November Meeting Recap - "When Good Sweaters Go Bad"

First of all, sorry I never posted info here about the November meeting.  For those curious, we will have our December meeting at WC Mercantile as a Christmas Party.  The info is at the bottom of this post, also on Facebook and Ravelry.

Our program in November was "When Good Sweaters go Bad" or as Andrea, our presenter put it - "Sweater Regrets- I've Knit a Few".  The idea was for Andrea to discuss the many, many sweaters she has knitted over the years and all of the things she has learned from both her mistakes and triumphs.

Below are photos and notes from each sweater she presented. (You can click the photos to see them bigger)

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Sweater 1:

Andrea began knitting in 2005 in Inthica, NY, when she began working at a yarn shop.

Her first sweater happened during this time, with some Rowan Yarn.  Sadly, she did not know to fully read labels, and as such it felted and shrunk when she washed it the first time.

Sweater 2:

This was a sweater she knitted for her husband (I think he was fiance at the time) with an Interweave Knits Pattern.

She altered the sleeves and the math didn't work out well.
She also learned, as he wore it, that he was allergic to wool!

Sweater 3:

Knitted in Rowan Cashsoft DK, this sweater was deemed the "Worty Sweater" because of the bobble pattern. 

Andrea enjoys the funky bobbles, and learned to do zippers in the process.

Sweater 4:

Her first sweater when she moved to TX with husband for his job.  Quickly learned to not use heavy wool in the TX heat!

Sweater 5: 

A very lacy sweater that ended up shrinking in the wash, even on delicate.

(No photo sorry!)

Sweater 6:

A merino/cashmere blend that, when blocked, lost it shape.  It ended up expanding the wrong way.

Prior to knitting, she swatched, but did not block said swatch.  She learned to block her swatches, including hanging them to simulate the weight of your body.  She also learned to watch what yarn you substitute, as the original pattern called for 100% merino (I think that's right?)

Sweater 7:

Yarn from Iceland, that ended up way too itchy for a sweater.  She also had issues with the yoke.
Converted from a pullover to a cardigan, which is part of the issue with yoke.

Clever idea - blocked by walking in the rain while wearing it!

Sweater 8: 

Boho Chic'.  The measurements were good across the hips, but she should have gone up a size.  Also made the sleeves longer than listed, but didn't realize they'd block out REALLY long.

Sweater 9: 

"Tecumseh" sweater finished this past summer.  This sweater was swatched, but somehow still blocked out too big and the blue yarn bled like crazy! There were also tension issues due to adding the extra feather design. 

Andrea recommends going up a size with colorwork to fix tension issues.

Sweater 10:

Kaitlin Hunter pattern - apparently Kaitlin Hunter makes very "blousy" patterns.

This is still a WIP for Andrea.  She blocked the yoke to see how it would fit.  Learned that the blue opened up more than the pink - because the blue yarn has silk in it, but the pink doesn't.

Sweater 11:

Latest Finish! Laura Nelkin "Poca" .  Very interesting construction.  Starts at the cuff, working to the shoulder, than back to front, then to the other cuff.  While a fun knit, it is not a good shape on Andrea. 

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Overall, Andrea shared her learning experiences with us and we all walked away with ideas of what to do (and not to do) when we are working on a sweater.  Sweaters are scary, they are just finicky!

Thanks to the Amazing Andrea for the program and for letting me take photos - I know some are not so flattering!

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December Meeting/Party info!

December 14th, 2018 5:30-6 setup time, 6:00 dinner time. WC Mercantile in Navasota, TX.

It’s that time of the year! The official BVKG Christmas party! We will be at WC Mercantile in Navasota this year to celebrate the holidays as only knitters know how - with food and yarn!

Potluck! Please, if you can,tell us what you will bring on the Ravelry Thread: LINK
The guild is providing a ham. We will purchase it and Stephanie at WC will heat it up for us

Gift exchange (optional). This year we are keeping it simple. Bring a skein of yarn (either from stash or bought special for this) and pair it with a small goodie. Chocolate bar. hot cocoa . Tea. Coffee. Etc. KEEP IT SIMPLE. We will do a white elephant style (Stealing TBD) so anyone who brings something will get something. All we ask is that yarn be a Natural Fiber yarn please :)

Socializing, a party game (or 2) and charity knit (project gratitude) recognition will also take place.

Haven’t paid dues yet? Come anyway and pay there ($20 for the year). Not an official member or haven’t been to a guild meeting before? We’d love to meet you and tell you what we do. Consider coming and learning more about the great things we have planned for 2019!

October Meeting

Our October Meeting will be on October 11, 2018 at 7PM at Michaels in College Station.  All are welcome to attend, and guests may attend 2-3 times before being asked to pay. 

This month we are meeting at 7 as usual. Rhonda will begin the meeting with our usual discussions. 

We will draw names for secret Santa IF ENOUGH PEOPLE SIGN UP. go to the Ravelry page and post your list by Thursday if you wish to join! 

The program for this month is a simple one. If you have already crawled, bring your haul and share your experience. If you plan to this next weekend, come and listen for suggestions on where to go. Super laid back but we’d love if you came and shared something.

Other items on agenda are publicity and program ideas, as well as show and tell.

June Recap and July Meeting

Notes from the June Meeting:

Our new officer board is as follows:

Lisa Urban - President
Cindy Nevels - Vice President
Susan Gater - Treasurer
Rhonda Lance - Secretary

We had our first meeting at Michaels in their classroom.  The consensus was that it was a good space to meet as it had good lighting and was easily accessible. We did end up needing extra chairs and there is concern if we have any large events that we should meet elsewhere.  We do not have a standing reservation, but it seems that it will be easy to get the room each month.  Cathy is in charge of this.

We discussed summer knitting and road trips, as well as future events.  We talked about becoming sister guilds with a group in Las Vegas.  Stephanie P. is looking into this further.

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July meeting: 

We will meet at Michaels again, on July 12th at 7PM.  We have to be out by 8:50, as they close at 9.  You are welcome to leave earlier if needed tho.

The theme for this month's meeting is "My first..." That can mean a variety of things. Maybe your very first project. Or your very first SUCCESSFUL project (because we all know there's a difference!). Of the first time you learned something new. Or even a project you learned something major from. Bring anything you have to share that has to do with this open ended theme. 

We will also discuss what we want to see in the fall and new ideas for the coming year. 

**We have confirmed that Michaels has about 4-5 extra chairs if we need them, but if you're worries and really want to bring your own chair, go right ahead. Also food and drink IS allowed. **

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See you all soon!

~Lisa, 2018-19 president. 

June Meeting: Summer Knits

Hi guys! Our next meeting is June 14th, at 7PM. Please read below for all the details:

I’m sure we’re all sick of this location change, but hopefully we have a ‘permanent’ spot now! We will meet in the Michaels Classroom, which is just inside the store off of University dr in College Station. If we like the spot, it will be our new home.

This month, since it’s summer, we don’t have a specific program. HOWEVER, we need to do officer elections, as we chose not to at the dye day (only 5 in attendance doesn’t really work). PLEASE, if you can come, COME! So that your voice can be heard in the voting.

The ‘program’ for this month is open ended: Summer Knitting. We will discuss the things we knit in the summer, the yarns we use, the places we travel (with our knitting) or the shops we like to visit. Bring in your favorite summer project or designer, share your favorite summer tips and tricks or just come knit with us!

We will also have a game, show and tell and general news.

Michaels asks that we please be out by 8:50, as the store closes at 9. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?

April Meeting + Charity Knitting

Our April Guild meeting is going to be this Thursday, 4/12 at 7PM.  Our location is the CS firestation #6 on University Drive.

The topic for the evening is Charity Knitting, specifically our chosen charity - Operation Gratitude Click the link for more info or keep reading.

We will also go over guild news and have show and tell and a game.

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About the charity:

Our program for the year is to knit more for charities, and the first charity we chose was Operation Gratitude.  The organization puts together care packages for men and women deployed overseas and one of the items they ask for is knit scarves and hats.

For scarves - 4-6inches wide, 48-50 inches long.

Yarns - subtle colored yarn that are soft and machine wash (does not have to be acrylic).  Also approved are red-white-blue.

Pattern choice is up to you, but both pattern and yarn should be gender neutral.

Started something already? Bring it! Haven't started? Bring the yarn and start tonight! Don't want to/don't have time? Bring yarn to share with others who may use it.

See you all Thursday!

February Meeting

Our Feb. Meeting is on 2/8 at 7PM. See below:

LOCATION CHANGE: We will meet at the Purple Turtle Art Studio downtown Bryan. Parking is sometimes limited due to nearby restaurants but lighting is great all over. ALSO THIS MONTH ONLY do not plan on getting into the space until 6:45/6:50 as Lisa (with key) has an across town commitment until 6:30.

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This month we will have our usual meeting routine - updates, a quick game and etc.

The program is a red yarn swap. Please bring red/pink/valentines yarn and some sort of chocolate to participate in a “white elephant” style swap. Please have your gift wrapped, even if just in a plastic sack.

Hope to see you all there!

January Meeting Notes and Yearly Challenge Announced!

Here are the notes from our January meeting, which took place on Jan. 11, 2018 at Habitat for Humanity in Bryan.

We discussed a new location and decided to try out "Purple Turtle Art Studio" - a place that Lisa works - as an option for next month.  If we like it we will discuss working with her to make it a more permanent spot.  The only real issue with this location is that it is downtown, which can lead to parking issues. 

Other places mentioned were: 

Looking into JoAnn or Michaels classrooms
Blinn (where Rhonda works)

Intersections - worried about space.

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We still want to have a retreat, but it will not be until the summer because Dawn at Independence Farmstead Fibers cannot host us until then.  When it happens it will be a one-day workshop.

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Our 2018 Challenge has been decided and it is a charity knit challenge.  For the first 6 months we will be knitting things to send to Operation Gratitude. Specifically they want hats and scarves, and you can find the logistics on their website.  We will be knitting from now until June and give prizes to those who complete certain amounts when we collect everything to send.  

I will be creating a page above in the next week with all the details on this challenge.

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The program for the month was taught by Debbie, and it was over deconstructing old sweaters to make new yarns.  While we cannot physically teach you on the blog, here are some notes to help you get started:

-Keep your labels when you do this so you always remember the content

-Watch out for how button holes may have been made 

-Look at how worn it is

-Is it dyeable or feltable?

-Look at how and what it's sewn with to determine a good place to start taking apart

-It's harder to take apart if it was a fabric that was cut and surged together

-Check where your seams meet as you go and look for ends.

There are lots of resources out there to get you started, but it was a fun new thing to learn!

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Our February meeting will be on 2/8.  We will be having a Red(or color family of red) yarn and chocolate swap.  Bring yarn (destash!) and chocolate and see what you get back :)

Thanks all

~Lisa

VP

January and 2018

Sorry for such a late update - it's been hard to get in touch with our venue - but we have the meeting for January planned!

First meeting of the year is at Habitat for Humanity in Bryan on Lake Street. 

We will have a program by Debbie that is about deconstructing sweaters, specifically from the thrift stores. If you want to try and find one before then, look for something that isn't super fuzzy or thin yarn. Probably not a lot of colors and patterns. Wool work best. 

We will also discuss finding a new location (again - Lisa has ideas) and activities for the year. 

Bring your knitting and join us. The only way the things you wanna see will happen is if you come and tell us :)

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We are looking for a new location to be our permanent spot for awhile, so that we don't always have to rely on asking Habitat each month.  There are a couple of ideas thrown around that will be discussed at this meeting.

We want to plan a fiber/dying day trip for the year. Likely at Independence Farmstead Fibers, but we haven't set a date.  Plan on news for that soon!

And we are working towards make our group more official again.  Afterall, we are more than just a group who likes to knit. Talks of a 2018 charity challenge are underway.

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Don't forget social meetups every Tuesday at Gogh Gogh Coffee in College Station (off Barron Rd).  Starts at 5.  Usually goes til 6:30-7. Bring your fibery projects and have some fun!