A Day Late?

Or maybe a week late?  Our monthly guild meeting was last Tuesday, and I cannot believe I haven't taken the time to post anything since then.  That one late night early in the week seems to sap me of energy for the rest of the week!

We had a guest speaker, Christa Newhouse who is the owner of Yarn Dreamer and Insel Haus.  She told us she knits every day from short bits up to 18 hours a day to complete the designs she's working on.  I've seen much of her double knitting work in the past, but still, to see it all in one place is truly awe inspiring.  I took a few pictures of some of her newer pieces.  She's begun to work with brioche stitch as well, and spent the bulk of the evening showing us how to use the "knit one below" method of producing a brioche sampler scarf.  The color is a bit off, but I hope you'll get the idea.

For show and share, many guild members had their Woden hats to share. . .it was flattering and humbling to see how many spent time working on my pattern and to hear their joy with the completed project.

And Jo wasn't at the meeting, but showed me her completed hat later in the week. . .Like it?

Looking for Prizes?

Me too!  Today is Knit Michigan. . .and I'll be running the knitting contests at 11:00.  You'll be able to try your hand at speed knitting, knitting blindfolded, with a partner and all sorts of other silly things.  We have a couple of events cooked up for spinners and hookers too!  Prizes abound!  There a some really great knitting bags as well as lovely fiber and interesting books. . .all you need to do is compete!  I can't win, so I hope you show up and show everyone just how quickly you can knit with garden gloves on. . .

Have you been to Knit Michigan before?  Our guild sponsors the Learn to Knit area every year, and it's an event many of us look forward to.  This is the fourth year of Knit Michigan, and they've donated over $80,000 to local cancer charities.  I love the philanthropic part of it, knitters giving back to the community.  The vast majority of the food sold, classes taught and items auctioned are donated by local folks or solicited from vendors across the country, and last I knew, even the school we meet at cuts Knit Michigan a deal on using the space for the day.  The overhead for this fabulous event is next to nothing, so nearly ALL of our money heads right to the people who need it.  However, it's not without benefit to those of us who love fiber.  For me, my donations get me a full day of fiber fun with my friends.  The day is packed with classes for you to choose from, many vendors tempting you with samples, kits and new products (several vendors are from the opposite side of the state so we can see all sorts of things we rarely do), a silent auction, LOADS of hand knits, contests, meet-ups, and more!

An event that was new this year was a chemo cap design contest.  My friend Matlie and I designed two cute hats and are hoping you'll come and vote for us today!  She fell on Thursday and broke a leg. . .and could use some good news!  This will be her first year missing Knit Michigan and she's feeling a little blue! A fibery prize would be just the thing to perk up her spirits!  One more thing to put on your list for the day:  Vote for Matlie and Tanya. . .

The entire day filled with fun is yours for only the $10 it costs to get in the door.  If you're in southwest Michigan today, I'm not really sure why you're still reading this blog. . .get in the car and join us!   You'll find directions here.