Thursday, January 11, 2007

Guild

Wow, haven't written much lately. I'll try to do better. No, really.

Going to Stitches back in October got me thinking: it really is nice to get together with other people who share a common interest. Like fiber stuff. I mean, how many times can I describe a gauge problem or complain about a neppy batt before the eyes of those near and dear to me start glazing over? Not long at all. But fellow knitters and spinners know - no matter what the problem they've probably been there too.

I used to belong to the Harford Knitting Guild years ago. Trying to find current information about it over the past several months brought nothing but dead ends. One contact had moved out of state, email to several other addresses bounced. It wasn't until going through an old notebook of patterns, design ideas and spinning samples that I found an old guild newsletter, from back in 1991 and read that the guild meets (or at least met) on the first Thursday of the month, 7:30 pm at the Harford Day School.

So last Thursday I plucked up the nerve (shyness be damned!) and pulled into the school's parking lot just before 7:30. Plenty of cars there, looked hopeful, maybe it was the right night. Went in to the first likely looking door, into what is the school's library and there they were! Several dozen gals, all ages, and two of the ladies even remembered me from years ago. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. How cool is that?

Since most of the meeting was spent reviewing and voting on the guild's new bylaws I sat and knit on a pair of socks,


half-listening, and looked over a copy of the membership roster. Only a few names were familiar, which is to be expected after 16 years, I guess. I knew that Beth Brown-Reinsel had moved away (although it was reported that she's giving an upcoming class at the local community college; neither the college's or Beth's web sites had any information so I'll probably give HCC a call).

The program for the evening was a pattern for some lacey dishcloths, rather lovely, followed by show and tell. A quite colorful shawl, several WIPs, some socks. One lady is knitting a shrug for her daughter. She hadn't liked the patterns she'd found as they were for heavier yarns and she wanted something dressier, so she's using the dimensions from one of the patterns and knitting it up in a finer yarn. One of the gals there for the first time, describing herself as a beginner knitter, showed us the afghan that she had knit for her son. Beginner nothing, this was a drop-dead gorgeous sampler afghan in a soft heathered brown yarn. Many oohs and aahs and assurances that she is no beginner knitter!

In all, I had quite a nice time and will definitely go back again.

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