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September 2011
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild NEWS
A newsletter by and for FVKG members
January 2014
President’s Letter
Ah, Christmas is over, but not the holidays. My daughter is still in town. How can one more person in the house
make this much difference in the pace of life? Whatever, I do love having her here.
Now, how many days can you knit your husband’s gift right in front of him before he gets curious? In my house the
answer is four. He really needed a new hat for shoveling snow (well, I really wanted to throw the old hat away)
and so I decided to make a hat like I made for Shirley in different colors. It’s a reversible brioche stitch in a marled
brown/natural and dark green. When he asked me for whom I was knitting the hat, I said “I thought it would go
with one of my coats.” He didn’t even notice that I hadn’t actually answered his question. He was surprised, and
happy, on Christmas morning. And, yes, he did go to Barnes and Noble and buy me four knitting magazines. He
even remembered that I like Interweave. Did your mother tell you that this was an important trait in a husband?
Probably not, but it ranks near the top on my list.
Another wonderful part of Christmas Day was the realization that I could return to knitting my own afghan. We
didn’t have company, so out came the two bags of yarn for the reversible brioche afghan. The hard part of this
kind of knitting is getting my mind back to the same place, so I had to line the skeins up in a place where I could
see all of the colors again. Of course, this was the kitchen counter. It’s great for this kind of thing. It’s off white and
has lots of light from above. Poor Tom was a little miffed when I told him he couldn’t just push the yarn to the side
and assemble his lunch there. What does he think the kitchen’s for? Food prep, when you can play with yarn? It
only took me two days to get the yarn back into bags. A little patience is good for the diet.
~ Christie Cunningham
In This Issue
Christmas Party ................................. 6
December Show and Tell ................. 12
February Mini Sessions ...................... 3
FVKG Info .......................................... 4
Guild Display – Call for Materials ....... 3
Guild Member Projects ...................... 5
Hat Exchange..................................... 6
Hospitality – Change of Command ..... 3
Knit Blogs .......................................... 8
Library News ..................................... 3
November Show and Tell ........ 9, 10, 11
Podcast Review ................................. 7
President’s Letter .............................. 1
Program in January ............................ 2
Special Yarn Shops ............................. 4
Treasurer’s Report ............................. 3
Upcoming Programs and Vendors ...... 2
Vendor in January.............................. 2
Your Editors Will Thank You! .............. 8
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild
2014 Meeting Dates
January 8, 2014
February 12, 2014
March 12, 2014
April 9, 2014
May 14, 2014
FVKG currently meets the second
Wednesday of each month, September
through May, in the Fellowship Hall of
the St. Charles Episcopal Church in St.
Charles. Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.
St. Charles Episcopal Church
994 N 5th Ave.
St. Charles, IL
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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www.fvkg.com
Program of the Month – January 2014
“Ravelry”
FVKG members and super-knitters Christy Becker, Lorraine Tompkins, and Janet Goier
Have you, for one reason or another, not ventured into the Ravelry world? Or are you on there but not taking
advantage of all the many treasures the site has to offer? Or are you spending untold hours there, but still know there
is more to learn?
Ravelry aficionados Christy, Lorraine, and Janet are going to introduce us to this world, give us hints and tips, and
show us what they enjoy the most about this avid virtual realm of knitters.
~ Shirley Remes
Vendor of the Month – January 2014
Sutter’s Gold ‘n Fleece
9094 County Hwy O
St. Germain, WI 54558
Phone: 715-479-7634
suttersgoldnfleece.com
Shop Summer Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
from 10 - 4 and Saturday, Sunday & Monday by chance or appointment.
Shop Winter Hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 - 3
or by chance or appointment.
Liz Sutter, owner of the shop, notes: I have been an enthusiastic knitter and crocheter for more than fifty years.
When my husband retired, we moved to St. Gemain from Chicago and opened Sutter’s Gold ‘n Fleece Yarn Shop in
the beautiful northwoods of Wisconsin. As a YCOA Certified Knitting Instructor and Crochet Instructor I enjoy aiding
my fellow knitters and crocheters to gain a deeper appreciation of our work.
~ Shirley Remes
Anticipated Program/Vendor Schedule
(Subject to change)
2014
January 8
February 12
March 12
April 9
May 14
“Ravelry”
Christy Becker, Lorraine Tompkins, Janet Goier
Mini-Sessions
“Successful Sock Yarn Shawls”
Jen Lucas
“Yarn Tasting”
Joan Looi
End-of-Year Party
Sutter’s Gold ‘n Fleece
St. Germain, WI
Gene Ann Yarns
Barrington
Fuzzy Wuzzy Yarns
Arlington Heights
Wool & Co.
St Charles
Members Sale
~ Shirley Remes
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild
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www.fvkg.com
Looking Ahead – February 2014
Treasurer’s Report
Mini-Sessions
The Mini-Sessions that were requested the most, in this
order, are:
Using up stash with multiple types of yarn;
Knitting with beads;
Felting to accessorize a garment;
Knit buttons;
Magic loop 2-at-a-time socks;
Mitering.
November 2013 Budget Report
(Reprint)
Beginning Balance:
7,084.50
Expenses:
November Rent
10/10 Svc. Charge
10/16 Printing
December Rent
We are in need of teachers for these sessions! If you would
like to teach, please contact either Shirley Remes or Rachel
Neville and let us know!
Ending Balance:
75.00
12.00
10.92
75.00
6,911.58
~ Rebecca Reinke
Shirley Remes -- [email protected]
Rachel Neville -- [email protected].
~ Shirley Remes
Upcoming Guild Display: Batavia Library
SHOW OFF YOUR ARTISTRY & SKILL at the Batavia Library
We've been invited to display our creations in a locked display case in the lobby of the library during the month
of February. If you have an item(s) available, you can bring it to the January meeting where there will be a
container for drop off. There will also be display cards for you to fill out so everyone will know "who made that
wonderful, gorgeous . . ."
If you can't bring you creation(s) to the meeting, contact Janan Hudek at 630.460.8362 to arrange pickup/delivery. Deadline for receipt of items is January 26. Valentine reds, pinks, purplishes or whites preferred.
~ Janan Hudek
Library News
New Hospitality Person
The December Library sale of several of
the Guild’s knitting books, magazines,
and printed patterns generated $55
plus I have $18 from previous late fees.
We have a new hospitality person! Her
name is Bridget Christianson. Teri Larson
will be connecting with Bridget soon to
hand over the hospitality supplies.
I have $73 to buy new stuff and am
researching Japanese stitch DVDs and
other items to refresh our library
collection with more up-to-date items.
Thanks to Teri for her excellent hospitality efforts in the first
months of the guild year. She has accepted a fulltime position
in Chicago and the commute will not allow for her to arrive at
the meeting in time for hospitality set-up. Congratulations,
Teri and thanks Bridget!
~ Teri Larson
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild
~ Tami Stencel
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www.fvkg.com
Special Yarn Shops
2013 – 2014 FVKG Board Members
These shops are special because they
offer discounts to FVKG members
President: Christie Cunningham
Vice-Presidents: Rachel Neville, Shirley Remes
Elgin Knits Works
8 Douglas Ave., Elgin
847-627-4700
http://elginknitworks.com
Secretary: Jennifer Duncan
Treasurer: Rebecca Reinke
Gallery Show: Janan Hudek
Esther’s Place
201 W. Galena St. (Route 30), Big Rock
630-556-WOOL (9665)
www.esthersplacefibers.com
Hospitality: Bridget Christianson
Library: Teri Larson
Fine Line
6N158 Crane Road, St. Charles
630-584-9443
www.finelineca.org
Website: Sabine Orchard
Membership: Ellen Gilmartin
Newsletter Editors: Janet Goier, Tami Stencel
The Fold
3316 Millstream Road, Marengo
815-568-5320
If you need to contact a board member outside of a
meeting, visit the members’ section of
www.fvkg.com for individual contact information.
The password is printed on the back of your guild
membership card; it remains the same as last year.
Gene Ann’s Shop
117 East Station St., Barrington
847-842-9321
www.geneannsyarns.com
To notify the guild at large, simply email
[email protected] to have your note distributed.
Be sure to allow at least 48 hours’ advance notice.
Knitche
5150-B Main Street, Downers Grove
630-852-5648
http://knitche.com/
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild Mission Statement
The purpose of the Fox Valley Knitters' Guild is to promote and
foster an interest in knitting, to provide the opportunity for study
and sharing to broaden one's skills, and to encourage high
standards of design and technique in various forms of knitting.
Loopy Yarns
47 West Polk St., Chicago
312-583-9276
www.loopyyarns.com
Needle Things
426 South Third Street, Geneva
630-232-9915
Guild Meeting Agenda
Never Enough Knitting
119-121 North Main, Wheaton
630-221-1007
6:00 p.m. Set up
6:30 p.m. Gather to knit
7:00 p.m. Meeting begins:
Introduce new members/guests
Announcements/reports
Show and Tell
Door prizes
Stitches in Time
300 W. Washington, Oregon
815-732-4599
*Wool and Company
107A West Main Street, St. Charles
630-444-0480
www.woolandcompany.com
7:30 p.m. Break
7:45 p.m. Program
9:00 p.m. Lights out
*Wool and Company has switched to a Stash Cash
card program instead of a traditional discount.
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild
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www.fvkg.com
Guild Member Projects
Hello Kitty!
Cashmere Flower by Ruth Dykstra
Special thanks to
Claudia Frost
for submitting
these photos of
guild members
and their projects.
Above: Marianne Moye with knitting
projects.
Below with daughter Laura and
granddaughter Ava.
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild
Below: Fine Line "Threads" boutique
in September at the Q Center Sharon Coyer with her purchase.
5
Above: Mary Ryan’s Hat
Below: Janan Hudek at "Threads"
fall fashion show by Fine Line
Members.
www.fvkg.com
December Christmas Party/Hat Exchange
Above: Several participants in the December Hat exchange
activity model their new hats, crafted by other guild members
with yarn supplied by the wearer.
Left: A sample of the many yummy treats provided by guild
members for the party.
~ Photos by Janet Goier
More Hat Exchange News
Jo Fritter was not at the December guild meeting, so Christie Cunningham
delivered the hat that Grace Koehler made for Jo.
Jo is shown here modeling her new hat. Jo’s award winning quilt is shown
hanging in the background.
~ Photo by Christie Cunningham
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild
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www.fvkg.com
Podcast Review
While I have not listened to “Dr. Gemma” on the CogKnitive podcast for the entire time she has been podcasting, I must say
that I became hooked on her interesting format, early on. Downloading her older podcasts is on my To Do List, as I would
certainly enjoy hearing more about her past experiences as a therapist, knitter, spinner, runner, mother, fiber-retreat
organizer, and more.
I find Dr. Gemma’s Strategy segments (which she refers to, below) both interesting and helpful. Just knowing the term
“Worry Workbook” (explained in one such Strategy segment) has helped me, on numerous occasions, to determine whether
there was anything I could do, at a given moment, to resolve a problem I was facing. (If there is nothing to be done at the
moment, the strategy goes on to suggest writing about the worrisome situation (in a Worry Workbook), and deciding upon
steps to resolve it, thus laying out a plan of how to address and rectify the trouble.) Forming a plan helps decrease anxiety.
Among other Worry Workbook notes, I now have a list of knitting projects which I can prioritize, (instead of a mind-jumble of
project ideas that I agonize over, merely wishing I had time for).
Are you familiar with the Mother Bear Project? I first learned about this charity at Stitches Midwest a few years back and I
continue to be inspired by the tremendous efforts that Dr. Gemma (and many other generous, volunteer knitters and
crocheters) put forth in order to provide handmade toy bears to children, primarily those affected by HIV/AIDS. More
information is available at http://motherbearproject.org/. Here are some pictures of crocheted bears made by Dr. Gemma
(and two bear recipients).
Despite all the busyness associated with this time of year, and battling a sinus infection, Dr. Gemma has been so kind as to
provide the following description of her podcast to include in our newsletter.
I began my podcast CogKnitive one golden autumn afternoon over
5 years ago as I was driving home from my job as a psychologist in
a state prison. At the time, there were no podcasts about
psychology, and I saw this as a unique opportunity to tell listeners
about my profession from the inside and to reduce fears about
using psychotherapy to help themselves. At the same time, I was
an avid fan of knitting podcasts, so I decided to blend the two
ideas. Episodes included segments about my current fibery
projects and a description of a strategy from psychotherapy for
listeners to try themselves. Eventually, the podcast grew to
include spinning, discussions of my canning and exercise efforts,
some blathering about other details of my life, and KAL/CALs to
make bears for Mother Bear Project. We're now The CogKnitive
Podcast on iTunes and the show notes are at
www.cogknitivepodcast.blogspot.com.
Limited-run podcasts spun off from CogKnitive include Spinning Jenny and Running Dog, also on iTunes.
Please give podcast-listening a chance, if you haven’t already. Send your podcast reviews to [email protected] to be
included in a future newsletter. Happy knitting and happy listening!
~ Tami Stencel
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild
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www.fvkg.com
Knit Blogs
Blogging has become a very wonderful way of informally communicating with the rest of the world, and the
Knitting World has its own good share of fabulous knitting bloggers! This column will feature a different knitting
blogger each month. Please do check out a few of them. These columns are just one more way that we can
explore the Wonderful World of Knitting. Anyone with suggestions can send them to: [email protected]. All
submissions welcome!
This month, I would like to suggest looking at the Nicola Knits blog, which can be found at
http://nicolaknits.wordpress.com/ In the sidebar, Nicola herself says that the blog is, “a blog about knitting and
life in general”, and she goes on to say, “I love to receive comments so that I know that I’m not just talking to
myself”, which gives you a little bit of the flavor of this blog. It is a lovely combination of knitting chat, interesting
vegan recipes, and a peek into Nicola’s life with her husband and three sons. She features lots of pictures, which I
personally find a plus when I’m perusing blogs. I enjoy reading it, and I hope that you will, too! 
~ Janet Goier
And the Knitter is . . . .
After the October meeting, we lost track of who knit this cute
Baby Blanket Bunny. At the November meeting, Edna
Lundeen cleared up this matter for us; she came forward and
identified herself as the knitter of this item, made from Lion
Brand Homespun. She also reminded us that the pattern is
available free, on the Lion Brand web site. Thank you Edna!
The silver lining to this case of confusion is that a brilliant
new process was developed which has alleviated the hours of
head-scratching, weeping, gnashing of teeth, and your
newsletter editors muttering “who the hell knit this thing??”
Alas, we created forms!
Starting in November, forms were made available at the meeting for our guild members to identify
their Show-and-Tell items. All we need is for you to write your name on the form, include a few
details about the object(s) you are showing, (what the item is, color, etc.) in other words, enough
information so we can match your notes up to the photo we take. Turn those notes in to Janet
Goier or Tami Stencel before leaving the meeting. If you prefer, you can even write your notes up in
advance, on ordinary paper—that’s how flexible we are!
If you forget to turn in your form, you can send us a brief e-mail at www.fvkg.com after the
meeting. Thank you!
~ Tami Stencel
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild
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www.fvkg.com
FVKG – November’s Show and Tell
A sampling of the finished items in our Show and Tell session during the November 2013 meeting.
Kathy Schooley
Pink Mitered Poncho
Knit from Lion Brand Homespun and
some thick-thin sparkly stuff from
KnitPicks
Christy Becker
Mitered Square Baby Blanket
Made from sock yarn
Roxanne Mikulecky
Sand and Sea Shawlette from Coastal
Knits book
Freia Handpaint Yarn, Malabrigo Edge
Claudia Frost
Mitered Shawl
with marbled yarn
19-stitch squares
Christy Becker
Mitered Square blanket made from sock
yarn – a work in progress
Sandy Smith
Felted Bag
Dorothy Gaines
Baby Sweater
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild
Judy Jasper
Guinea Pig
Yarn: Plymouth Select DK Superwash
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www.fvkg.com
FVKG – November’s Show and Tell
(Continued)
Phyllis Deerinck
Koigu Oriental Coat
Bridget Christianson
Toe-up, 2-at-a-time Socks
Pattern Name: Graphic
Shirley Remes
Mitered Vest
Made of sock yarn
Jenny Bezinque
Gold and turquoise Dream in Color
Smooshy
Pattern: Akimbo
by Stephen West
Judy Jasper
Merging Colors Adagio Shawl
Kit from Strickwear
Designer: Candace Eisner Strick
Judy Jasper
Harlequin Swagger Coat from
Swing Swagger Drape book by Jane
Slicer-Smith
Kathy Fulkins
Felted Red & Royal Blue Jacket
Jo Fritter
Baby Surprise Sweater
by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Knit all in one piece
Judy Jasper
Guinea Pig
from Knitted Pets book
Designer: Susie Johns
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild
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www.fvkg.com
FVKG – November’s Show and Tell
(Continued)
Nicky Jo Herner
Hope Street Overalls
Free Ravelry Pattern
Vintage Bernat Sport Yarn
Phyllis Deericnk
Orange/blue/green
Vivian Hoxboro Vest
Barb Palmer
“So Cozy Warmer” Capelet
from redheart.com
Roxanne Mikulecky
Lion Brand Mitered Scarf made with
Lion Brand Bonbons – Color: Party
Dorothy Gaines
Black Crossover Neck Scarf
Judy Jasper
Filatura Di Crosa Superior yarn
Rose Trellis Blouse
Designer: Teva Durham
Carol Milak
Mitered Square Shawl/Scarf
in ten colors
Pattern by Mags Kandis
Ruth Dykstra’s son, Mark, made this
mitered square blanket when he was
12 – 13 years old.
Judy Jasper
Purity Shawl
Filatura Di Crosa Superior yarn
and Mohair Tee
~ Photos by Tami Stencel
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild
11
www.fvkg.com
FVKG – December’s Show and Tell
Finished items in our Show and Tell session during the December 2013 meeting.
Jeannette Berow's Easy Knit Hat
from Knitting 101 by C. Hammett
Yarn is Viking of Norway –
Balder Purple, Lime, Denim
Sharon Coyer's shawl, knit from the
book Lavish Lace, "Falling Leaves", in
Mini Mochi yarn
Jane Batte's sweater in the
Colorconcerto pattern from Lion Brand
Yarns in Knit Simple Holiday 2008. She
used the yarn in the 'goodie bag' from
our October program, along with
additional yarn Jack gave her because
she contributed some 'ancient' yarn that
he wanted for his archives.
Barb Palmer in her
Versailles Crystal Zippered Vest,
knit from Versailles by Trendsetter
Yarns (Dolcino colorway)
Lorraine Tompkins's shawl, NoFa,
knit in Lana Grossa Lace Lux
Mirian Davison in her unknown
pattern of two scarves
joined together
Michelle Smith's Cherub Hearts
Baby Hat (pattern of the same
name), knit in Cascade Yarn Cherub
DK (yellow), and Lion Brand Jaime
yarns (pink)
Laurie Maska's All Day Beret,
knit from Lion Brand Cashmere
~ Photos by Janet Goier
Fox Valley Knitters’ Guild
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www.fvkg.com