Category: President’s Message

From Our President – January 2025

Posted on by KANGWebmaster

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with friends and family… Christmas, Chanukah, Diwali or whatever you are celebrating! It’s unusual that they all coincided this year.

As you read this, I’m supposed to be on my way to Antarctica. We scheduled a Viking cruise many months ago but, unfortunately, had to cancel it a couple days ago. I’m having a lot of trouble with my hip and can barely walk at times. A nine-hour flight and a lot of walking was just not going to work. I’ll see an orthopedic surgeon next week to see what needs to be done. As the saying goes, “getting old is not for sissies”!

Knitting is keeping me busy… still working on the Hibernate sweater. Knitting with mohair always makes me think of knitting with dust! Or maybe I could just pick up all the cat hair in the house and use that.

Happy New Year!

Kate Wilson
KANG President
[email protected]

From Our President – December 2024

Posted on by KANGWebmaster

A belated Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I hope everyone had an enjoyable time with family or friends and lots of good food! We spent the day with friends, eating and watching football… and I learned how to make a French 75 cocktail.

I finished my Kyler shawl this month (sort of… I short-cut the pattern a bit because it’s REALLY big and I was tired of knitting it!). Next project is the Hibernate Pullover by Aimee Sher. It’s a top-down raglan done in merino and mohair held together. She uses a technique called compound raglans which I was not familiar with. It’s supposed to make the sweater fit better. She has lots of information about compound raglans on her website: https://aimeeshermakes.com/.

We are trying to get ready to leave on a cruise to Antarctica on January 1. It’s the only continent I haven’t been to! Hope to see lots of wildlife and glaciers (especially penguins – they are so cute!)

Keep working on those Christmas projects – time is getting short!

Kate Wilson
KANG President
[email protected]

From Our President – November 2024

Posted on by KANGWebmaster

Election Day is only 4 days away! I hope all of you are registered to vote and are planning to do so if you haven’t already.

This has been a clean-up month for me. I’ve decreased my WIPs from 8 down to 3! Granted, a couple of those got frogged, but I also finished some that had been on the needles for months (years?). Currently I’m working on the Kyler Shawl to wear to a wedding in February.

Lauren taught a class on dying yarn with Kool-Aid at the end of last month. It was such fun seeing what bright colors and variegated shades you can get with Kool-Aid! I’m going to use all my various colored yarns to make a hat.

Kate Wilson
KANG President
[email protected]

From Our President – October 2024

Posted on by KANGWebmaster

Even though fall started a couple days ago, it still definitely feels like summer! But I’m ready to put away lightweight projects and start on something “fall-ish”. I think it’s going to be the Cabled and Buttoned Wrap. It’s a free pattern from Lion Brand that wraps around you like a shawl but can button in the front. Using Aran-weight yarn, it should be pretty quick. Thanks to a friend who just made one for alerting me to this pattern!

And thanks to another friend who got me straightened out on the Embellish As You Will shawl. We had to frog about 4” of it because of my errors but it’s back on track now.  

I spent a week in northern Wisconsin visiting family this month… beautiful weather, but not much time to knit with 3-year-old twins running around and wanting Aunt Kate to play with them!

KANG has a workshop coming up on February 15-16 on mosaic and fair isle knitting. Details and registration will be on the website closer to the dates of the workshop. Also, keep your calendar open for the next KANG retreat March 27-30 at Camp Lonestar. Last year’s retreat was such fun – I’m looking forward to the one this year!

Kate Wilson
KANG President
[email protected]

From Our President – September 2024

Posted on by KANGWebmaster

Welcome from your new officers! August has been a busy month. We went on a cruise to Alaska at the beginning of the month – had beautiful weather and saw lots of whales, bears, eagles, puffins, and other creatures.

I’m trying to get familiar with the President’s duties (like writing a column for the newsletter!) and hosted the first Executive Board meeting. Your chapter presidents can catch you up on what was discussed.

I haven’t had too much time to knit this month but I’m working on the Embellish As You Will shawl which was sold as a kit at Yarn Store Boutique a few months ago. The kit was called Spring in Texas and came with some beautiful yarn from Theodora’s Pearls in shades of blue (think bluebonnets!). Unfortunately, I messed up part of it by following the lace pattern in the middle of the stockinette section and didn’t notice it for several rows… I’m still trying to get that to look right 😊.

A few days ago, I tested positive for Covid, so I’ll be quarantining for several days – hurray, more knitting time!

Kate Wilson
KANG President
[email protected]

From Our President – August 2024

Posted on by KANGWebmaster
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My, how fast this KANG year has gone by. At the end of last month, we had an extremely successful turnout for the Handover Meeting for the new Executive Board. As your outgoing Guild President, this is my last article as I handover the Presidency to the very capable Kate Wilson. Instead, I will be hanging out in the background as the Webmaster once more! It has been a pleasure the last two years working with many talented fiber artists and attending so many events with you!

Meanwhile, I will continue to work on the many (unfinished) projects I have started! I am making steady progress in the ADVENT-ageous shawl—about one section per week. I also finally casted-on for the Casapinka MKAL shawl to join Sharon’s Road Trip. The colors I chose are a cotton-candy blue and a bubblegum pink with a neutral ivory and a contracting plum purple. The pattern has been quite enjoyable, and I have already learned a couple of new techniques. This will be a fun adventure!

Moreover, several of our local yarn shops have a variety of events coming up this month! Yarn Store Boutique will celebrate its 7th birthday with a party on Saturday, August 3rd. There will be ice cream, Blue Mule Winery wine slushies, Keenan Hand Dyed Yarns amongst other festivities at the shop!

Is it too early to think about Christmas? Certainly not! The Social Knitwork will be doing a kickoff event called the Christmas Project Club on Thursday, August 8th beginning at 4:30p! Although the event will run until November 21st , it’s a rewards program concentrating on Christmas gifts (or really anything you want to make as a gift). Registration required, so check out their social media for more details!!

The new Executive Board will meet for the first quarterly meeting later in the month and remember that Membership dues are…due…! These can be paid via the KANG website or in-person with your local chapter membership representative!

Lastly, The Texas Yarn Trail will kick-off on August 22nd and run through August 28th! Registration is done online and is required for a passport to be considered for the grand prize drawings! Nine (9) of our local yarn shops will be participating in the Trail again this year!

Please get out there, check out all the shops, and support all our favorite small businesses.

Until next time,

Lauren Levy
(Outgoing) Executive Board President
[email protected]

From Our President – July 2024

Posted on by KANGWebmaster

Summer is definitely here with this heat and the ever-persistent mosquitoes! June was filled with lots of birthdays in my family—so lots of cake and ice cream, good times and water events! My knitting has accompanied me to all of these celebrations as I continue to work on the blankie for my niece. I participated in a summer bead-along using peyote techniques and size 11/0 Delica beads. Although I am not quite done, the final project will be a spherical ornament with scenes of summer: palm trees, ocean, sailboats, and a sunset. This has been an enjoyable project to work on a little at a time!

This month, I decided to start the ADVENT-ageous shawl since I have the kit in autumn colors and will hopefully finish it by this fall season. This pattern is not particularly difficult, but it has been trying my patience as I fail to count the stitches correctly before moving on. Tip of the Day: Lifelines are friends! With almost three sections done, we will see how it goes! Also, will any of you be coming along for Sharon’s Road Trip by Casapinka? This MKAL starts July 12th! I have a set of four beautiful yarn colors by Miss Babs. I am excited to cast-on!!


A reminder that our Membership renewal is live on the website and our dues for the 2024-2025 cycle can be paid via website, mail, or in-person. We are still seeking a volunteer willing to Chair the Retreat position on the Executive Board! A committee is already ready to assist, just need a figurehead! Lastly, the Handover Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, July 27th at 8:30a-11:30a at the Trini Mendenhall Community Center!


Have a safe Independence Day!


Until next time,

Lauren Levy
Executive Board President
[email protected]

From Our President – June 2024

Posted on by KANGWebmaster

The month of May has flown by! Between celebrating all the graduates and moms in my life, dealing with the aftermath of the storms that came through mid-month (thankfully just some down branches and yard cleanup), and taking care of my pupper, I have little to update about my ongoing projects. I have had multiple opportunities to practice fixing my seed stitches on this ‘simple’ blanket. Simply not paying attention has resulted in ribbing or garter, but certainly not the intended seed stitch!!

The SoCK chapter had a wonderful program on tips and tricks for amigurumi. It is astounding what a difference different yarn will have on the size and density of a final project. I popped in on the KNIT chapter too! Their program in April on knitting with wire (and beads) lead to some amazing and beautiful finished show-and-shares at their meeting this month. It was a lovely meeting to sit and socialize, and to ooh and ahh at all the projects that everyone was working on!

The fourth quarterly Executive Board meeting was held this past month. Our new slate of candidates has been revealed!

President: Kate Wilson

Social Media: Cass Hall (incumbent)

Secretary: Amy Rogers

Charity: Julie Wheeler & Deanne Nirider (incumbents)

Treasurer: Frances Burt

Retreats: open

Membership: Andrea Conrad

Workshops: open

Newsletter: Sparrow Lena

Webmaster: Lauren Levy

Remember that you will vote on this slate at your home chapter in the next chapter meeting. As you can see, we do have two positions still available that need a Chairperson: Retreats and Workshops. We already have volunteers to serve on the committee but need a person to lead the group and have a presence on the Executive Board. Please note that the Retreat dates are already set for next year and there are two workshops already in the works—one coming up in July with Patricia Vela and another slated for the Fall with Melissa Leapman. If you are interested in Chairing either of these positions, please let me know and send an email to [email protected]!

A reminder that the Handover Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, July 27th at 8:30a-11:30a at the Trini Mendenhall Community Center!

Other topics that were discussed at the Board Meeting included: new KANG and Charity cards are available with our QR code linked to the website! They will be distributed to chapters and charity, as well as to our local yarn shops. We have new membership badge holders available once again! For any new members who have joined us and haven’t received your KANG badge holder, please see your chapter president or membership person. For any current members who have lost or misplaced their badge holder, a replacement can be purchased for $5. On the note of membership, our Membership renewal time is here! Starting this month, our dues for the 2024-2025 cycle can be paid via website, mail, or in-person.

Lastly, our next Charity event will be indoors on Saturday, June 29th at the Bayland Community Center, 6400 Bissonnet, from 12 noon to 3:30pm! Can’t wait to see you there!


Until next time,

Lauren Levy
Executive Board President
[email protected]

From Our President – May 2024

Posted on by KANGWebmaster

Due to the trip, I did not make much progress on my unfinished items. However, I did take the blanket started for my niece with me on the trip. It is a simple garter stitch with hearts and I had a lot of downtime on the 12+ hour flights and some of the longer bullet train rides! Since getting back, I have started winding some hanks into cakes to start a couple projects!

Were you able to make it out to Yellow Rose Fiber Fiesta in Seguin? Some gals from SoCK and I ventured out there to see what goodies begged to come home with us! 😉 I loved visiting with several of the yarn-supplying vendors like Bashful Armadillo, Chaos Fiber Co, and Nordic Star just to name a few. I look forward to starting some new projects with the lovely squishies I picked up! How about Local Yarn Store (LYS) Day this past weekend? From my LYS, I managed to snag a couple new project bags for the new yarn I acquired the day before. Now to get those needles and hooks moving, huh?

Coming up this month, your Executive Board will meet for the fourth quarterly meeting. Note that in our February board meeting (Q3), we discussed, voted, and approved that the membership fee would increase slightly for next year to $30. This is the first time in more than six years we have had a price change, but it was approved to keep it at the same cost regardless of payment method. This price change will be effective starting with the new KANG year (August 2024). Please note that the financials are available on the website under the Member-Only section for review anytime by current members. Please reach out to [email protected] should you have any questions!

Can you believe it is almost that time again? Our Nominating Committee will present the slate of candidates for the open Board positions for the coming year. Then, discussion and elections will happen at the chapter level in June, so be sure to visit your home chapter to cast your vote!


Until next time,

Lauren Levy
Executive Board President
[email protected]

From the President — April 2024

Posted on by KANGWebmaster

Were you able to attend the KANG Retreat last month? What fun we had! I appreciated getting away from the mundane to enjoy the classes, the puzzles, the food, and the fellowship we shared. I think there were five puzzles completed that weekend, ranging from 300-1000 pieces! I enjoyed learning the Japanese short-row stitch in our garment knitting class. Who knew it was such an easy stitch?! Our goody bag came with a Tunisian crochet hook, so we were able to cast-on, practice some different stitches, and then bind-off! I have a little swatch of Tunisian crochet to show for my efforts! Although the weather was finicky, we were able to have a couple of nights outside by the firepit! I cannot wait for next year’s Retreat!

My quest to complete already started projects continues. I am still working on a cable poncho I started over a year (maybe two) ago. It is pieced together with two long panels. One panel is complete, and I am about halfway done with the second panel! Meanwhile, I finished a request for a yellow blankie and pillow from my youngest nephew. He wanted to make sure his plush lamb was warm at night. 😊

While visiting my sister’s family in February, my eldest niece picked out a couple balls of pink and multicolored pastel yarn at Hobby Lobby and asked me, “Auntie Lolo, can you make me a blanket from this yarn?”. Who am I to turn down the request of my darling niece? So, this is the project I have decided to work on as the hubby and I venture off to Japan for some vacation and to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom! Surely there will be time on the trains to do some knitting, right?

Coming up this month, The Modern Skein will be having a launch party for the new “Manor Collection” yarn they will carry. The party starts at 1pm on April 5th, so I hope to see you there! Later in the month, Yarn Store Boutique will be showcasing Theodora’s Pearls Yarn for a trunk show happening April 26-27th. That is a busy weekend as Yellow Rose Fiber Fiesta will be happening Friday and Saturday only in Seguin! All the while, Saturday, April 27th is Local Yarn Store Day! Be sure to keep an eye on their socials and get out there to visit all of our local yarn shops!


Until next time,

Lauren Levy
Executive Board President
[email protected]