December meeting

The final meeting for the year was attended by Ainsworth Books - distributors for Interweave Press and other publishers of knitting books. There was a great deal of interest in the stock on show and many happy purchases made.

A Christmas party was held with more than enough delicious goodies for everyone to share.

Members are reminded that annual renewal fees are due now. If fees are not paid before February then a rejoining fee will also be charged.

Dates for 2009

The Knitters Guild of NSW will hold its AGM on 7 March at the Powerhouse Museum with Bill Crews from the Exodus Foundation as the guest speaker.

Craftfest is 6-8 March at Sydney Olympic Park.

The Craft and Quilt Fair is on 20-22 February in Newcastle.

The Craft and Quilt Fair is on 10-14 June at Darling Harbour.

WorldWide Knit in Public [WWKIP] Day will be held in Darling Harbour on 14 June.

The Stitches and Craft Show will be held on 19-23 August at Rosehill Gardens.

Opera in the Domain is on 31 January and there will be a knitting group present from midday until the opera is finished.

The Blue Mountains Group Workshop calendar will be finalised at the meeting on 17 January. One suggestion was a workshop on the unspoken rules of RAS judging with some one from the Guild standards committee.

More names are needed for the Afternoon Tea Roster for 2009, especially for the second half of the year.

The Guild Standard's Committee is seeking hints for knitting and crochet to be published in a book - further details in the latest newsletter.

Springwood School of Arts in Ferguson Road runs a spinning class on Tuesday afternoons for all levels. They will be running them again in 2009 and are seeking expressions of interest for a night class.

If you have any suggestions for books for the library please let Lesley know.

There is an anonymous survey on the Guild website seeking feedback on what is wanted on the website. All comments will be made anonymously. Click here to go directly to the survey.

The raffle was won by Anne.

November meeting

November's meeting was once again well attended.

The branch AGM was conducted and the new positions are as follows:
Convenor - Merrin re-elected
Treasurer – Rosie re-elected
Secretary - Diane
Hospitality (meet and greet) - Lesley, Vernetta and Lois
Workshop Co-ordinator - Vicki
Afternoon Tea - Yvonne
Blog/Web mistress - Lynne
Library - Lesley

The Library will now be open from 3pm to 4pm only, to try and prevent books being mislaid. About 60 are still missing. There is a new book borrowing register as well.

Our Retail Guest was Bev from Belisa Cashmere and she sold many scarf kits and cones of her lovely Cashmere fibre.
She mentioned that her lace knitting cones have lubricant on them (part of the industrial processing) so for anything knitted for the Easter Show the fibre should be wound into skeins and washed before being made into garments. This would resolve any queries as to its content and fulfil requirements that the item not be washed before display.

The next meeting on the 20th December is the Xmas party and the Ainsworth Book sale. Please bring plenty of small change for books as it is cash only.

Membership is due by February or you will be charged a $10 renewal.

The raffle was won by Robyn, a first time visitor, and a second prize, donated by Belisa Cashmere, was won by Anne.

Kate Venn is nominating for a position in the Guild Executive.
East Timor Sisters project is having a sale at Mid Mountains Community Center of Weaving on Sunday Nov 23.
High Tea at Maggie and Al's Restaurant Dec 6 , booking essential.
Welcome to Mavis who is now a member.
Laminated signs, saying “Blue Mountains Knitter's Guild” with the Logo, have been made for us to hang when exhibiting. They were used at the “Love Lawson Festival”

Made in the Mid Mountains Stall

On the morning of Saturday 15th members of the Blue Mountains Branch represented the Guild at the I Love Lawson Festival "Made in the Mid Mountains" Craft & Info Marquee.

Merrin, (r) Denise (c) and Mavis (l) along with Kate and Diane, handed out information leaflets and showed off their skills to the many visitors to the stall. The star of the morning was the woven Crochet rug Denise had created - it attracted many comments and inquiries about its construction.

The Lawson Festival is an annual event that first began in 2006. It is held on the third weekend in November.

September meeting

A small gathering of people attended the September meeting. The all day lace workshop was small in numbers but our tutor, Raelene, was wonderful [as usual] - nothing was too much trouble and she was incredibly patient. Thanks Raelene.

One of our members, Clare, is now the editor of the Guild newsletter, a demanding but interesting job. Congratulations Clare.

Members are reminded of the Guild exhibition to be held at Dence Park on the long weekend. Items for the exhibition must be taken to Beverley Hills or Epping. See the latest Guild newsletter for more details.

The latest contact list of the members of the Knitters Guild of NSW has been published. Only members who ticked the box on the membership form allowing details to be published are on the list. That is, non-publication of details is the norm unless permission is granted for publication. Fees next year are divided into metropolitan and country members; metropolitan are those who reside within the Sydney telephone district [numbers starting with 8 or 9].

The Annual General Meeting of the NSW Knitters' Guild will be held at the Powerhouse Museum on Saturday 7 March 2009. The guest speaker for the day will be the Reverend Bill Crewes of the Exodus Foundation, a charity supported by the Guild.

The Annual General Meeting of the Blue Mountains branch of the Knitters' Guild will be held on Saturday 15 November.

Next month members are invited to try their hand at spinning. Members who own spinning wheels are encouraged to bring them to the meeting so that non-spinners can try them out. A retail display by Virginia Woolworks will also be held at the October meeting. Afternoon tea will be provided by Lindsay, Michelle and Rhonda.

The Love Lawson Festival will be held on 15 November; many thanks to the members who volunteered to assist on the stall on the day.

The raffle was won by Kate.

July meeting

A small group this month. Welcome to Lindsay who joined at the recent Craft Show in Darling Harbour.

A crochet workshop was held - thank you Mavis for your helpful tutorial.

The ABC Knit-In [supporting Wrap with Love] for the Hawkesbury area is to be held on Friday 1 August at the Windsor Library 10am-noon; all welcome. There will also be a Knit-In at the Springwood Pool [time unknown].

A new group has formed on Ravelry. It is called "Up the M4". The group meets outside the new Spotlight Penrith store on the first Sunday of the month and every third Friday at 10am.

Spun Out , a studio selling fibre and handspun yarn is owned by Pat Glenhill and located at 14 Flirtation Hill Lane, Gulgong, Ph 6374 1170. Workshops are occasionally held at the studio.

A member moved that the quilt made by the group be added to the Australian Quilt Register.

The Love Lawson Festival will be held on Saturday 15 November at the Mid Mountains Community Centre. This is the same day as our Annual General Meeting; however we will be having an information stall and volunteers are required.

charity knitting
Australian Interior Ministries [formerly known as Australian Inland Mission] and The Samaritan's Purse "Operation Christmas Child" projects have so far collected 198 sweaters, 100 beanies,80 scarves and 60 small patchwork bags. A big thank you to all contributors,including those from the online group: Knit4Charities. Items will be collected until September; more small cuddly items like teddies are needed.

Library News
new book - Noah's Ark
Patons has released some new patterns for knitted toys.

AUGUST MEETING

• Members involved in the Scarf Exchange are reminded that scarves are overdue - please bring them to the next meeting.
• The One Skein Challenge will be adjudicated [by popular vote] at the August meeting. To enter: knit any item from any one skein of yarn.
• Members are invited to bring yarn from their stash to the August meeting for a yarn sale/swap.
• workshop: intarsia - please bring scraps of yarn in various colours and appropriate needles.

Much thanks to Diane for taking notes at the July meeting during Lynne's absence.

May meeting

A quiet meeting this month. Eighteen members took advantage of the chance to do an all day stranded colour work workshop with the fabulous Liz Gemmell. David brought Henry who won second prize in the 2008 Sydney Royal Easter Show. Merrin brought her entry from a previous Show, a first prize winner. Both were duly admired but the biggest accolades were for Liz's beautiful floor rug, knitted in 12ply on 4.00mm needles - absolutely gorgeous.

Members are reminded to ensure that their membership is up-to-date. A $10 re-joining fee will now be charged on top of yearly membership. Non-members are not eligible to vote at meetings nor are they covered by insurance should anything happen to them during a meeting.

A Basic Skills Workshop is to be held at the Epping Creative Centre on Saturday 21st June.

The "Back to Back" Challenge will be held this year at The Turpentine Tree on Sunday 1 June.

Spotlight Penrith will open in its new location on the June long weekend - keep your eyes open for sales.

The scarf exchange is to happen at the July meeting as is the one-skein challenge. Members and guests are invited to knit anything they want from only one skein of yarn of any size. Knitting will be displayed and the winner decided by popular vote.

The raffle this month, with a prize of a $25 voucher from The Wool Inn [Penrith] was won by Mira.

Finally, congratulations to Susan who announced her engagement recently.

April meeting

A large number of people were in attendance at this meeting.

A coordinator has been appointed to take over the newsletter for the Knitters' Guild of NSW.

The exhibition that was to be held at Dence Park has been cancelled. No word yet on what is expected for the exhibition to be held at Darling Harbour in June.

The Scarf Exchange details were handed out; finished scarves are to be ready for the July meeting.

A list of charities supported by our members was made and will be forwarded to the state executive. This included the Salvation Army, CANTEEN, Operation Christmas Child, Australian Inland Mission and Wrap with Love.

Payment of $25 was taken from those who wish to participate in the workshop with Liz Gemmell next month. The workshop will commence at 10am. Morning tea will be provided; bring your own lunch.

The second of our workshops on entrelac was held; this time involving the use of triangles as a foundation, knitting on the bias and using stocking stitch. Thanks again to our wonderful tutor, Raelene, for making what looks so difficult easy to understand. An informal discussion was held regarding the need for a workshop on casting on/off techniques. We wish Raelene all the best as she travels north for the next few months - have a great trip.

A large range of knitted and some crocheted items were displayed during Show-n-Tell.

The raffle this month was won by Lesley.

Entrelac workshop

There were so many people at this month's meeting that it was hard for late-comers to find a place to sit! A big welcome to all our visitors; we hope to see you again next month.

Congratulations to Raelene on being made a life member of the Guild for services rendered. It is a well-deserved accolade. Raelene was presented with a certificate of recognition from the Blue Mountains group by our convenor, Merrin.

Our workshop, taught by the competent and, as always, well-prepared Raelene was on entrelac knitting using a method devised by Brenda Horne. It is made entirely of garter stitch and is not knit on the bias, therefore no starting triangles are needed. Raelene showed us many examples of entrelac, ranging from the ubiquitous colourwork [on the bias] to a beautiful shawl knitted in combination of stocking stitch and lace knitting. We then learnt the thumb method of cast-on and knitted out first square. Using the easy-to-follow notes prepared byRaelene, we moved on the second and third squares. By the end of the workshop, some had completed more than half the sample piece and by the end of the afternoon had completed it entirely.

A second workshop in entrelac will be held next month; this time using stocking stitch on the bias.

Anita and her helpers from The Wool Inn in Penrith were at the meeting to tempt us with all sorts of interesting goodies.

The raffle this month had three prizes; these were won by Diane, Yvonne and Lesly.

Members are reminded that the closing date for articles for the Exhibition in Friday 11th April.

February 2008 meeting

Some important points arose during the meeting:

• membership fees are now due - if you have not already done so, please forward this year's fees to the membership secretary


• the annual general meeting of the Knitters' Guild of NSW will be held at the Powerhouse Museum on Saturday 1st March; all members are invited to attend; only financial members will be eligible to vote


• a cloth badge was attached to the most recent newsletter for members who have paid their fees; the cloth badge is to be attached to a shirt which has a collar if representing the Guild [e.g. at the Easter Show or at the Craft Fair]


• an exhibition of members' work will be on display at the Epping Creative Centre in April, all members are invited to exhibit; refer to the centre pages of the latest newsletter for further information


• a scarf exchange is to be held at the Blue Mountains Knitters' group; interested persons should complete the form and give it to Rosemary by the March meeting; the finished scarves will be due at the July meeting


• We will be having a workshop on Fair Isle Techniques presented by Liz Gemmel in May. The workshop will run all day and lunch will be provided. The cost of the workshop will be $25. Only those who pay in advance will be able to attend the workshop. Places are limited so get in early. See David for more details.

No workshop was held this month. "Show and Tell" continues to offer a wide variety of knitted objects, from fingerless gloves to lace knitting.

This month the raffle prize of a $25 gift voucher from The Wool Inn [Penrith] was won by Mira.

A delicious afternoon tea was provided by Margaret, Vernetta, Lesley and Mira - thank you. The members rostered for afternoon tea next month are Yvonne, Ann, Alison and Margaret.

Calendar 2008

Please note: This schedule may change. Please check back regularly.

19 JANUARY
workshop: Judging – What does it take to win a competition?
bring: your best piece of knitting

16 FEBRUARY
Workshop: Raelene’s 'No Pattern' Cardigan
bring: the cardigan project from 2006

15 MARCH
Retail: Display from Wool Inn
Workshop: Entrelac Part 1
bring: 8 ply yarns + suitable needles. Leftover lengths of yarn are fine.

19 APRIL
Workshop: Entrelac Part 2
bring: 8 ply yarn + suitable needles and your work from last month

17 MAY
Retail: Display from Evelyn & Rex Reynolds Yarn
Workshop: Fair Isle techniques with Liz Gemmel.
bring: 4 ply yarns, suitable needles. Leftover lengths of yarn are fine.
Please note: This is a full day workshop commencing at 10am, there is an additional charge of $25 for the whole day portion, BYO lunch.

21 JUNE
Workshop: Natural Dyeing
bring: Uncoloured yarn [natural, not synthetic]. We’ll dye small batches. A plastic bag to take dyed yarn home in as it will not be dry.

19 JULY
Workshop: Crochet
bring: 8 ply yarn + suitable crochet hook

16 AUGUST
Retail: Members "Stash Busting" Sale
Workshop: Intarsia
bring: 8 ply yarns + suitable needles. Leftover lengths of yarn are fine.

20 SEPTEMBER
Workshop: Lace Knitting
bring: Lace weight yarns, 3mm – 5mm needles
This is a full day workshop commencing at 10am.

18 OCTOBER
Retail: Display from Virginia Farm
Workshop: Spinning
bring: If you spin, bring some fibre and your spindle or wheel. Today is very hands on, everyone gets to try it.

15 NOVEMBER
Annual General Meeting
Retail: Display from Belissa Cashmere
Workshop: Finishing
bring: things you haven’t finished along with suitable yarn and needles.

20 DECEMBER
Christmas Party
Retail: Display from Ainsworth's Books
bring: A small amount of food to share.