2009 Long Island Fair

Hi everyone! The subject of the Long Island Fair has come up at our last two meetings. It's held at the Old Bethpage Restoration Village every year. This year, it's being held on October 1st to the 4th. I've been to it before and it's lots of fun. There are many exhibits to see, and vendors to check out. It's also nice to walk around the village and see what it was like to live in that time period.

You may enter all sorts of things to the fair. For a copy of the booklet and entry form, click on the title of this post and it will take you directly to the Long Island Fair web site. They are accepting entries on September 29 from 8am to 6:30pm. I am going to try and submit at least one of my knitted objects.

Hope to see you there!

August Charity Knit Dinner

In August, we had our annual charity knit dinner. We had a total of 295 knitted, crochet, and quilted items. Seeing all of these items on the table was truly an overwhelming experience.

There was a goodie bag for everyone who attended and donated a charity item.

There were also lots of wonderful things donated to our raffle.

Here are some of our members having fun and going through their loot...

This was a wonderful evening. Everyone had lots of fun and I hope that more members are able to join us next year.

A Look at the Library - August 2009

If you have any special requests, please do not hesitate to contact me, Karen Joelson at, liknitcrochetguild@gmail.com.



Crocheted Shawls, Vogue on the Go Series, c. 2007, is one of those compact books filled with great ideas for creating stoles, triangular shawls, gossamer lace and aran style wraps. There is quite a variety of crochet technique used, resulting in very creative and unusual patterns. I recognized a crocheted stitch that results in a very similar look to the dropped stitch pattern in “the Clapotis”; a Flower Spiral shawlette that resembles “the Swirl”, as well as several very delicate lacey beauties. Many of these patterns that are just knockout gorgeous.


Pursenalies and Pursenalities Plus, by Eva Wiechmann, c. 2004/2006 respectively, are a great team compilation of information about how to machine felt and create a very wide variety of bags. The first in this series explores 20 designs that manipulate color, shape, texture and stitch definition to make some special handbags. Ms. Wiechmann’s sequel take off from that point and adds felted add on embellishments such as flowers, manufactured handles, grommets, rings and chains to create very professional looking accessories. You will even find companion pieces such as cell phone holders, cosmetic cases and make up cases to compliment your creations.

Chic Knits for Young Chics, by Sarah Paulin, c. 2006, was kindly donated to our library by member Patti Paris. This book contains very solid, basic information including advice on combining color and texture; supplies a knitter would want to have access to; information on how to interpret the punctuation in patterns; casting on/finishing/seaming techniques; picking up those dreaded dropped stitches, etc. As the title aptly states, the project styles will likely please the “younger” crowd of novice knitters joining our ranks.


Very Easy Circular Knits, by Betty Barnden, c. 2007, was graciously donated by member Marge Geary. This book is a wonderful introduction into the world of knitting on circular and double pointed needles. The illustrations give meaning to “A picture is worth a thousand words.” In addition, it covers much basic knitting information that is also relevant to flat knitting technique including provisional cast on; picking up stitches; shaping with darts’ short row shaping; cables; Fair Isle; creating traveling lines; and even a stitch dictionary written specifically for knitting in the round. I found this last portion of the book to be extremely valuable since I, for one, am frequently confused when loving a stitch pattern written for flat knitting when what I want to do is knit in circles. The projects include bags, hats, gloves, sweaters, socks and pillows. Enjoy!

Submitted with special thanks to all who have donated books,
Karen Joelson

A Look At The Library - July 2009

If you have any special requests, please do not hesitate to contact Karen Joelson at, liknitcrochetguild@gmail.com.

Teddy Bear Knits, by Mo Smith, c. 1987, is unusual in that it is both a story book that will appeal to young children, as well as a knitter’s instruction book. It features 16 sweater designs each of which represents one adventure in the plight of the plot’s protagonist, Jed, who is in search of the rainbow. The text is sweet and the illustrations are beautifully graphed intarsia and fair isles patterns! Imagine sitting down with your child or grandchild to read as well as choose a favorite design to craft into an heirloom memory!

Knits from a Painter’s Palette, by Maie Landra c.2006, features gloriously colorful vests, jackets, tunics, ponchos, scarves, and shawls of modular construction using Koigu brand yarns. If you have ever caught yourself looking longingly at the Koigu display in your LYS, you will enjoy reading about the birth, history and people behind the brand. The instructions for modular knitting techniques are well explained and illustrated. Your fingers will begin to itch with the prospect of picking a project that has been designed specifically to suit the character of these intriguing, handpainted yarns.

Exquisite Little Knits, by Iris Schreier and Laurie Kimmelstiel, c. 2004, contains a very interesting and wide variety of projects which are cleverly and uniquely arranged by the type of yarn required. Hence, the chapters include: Cashmere and Qivut, Eyelash and Fur, Silk, Lattice, Mohair and Angora, Ribbon, and Sequins. I found this book to be particularly interesting and useful when used as a learning tool to help develop that elusive ability to match, for example, that quirky ladder ribbon yarn in your stash to the type of design/project that best suits it. Better yet, you may even be able to partner some very unlikely fabrics, such as fun fur, sequins and metallics to make quite elegant apparel.

Ponchos and Wraps a Knitter’s Dozen, XRX books, c. 2005, contains many very lovely, fluid cover-ups that use a variety of yarn types, construction techniques and stitches. Worthy of special mention is the Sugarplum and Toffee shawl, touted as a “good choice for mindless knitting”, that utilizes novelty yarns that are woven into the finished garment. The result looks strikingly similar to the hand woven fabric you wish you could learn to make if you only had 48 hour days and an Ashford loom stowed away in your crafts loft.

Knitting New Scarves, by Lynne Barr, c. 2007 was so kindly donated to our library by guild member, Marge Geary. This is a wild book that takes scarf design to a whole new level. No more two dimensional knitting as in length versus width. Ms. Barr adds the third dimension to the equation as she instructs the bold to add depth by knitting up, out, around and through!! The results are awesome! Food for thought: we need to come up with a new formula to determine gauge now that we are entering the world of volume knitting!!!

Submitted by Karen Joelson, LIKCG Librarian

Lion Brand at June Meeting!

We had a wonderful June meeting when guest speaker Jack Blumenthal, Vice President of Lion Brand Co., came by for a chat. Jack told us all about "what's happening" at the Lion Brand Company and the new Lion Brand Studio. It's always a pleasure to see Jack.

Jack also wrote about our guild in the Lion Brand Notebook. Check it out, if you haven't seen it yet.
**Anjanette

WWKIPDAY!!

The Long Island Knitting and Crochet Guild hosted it's first World Wide Knit-In-Public Day on Saturday, June 13th, at Eisenhower Park. It was a great time and a pleasure to meet new crafters!! We had approximately 50 guild members, new friends, and family come in throughout the day.

It didn't rain, only slight a drizzle. . .and the sun was out for a while. Hope Angela posts her pictures, here, as well. . . I forgot my memory card to my digital camera, but I was able to take a few pictures (below) with my phone.

--submitted by Anjanette Cooper

A Look At Our Library April 2009

The following books were graciously donated to our library by Carla Scott at our March LIKCG meeting.



Knitting on Top of the World by Nicky Epstein, c. 2008, is an exciting book that is a treasure for our library to own. It is one of those volumes you wish you could display on your coffee table and be able to leaf through at any moment for eye candy as well as a history lesson. It is organized according to regions in which Nicky pairs gorgeous photographs to a detailed history of knitting traditions, techniques and styles from that part of the world. I, for one, was never a good student of history; but for me, reading about the geographic location, lifestyle and history of places such as Isle of “Aran”, “Fair Isle”, and Estonia brought such appreciation for those tiny knit/purl combinations I am learning. Within each of the six sections of the world, Nicky includes several projects that showcase that area’s unique contribution to knitting design, tweaked by a pinch of her own sassy style!

Grannies On the Go, published by Sixth and Spring Books, c.2008, is one of those adorable pocket sized books that will have crocheters grabbing their hooks and knitters admiring their sister craft. The projects range from using just one tiny, sequin embellished granny square to create a ring, to a multitude of granny squares used to make skirts, handbags, shrugs, capes, hats, blankets and scarves. There are several very sophisticated projects that use lovely color combinations in this book so please don’t pass it up!

Shawls Two on the Go, published by Sixth and Spring Books, c. 2008, is another pocket sized book that brings us 22 new shawls to consider making. There are some very avant garde pieces including Iris Schrier’s modular wrap (turned into shrug via the use of a purchased silk scarf and a couple of strategically placed tacking stitches). For those who knit for warmth, there is a beautiful cabled wrap as well as textured knits with clever edgings such as I - cord loops. Of course, there always are lovely lace pieces to choose from, one of which is an ethereal lace shawl fantastically embellished with beads, no pre stringing required.

Sorry, Hooked on Jewelry, by Pat Harste, c. 2009, crosses the line. Is it a bead book or a crochet book?!! You will love the jewelry here. As Ms. Harste states, “I love to crochet, and I love jewelry even more.” I was particularly drawn to the use of bead crochet to create focal pieces for necklaces and earring drops, rather than its more familiar use in tubular form for roped necklaces and lariats. There is a solid introduction containing information about the tools and materials needed including thread types, hooks, and jewelry findings. Now, isn't it wonderful when two passions meet, like bringing old and new friends together.

Crocheting on the Edge, by Nicky Epstein, c. 2008 is another super addition to the ever growing series of Epstein books, giving crocheters some wonderful ideas that knitters have enjoyed in the publication of her first three, Knitting (Over, On, and Beyond) the Edge. Buttons, ribbons, beads, pearls, and crystals embellish bobbles, ruffles, points, flora, and fringes. In addition to encouraging you to use these edgings to individualize your own projects, there are at least nine funky Nicky designs to explore, including jackets, vests, capes, shawls and belts.

If you are interested in borrowing one of these books, please e-mail Karen J at: liknitcrochetguild@gmail.com and put Library Book in the subject line.