Lodging for Spring City Knitters/Machine Knitters Guild of PA Seminar, June 6 & 7, 2008

The Marriott Courtyard Philadelphia Valley Forge/College has blocked off 20 rooms for our Spring City Knitters/Machine Knitters Guild of PA Seminar. The room information is listed below.

Marriott Courtyard Philadelphia Valley Forge/College

600 Campus Drive

Collegeville, PA 19462

phone 484.974.2600 or 1.800.321.2211

Mention Knit and Sew Seminar or Spring City Knitters Seminar when making a reservation to get the special rate of $94.00 per night. Two rooms have been secured.

For additional lodging information see our past posts on this blog.

To registar for the seminar go to http://www.geocities.com/springcityknitters and look for the registration form. From now until March 31, 2008, 2 days are $100 which includes a buffet lunch each day; One day is $50 with buffet lunch.

For information or questions, contact Tammy Noble at 484-685-6154 (cell) or email her at knitandsew44@yahoo.com

Tammy Noble at Spring City Knitters/Machine Knitters Guild of PA Seminar, June 6 & 7, 2008

Tammy Noble - As is the case with so many hand knitters, the thought of knitting faster and completing a project sooner prompted Tammy’s interest in a magazine ad for a knitting machine in 1982. After purchasing a knitting machine she fell in love with machine knitting. When the computer company she worked for closed in 1995, Tammy decided to start a home business. Her involvements with machine knitting naturally lead her to becoming a Brother/KnitKing dealer.

At a local machine knitters’ club meeting in 1998, Tammy met local knitwear designer, Fern Wayne, http://www.fernwayne.com/. When asked by Fern to become a Passap E6000 production knitter, Tammy leaped at the idea of getting paid to perfect her machine knitting skills. Shortly thereafter Tammy became a production knitter for another Pennsylvania knitwear designer, Rae Gold. This past February both knitwear designers showed their knitwear at the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Craft Show. In November 2007, Rae Gold again show her knitwear at the 31st Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, in Philadelphia, PA. Both Fern and Rae's knitwear designs sell for hundreds of dollars and are of the highest craftmanship that they can qualify for these prestigious craft shows.

In 2002, Tammy moved her home business to her shop at 44 N. Main Street in Spring City, PA. She named her store Knit and Sew. Opening a storefront business when machine-knitting manufacturers just as Brother and Passap decided to stop manufacturing new machines was a bold move. When Tammy came to the US in 1969 she proved she was a risk taker. As a risk taker, Tammy together with the Machine Knitters Guild of PA decided to co-sponsor their first seminar together. Like many machine knitters, Tammy attended many seminars and thought about the seminar elements she liked or would change. In another bold move, Tammy envisioned a seminar where more time would be spent on demonstrating and the seminar would revolve around a theme. This was the basis for the Spring City Knitters/Machine Knitting Guild of PA’s having 2-1/2 length sessions and contributed to our seminar theme of “The Garment”.

At the Seminar, Tammy will be providing instruction on how to maintain and repair the Passap E-6000 knitting machine. Tammy learned very quickly that part of being a production knitter required her to know how to maintain and repair her machines. After all with deadlines to meet and Passap and Brother now longer making knitting machines, knowing how to properly maintain her machines and being her own repairperson came in handy. I invite you to visit her website http://knitandsew.com/.

Passap Maintenance and Repair for Beginners. Do you know how to replace a needle or channel on your Passap? What to do if your color changer isn’t working? Do you know what a brake spring is? Well, in this session we will go over basic maintenance and repairs needed to keep your Passap machine knitting beautiful items. Passap E-6000 knitting machine will be used for the demonstration. Session 1 Friday afternoon; Session 2 Saturday afternoon, class length approximately 2-1/2 hrs long.

To registar for the seminar go to http://www.geocities.com/springcityknitters and look for the registration form. From now until March 31, 2008, 2 days are $100 which includes a buffet lunch each day; One day is $50 with buffet lunch.

For information or questions, contact Tammy at 484-685-6154 (cell) or email her at knitandsew44@yahoo.com

Regards,

Donna

Dottie Custer's Swan Song at Spring City Knitters/Machine Knitters Guild of PA Seminar, June 6 & 7, 2008

Dottie Custer – Mention the name “Dottie” and everyone in the machine knitting community will know who you mean. So well known is her name and her association with the Oley Valley Knits Seminar, that machine knitters who attended her past seminars naturally remember a wonderful time in their lives. The Oley Valley Knits Seminars were more than a legend, they were an institution of inspiration.

The first time I attended an Oley Valley Knits Seminar was in 2001. At the time, I did not fully comprehend Design-A-Knit. When I learned Ann Gervasio was demonstrating how to work DAK, I knew I had to get there by hook or crook. At the seminar, I never had so much fun learning about machine knitting in my life.

Ileen Levy, Cathie and Frank Sanders, Teena Crawshaw, Charlene Shaffer, Tricia Shaffer, Diana Berns, Sandee Cherry, Jennie Merrit, Lora Kinnan, Deb Oswald, Marcia Hauser, Yvonne Rhodes, Helen Griffiths, Ann Gervasio, Manon Salois, Irene Wood, Renda Kidwell, Joyce Banfi, Uyvonne Bigham, and Tammy Noble have all taught at the OVK seminars between 2001 and 2006.

What a list of who’s who in the home machine knitting community. Like many of my fellow machine knitters, I attended every OVK Seminar including the last year’s 2006 seminar. So saddened to see it end it was the inspriration for the Spring City Knitters/Machine Knitters Guild of PA Seminar.

We are especially pleased to announce Dottie Custer has consented to participate as a vendor at our seminar. We know Dottie will bring her warm and friendly personality to our seminar. But just as the Oley seminar ended after 16 years of continual service, Dottie has decided to close her business. We urge her following to come out to the Spring City Knitters/Machine Knitters Guild of PA Seminar to wish her a warm farewell to machine knitting. She will be selling everything remaining from her shop. We are hoping for a large turnout at her swan song.

To registar for the seminar go to http://www.geocities.com/springcityknitters and look for the registration form. From now until March 31, 2008, 2 days are $100 which includes a buffet lunch each day; One day is $50 with buffet lunch.

For information or questions, contact Tammy Noble at 484-685-6154 (cell) or email her at knitandsew44@yahoo.com .

Regards,

Donna

Judy Meissner at the Spring City Knitters/Machine Knitters Guild of PA Seminar, June 6 & 7, 2008

Judy Meissner - As a change of pace from machine knitting, in August 2006 Judy bought an antique circular sock-knitting machine and added sock knitting to her craft accomplishments. A familiar name on the Knittingmachine Yahoo list, Judy has been hand knitting for the past 42 years and machine knitting for more than 26. To date using her 80 to 100 year old hand cranked machine she had knitted over 480 pairs of socks with a 1 x 1 rib on its leg. She frequently demonstrations sock knitting. One of her many demonstrations were at the Bonnie Triola September 2007 seminar.

Sock knitting. Never seen an antique circular sock machine? Well you are in for a treat. This demonstration will be done on a circular sock-knitting machine. The demonstration will include understanding how the machine works, the parts of the machine, what yarns to use, how to knit the socks and the finishing techniques needed to make a beautiful wearable sock.

To registar for the seminar go to http://www.geocities.com/springcityknitters and look for the registration form. From now until March 31, 2008 2 days are $100 which includes a buffet lunch; One day is $50 which includes a buffet lunch.

For information, contact Tammy Noble at 484-685-6154 (cell) or email her at knitandsew44@yahoo.com

Regards,

Donna

Betsy Manning at the Spring City Knitters/Machine Knitting Guild of PA Seminar, June 6 & 7,2008

Betsy Manning. - Her love of hand knitting led to her involvement with the Pottstown Area Knit Out and Crochet Too! event. At the 4th Annual Knit Out, held this past January. Betsy demonstrated how knitted items could be embellished with the Babylock Embellisher. So impressed with her demonstration she was invited to demonstrate the Embellisher’s capabilities at the Spring City Knitters/Machine Knitters Guild of PA seminar.

Embellishing. Want to jazz up your machine knitted items with embellishments such as felt, roving, yarn? Consider using the 7 needle Babylock Embellisher. It’s the latest and hottest accessory to adorn knitted, woven, and sewn items. Here’s a great opportunity to see the Embellisher in action. Learn how the machine operates and how it can felt on all types of material with thread.

To registar for the seminar go to http://www.geocities.com/springcityknitters and look for the registration form. From now until March 31, 2008 2 days are $100 which includes a buffet lunch; One day is $50 which includes a buffet lunch.

For information, contact Tammy Noble at 484-684-6154 (cell) or email her at knitandsew44@yahoo.com

Regards,

Donna

Machine Knitters Guild of PA New Sponsor of Seminar

The Spring City Knitters are proud to annouce the renaming of their seminar to

SPRING CITY KNITTERS/MACHINE KNITTERS GUILD OF PENNSYLVANIA

The name change is a result of the co-sponsoring of the seminar. Members of the MKGOP will be able to attend the Seminar at the special rate of $100 for two days with buffet lunch or one day for $50 with buffet lunch. The special rate is due to expire for the general public on Monday, March 31, 2008.

Beginning April 1, 2008, the Seminar rate will increase to two days at $120 with buffet lunch and one day at $60 for buffet lunch.

We are also adding a new new instructor to our line up. Carolyn Blevins will be having a morning session each day on the Brother and Silver Reed maintenance.

Best of all at our market place, Dottie Custer of Oley Valley Knits, will be a participant. Those of you in the Philadelphia area may attended the Oley Valley Knits seminars in past years. Don't know about you but I had fun and learned a lot from her seminars.

Again, the Spring City Knitters/Machine Knitters Guild of PA Seminar will be Friday and Saturday, June 6 & 7, 2008 at the First United Church of Christ, 145 Chestnut St, Spring City, PA 19475.

The theme of the Seminar will be "The Garment". there will be moring and afternoon sessions that are approximately 2-1/2 hours long. We will have a lab set up so that the attendees can strengthen the knitting techniquest they just learned at the Seminar. Passap, Brother, and Silver Reed knitting machines will be represented.

We highly encourage anyone who plans to attend the Design-A-Knit classes to bring their laptops with DAK pre-installed. The presence of your laptop will ensure you get the greatest amount of learning from the DAK sessions.

Finally, Deborah Rogers, President of the Machine Knitting Guild of PA will be our mistress of ceremonies for the Seminar and Fashion Show.

By the way we highly encourage the attendees to bring "garments" for the fashion show to support our Garment theme.

To registar for the seminar go to http://www.geocities.com/springcityknitters and look for the registration form. From now until March 31, 2008 2 days are $100 which includes a buffet lunch; One day is $50 which includes a buffet lunch.

For information, contact Tammy Noble at 484-685-6154 (cell) or email her at knitandsew44@yahoo.com

Regards,

Donna

Jackie Willard at Spring City Knitters/Machine Knitting Guild of PA Seminar, June 6 & 7, 2008

Jackie Willard - A few years ago at a Spring City Knitters club meeting we had a group project where everyone was asked to knit the same garment except in their size. We selected a garment from a popular hand-knitting magazine that included a lace pattern. Jackie volunteered to convert the lace pattern into Design-A-Knit. At the next meeting, a month later, Jackie showed everyone how to knit the pattern using their Brother knitting machine K-carriage, G-carriage, and three downloaded patterns from DAK. Everyone was in awe of how proficient she was at DAK version 6, since it doesn’t have a lace tool like DAK version 7. That's when everyone realized Jackie had the talent to teach DAK to others.

A master at hand knitting, her interest in knitting started after she finished college about 20 years ago. For the past 12 years she’s been involved with machine knitting. As a stay a home mom, she became a production knitter working exclusively on the Passap E-6000 for local knitwear designer Fern Wayne. She uses DAK on a daily basis not only for Fern Wayne designs, but also for her own design work. To see the kind of knitwear Jackie’s involved with, I invite you to visit Fern’s website http://www.fernwayne.com/.

Jackie’s knitwear designs were featured in the now out-of-print Machine Knitter Source/N Knitters magazine. Her objective in teaching Practical DAK is to get you from a cone of yarn to a finished garment using DAK. Her intent is to go over the steps involved and the thought processes and decision making needed when making your own patterns, plus go over the tools and features of DAK which will include downloading to both Brother and Passap and actual print outs of the DAK pattern. Join her as she explores this exciting software program. Details of her sessions are listed below.

• Practical Design-A-Knit for Beginners. This session will go from what to do with that cone of yarn to a simple pullover using DAK to design the shape. We will discuss the basics of swatch measurement, body measurement and use Standard garment styler to design your sweater. The session is designed to get you with making your own designs by focusing on Standard Garment Styler tools and techniques. To get the most benefit from this session we highly encourage participants to bring their laptops with DAK pre-installed, but it is not mandatory to attend this session. DAK Version 7 will be used for demonstration. Session 1 Friday morning.
• Practical Design-A-Knit More Advanced I - More Than One Color. This session will discuss integrating a pattern you have drawn in Stitch Designer with a shape you have designed in Standard Garment Styler. The goal of this session is to design a Fair Isle cardigan with bands. The focus of this session will be on using Standard Garment Styler and Stitch Designer tools and techniques. To get the most benefit from this session we highly encourage participants to bring their laptops with DAK pre-installed, but it is not mandatory to attend this session. DAK Version 7 will be used for demonstration. Session 2 Friday afternoon.
• Practical Design-A-Knit More Advanced II - Original Shapes. This session will discuss beginning a shape in Standard Garment Styler and transferring it to Original Pattern Drafting to add details. We will also discuss free form shapes. The goal of this session is to design a fitted jacquard jacket with a shawl collar. The focus of this session will be on using Original Pattern Drafting tools and techniques. We highly encourage participants to bring their laptops with DAK pre-installed, but it is not mandatory to attend this session. DAK Version 7 will be used for demonstration. Session 3 Saturday morning.
• Modules and Tools of DAK. In this session you won’t be designing specific garments but we will go over the modules and tools of DAK. This session is a recap of what you learned in other sessions or to learn something new about a module you haven't used yet. Focus on all modules and tool of DAK including the lace tool, graphics studio, printing and downloading. We will show how to download a DAK file to the Passap console and Brother knitting machine. We highly encourage participants to bring their laptops with DAK pre-installed, but it is not mandatory to attend this session. DAK Version 7 will be used for demonstration. Session 4 Saturday afternoon.

To registar for the seminar go to http://www.geocities.com/springcityknitters and look for the registration form. From now until March 31, 2008 2 days are $100 which includes a buffet lunch; One day is $50 which includes a buffet lunch.

For information, contact Tammy Noble at 484-684-6154 (cell) or email her at knitandsew44@yahoo.com

Regards,

Donna

Instructors at the Spring City Knitter Seminar, June 6 & 7, 2008

The Spring City Knitters are proud to welcome the demonstrators below to our June 6 & 7, 2008 seminar. The theme of the seminar in the GARMENT, the art of knitting on my machine to make Dresses, Skirts, Slacks, and other wearable knits.

• Marcia Hauser on Brother knitting machine
• Ileen Levy on Silver Reed knitting machine
• Sharon Minrath on Passap knitting machine
• Jackie Willard on Design-A-Knit
• Tammy Noble on Passap maintenance and repair
• Judi Meissener on the sock machine
• Betsy Mannings on the 7 needle felting machine

The seminar will be at the location below.

The First United Church of Christ

145 Chestnut St.

Spring City, PA 19475

Time: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM

ALL classes will be approximately 2-1/2 hours long.

To registar for the seminar go to http://www.geocities.com/springcityknitters and look for the registration form. From now until March 31, 2008 2 days are $100 which includes a buffet lunch; One day is $50 which includes a buffet lunch.

For information, contact Tammy Noble at 484-684-6154 (cell) or email her at knitandsew44@yahoo.com

Regards,

Donna

Ileen Levy at Spring City Knitters Seminar, June 6 & 7, 2008

• Ileen Levy - A favorite on Yahoo's Knittingmachine list, Ileen Levy freely shares her machine knitting knowledge with others. Like many machine knitters she started out as a hand knitter and then took up machine knitting. Within a year of acquiring a knitting machine she went from hobbyist to custom knitter. As a custom knitter she gained experience knitting all types of projects and soon opened Ileen’s Needle Nook. Along the way she became a Brother then Silver Reed knitting machine dealer and distributor for Cotton Spandex yarns. In 1987 with her husband, they created a computer-charting program to help her save time charting: Design-A-Pattern. For the past 20 years, she has been sharing her knitting experiences throughout the US, England and Australia as a teacher and demonstrator. At the Spring City Knitters Seminar, Ileen will be incorporating Design-A-Pattern into her demonstration on the Silver Reed knitting machine. For those who attend seminars and feel that Silver Reed machines are unrepresented, please join her for a fun filled time on the Silver Reed standard gauge machine. Below are descriptions of her classes. To learn more about Ileen visit her website: http://www.ileen.com/
• Designing a Jacket with Darts. In this class we will design a darted cap-sleeved jacket using Design-A-Pattern XV software. We will also discuss the importance of knitting a swatch, getting accurate gauges, and taking accurate body measurements. Silver Reed knitting machine will be used for demonstration. Session 1 Friday morning, approximately 2-1/2 hrs long.
• Jacket Details. We will knit the jacket charted in the first class explaining how to knit in the darts; necklines that lay in place properly, neckline trims and collars, interesting hems and variations, and finishing techniques. Also incorporated in this class will be lots of tips and techniques, a discussion about blocking our knits and getting the best-finished product. Silver Reed knitting machine will be used for demonstration. Session 1 Friday morning, approximately 2-1/2 hrs long.
• Designing Slacks with Darts. In this class we will design a pair of darted slacks using Design-A-Pattern XV software. We will also discuss the importance of knitting a swatch, getting accurate gauges, and taking accurate body measurements. Silver Reed knitting machine will be used for demonstration. Session 3 Saturday morning, approximately 2-1/2 hrs long.
• Slacks Details. We will knit the slacks charted in the earlier class explaining how to knit darts into pants and skirts, show different hems and trims, discuss waistband variations, and discuss seaming up the garment. Also incorporated in this class will be lots of tips and techniques, a discussion about blocking our knits and getting the best-finished product. Silver Reed knitting machine will be used for demonstration. Session 4 Saturday afternoon, approximately 2-1/2 hrs long.
• The registration form to attend the Spring City Knitters Seminar can be found at our website: http://www.geocities.com/springcityknitters
• Inquiries about the seminar should be sent to Tammy Noble, email: knitandsew44@yahoo.com

See you at the seminar.

Regards,

Donna