In the Loop, May 2024
We’ve elected new Directors and Officers!! See the Annual Meeting Recap, and stay tuned for in-depth profiles of CKC’s newest Directors, coming in June.
Don’t miss the opportunity to meet and knit with trans artist ANDY STOWERS FOREST who will share their mesmerizing fiber landscapes at CKC’s Virtual Craft Circle on June 20, 2024 at 8 PM Eastern. Registration details below.
We always close the newsletter with Knitting and Crochet in the News by Anne Lies. Anne scouts the wide world of knitting and crochet for all the latest trends and activities you need to know. Enjoy!
CKC’s Annual Meeting — Elections & News
Thank you to all the CKC Members who attended CKC’s Annual Meeting on Monday, May 13, 2024 at 8 PM Eastern. We reviewed CKC’s accomplishments in 2023, and goals for 2024 and beyond.
We bid a fond farewell to KATIE DAUGHERTY, and are thrilled to welcome CONNIE MARTIN-WILSON, for a 3-year term.
We also elected four officers for 1-year terms.
Jennifer Lindsay, President
Rebecca Keyel, Vice President
Marilyn Huset, Treasurer
Maggie Phalen, Secretary
The evening ended with a lively discussion as CKC Members asked questions and shared creative ideas for future projects and initiatives.
At the monthly Board Meeting on May 20, 2024 we elected two additional Directors, raising the total number of CKC Directors to eleven. We are thrilled to welcome GILLIAN HEPPOLA to CKC’s Board of Directors for a 2-year term, and ELIZABETH OKEYELE-OLATUNDI for a 1-year term. These new Director positions will rotate to 3-year terms in the next election cycle. They are staggered to insure that only a third of CKC’s Directors have terms expiring in any given year.
We are extremely excited to introduce all three new CKC Directors to you in June! Stay tuned!
Thank You to Katie Daugherty, Retiring Director
Katie Daugherty served on CKC’s Board of Directors from January 2023 to May 2024, filling out Heather Hernandez’s 3-year term.
Katie fully embraced her year+ on the CKC Board — taking on the role of Secretary, serving as the coordinator for CKC’s Monthly Newsletter, managing pattern testing for CKC’s exclusive patterns, working behind the scenes to back up CKC’s Treasurer and Network Administrator, and helping with membership tasks. Through it all, Katie remained cheerful, efficient, reliable, insightful, and candid. Katie also made a generous monthly donation to CKC, which was matched by her employer.
We are so grateful for Katie’s many contributions to CKC during her year of Board service. We will miss her, and wish her every success in all her future endeavors. Thank you, Katie!
In addition to her demanding career in healthcare, Katie looks forward to having a bit more time to develop her instructional programs in yoga and knitting. She also tech edits knitting patterns.
VIRTUAL CRAFT CIRCLE NEWS & EVENTS
Andy Stowers Forest.
Please join us for CKC’s Virtual Craft Circle on Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 8 PM Eastern to meet trans artist ANDY STOWERS FOREST.
We met Andy at Vogue Knitting Live in New York in January 2024.
Originally from Tallahassee, FL, but currently based in Manhattan, Andy uses knitting, crochet, and other techniques to create landscapes and other representational art. Using predominantly yarn and garments discarded by other crafters, Andy works imaginatively and sustainably, on a large scale or in miniature, fusing the familiar coziness of textiles with an expressive understanding of the power and vitality of nature and our environments to heal and inspire.
TO REGISTER FOR THIS PROGRAM:
Sign in to your CKC account and register for this and all the programs you want to attend in one quick and easy session by clicking on “Events” once you are signed in.
RECAP: An Evening with KWANA JACKSON
We thoroughly enjoyed the chance to meet and talk with USA TODAY BESTSELLING ROMANCE AUTHOR KWANA JACKSON at CKC’s Virtual Craft Circle on Thursday, May 16, 2024, at 8 PM Eastern.
Kwana spoke candidly about her sources of inspiration, her unfinished knitting projects, her love of growing up and living in New York City, and the many challenges of writing romance novels and getting published. It was fascinating, engaging, and fun.
Her current pet project is finishing the last two books in her series “Real Men Knit” which follows four fostered, then adopted sons who are trying to keep their mother’s beloved Harlem yarn store open after her death. Each book in the series profiles one of the sons.
Kwana Jackson has been featured by Oprah Magazine, ShondaLand, and NPR on their Best Romance lists. She is the author of 16 romance novels under the names Kwana Jackson and K.M. Jackson. Support her work by finding and following her online at www.kmjackson.com. Look for the first and second books in the series – Real Men Knit, Berkley, May 2020, and Knot Again, Berkley, July 2022.
Visit CKC’s Virtual Craft Circle webpage for information about our upcoming speakers.
Membership Corner
- As a CKC Member, you are vital to CKC’s success. If you are interested in volunteering, contact us at [email protected], for more information and to learn about opportunities.
- To those who already volunteer — Thank You!
- Is your membership current? Check that and renew!
Don’t Be Shy! Share Your News!!!
- Have you designed a new pattern, written an article, been invited to give a presentation, published a book, started a new craft group or craft initiative, been promoted in your guild? Do you want to engage other CKC Members in what you are doing or in an event in your area? If you are interested in being featured, or have some news or events to share with CKC Members, click this link to fill out the form!
Knitting & Crochet in the News:
By Anne Lies
Cultures of craft
- Sweater season: A documentary about the iconic Cowichan knitwear is up for a screen award.
- Introducing the Knitters, Connecting Past and Present with Cowichan Sweaters.
- “Crochet Was A Craft Born From Necessity – There’s Strength In That”: Róisín Pierce On Keeping An Empowering Irish Tradition Alive.
It’s never “just” a craft
- Reaping the benefits: How a woman improved her mental health through knitting and why she hopes others do the same.
- A Common Thread: Why younger generations are hooked on the art of crochet.
- Breaking news! I guess? Crochet is not just for girls.
- An Artist Whose Knits Are an Antidote to Loneliness. Knitting as a vehicle for connection.
Fiber art and artistry
- Enchanting Ecosystems Crocheted by Melissa Webb Envelop Interior Spaces with Verdant Fibers. How did she know my favorite color is green?!
- Contemporary artistry in an historic space: Through the Work of More than 60 Artists, ‘The Golden Thread’ Traces the Rise of Textiles in Contemporary Art.
- New Exhibition at the Renwick Gallery Celebrates Women Artists Who Revolutionized Fiber as a Powerful Medium for Contemporary Art.
- Hear directly from the artists on the exhibition’s podcast.
What can’t you do with yarn?
- What happens when a pandemic interrupts a wedding plan? I Crocheted All of My Own Wedding Flowers.
- These boots were stitched for walkin’… Daphne Chao on How Her Crochet Kicks Became a Gorpcore Craze.
- Susanna Bauer’s Intricately Crocheted Leaves Celebrate the Elegance and Ephemerality of Nature.
- Known for merging organic forms with the timeless craft of crochet, Susanna Bauer publishes new book.
Got holiday plans?
- Worldwide Knit in Public Day 2024 is June 8. Where will you be stitching?
- If you’re feeling ambitious… From sheep to knitted jumper in just one day.
Your Voice Matters!
We encourage all CKC Members to contribute to CKC’s monthly newsletter. Please email your inquiries, ideas, and stories to [email protected]. We hope to hear from you!
Please visit CKC’s Newsletter Archive!
May Newsletter Contributors:
Anne Lies, Jennifer Lindsay
