Read more about the Birth of a Logo in the July/August 2008 issue of West Coast Knitters’ News.

Janis W. is teaching Beginning Crochet. By the end of this class you’ll know how to make a square and the four basic crochet stitches.

A great class to take in conjunction with this is Carmen’s Combination Techniques & Surface Embellishment workshop where she’ll show you a combination of knitting and crochet stitches so you can “make a silk purse from of a sow’s ear” in her words.

Michelle Katerberg is teaching her techtouq workshop highlighting techniques such as tubular cast-on, short rows and jogless stripes while making a baby’s hat with earflaps.

Holli Yeoh’s Make the Guess Who? Gloves class is a walk through of her new glove pattern and will highlight the unique thumb gusset and talk about getting the right fit with gloves.

Download our workshop descriptions and registration form for more information.

A bit ago, my daughter ran into one of her students of that very first year of her kindergarten class and mentioned to the student that I was coming again, before Christmas with more mittens. The student, now in grade 5, said that they still had their pair which they had been given that year, though they were way too small. Now that pair of mittens are hung on the Christmas tree every year. This was the best mitten story I have have ever heard or read.

I don’t know which student, or which pair of mittens these are, but to those who knitted a pair of mittens that first year, and too all who knitted mittens in each of the years following, we will never know how those mittens finished. perhaps they are hanging on a Christmas tree in New York city every year.

Much thanks, on behalf of my daughter Annie, myself, who has this story to warm my heart every year as I decorate my own tree, and some of the children of New York city, with warm hands AND hearts brought to them by a West Coast Knitters’ Guild,
Laura P.

As president I am concentrating my efforts in launching our website and promoting it’s success.  The website will be the WCKG’s voice on the internet and is especially valuable to our associate members who cannot attend our meetings.  All members are encouraged to look at our website and contribute to it, thus creating a dialogue between members and a destination for both members and non-members to go between Guild meetings and events.

In addition to the website I also hope to build up our workshop program.  The original reason I joined the Guild was because of its wonderful weekend workshops.  If you have never had a chance to take a knitting workshop before, you don’t know what you’re missing!  I always come away totally energized to explore new ideas and techniques.  When you consider that knitting is really only made up of two simple stitches – the knit stitch and the purl stitch – it’s amazing that there can always be something new to learn!

• I collect money and cheques each month at the meetings for donations, membership, twining vine pattern, classes, and other.

• We have a bank account with T D Canada Trust. I bank the money each month after balancing with my monthly envelope.

• Then I enter the information on an Excel Spreadsheet and balance with the bank statement each month.

• Some months I receive e-mails or calls to write cheques concerning rent, Jurors, and yarn for special projects

• I enjoy being an active member of the executive. It feels good to give back to a keen group of knitters who freely give help and information and share their experiences

Joan T

BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF THE POSITION:

1) The VP should regularly attend the Guild meetings.

2) The VP should support/assist the President in her/his duties.

3) Chair the meeting if the President is away.

4) Attend Executive Meetings.

5) The VP is the “liaison person” with the program coordinator at the Oakridge Seniors’ Centre.

6) When approached, the VP should address member’s concerns or complaints. Try to work through those complaints, or bring them to the President’s or the Executive’s attention, or refer the questions to people best able to answer them.

The VP is encouraged to be a Guild “cheer leader” whenever and wherever possible. Pamphlets and business cards are available for distribution, and we now have a web site at http://www.westcoastknitterguild.org/.

I am looking forward to the move to the new location at the Oakridge Seniors’ Centre at the Oakridge Mall at 41st Avenue and Cambie Street in Vancouver, and not just because it is much closer to my home than Richmond is. The meeting room will have a more “social friendly” atmosphere as the seating is four people to a cafe table. We will have the use of a microphone so that everyone will hear the President and other speakers clearly. The members of the Oakridge Seniors’ Centre are welcoming us with open arms and we hope that some of their members will join the Guild. We hope too, that some of the Guild’s members, 55 years and older, will join the Oakridge Seniors’ Centre as they have a good “Calendar of Events” every month including exercise programs, movies, special speakers, quilting, bridge, etc. As well, they put on a reasonably priced lunch during the week. It was very difficult to find a suitable and, more particularly, an affordable location for the Guild to meet. The parking is ample and free, washrooms are handy, there is a kitchen available for water, we will have a locker for our needs, and the White Spot is just off of Cambie St. for a quick dinner before the meeting. The mall itself will be closed. Don’t let the “Seniors’” in the Centre’s name throw you off! The Guild is open to members of all ages. We expect our membership to grow based on conversations with many people who told us they wanted to join but didn’t want to drive to Richmond. We encourage our Richmond members to form carpools, just like we did, and not to drop out of the Guild because of the move to the location. We do not want to lose you and would miss seeing you at the meetings. Here is to a new knitting season! Cheers, Linda Hull

Oakridge Centre
513-650 W 41st Ave
Vancouver, BC
(The entrance is on the West side of the building between the Montessori school and the Library.)

Doors open at 7 p.m. and the meeting gets underway at about 7:30 p.m. We usually have a guest presenter who gives us a short talk followed by our ever popular Show & Tell and Doorprizes.

Guests are always welcome. Remember to bring your knitting!

CHIMO Crisis Services, Nova House

Nova House, a transition house for abused women and children is the guild’s main charity. Year round we knit afghans, and garments for the residents but we also sell knitted items. All proceeds raised are donated to CHIMO for Nova House. The WCKG was recognized as a silver level sustaining donor in 2003 and a bronze level sustaining donor in 2004.

Project Linus & Project Linus Canada

Members knit small Linus blankets year round, but on Make a Blanket Day in February, we knit our blankets in public. In 2003 we tried to complete a 12 square blanket from 9:30 AM until 5:00 PM. Members knit squares in the morning and as they were finished, the squares were joined. By 5:00 PM only 2 rows remained to be joined.

Project Linus Be Blanketeer Day is held annually on the third Saturday in February.

ICROSS

International Community for the Relief of Starvation and Suffering

Small knitted dollies are used as packing material around medicines sent to Kenya. Members knit and contributed close to 100 dollies.

Salvation Army Knit for Kids

Lewsicraft stores across Canada collect hats, scarves, mitts, socks and sweaters year round for the Salvation Army Knit for Kids program. From October to early December, Lewiscraft will refund the cost of certain yarns used to knit a garment for Knit for Kids.

On the first Saturday in October, WCKG members knit all day at Lewsicraft in Richmond Centre to launch the Knit for Kids program. Sadly with the closing of Lewiscraft in 2006, this event no longer continues. However, the Salvation Army continues to receive handmade items for the needy year round.

Teddies for Tragedies

The people who care for children in third world countries are asking for knitted teddy bears. They have found that children who have a teddy to cuddle get better quicker than those who don’t have one. Each child keeps his/her own teddy to take home, so doctors need a continual supply.

If you would like to help us in our support of these charities, or would like to let us know about another charity with a knitting connection, please contact us. To support any of these charities directly, please follow the links to their websites for more information. And remember that with donation matching programs or bulk purchasing, every dollar you donate can sometimes mean 2 or 3 times as much in value for the charity’s programs.

The WCKG has had a temporary page up since last spring, but what we have now is more than a source of information. It’s a place to share and participate.

The simplest thing you can do is to visit the site and see what our members and guests are contributing. But you can do more than that. You can send photos for the gallery, post a comment, submit an event for the calendar, or write a post. We’ve worked hard to make the site easy and fun to use, but right now it’s new and unfamiliar for most, so if you have any questions, ask!

To celebrate the launch, we have a series of posts lined up to publish one a day, starting today. How long will it last? That’s up to you! You can extend the run by writing a post.. about a knitting project, a knitting product, a knitting adventure, or maybe a knitting mis-adventure!

Here’s some of what’s being said about the new site:

“I do want to congratulate you on the website… It’s
terrific and will be a real asset to the knitting community.” —Anthea B.

“The website is fabulous. I will have to take some time soon to send a photo.” —Joan T.

“I hope you are pleased with the result. I am.” —Paulette L.

“It’s exciting to read about the website. You are doing a great job.” —Lynda W.

The best way you can thank everyone working on this project is to use and enjoy this site. Let us know what you think of it by writing a comment below!