Black Sheep Knitting Guild

Well, for the guild, it means an annual Charity Kick-Off event! At our meeting next week, Judith will be collecting even more scarves for SOS and will be delighting us with new bags-o-goodies to create for this year's charity focus. Bring a variety of knitting needles so you can have just the right size to cast on next Tuesday. (Or, just bring your current project. . .we're flexible!) For me, it means knitting like a mad woman to make all of the gifts and random things I feel I MUST have completed for the holidays. . . I've joined a yarn swap on Ravelry . . .am too excited to see what my secret Santa sends me. . .and am thinking of sending some hand spun yarn to spoil my Santa with. Always interested in getting hand made items in the mail, I was lucky enough to be the first to sign up for the Pay It Forward exchange hosted by another Ravelry junkie . So, I'll be getting a fantastic surprise in the mail soon. Here's the catch. I need to pay it forward. Want a ...

Come One, Come All, We are meeting at Tonya's for a knitting and food (and it is Tonya's Birthday!) at 2:00pm. Email me privately if you need the address. Hope to see you there! Kim

Hi All, Just a quick note to remind everyone that Harriet is going to teach us all how to do the Boa Scarf this meeting.You will need a Q Crochet Hook (yes, I said Crochet Hook, as this pattern is Crocheted!) and a couple skeins of bulky yarn. The pattern is called the "Plush Boa" pattern#20170-1 on the Lion Brand website which you can go to and download for free. (please do so as we won't have a lot of copies) Be sure to look at the previous post to see how generous we are and I am sure will continue to be! Don't forget the Shop Hop takes place this Saturday, with everyone meeting behind Anderson School at 8:15am, if you want to go there's still time just call Suzanne and let her know to look for you, and be there before they leave. See everyone Tuesday!

Previously the guild has donated 39 scarves to the South Oakland Shelter. I currently have 75 scarves that the guild has knitted, and again we will be donating all scarves to the SOS. Bringing us to a grand total of 114 scarves that have been donated this year. With the weather changing I along with our guild can only assume that they will be gratefully appreciated. This will be an on going charity throughout the year. Thank you to all the generous knitters and keep knitting!!! -J

Retreat!! Kim and Judith are hard at work planning the 2nd annual Spring Retreat. . .the house they're looking at is GORGEOUS and within a 1 1/2 hour drive--MUCH closer than last year. I've got a lead on a teacher that might be willing to join us and give us a dying workshop while we're there. . .exciting stuff is on the way. The committee is looking at early April--so start to save your pennies and clear your calendar!! We'll post links to the house and give you more details when things are finalized! Ravelry!! More and more of us are getting our invites! If you haven't joined, sign up for the waiting list here Linda said she was invited in around a month, so the invites are coming fairly quickly now. Believe me, you don't want to be left out of this REALLY COOL community. Ann Arbor Fiber Fest We had several last minute cancellations for this trip--but I went on Sunday with Suzanne and Kate. Met some new friends and spent some money! Pictures are coming...

If you subscribe to Interweave's Knitting Daily , you've no doubt been reading the data about unfinished objects (UFOs) in each of our stashes. Many of you recall the horrific amount of UFOs that Louise and I had in our stashes last spring during out Lenten challenge to guild members. . . You'd think that after counting 41 in my personal stash, and then stressing about finishing them all, I would have learned my lesson. Apparently not. As Ravelry continues to suck my time away, I found myself taking pictures of my UFOs and uploading them to my notebook there. I found 22 projects on needles. . .and now that I think of it, I think there are two more that I never uncovered from the layers of stash they're hidden behind. (We'll ignore that fact, shall we?) Sally sent a picture this week of her UFOs too. . .I think I counted 18 of them in all (sorry for outing you Sally. . .) And Kim has some on her Ravelry page that I've NEVER seen, let alone heard of!! The good ne...

Hi All Meeting was full of fun, goodies, info, and skill building! Tanya taught seaming and there were lots of good tips from her and others. Maybe we can all tackle a sweater project this year? There was info on the two upcoming trips to Ann Arbor Fiber Expo on Sat Oct 27th and the Shop Hop on Sat Nov 10th. If you signed up to go on one of these trips, someone will be calling you as the day gets closer. And if you've had a change of heart and want to go and didn't sign up just leave a comment here and someone will get a hold of you with details (as long as we have your phone number!) We need someone to step up to the plate and volunteer to be VP of the group for the coming year. It is a two year commitment because the VP then becomes the Pres the following year. It's not as daunting as it sounds, and there are always plenty of people willing to help and committees to take care of things. So how "bout it?? By the Way, YEAH to Kathleen for stepping up to be the new Tre...

I received a few emails from Sally with information on some fun things going on downtown for knitters: The DSO has made a special offer to knitters, your very own main floor section and a special price $25.00 (that's a savings of $24.00!) also if you bring your ticket in to City Knits within a week of the concert you get 20% off your purchase! Here is the link for the order form. http://www.cityknits.com/pdfs/DSO%20Knitters%20Order%20Form.pdf Also this Tuesday (yes, tomorrow) the Knitty Gritty TV show will be videotaping a segment on knitting the People Mover with City Knits from 6-8pm. Sally will be there knitting away in the first car of the Fox 2 People Mover join her if you can, and (maybe) become a star!!!! And don't forget our very own Sally will be performing in Nightnotes at Hagopian Rugs on Woodward in Birmingham this Friday evening advance tickets are $15.00 and they are $20.00 at the door. Bring your knitting and enjoy beautiful music as you stitch away. Here is the ...

Hi Everyone, Just a friendly reminder that we have a field trip to Mt Bruce Fiber Fest coming up this Saturday September 29th. Chris Hamel has graciously offered to be the point person on this trip and she will be calling the people who signed up at the last meeting to remind them about times and meeting place etc. Want to go and didn't sign up? Leave a post in the comment section so we know you are planning on coming; we don't want to leave without you! And then meet Chris at the Anderson Middle School Parking Lot at approx. 8:45am (plans are to leave at 9:00am) Admission is $6.00 plus money for gas to the driver, we can't predict or be responsible for purchases! Don't forget October's meeting on our new day at our new place: Tuesday October 9th, 7:00pm at the Berkley Community Center. This months meeting will be on seaming so bring some knitted swatches with you to practice on. There will also be information on the field trip to the Washtenaw Fiber Fest in the end...

Time honestly does fly. I've completed my first (only half) week of school, and Fall is officially here! That means BSKG meetings are beginning again. You should be receiving a phone call from a board member just as a reminder, but in case you haven't. . . Guild meetings are on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. We've changed from the 3rd Tuesday, just to keep us a little further away from holidays and other busy times. . . We've moved our meetings to the Berkley Community Center on Robina, just barely South of Catalpa. . .The Community Center has given us a VERY reasonable price for room rental, and have promised not to bump us around from room to room like we were at the middle school last year. SOOOO. . .our first meeting is THIS TUESDAY at 7pm. See you there! Fly Balls. . . Today is the Tigers Stitch and Pitch game. If you've got tickets and want to car pool. . .meet us at Anderson Middle School around 11:45 and we'll share the cost of gas and parking as ...

The Coffee Beanery is in the running for the Best of Detroit contest at clickondetroit.com Follow this link , or go to http://www.clickondetroit.com/ to vote (Look on the side bar for vote for the best or something like that. . .). Unfortunetly, it's a two step process. . .vote, then check your email to confirm your vote. . .But do take the time to vote, they've been so gracious and kind to us. Knitting pictures coming soon! --t

Well, I never got around to taking pictures of my finished Pi or my blocked Pacific Northwest shawls. . .and I'm 2 clues behind on the MS3 . The theme has been revealed, it's Swan Lake. . .ask Kim for the details. Meanwhile, I'm headed on vacation again, this time to the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival . . .my favorite place to spend the 2nd week in August each year. It's a bit like Brigadoon , in that it appears for one week each year only to disappear into the woods for 365 days until it reappears. While you knit on, here are some pictures of the quilt blocks I made for the community quilt that will be raffled off on Saturday night. See you next week! For those of you heading to the people mover on Tuesday--have fun! --t

A different sort of post today. . .hope you like it. Pictures of the completed Pi tomorrow (or soon, I promise!) --Tanya “I’ve never met you before, but I think I could love you right from the start,” my grandmother said to me in the month before her 96th birthday. I had spent 600 miles knitting in the front seat of a pickup truck as we drove to the upper peninsula of Michigan to see her, and I knew that it was more than a probable chance that she wouldn’t remember me. I had planned the visit to. . .well, I’m not sure why I planned the visit. I just knew, somehow, that it was important for me to see her. My Grandma had spent weekends with me as I grew up. Every month or two, she’d come and stay with us when she had time off of work. When she came, my bed became hers, and I’d sleep on the floor of my room. In the winter, she’d trace my hand before I left for school in the morning, and half of a pair of mittens would be knitted for me by the time I came home. In the spring, she’d...

Sorry for the screaming, but it's 5 am and I've been up knitting for awhile . Joanie and the neighbors surely wouldn't appreciate the volume I've pent up, so you get to hear me rant. I was unable to sleep well and woke up far earlier than my usual "I can't sleep early mornings"--I found out I have no brake lights when Joanie followed me home from the Coffee Beanery last night. I had big plans with a 6 year old this morning that are going to have to be rescheduled so I can resolve the safety issues, so I'm a bit upset. Wondering how a well planned day is going to be messed up can really screw with your sleep schedule, you know? What does a knitter do when upset? KNIT! I picked up my Pi shawl and began working on the edging, hoping to get it finished today. I was peacefully listening to some podcasts and making REALLY good progress. A few minutes ago, I picked it up and I could actually see the light at the end of the tunnel! I counted the stitches...

I found a quiz on another blog and thought you'd like to take it! Follow this Link . I'm a "Knitting Adventurer" leave a comment about what you found out that YOU are! Meanwhile, check out the details for the Michigan State Fair . If you're planning to submit an item, it costs $12 and you can submit up to 10 items. Look through your stash, what do you have completed? What's close to completion? What are you proud of and want to show off? There are small cash prizes and shiny ribbons to be won. . .what do you have to lose? You need to download, complete and mail in your application by August 1, so get going and get it done! How cool would it be to have lots and lots of things from BSKG at the Fair? All items need to be delivered Aug 11, 12 or 13 (I'll need a volunteer to drop some things off for me, I'll be out of town still) and can be picked up just after Labor Day. I'll try to find out more info about the "Nimble Fingers Knitting Exh...

I thought that I'd never really be that interested in lace knitting. . .I mean really. Small stitches. Fine Yarn. Slow progress. I'm interested in speed, cranking things out, seeing actual progress. Imagine my surprise when I found that all I want to knit these days are lace projects and socks! I finished Clue 3 on Friday before we left for the UP. . .here's a pic And Joanie couldn't resist taking a picture of me knitting on vacation. Here I am on the boat cruise to see the Pictured Rocks in Munising. If you haven't been, you really must go, it's worth the trip. As soon as I finished these socks, Joanie had them on her feet. My Gramma, who has Alzheimer's, kept complimenting me on the nice knitting I was doing and told me these socks should be for a girl. Imagine her surprise when I told her that it was HER that had taught me to knit when I was little. She was proud and bragged of it to a woman sitting near her. Missed vacation photo opportunities include ...

Clue 2 is done. . .now I wait until Friday for Clue #3. Any guesses about the theme yet?

Ever seen anyone knit so fast they needed a helmet to protect themselves? Or maybe, the helmet is to protect themselves from the head bashing you do when you've made a REALLY big mistake and need to frog. . . A skein of sock yarn is waiting for the person with the most witty (in my opinion) caption for this pix. Make a comment and I'll choose the winner next Thursday when I come home from the UP. Thanks to Coralee for the picture! (oh how I wonder what sort of crazy pictures of me she may have stored on her camera. . .)

So, here it is. . .a picture of the Week 1 directions completed. My photography skills are sorely lacking. . .and if you can believe it, this is the BEST picture of THREE that I took while it was pinned on the ironing board! I did steam it while it was there and it seems to be holding that blocking reasonably well. . .if you see it in person you can judge for yourself. Apparently, July is the month of lace for me. As Kim suggested, I'm easily swayed. . .and I've been listening to the Knitpicks podcast lately. On the podcast , Kelly suggested a year long knitalong following Elizabeth Zimmermann's Almanac . (Yes, I've signed up for that too. . .) In July, the project is a shawl based on the number Pi. It makes a lovely, and simple round shawl--that could be modified in a million ways. While that does appeal to me, I'm not sure I want a round shawl. So, on July 1, I cast on a Fiber Trends shawl and am busy working on the lace edging. Hopefully I'll have it...

I've had this fantastic idea for a post floating around in my head for awhile, but life has just been busy. I was actually shocked when I saw that it had been since May (MAY!) since there was any new info posted here. Sorry. I thought I'd write long prose about how fantastic this Spring was for our Guild. I was going to write lovely things about my trip to Toronto. . . How Fantastic our Retreat was. . . (Honestly, it was TONS of fun. . .don't let this picture throw you off! Start saving your pennies for next year!) Go on and on about how I loved the Stash Swap and Sale at our last meeting. . .(Sorry, I forgot my camera for this one, but trust me, we all enhanced our stashes while getting rid of some major amounts of yarn we didn't want.) Talk about my knitting a top especially for Prom. . .(you'll have to imagine us not on our sides. . .and BOTH of these are hand knit tops, Gloria's was her first sweater!) Share all of the wonderful things about the Shop Hop we...

Harriet was a bit pushy on Tuesday night and began harrassing and harumphing about how long it's been since we've posted. . .This post is for her. (Actually, it's good that she gave me a bit of a push to get my act in gear and get back in the swing of things!) Most of the BSKG Board met last night and began to wrap things up from our 1st successful year, and we began to look forward to programming and planning for next fall. (I haven't even gotten my first sunburn of the season, and we're already thinking about September! It's hard for me to wrap my head around.) We'll share some of the details with you next week at our last meeting for the 2006-07 year. Just because we're heading into our last meeting, doesn't mean there's not a TON of fun planned for the summer. Kim has led us in some AWESOME field trips and retreats, and she's got more up her sleeve for the summer. Next up is a trip to Lansing and ThreadBear Fiber Art Studio as well as Rae...

Louise here... I think we all understand (and sympathize with) what its like to have technology issues. My very old laptop finally fell off its last legs and I bought a new one. Can I tell you how much I hate the new Microsoft OS - Vista? Nothing works easily or first time. All right already! enough about that, let's talk about knitting! The Guild Retreat is coming up this weekend. We're heading up to Traverse City for what promises to be a fabulous weekend. A beautiful house in a great location, scheduled workshops, opportunities for fellowship, shopping, and lots of fun. And of course lots and lots of knitting! Thanks to Kim for all her efforts in planning this wonderful event and to everyone else who has helped make it happen.

Can I tell you all how frustrating it is to be without a computer??? I've been on vacation this week, so it hasn't hurt quite as much, but even at school I can't update the blog. . .sorry it's been so long! (Louise, thanks for updating and keeping us current!) I headed to Toronto this week and did some serious yarn shopping! When I have the camera next to the computer I'll post a couple of pictures from Lettuce Knit , a cute little yarn shop packed with beautiful yarn. I'm not sure if there are pictures at Romni Wools or not, but they gave me a 10% discount by showing my guild membership card! How cool is that? Needless to say, I left more than a couple of dollars the other side of the border. Unfortunetly, as of April 1 Canada no longer reimburses the GST or PST or whatever tax they used to. . .so I kept diligent track of my reciepts for NOTHING! I have lots and lots of beautiful yarn for show and tell soon! Actually considered buying an extra suitca...

Sadly, all the pictures taken with Tanya's camera came out all black - but not to worry... Those who stayed to the bitter end got our picture taken up on stage during the book signing. Thanks to Camille who stood in line with all our books. Here's the picture of us from the Yarn Harlot's blog . Wow, that's me actually holding THE SOCK! I'm so proud.

The Guild’s trip to Ann Arbor to hear Stephanie Pearl McPhee, the Yarn Harlot was a great success – thanks and congratulations to Kim for planning such a wonderful outing. An informal headcount showed that 17 of us made the trip. Sunday morning was very foggy and the YH had major airline difficulties – she arrived at 4:30 for a 2:00 speech. But here’s the amazing thing – almost no one left. The room was SRO plus there were an additional 175 people in the overflow room. When the delay was announced, folks just dragged their chairs into little groups and settled down for an unexpected opportunity to knit and socialize. Knitters are truly an amazing group. We met some very cool people. We had a great time. Oh, and the YH is funnier and more heartwarming in person than she is in her very wonderful blog – check it out http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/. We got our picture taken with the YH and the sock but sadly they didn't come out. But she did sign all our books - I felt like such a gro...

Tomorrow's meeting begins at 7pm. We'll be at Anderson Middle School, but in the Home Ec room instead of the Media Center. (From the parking lot, walk to the end of the hallway and look to your left before turning right as you would to go to the Media Center--or just listen for the talking and laughing knitters. . .) Our program for the evening will be focusing on business. . .we've got some loose ends to catch before our fast growth pulls us in directions we don't want to go. Put on your thinking caps and be ready to participate by sharing your ideas of how to make our guild an even better place. I've been asked by a few friends recently, "How do I join?" Just bring a check for $35 to the meeting and we'll help you out. . .and you too can participate in all of the fun we have in the works for this spring and summer! We have 7 people registered for the retreat, don't forget to bring your deposit if you're interested in going. We have supply lis...

If you've checked your email lately, you have the details that follow, but scroll down for the cupcakes. . . Kim has been hard at work planning some trips for the Black Sheep Knitting Guild Members! I know you'll all be excited to be a part of them, so sign up now! Put some fun knitting adventures on your calendar! If you're not a member, all it takes is a minute and $35 to join and be able to enjoy member benefits, see Jennifer or Camille at the Coffee Beanery or at our next meeting at Anderson Middle School on March 20. The Yarn Harlot Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is coming to Ann Arbor on April 1. Don't miss this opportunity to hear one of the funniest knitting authors speak. We'll be leaving from the Anderson parking lot at 10:15 am, caravaning to Ann Arbor, eating lunch and then hitting at least one yarn shop on the way home. We should be home around dinner time. Your cost is NOTHING! You will need to bring money to purchase lunch and yarn if you're interested, a...

I'm a month ahead on my New Year's Resolution. . .March and April socks are here! I'm working on a pair from my unfinished pile that are a grey and black lace pattern, but I don't like them too much. The leg is a bit tight for me, so they'll wind up being for Joanie. I've decided that when I finish them, I really can't call them my May socks, since they won't be for me-- I don't think you can see it in the picture, but on the tan socks, I had to rip and re-start and didn't do it properly. Technically, I should have wound the already knitted yarn into a hank, soaked it in some wool wash and then hung it to dry. That would have taken the kinks out of the yarn and would have allowed my knitting to look smoother. Because these are more utilitarian, and less heirloom, I thought it wouldn't matter so much. In a something I cared about, I would certainly take the time to wash before re-knitting. The kinks in the yarn may effect gauge and that p...

Sally and I have a class together at Heritage Spinning and Weaving . . .here's what she sent me after class yesterday. Keep an eye on Joan's blog for more pictures. . . Hi to all you knitters! I cut my sweater today and started the first sleeve...I was nervous and the scizzors were shaking! but, i did it and hopefully will beging knitting the sleeve tomorrow...I am also modeling a new sweater that I started a year ago and just finshed this week...from now on I am going to stick with a project until it is finished before I start anything new....happy knitting....sally

What a great meeting we had on Tuesday! We had several new faces that joined us and made our small space in the media center feel like we were bursting at the seams! Our time at Knit Michigan seems to have generated some interest in our group as several of the guests heard about us for the first time there. Katie and Barbara both did some recruiting of their own and brought two new friends with them. . .(Katie talked us up while shopping at Jo-Ann's!) We're always glad to be inspired by what others are knitting, and fresh perspectives are always welcomed. Members, if you see someone KIPing (Knitting in Public) invite them to join us! Take a few flyers from a meeting and keep them in your purse so you can point folks to our blog, or post flyers at the stores you shop at. . .all of the publicity you can provide for us will help our group grow. If you are considering joining, please remember that membership benefits include our meetings where we have some interesting technique or ...