Black Sheep Knitting Guild

and we learned a lot. Beth Smith talked about Dorset, Border Cheviot, Icelandic, Black Welsh, Cormo and Jacob sheep and many more. Spinning -and washing - different types of fleece gives you yarn with different properties. Some yarns are better for one project than another might be. Sue Chase and Suzanne Jones provided items for the monthly raffle. The lucky winners: Namast bag - Kelley Anderson, handspun and a book - Sarah Turner, spring-colors knitting bag - Sharon Zmick, Aussie wool & a pattern - Mary Herr, 10 skeins of Brown Sheep - Chris Hammel, camel merino & a pattern - Eileen Glogower, "Great Knitted Gifts" - Judith Davis, "Personality Plus" - Sue Sullivan, and a sheep plaque - Stacey Totzke. We were treated to a Trunk Show by Laurie Goodman. Among her beautiful items were many things made for her niece... the lucky little girl! And Laurie has found out she has a grandson on the way. He already has a sweater, 2 pair of booties, a color...

The BSKG meeting is next Tuesday, December 13 at 7PM. Sign in and raffle ticket sales begin at 6:30. Beth Smith from the Spinning Loft will talk to us about sheep breeds and wool, our Member Trunk Show will feature Laurie Goodman, and preparations will begin for Knit Michigan. It's possible that t-shirts will be ready, so have cash or checks available.

It was a night of fun with elections - Charli is the 2012 V.P. - raffles, show and share, and the brown bag gift exchange! Stacey Totzke and Harriet Atlas generously donated to this month's raffle. The lucky winners were: Kelley Kencil - 1570 yards of cotton with a pattern, Joanne Ruzza - Louet spinning fiber, Belinda Barron - silk ruana, Joan Duncan - yarn, needles and a needle case, Tanya Thomann - Araucania yarn, Barbara Burt - a sock book and DVD, and Kate Pultz - 12 skeins of Gedifra cotton.

We meet next Tuesday, November 8 , at 7pm at St. Columban. Sign in and raffle ticket sales begin at 6:30. November is our Mystery Gift Trade .....bring a brown bag with a knitting/sheep related item to trade and you can take part. Remember, the item should be no more than $10. A fun time is had by all as you choose your bag at random.... and sometimes it is stolen by someone else! Also on the agenda is the election for 2012 Vice President . The 2011 - 2012 Swag will be announced and orders will be taken. And please don't forget about the FREE Table. Bring unfinished projects and craft-related items you don't want but someone else might like. Linda F Here's info about the Shop Hop from Harriet.. Car- pooling [is that a word?] will be discussed. Shop Hop - Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 12 & 13, 2011 Can you think of a better way to spend a weekend in November? * Pick up your FREE KNITTING PASSPORT at the first store you visit. * Specials vary by ...

It was a busy meeting on Tuesday! Donna's Trunk Show included many beautiful items, Tanya's demonstration of finishing techniques was very informative, and a lot of members signed up for the field trip on 10/22. The "free table" seems to be a big success - so keep those items coming! Once again BSKGers showed their generosity and came through with a lot of charity items. Thanks to Kate Pultz, the Guild and Claudia Huffmaster for this months raffle items. The lucky winners were: Michelle Dagenais - sock yarn, Ellen Rancillio - the book Knit Stitch , Laurie Goodman - the book Purl Stitch , Sue Waid - the blacksheep bowl(made by Jeni the potter), Vangie Agemy - a hat and scarf kit, Judith Davis - gift bag, tags and CD, Rita Perrone - Interweave holiday magazine and gift tags, Joanne Ruzza - a childs sweater kit, Heatherrrrrrrrrrr Perrone - 10 skeins of DK yarn, and Linda Mayotte - 8 skeins of Debbie Bliss silk.

Our next meeting is Tuesday, October 11, from 7 to 9. Sign in and raffle ticket sales begin at 6:30. Speaking of raffles... we need more people to sign up to donate raffle items! Charity hats and mittens are due at the October meeting , Donna Mrozek will be presenting a Trunk Show, and Tanya Thomann will be "exploring craft" with finishing techniques. To allow you some practice with finishing techniques during the October meeting, you may want to have a few swatches knit up and ready to go. If you don't, you'll still be able to watch the techniques demonstrated, but will not be able to practice them yourselves. Use whatever yarn you have on hand, and an appropriate needle size. You'll have an easier time of things if you use a lighter, solid colored yarn; but please don't purchase anything for this! Stockinette Stitch(knit the right side, purl the wrong side): 1-- 40 st x 35ish rows 2--20 st x 35ish rows (make these the same length as the wider ...

and a good time was had by all! This year all members received a Black Sheep keychain. Tanya presented a history of the Black Sheep Knitting Guild along with pictures of early meetings. The September raffle prizes were provided by the BSKG. Lucky winners were: Stacy Totzke - a sock book and yarn, Judith Davis - a knitting book of monsters and yarn, Joan Duncan - a color work yarn set, Tany Thomann - a felting kit and yarn, Mimi Lambert - a childrens sweater kit, and Kelley Anderson - the sock summit gift set. In a special raffle, Kate Pultz won the scarf that was started at the Retreat this year. It's the perfect color for her!

The annual Shop Hop is Thursday September 15-Sunday September 18! Rae’s Yarn, Woven Art, Yarn Garden and Sticks & Strings Boutique have teamed up to bring Mid-Michigan knitters this event. The Shop Hop is many things… * A fun day shopping with your friends * A chance to see what all the local shops have to offer and many of the new yarns for fall * Exclusive sales and discounts for shop hoppers during the event * Entry into daily door prize drawing at each shop & into each shops grand prize drawing. That’s 4 chances at Grand Prizes! Each grand prize package is valued at over $150! * Each shop has designed a new pattern that’s offered free to shop hoppers. (that’s $24 in patterns) Our pattern is the Snap Dragon Cardi, a cute baby sweater. * Visit all 4 shops & receive the winning pattern from our design competition (to be unveiled at the shop). * Each participant receives an exclusive event knitting bag filled with goodies. This years bags are going to be great! We have do...

The first meeting of the BSKG 2011-2012 year is only one week away. As always, a busy night is planned: there will be introductions, Tanya Thomann will present a history of the guild, there will be opportunities to sign up for the retreat committee and other projects. If that's not enough, in addition to the usual raffle there will be a special raffle for the scarf that was made during the retreat. An addition this years meetings will include a Find What You've Been Looking For Free Table where members can bring any craft related items for others to take home. It's a way for you to clean out any unwanted/unloved projects, including unfinished objects, yarn, needles, and other craft items. We need a volunteer to run this program. A vote will be taken on a change in the bylaws. The bylaw amendment wording is: Initial membership dues are $15.00 plus the current TKGA annual dues for one calendar year. This will change the current set amount. See you in one week at St. Col...

It's coming up soon - Sunday Sept 25, 1:05 game time. Please let us know if you wish tickets, we will buy one block and all sit together. Let us know by August 24, 2011. We are collecting hats for homeless vets (Michigan Veterans Foundation), for each hat you will be entered to win fabulous prizes! Hope to see you there. Please email blacksheepknittingguild@hotmail.com if you want tickets. Here is a link to the flyer if you would like more info. MORE INFORMATION (PDF, 934 KB)

Anyone up for a special raffle I'm September? I just picked up a copy of the new book Coffee Break Knits, and had it signed by all five authors...can you recognize them all? I'm supposed to brag that I have a picture of Irish Girl Knits!

We're here!

Below is a link to a survey regarding BSKG meeting content. Please fill out the survey by July 30th. This survey will help us to schedule the meetings for next year. Click here to take survey Stitch N Pitch is scheduled for Sun Sept 25th. We need to order tickets by Aug 25th. As in past years, we will order as a group, so that we can sit together. Please let me know if you want tickets, and the quantity. This is a great event to meet fellow knitters and their FAMILIES. Tickets are $20 plus your share of the $6 service fee.

Sandhill is teaming up with local yarn shop, The Dropped Stitch, for this 2nd annual event on Saturday, July 30, from 11-6. Free admission. The grounds will be filled with booths of fiber farmers and indie dyers. You can shop for yarn, fiber, or knitted/crocheted items, watch the demos, attend a workshop, or just shop and sip! For complete details go to: http://www.sandhillcranevineyards.com/pages/events.html If you're interested, email the Black Sheep at hotmail.

Some of the sheep are planning to go to the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan this August. You can find details at http://www.michiganfiberfestival.info/ The plan is to go 8/19 and spend the night. If you are interested, email Kathleen Hearne of Harriet Atlas [check you member roster]. Speaking of fiber, one of Kathleen's students wrote the following for school: The scarf’s lasting lesson One day Ms. Hearne decided to knit a scarf for her favorite niece as a wedding gift. Ms. Hearne woke up and decided that it was a great day to start this project. At 11am right after she had her normal breakfast of scrambled eggs and grits she went on a yarn crawl to find just the right yarn. She and her friends piled into the mini van where they traveled from store to store knitting, chatting, and finding the perfect yarn. Before they started their adventure they needed to get gas in the car. Using MapQuest they calculated that the total distance of the yarn crawl would be 155 miles. The mini...

The picnic was held on Wed. June 8th at Firefighter's Park in Troy. The weather was fantastic, although it was a very hot day, we were in the shade and there was a nice breeze. Sally P., Wylie, Chris H., Rita P., Marie W. and Linda M. attended. The pot luck as usual was very good, and abundant. The Oakland Guild had fabulous door prizes, and all of us BSKGers but Sally ;-( went home with door prizes. There were beautiful yarns and knitting bags raffled off. Show and share - everyone had beautiful items to show. Thanks to the Oakland Guild for inviting us. We had a great time, and got to spend time getting to know the members of the Oakland Guild.

A gray morning with the threat of rain turned into a lovely afternoon to sit in Shain Park and knit.

The date for the open board meeting is June 14th at 7. Try to attend the Oakland Knitters Guild picnic or KIP day if you can. Details in the previous post.

Although the Black Sheep don't have official guild meetings over the summer — we do have some upcoming activities planned. Open BSKG Board Meeting We will hold our annual open board meeting on Tuesday, June 7 at St. Columban's, 7:00 pm. If you are interested in the inner workings of the Guild, please attend. Knitters Picnic Wednesday June 8 at 5:30. Firefighters Park, 1800 W. Square Lake Rd, Troy. Bring a dish to pass (there will be plates/cups/plasticware), a chair to sit on, a project to work on, a finished project for show and share, and a sweater or jacket (it is in the shade, and got cold last year). This picnic is hosted by the Oakland Knitting Guild. Worldwide Knit in Public Day A loosely organized event — knitters promote the art by knitting in public places worldwide. Bring a chair and knitting to join us in Shain Park, Birmingham on June 11, at 1 p.m. Whoever shows up first, please pick a spot w/ both sun and shade (if possible). Stitch N’ Pitch Join us Sep...

Our May "swap and sale" meeting was filled with yarn, food and more yarn. If a picture speaks a thousand words... here are a lot of words.

What a great meeting we had! Our annual sneaky sheep exchange brought out the creativity in our members. Hats, scarves, shawls & cowls, slippers, socks, even a pair of legwarmers, mitts & mittens, jewelry and a gardening apron were all among the many gorgeous items. Check out the photos on the right hand side of the blog! Judith presented this year's charity knitting - we will be making hats and mittens for Headstart children. Our VP Kelley presented the Tip of the Month, how to SSK without the SS. I've been using it - what a time saver. The KAL for the month - the Liesl sweater - three people wore their creations! This month's raffle was provided by Rachel Lawson, Diane Dininski, Stacey Totzke, Harriet Atlas, Marguerite Winer The lucky winners were: Nancy (a guest) – needlefelting kit Rebecca – Mystery yarn from Rachel Brenda Dunlop – Reddonm Hill Yarn from Rachel Barb Schultz – Cascade 220 and markers from Rachel Jodi – Wrap Kit from Harriet Kelley A – 2 ske...

Doors open at 7:00 pm for sign in and raffle ticket sales. It's almost time for the S3.4! Hopefully everyone has their project well in hand. It will be exciting to see what everyone has created for their sneaky sheep. Along with the sneaky sheep exchange, Judith will have the charity kick-off for this year. That will give everyone the summer to do their charity knitting. The annual retreat is coming up, and there are still spots left. We always have a great time, it is a chance to get to know fellow knitters better, knit, relax, and just enjoy the weekend. We will have a classes, chair massages and henna tattoos. Please consider coming if you can! Please see the attachment for information regarding programs held by the Needlework and Textile Guild of Michigan (NTGM). Kate Pultz is our contact with that guild, and there are some interesting programs coming up. NTGM has invited our members to attend their meetings. See you Tuesday. Black Sheep Knitting Guild

I see lots of bags... but no one has fessed up how much was spent on the trip to Bowling Green, OH. You'll note, lots of repeat travelers/shoppers.

Saturday, March 26, is the Black Swamp Spinners Guild Market Day & Fiber Fair in Bowling Green, OH. It's a wonderful fiber fair and easy ride. You can see from the picture how much fun previous visitors had. Please respond to Harriet if you’d like to car pool that morning. We’ll meet at Anderson Middle School around 8 am and go from there. Fair goes to 4 pm, but we won’t stay that long. Probably be back at Anderson by 2 or 3. Can’t remember if there’s an entry cost and it's not mentioned on the website; but minimal cost, if there is one. So, bring a bit of cash for that, for lunch (we’ll stop somewhere), and a few $$ to kick in for your driver. And, oh yes, $$ for what you decide you can’t live without at the fair.

As promised, Christa Kindt-Newhouse was a wonderful guest! She showed us many of her brioche pieces which are amazing. Then she shared patterns and taught brioche knitting to our members. Raffle Items were provided by Kim Whelen, Stacey Totszke, Sharon Hagen, and Linda Francisco. The lucky winners were Merritt Collins - yarn, Barbara Burt - a purse kit, Linda - baby snug kit, Elaine Glogower - felted knits kit, Ann Ryan - baby knits kit, Rachel Lawson - fabulous handknits, Kelly Kencik - yarn bowl, Kelly Anderson - heirloom lace yarn and pattern. Kathleen Endlein, Rita and Mimi also won books. Anny Ryan and Barbara Burt won expenses-paid trips to the RETREAT. We had a show of Tanya's hat pattern done in different colors by BSKG members. What a difference the color combination makes!

Where does a month go? It's just one week until the March 8 meeting. The doors open at 7pm for sign-in and raffle ticket sales. As always, an interesting evening is planned. Christa Kent Newhouse will be our guest; she will be talking about *double knitting*. She will be showing her double knit pieces, and talking about Bi-Color Brioche, and teaching Brioche. She has patterns and instructions for a scarf and if you wish to start one bring 2 skeins of contrasting colors of the same weight yarns and appropriate size needles, either double pointed or circular. We are holding a special raffle! Be sure to bring some extra cash. In addition to our regular raffle we are having a special raffle for an expense paid trip (actually 2)... to our annual retreat! Tickets are $5.00 each and even if you've already paid you are eligible to win and we will refund any money you have already paid. Anyone who has been on this trip knows how much fun it is, and this is a wonderful prize ($195...

Just a quick reminder to register for the annual BSKG Retreat...a weekend of fun with fiber friends April 29 - May 1. Includes 2 nights, 5 meals, snacks and workshops and more fun than you can shake a skein at! We will be holding a special raffle at the March meeting for the 2 paid retreat admissions. If you have already signed up, and then win the raffle, we will of course refund your deposit. McMullen Center is a lovely place, set on the wooded shores of Higgins Lake, which has been noted as one of the world's most beautiful lakes. Last year we had classes at the beach, went kayaking, had a bonfire at the beach, went for walks in the woods. We have chair massages scheduled for Saturday afternoon, also we will have our own henna artist. There will be a sale Sat. evening, with some our talented members showcasing their wares. We have arranged a tour of Stonehedge Fiber Mill Friday afternoon, before the "official" retreat starts. It's a great weekend of fiber fun, gr...

Diane Dininsky brought along items she's made for a Trunk Show ~ always a treat for members. Tanya Thomann gave us a lesson on Fair Isle knitting ~ she almost made it look easy. We all learned some tricks. And then she showed us steeking! Don't know if anyone's ready to try that yet. The raffle items were generously provided by Charli Osborne, Diane Dininsky and Stacy Totzke. The lucky winners were Linda Francisco -sock yarn in a [cat] bag, peach feltable wool - Tanya Thomann, Donna Mrozek - Bag Style , Merritt Collins - Itty Bitty Toys , Ann Ryan - a squiggle scarf kit, and Wiley Rundell - One Skein Wonders. Michelle Dagenais won the KAL raffle.

The Spinner’s Flock Annual Winter Fleece Fair is Saturday, 2/19, 10 am - 4 pm. It's being held at Beach Middle School, 445 Mayer Drive, Chelsea, MI. Anyone wanting to carpool, please contact bloomgirlknits on Ravelry or send a message to Harriet directly (check BSKG roster). I know at least a couple are going. The more, the merrier. Here is the website for more info: http://www.spinnersflock.org/

Our next meeting is February 8 and according to the *administration* it should be an exciting time! There will be a trunk show by Diane Dininsky and Tanya will be teaching color work and steeking. In addition, the SWAG is in! If you ordered a kit it's $25; if you ordered extra skeins they are $15 each. Remember, the doors open at 7 for sign in and raffle ticket purchase. Field trips for the month include Knit Michigan on February 5 and the Spinner's Flock Winter Fleece Fair in Chelsea on February 19. Belated January birthdays wishes to Nancy Brown and me. :-) Very Happy Birthday to our February lambs: Jodi Dietz, Diane Dininsky, Merritt Collins, Kate Pultz and Heather Perrone!

It's time again for the Sneaky Sheep Exchange. If you didn't get an email notification, let us know! Sign up ends January 31st - so hurry and sign up before time runs out!

Yesterday's meeting has been rescheduled for: Tuesday Jan 18th, doors at 7:00, meeting begins at 7:30. same place - St. Columban's See you then.

Due to the weather, tonight's meeting is canceled. We will try to reschedule, we will keep you informed. If we cannot reschedule, we will send out the info we would have discussed via email. Thanks.

If the weather tomorrow lives up to its prediction of 2-4 inches starting in the afternoon, we might cancel the meeting. We will post the cancellation here, and on Ravelry, and we will also email. We hope it doesn't snow!! We have a great, busy meeting planned.

See you soon- January 11th is our next meeting. Don't forget to buy raffle tickets between 7:00 and 7:30 Happy New Year. Hope everyone had a great holiday season. Out with the old, and in with the new, as they say. Kim Whelan will be retiring as the president, Kelley Kencik is beginning her term as the new VP, and Rita Perrone will be taking the reins as the President. Help us welcome them! We be demonstrating our traditional cast on/cast off and something in the middle; the Sneaky Sheep Exchange begins, and Harriet will teach the quarter hour quickie - crocheted edgings. Retreat registration begins this month. Please bring some (light) worsted weight yarn, and needles slightly smaller than appropriate - you want a tight gauge - for the cast on/cast off, and something in the middle.