The Guild is back to in-person meetings. Using a hybrid meeting approach, we will continue our online presentations, but we will also be meeting in-person at the College of Alameda. Our meeting will be held in Room H154, of Building H – the Liberal Arts Building. This building is on Webster Street, on the east side of campus. A campus map can be found here: https://alameda.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Campus-Map.pdf
The Machine Knitters Guild of the San Francisco Bay Area supports the art and craft of machine knitting through our activities and charitable programs. Membership benefits include: monthly programs and newsletters; members-helping-members programs; yarn and swap events to trade or renew your stash; a lending library with books, magazines, and CDs; plus, the members-only chat group.
Our program year, September through June, includes presentations on machine knitting techniques, garment inspiration and design, current trends in knit fashion, shaping hints, short-row techniques, socks, garter bars tricks and much more.
Our in-person meetings begin at 10 AM, on the second Saturday of each month. The first half our meeting, from 10 am until 12 NOON, includes a discussion of Guild business, sharing of our “makes,” design ideas and machine knitting techniques. During the second part of our meeting, from 12 Noon until 2 pm, we have an invited guest speaker from around the world of machine knitting. Note that depending upon where the speaker is located, we may “flip” our schedule and have the presenter start at 10 am.
Questions about membership?
If you have any questions, please contact the Guild by sending an email to: machineknittersbayarea AT gmail DOT com. Dues for the 2023- 2024 Program Year, which begins September 2023, are $50. Please join us!
Our Full Library is on Ravelry
Did you know that the Guild has a lending library of books, magazines and patterns for machine knitters? As these items become more difficult to find, we’re very lucky to have access to such an extensive collection. The entire collection is listed on Ravelry. For questions about the library, please contact our Librarian.
Tuck Lace created with a punchcard knitting machine.
Bay Area Events and Shows
South Bay Machine Knitting
Adrienne Hunter has organized a smaller machine knitting group in the South Bay. The meetings are now being held at the Maker Nexus, a collaborative work space in Sunnyvale (https://www.makernexus.com/).
This group is a bit different from the larger Guild in that it is more informal and hands-on. Knitters are encouraged to bring their knitting machines so they can learn from each other and gain access to Adrienne’s deep knowledge about machine knitting. Beginners are very welcome to attend. We encourage membership in both the Guild and the South Bay group, as the two groups are very different, yet wonderfully complementary.
To find out about the next meeting check the South Bay Machine Knitting Meetup Group
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Highlighting Our Members
Our membership is our most valuable asset. Many of our members have their own machine knitting or yarn inspired businesses. Here are the sites of a few of our members.
Nancy Roberts, local Silver Reed dealer, sells machines, tools, supplies, and teaches classes. Nancy has been a member since 2005. Visit her site: Machine Knitting to Dye For
Sarah Etchison provides private lessons on any brand of knitting machine. Send her an email for more information at: queenknitter@gmail.com.
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We Support Our Local Yarn Shops
Machine knitters go through yarn at a FURIOUS pace. We are lucky to have fantastic brick and mortar yarn shops in the area to support our craft. We hope you will check out these partners who offer Guild members discounts on their yarn purchases.
ImagiKnit at 3897 18th Street in San Francisco – https://imagiknit.com/
Avenue Yarns at 1325 Solano Avenue in Albany – https://www.avenueyarns.com/