringDrops Cowl. The free pattern is available on the website for now. It will be available on Ravelry after the festival.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)