Jewel City Knitters

AUGUST 2009 GENERAL MEETING

JCK General Meeting
Wednesday, August 5, 7:00-9:00pm
Crescenta Valley Methodist Church, 2700 Montrose Ave., Room 25, Montrose 91020

Agenda:
    6:30pm: Set up, Meet and Greet, Sign In, Get Organized, etc.

    7:00pm: Call to Order [Evelyn Van Orden, President]
    Approval of Minutes [Marsha Stoddard, Secretary]
    Thanks for Treats [Cathy Wacker, Hospitality]
    Treasurer's Report [Jerri Nicol, Treasurer]
    Philanthropy Report [Judy Gregory, VP Philanthropy]
    Announcements [Members]
    NICU Field Trip [Kimberley Smith]
    Show and Share

    9:00pm: Adjourn
Minutes:
    7:10pm: Meeting Called to Order   Evelyn Van Orden, President    15 members were present, plus 1 visitor.
    A. Minutes    Marsha Stoddard
        Minutes of the July meeting were posted on the website and a hardcopy provided at the meeting. They were approved.
    B. Treasurer's Report    Jerri Nicol
        1. Evelyn reported for Jerri that the balance in our treasury is $908.73 (no change since last month).
    C. Announcements    Members
        1. Cathy Wacker thanked Olga Martinez and Marsha Stoddard for the yummy treats.

        2. Mary Kaye Busalacchi brought her 7-year-old granddaughter, Bella, for a visit. She is learning to knit and was working on a scarf. Kimberley Smith is her aunt.
        3. Jerri Thomson was at the Orange County Fair and got some information about a new charity called Knots of Love which makes and donates chemo caps for cancer patients. The group sends hats to 160 cancer centers, infusion centers, and oncology offices in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Christine Shively is the head of the organization. Jerri made handouts for each member with information from the website about the hats, giving patterns and the specific types of yarn (they will only accept hats made from certain yarns). Jerri volunteered to be the contact person to collect and deliver any caps made by our members. Thank you, Jerri, for such an organized and informative presentation. For more information, see the website: http://www.knots-of-love.org/
    D. Philanthropy    Judy Gregory, VP Philanthropy
        1. Kimberley Smith read a very nice letter from the NICU at L.A. County USC Medical Center Children’s Hospital, thanking us for all the many baby items we have donated for many months.
        2. Jerri Thomson will collect any hats for Knots of Love at the September meeting and then again in November. She will not be at the October meeting.
    E. NICU Field Trip    Kimberley Smith, NICU Nurse
        1. Kimberley Smith has arranged Saturday, August 22, at 10:00 for us to go and visit her Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at L.A. County USC Medical Center Children’s Hospital.
        2. Evelyn passed around a sign-up sheet. Carpools will be arranged, due to limited parking. Kimberley passed out maps for those driving. She is working there that day and will meet us in the main lobby at 10:00. Those who want to carpool should meet in the parking lot at Black Cow restaurant in Montrose. Evelyn will send an email to those who have signed up to go.
        3. A number of baby items were collected from those who aren’t able to attend, and those items plus any others will be delivered to the unit at the visit. Items needed are booties, tube socks, hats, and blankets, all in preemie or newborn size. The items should be soft acrylic.
    F. Show and Share   Members

        1. Betty Molinaro brought 3 circular needles kits to show us. One was a small set of Clover wooden needles, another was an Addi set of metal needles, and the third was a Denise set of plastic needles. A discussion ensued regarding the various kits. The Addis include only 3 cords, and they are difficult for anything lacey, due to their slipperiness. The join is very stable, whereas the Denise ones do come apart on occasion. One member had some of the join pieces break. We also discussed a KnitPicks version, which has a 60” cable. The Clover version costs $100, the Addis are $150, and the Denise set is $65-70. Several members use Denise most of the time for all types of knitting. Addis and Denise sell individual needles and cords separately.
        2. Jerri Thomson asked about blocking. Evelyn said she lays her pieces out, pinned down if needed, sprays them with water, and lets them dry. Judy has used blocking boards or blocking wires, which hold the item in place while drying. Judy uses a spare bed with plastic laid underneath to dry the pieces flat.
    8:45pm: Meeting Adjourned