​Our meeting will take place on the 2nd WEDNESDAY, February 10th, instead of our usual 2nd Tuesday.

Our February 10th meeting speaker will be Janine Bajus! She is known as the Feral Knitter and has been immersed with Fair Isle and color knitting for several years. She’s published some patterns and has a forthcoming book called The Joy of Color: Fair Isle Knitting Your Way. Janine is teaching two regular and two mini-classes at the Madrona Fiber Arts 2016 Winter Retreat and is also the Friday evening Teacher’s Gallery speaker! Find out more about Janine at www.feralknitter.com.

SKG members are asked to reserve a free spot by e-mailing [email protected] if you did not sign up at the 1/12/16 meeting. Guests and friends are welcome to attend, please also e-mail [email protected] with names, and there will be a $10 fee at the door for guests and friends to help cover the speaker’s fee. The Waltz Building is at 116 Ave B, Snohomish and there’s available street parking.

A reminder - this meeting is on a Wed rather than a Tue night.

Doors open at 6:00pm for an impromptu knit group. Seating will be theatre style without tables for this program.
The main program starts at 7pm with Announcements, Show and Tell, and program to follow.
​
Janine is excited to join the Snohomish Knitters Guild for an evening and to meet and chat with everyone!

At the 10/13 Guild meeting, members attending heard more information and had discussion about three local organizations under consideration for our Holiday Gift Giving outreach (has also been called charity knitting). There was a majority interested in again making gifts for the Evergreen Recovery Centers (formerly Evergreen Manor), located in Everett.

Here’s a reminder about their work with mothers with children. Evergreen Recovery Centers ) provides long-term residential daycare and addiction treatment and recovery support for mothers. Those with children under age 5 may keep their children with them during their treatment. While they are in treatment sessions, the children attend their state-licensed therapeutic daycare program.

The Center will appreciate any amount of handmade hats, mittens or gloves, scarves, and socks for both adult and teen mothers and children under age 5. 

Completed unwrapped gifts will be collected at the December 8 Guild meetings. Not able to attend either meeting? Contact me and we’ll arrange a convenient time to meet!

Yarn: Please use acrylic yarn—it’s washable and does not shrink. You could consider using washable or super wash wool but please attach a note with a safety pin that “washing machine OK, no dryer just hand dry!”

Patterns: Members are very welcome to use patterns that they like. Again, please consider using washable acrylic yarn for easy care.

Also, here are Ravelry links to some pattern searches that focus on acrylic yarn, usually one color, and with 150-300 yards. (You will need to be logged into Ravelry and then copy and paste the links for them to work – Ed.)

Adult-size
​Some free knit patterns for mittens
Some free crochet patterns for mittens
Some free knit patterns for scarves
 Some free crochet patterns for scarves
Some free knit patterns for socks

Children, babies and newborns
​Some free knit patterns for mittens
​Some free crochet patterns for mittens
Some free knit patterns for scarves
​Some free crochet patterns for scarves
​Some free knit patterns for socks and booties

If anyone needs help with printing any of these free patterns, send me an e-mail and I’ll be glad to mail you some free patterns—let me know which ones you’re interested in! Average meeting attendance has been about 45 lately. If everyone could try making two items, that would generate almost 100 hats, mittens, scarves and socks! And, any number of items will be welcome. I’d be glad to help with any questions! Please add them here or send me an email. 

Marion  [email protected]  

​October, far and away, is one of my favorite months. It always has been, but since discovering (or in my case, re-discovering) fiber arts, that love has only grown deeper. It’s cold, yes. But that means knitting and crocheting all kinds of fun, beautiful warm things to wear and give to those we love! And, more specifically, it means lots of incredible fiber art goings-on to partake of. 
This month’s meeting was a good example. In our new board’s first run, and a resoundingly successful one at that, we all came together to learn something new. Taught by our very own, no less! 
Firstly, there were announcements to be had. Georgia did a splendid job getting us all caught up with the exciting events coming up. The Retreat and Fiber Fusion, which were both spectacular successes, were both touched on. We also had an announcement and discussion relating to our annual holiday crafting drive. After some great questions and hard choices, it was decided to give as a group to the same great charity as last year, though we were all reminded that it’s not only okay but even encouraged that if we’d like, we as individuals can give to another organization, either instead or in addition to the group’s choice! 
We had another great Book Report from Georgi, as well! She always brings the most interesting choices, full of things that are not only just fun to make, but that always have some other aspect to them, as well. There was a bonus this month, too, as she brought in a great rare Barbara Walker book for us to take a peek at!  
The next part was bittersweet, as Marion gave her last Knit News presentation. It was another hit, and don’t be too sad; she is only giving up the beloved post because as you all recall, she’s now our Vice President! With the post already filled by another eager guild member, Knit News will continue to be something to look forward to each month. One of the best parts of our guild is how we are continually learning more not just about the stitches at our fingertips, but the stories and history, both ancient and modern, that have led us as crafters to where we are today. 
Before we got down to the business of learning how to make fun notions, it was time for Show and Tell! Now, as I was busily snipping away lengths of cord and sorting things for the main event that we’ll get to in a minute, I unfortunately didn’t have a hand free to take notes. But I can assure you I was awed to near distraction by our collective talents once again! Rebecca’s adorable sheep, Miss Coral, was such a cute way to lose count of what I was doing that I wasn’t even bothered. The parade of beautiful shawls was distracting, too. And there was even another hat made with the yarn from our Dye Day, which was just as awesome as could be. As the cold weather and the holidays take hold, I can only imagine how many more incredible things we’ll create and share, and can’t express enough how happily I anticipate it! 
A quick break, and it was down to business. Fun business! First up was our very own freshly former President, Katie, to teach us how to make Dorset buttons. I’ll admit, I’d never even heard of them before, so it was a real treat for me, as I’m sure it was for everyone—even those who knew what they were! It turns out, as Katie so gracefully and patiently taught us, that Dorset buttons are buttons made from a firm ring and yarn. Using different techniques, types of yarn, and even ring sizes, the possibilities for making stunning buttons to adorn your projects, or anything else, is easy enough for nearly anyone to learn, while being fun enough to make that you want to just keep making more and more of them! There was even a small contingent of us who couldn’t help but wonder if with a Hula Hoop and some pencil roving, could one not make a rug? But even if we don’t go quite that mad with the idea, being able to make breathtaking buttons to match our handcrafted wares, or even to use scraps we love to make buttons for other projects, is something I think we’ll all be doing soon, if we weren’t already! I know I, for one, have already made a few since the meeting, and hope to make more. I know for a concrete fact that we, one and all, extend a huge thank you to Katie for teaching us so well, and teaching us something so fun! 
For the second and final tutorial, I had the pleasure of showing the guild how to make just one of the many variations of handmade row counters. There are so many ways to keep track of where we are in a pattern, but there’s something to be said for making one yourself. For instance, if I make something myself rather than buy it, I’m far more likely to actually use it! I decided on teaching how to make row counter bracelets, because I love that when I’m not crafting it’s still something I can wear proudly. Everyone was so great, from Tandy and Marion and other helpers who ran supplies around the room and helped answer questions, to you all who took to what was a fairly complicated project, especially for anyone who hadn’t made jewelry before, like ducks to water. Even through a plier and time drought, there were smiles on faces and completed bracelets on many wrists by the time the proverbial bell rang and it was time to head out. So thank you, to the board for allowing me to show you, and to everyone, for being such wonderful students! 
My love for October is really like my love for this guild. It only grows stronger each year, and I look forward to so many more Octobers, guild meetings, and fiber art events to come!  

The Seattle to Portland Yarn Train is pulling away from the station TOMORROW MORNING! Are you ready?

If you haven't yet registered there is still time. Registering is a great way to get information about this awesome event. Our coordinators, Katie and Barb, have worked hard to pull together an exciting event this year.

There are nine shops participating this year; Knit Purl, Happy Knits, Close Knit, Pearl Fiber Arts, Yarnia, Yarntastic, Dublin Bay, Twisted, and Yarn Garden. Each shop has something different and amazing to offer. Check them out online to decide which (if not all) of the shops you wish to visit this year. Portland has an incredible public transportation service to help you get to each of the shops, plan your route ahead of time using their website: trimet.org. You can also choose to stay in the Pearl District where there are three rockin' shops within walking distance from Portland Union Station and many more intriguing places to visit like Powell's City of Books, VooDoo Donuts, and the Museum of Contemporary Craft, to name a few.

This year Barb and Katie will be tweeting their adventures, as well as event updates, such as train delays and other important information. Follow them @YarnTrain. You can also share your photos of the event in our Facebook Album, or email them to the Webmaster, who will then share them online.

If you forgot to register or lost the link to the Yarn Train brochure (full of discounts and information), you can still access it and download it from our website, Yarn Train Brochure.

Safe and wonderful travels to all those participating.

Here is a guest post from Maureen (Mo) Galbreath, our valiant Yarn Train coordinator,
who recently spent some time in Portland previewing the shops and other
features of Portland, that you won't want to miss while you're there. 

  I just spent two lovely days in Portland visiting the seven shops that will be on the Seattle to Portland Yarn Train Crawl. The Crawl is scheduled for Saturday, May 19, with the Amtrak train leaving the station at 7:30 am.

  This year, we’ve added four new shops to the Crawl. All are accessible via Portland’s TriMet bus system. We will have printed information on which bus to take to get to each of the outlying shops.   
Yarnia
  Be sure to check out their website. Especially the video of how the yarn is wound on their machine.

Twisted
  Next stop on our Portland (PDX) trip was Twisted. So many wonderful samples to look at and a big library of patterns as well. This shop is definitely set up for browsing with places to sit down and their own tea bar. Be sure to check out the “About” option on their website to learn about the yarns they carry and their clubs. The Shawlette Club looks soo inviting.

Dublin Bay
  Dublin Bay was next on the list. A sweet shop with so much to look at and a very comfortable place to sit and knit, complete with fireplace and TV. Visit their website to check out their yarns. And be sure “to take a virtual tour of our shop” to familiarize yourself with what they carry. The battery on my phone was depleted and I was unable to take any pictures here. You’ll have to visit in person to see for yourself how lovely it is.

Urban Fiber Arts
  Our last stop for the day was Urban Fiber Arts.  We always get such a warm welcome from Cindy whenever we visit.  This shop features many local hand dyers and some of the color ways are so pretty.  It was their evening knit/spin night so we had an opportunity to watch one of the gals spinning.  Be sure to check them out on Facebook or on their website to see some of the yarns and learn more about the activities going on at the shop.


    ~"Mo", Yarn Train Coordinator

Watch for Part 2 of her trip, coming in a few days!