2018 VICTORIAN EVENTS
Monday 8, Tuesday 9, Wednesday 10, and Friday 12 January – The Hand Knitters Guild, Victoria, Summer School held at Ross House, covers a range of knitting techniques.
6-31 January – The Handweavers and Spinners Guild of Victoria holds its Summer School at their North Carlton venue. Check their website for the other classes they hold throughout the year.
17-22 March – Grampians Texture workshops, Halls Gap. The program of workshops is on their website, but you need to book early.
3-6 May – the Wool Gathering Retreat is held at Tarndwarncoort in Warncoort near Birregurra, and is already sold-out and taking names for a waiting list. Visit their website for other meet-ups and workshops scheduled throughout the year.
Sunday 13 May – the Guild’s annual Yarn and Craft Market to be held at the Coburg Town Hall, from 10am-3pm. (Check in on our blog for details and stall holder lists) This is a BIG event for the Guild and for the stallholders that we love to support who are all small yarn producers and indie dyers from around Victoria. Don’t miss it. You can also get raffle tickets for the Guild’s handmade blanket and other prizes.
7-9 June – the Soul Craft Festival is new in 2018 and organised by the same team that run the Craft Session retreat (see September). There will be a rolling program of talks, demonstrations and masterclasses over 2 days with a market and meet-ups. It will be held at the heritage Meat Market in North Melbourne.
Saturday 9 June – is World Knit in Public Day. The Guild organises an activity to celebrate knitting craft on WWKIPD. In 2014, 2015 and 2016 members and friends boarded a train, knitted for the journey and had lunch at their destination. In 2017 we teamed up with the City Library and had a Knit-in at the library next door to the Guild. Check back for details about the 2018 adventure.
8 June – 26 August – the Scarf Festival at the National Wool Museum (NWM), Geelong. The 2018 theme is Living on the Land. Online entries open on 1 February and close on Sunday 22 April 2018.
26-29 July – Quilt and Craft Fair at Melbourne Exhibition Centre – South Wharf. The guild will probably have a stall at the Fair, so drop by and say hello. Raffle tickets for the Guild’s handmade blanket will be for sale.
20-22 July – Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show. Fondly known as Bendi, this event needs no introduction, it is a great place to get yarn made by small producers and indie dyers from all over. Check out our blog post for more. Down the road at the Bowls Club is the Artisans Textile Festival with more vendors and a great place to chill out, get some food and have a knit.
All of August – Craft Cubed is festival of the handmade presented annually by Craft Victoria, now located in Watson Place, Melbourne. Craft Cubed is a collaborative celebration of craft.
Early August – Sheepvention Hamilton. Check their website for the TBA dates. This is an agricultural show presented by the Hamilton Pastoral & Agricultural Society.
6-9 September – The Craft Sessions Retreat. This is a weekend retreat in the Yarra Valley with workshops on a variety of crafts including knitting. It is organised by a collective of keen makers. The retreat’s workshops will be posted in early April and registration will open in late April and sell out very quickly (ie. in 4 minutes). This year they have added an extra day.
22 September -2 October Royal Melbourne Show. The craft pavillion usually has some knitting that is worth a look.
Usually in mid September – Black & Coloured Sheep Day. In 2017 the Sheep Day was in the Pakenham Library Hall, corner of John and Henry Streets from 9.30am-3pm, check their Facebook for the 2018 dates.
November 22-25 – Annual Stitches & Craft Show, will be at the Royal Exhibition Building,
Carlton Gardens from 10am To 4pm.
Mid November – The Lilydale Show. The Guild will probably have a stall at this show, so stop by and say hello.
2018 Guild Sit & Knit Gatherings at Ross House
The Guild holds Sit and Knit gatherings for member’s at Ross House on the first Sunday of the month excepting December and January. The Guild’s library is open and most meetings include a technique demonstration given by a Guild member.
January 8th, 9th, 10th and 12th – Knitting Summer School at Ross House. There will be 2 classes per day of 3 hours each, from 9.30am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-4.30pm. The classes will be taken by members of the Guild who each have many years of knitting experience. See the blog for details.
February 4 – Sunday Sit and Knit 1 – 5 pm on level 4 at Ross House – Join us for the first Sit and Knit for 2018 and show off your holiday knitting. There is no demonstration at this meeting.
March 4 – Sunday Sit and Knit from 1pm at Ross House. There will be a technique demonstration at this meeting given by Barbara on the German short row. Charity knits will be collected at this meeting.
April 1 – Sunday Sit and Knit from 1pm at Ross House. Charity knits will be collected at this meeting.
May 6 – Sunday Sit and Knit from 1pm at Ross House. There will be a technique demonstration at this meeting given by Gayle of Jenny’s stretchy bind off.
June 3 – Sunday Sit and Knit from 1pm at Ross House.
July 1 – Sunday Sit and Knit from 1pm at Ross House. There will be a technique demonstration at this meeting given by Nola of the no chain cast on for crochet.
August 5 – Annual General Meeting from 1.30 pm followed by the Sit and Knit from 2pm at Ross House. The Guild’s annual raffle will be drawn at this meeting, winners will be notified.
September 2 – Sunday Sit and Knit from 1pm at Ross House.
October 7 – Sunday Sit and Knit from 1pm at Ross House.
November 4 – Sunday Sit and Knit from 1pm at Ross House with the Shawl Competition. The winner receives a generous prize donated by Morris & Sons. There will be no demonstration at this meeting to make time for the judging of the design competition.
December 2 – A final get together at Ross House from 12 midday, with a Knitters Kris Kringle gift exchange.
