GBGK Members' Meeting, January 17, 2022 submitted by Guild Secretary, Kathleen Maguire
The meeting opened with a Show & Tell slideshow highlighting knitwear from members. President Cynthia Doherty welcomed all, beginners & long-time knitters. Let’s celebrate all levels at our Show & Tell presentations.
We are seeking suggestions for an updated Tag Line that will be incorporated in the Guild’s logo. Please send in your ideas by February 5. All ideas will be anonymously sent to members for voting.
Big news…the Board has voted on hosting our May meeting & a 3-course luncheon LIVE on May 19 (Covid willing) in Burlington, MA. An international speaker is slated. She is a knitwear designer, teacher & author. She will be bringing a trunk show & a fashion show is on the agenda. This event will be hybrid for those who cannot attend in person.
Laura Konopka our knit-a-long coordinator reported that we will be offering a 6-week sweater KAL. This is not an educational workshop. However, many of our talented members will be available offering guidance and tips. Weekly topics will be posted & folks can participate in some or all sessions. Many of the demonstrations will involve swatches. Watch for details and Zoom links for the Monday KAL’s on our website.
Our January 2022 kickoff has centered around knitting health. On January 13 we hosted Carson Demers, life-long knitter/physical therapist during an Out-of-the-Blue event. One of our business members, Integrated Mind & Body, located at 304 Columbus Avenue in Boston’s South End offers a whole menu of therapeutic skills. Owner Ann Marie Turo is an occupational therapist who is also trained in Pilates & Hathaway Yoga. Ann Marie has also brought us Brigham & Women’s Hospital as one of our Community Outreach partners. We are now officially knitting prayer shawls for the hospital. Chaplain Peg Newman from B&W has written a lovely thank you letter that is posted on our website. Check out Ann Marie’s website at www.integratedmindandbody.com. Continuing our healthy January theme, Andrea Wong, Portuguese Knitting guru, is our guest speaker today.
Raffle prizes are from business members Plymouth Harbor Knits in Plymouth & The Fiber Loft in Harvard. The winners: Anne Marie Barletta, Heather Repicky & Ann Murphy. Congratulations ladies.
Our guest speaker, Andrea Wong, made a wonderful presentation on the history, traditions & techniques of Portuguese style knitting. She also conducted a workshop in a separate Zoom presentation. In the past 18 years Andrea has taught thousands of knitters in the United States and abroad to use the Portuguese Style Knitting in classes, through her 3 published DVDs & in her book “Portuguese Style Knitting – History, Traditions and Techniques”. As the foremost expert on the subject, she teaches knitting at venues throughout the country, has been published in a variety of knitting magazines, and is the lead designer for her business, Andrea Wong Knits. She continues to travel the world researching and developing her style of knitting, and bringing that knowledge to knitters world wide. Andrea’s mother taught her how to knit when she was 7 years old & she never stopped. She was born in Brazil and relocated to New York in 1991. People were curious & interested in her “unusual”/ergonomic technique. Is it possible that the Purl stitch is easier than the Knit stitch? Yes!! She was happy to share her skills & the Portuguese Style of knitting (knitting with the yarn around the neck). Through popular demand, in 2003 she was able to turn what she loved into a business. You can find Andrea’s info at www.andreawongknits.com and on her You Tube channel. Andrea is offering our members a 20 percent discount for her classes & in her shop for the next 10 days. Thank you Andrea for this fascinating, informative presentation.