West Coast Knitters’ Guild

KNIT IN THE PARK

When:  Saturday, August 14, 2010 from 9:00 am to 4:00

Where:  covered picnic shelter (near the Miniature Railway and the Bus loop and former petting zoo)

What to bring:  your knitting and crocheting, your own bag lunch (there is also a food concession at Lumberman’s Arch), and a lawn chair.  There are wooden benchs for seating but your own chair would be more confortable.

We love to share patterns, tips and hints, resources, short cuts and anything else we can share.  Anyone is welcome so let everyone know and bring a friend.

Gather in Stanley Park at the covered picnic area near the miniature train.  Bring your knitting, bagged lunch and a chair to sit in the shade or sun and enjoy the company of other knitters.  Exchange ideas, techniques and information about the passion we all enjoy.  All day from 9:00 a.m. to dusk.

Everyone is welcome!!

May Workshops

There are still a few spaces left.

The West Coast Knitters’ Guild will be hosting

8 workshops on

Saturday, May 1st and Sunday, May 2nd

Saturday morning:

Holli Yeoh - Modular Magic:  Knit a cell phone, Blackberry or I-pod cosy in three modular strips, using self-patterning sock yarn.  Skills needed:  knit, purl, cast on and bind off, advanced beginner.  Materials: two 3mm double pointed needles, removable stitch markers, measuring tape, pencil, calculator, your cell phone, Blackberry,  I-pod or compact camera.

Lorna Brown - Socks - flap, heel and toe:  sock construction using a miniature model to demonstrate the flap, gusset heel and usual toe.  This workshop is for those who have never tackled socks before or those who need a refresher.  Materials:  set of 4-5 double pointed needles and appropriate sock yarn and usual knitting tools.

Saturday afternoon:

Paulette Lane - The Magic of Multi-coloured yarn:  Discover how to assess multi-coloured yarn to make the best choice for your garment.  Learn a trick to determine how a multi-coloured yarn will look without knitting a swatch.  Materials:  bring skeins of multi-coloured yarn or works in progress for in-class assessment and discussion.  Some homework required.

Holli Yeoh - Interested in Intarsia:  Tackle the intricacies of intarsia to add blocks and motifs of colour to your knitting.  You will learn all the basics including joining colours, avoiding holes, and managing all those ends and tangles, and reading graphs.  Skills needed:  knit, purl, cast-on and bind off - advanced beginner.  Materials:  small amount of a few colours of dk or worsted weight plain wool in light to medium colours, appropriately sized knitting needles for the yarn you are bringing and a tapestry needle.

Sunday morning:

Linda Hull - Finishing Techniques:  Learn how to block your garment, sew up the seams, attach sleeves, use a three-needle bind off for shoulder seaming, and pick up stitches to add neckbands or button bands, and more.  Materials:  smooth worsted weight or dk weight yarn, light or bright colour with the ball band for gauge (not acrylics or cotton), usual knitting tools, including tapestry needle, a spare needle the same size as your knitting for the three-needle bind-off.  Suggest:  Mission Falls 1824 worsted weight 100% superwash merino or Cascade 220.

Homework:  Cast on approx. 20 sts. and 10 rows of K1, P1 ribbing, commencing with two KNIT sts. and ending with two KNIT sts.  Then with right side facing, knit an additional 10-15 rows ending with the Wrong side (next row is right side) - do not cast off.  Leave a long tail (approx. 3 feet long) and cut yarn.  Place on stitch holder or waste yarn and knit a second identical piece.  Do not cast off - do not cut yarn and leave this second piece on the needle and transfer the first piece onto the other second needle.  These are for the three-needle cast-off and then the seams will be completed.

Cast on approximately 15 sts. and knit about 15 rows, cast off - make two identical pieces for the garter stitch side seam instructions. 

Pearl Chow - Needle felting:  needle felting is a quick, fun way to embellish your work or to make soft toys/sculptures.  Dyed fibre, foam and 2 needles will be available for $10 or bring scraps of yarn and fulled wool fabric if desired.

Sunday afternoon:

Christa Giles - The Piper’s Hat:  The skills included are top-down hat construction using one long circular needle, piping, and short rows.  Materials: Worsted weight yarn (e.g.  Cascade 220 and Ultra Alpaca).  The main colour requires approx. 140m (155m) for small (large) and contrast colour takes approx. 27m in either size, 5 mm circular needle 32″ in length (or DPNs and a 16″ circular needle), tapestry needle and a focal button, pattern fee $6

Mandy Moore - Sweaters:  Fitting and Flattery:  you will learn to measure yourself, to choose the right size when working from a pattern and which basic alternations will increase your sweater satisfaction.  Bring several sweaters or knit tops from your wardrobe, sweater patterns and a measuring tape.

 All classes are $50 per course and includes morning coffee/tea & muffins, afternoon coffee/tea, door prizes

Location:  Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, 100, 2245 W. Broadway (between Yew and Vine), Vancouver (on the #17 UBC and #9 Alma bus routes)

These workshops are open to all, members and non-members are welcome!

For further information, please contact Lynn Westwood (604-224-6184 or 4010lynn@telus.net)

Catherine has not ditched her original design that she worked on at the workshop. It will become a knitted scarf as well. We can’t wait to see it, Catherine!

Friday, November 20, 7 to 9 p.m.
River Rock Scarf
This luxurious scarf makes use of a large number of prestrung beads in a design that creates an illusion of natural beaded “rocks” that are embedded in a flowing knitted “river” of ribbing. Students learn how to manage the beads and channel their inner designer as the beads are knit into a simple 2 x 2 rib scarf. This class is suitable for advanced beginners as well as more experienced knitters.

Saturday and Sunday, November 21-22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fill a Triangle with Lace
In a gentle and supportive workshop Sivia gives you the tools to design your own lace shawl. You will go away refreshed and inspired, with all the tools you need to design your own top-down triangle shawl. Some lace experience is recommended for this two-day workshop. Lunch and refreshments are served both days.

For more information, download the registration form here: Sivia Harding Workshop .

November 28th, 2009

Dunbar Community Centre

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

4747 Dunbar Street

Vancouver, B.C.

Wilson Heights United Church

Saturday, October 24th

9:00 am - 2:00 pm

1634 East 41st (at Argyle Street)

very large sale of yarn at greatly reduced prices

 Douglas Park Community Centre

801 W. 22nd Avenue at Willow, Vancouver

Saturday, October 17th

12:00-2:30 pm

Cotton, Acrylics, Wool & blends in all gauges

Most Yarn will be 50 cents a ball

Sold by the bag only

OLEANA gathers new inspiration along the silk route and then takes it back home to Norway where their production is made in a small factory close to Bergen, by a crew of 60 highly skilled and respected workers.  Oleana sets an example for sustainable clothing production and ethical business practices.

OLEANA stated as a company 17 years ago in defiance of growing outsourcing of what had been a rich Norwegian textile tradition.

It is a company with a soul and an eye for beauty.  They have built their company on the belief that women need less, but more beautiful clothes.

In September 2009, OLEANA will hold an exhibition at the Pendulum Gallery that will illustrate how pattern knows no borders.  From Norway to China, designer Solveig Hisdal has followed the silk road finding inspiration in silk damasks, floral ceramic, and mosaics, for her richly patterned knitwear.

The exhibition was conceived as a handshake from Norway with Vancouver on the occasion of the 2010 Olympics.  The exhibition (co-sponsored by Innovation Norway) will open on September 10th hosted by the Designer Solveig Hisdal, co-owners Signe Aarhus and Kolbjorn Valestrand, with special guest, the newly appointed Norwegian Ambassador to Canada, Else Berit Eikeland.

For more information about OLEANA, please contact:  Julia Manitius www.urbanity.ca