Making Socks With Our Friends August 2020 Volume 8 Issue 3 Prez Sez... Updated Article: Where & How To Buy A CSM What a summer we have had and how quickly it is flying by. I https://cskms.org/resources/ suppose some will say good riddance what with all that has where-to-find-a-csm/ been happening. I tend to not want to wish any part of life away but this year sure has been something. IN THIS ISSUE One thing though this year certainly has taught us – and that President’s Message ...................... 1-2 is not only are we very much an electronic group already Secretary Announcement ................ 3 communicating via email, Internet, Facebook, Ravelry, and Treasurer’s Report ........................... 4 teaching and learning through video tutorials, but we have Skills Certification other options and technology to continue to deliver value to Program Update ............................ 5 you, our membership. Participant Report ..................... 6-7 Jamie Mayfield has done a wonderful job conducting “Ask Jamie” ..................................... 8-9 Zoom sessions, providing demos and instruction. Zoom Review: 3D Printed CSM........ 10-12 sessions are archived in the members only section of the Site Video Updates .......................... 13 CSKMS website for those who missed the live meeting Ribbed Sock Tutorial ...................... 14 or those who like to watch more than once. Member Bios ............................. 15-19 Pattern Index List ............................ 21 Kathy Roletter has done a fabulous job with the Skills Ad Index ............................................ 23 Certification Program – also utilizing a private group on Save the Date ................................... 24 Facebook for the participants to ask questions and sup- port each other. We will add to this the return of the Annual Meeting ON THE WEBSITE & Member Event – virtually that is – on Saturday, Oc- Board Minutes tober 24. We are planning a day of fun mixed with busi- Learning Resources ness – providing some demos/instruction and business – Newsletter Archive Newsletter Pattern Index as we have an election coming up. Stay tuned for more Zoom Video Archive details. If you are interested in assisting in planning – let me know, as a committee will start to meet to firm up details. If you have items for the Board to dis- cuss, email Judy Weller at [email protected]. cskms.org August 2020 Volume 8 Issue 3 Page 1 Prez Sez, continued Speaking of elections and society business: If you are or know someone who is interested to sit on the board – please contact me with your nomination or request to be put on the ballot. We are in need of a new Board Secretary – if that interests you – let us know. See more below If you are interested in serving on a committee – vs on the board, let us know. I have not gotten a ton of sock cranking done even while sequestered at home. I started the year cranking on something a little larger than a CSM. I made a whirlwind trip to Ger- many to celebrate my Mom’s 85th birthday and took the opportunity to pick up an Addi Express King Size circular knitter. They are quite expensive in the US – and available at about half the cost in Europe and since I was going anyway… long story short, I used it to crank hats for our homeless veterans. We have an annual event, called the VA2K where we collect new and gently used clothing and household items etc. I was able to deliver 50 hats, which was pretty awesome. I know many of you also crank for charity. Thank you to each and every one of you. Happy Cranking! Judy Weller, CSKMS President [email protected] CSM Legends and Leaders Who has inspired and nurtured your CSM journey? Send your appreciation and praise to [email protected]. We will publicize your gratitude! August 2020 Volume 8 Issue 3 Page 2 Greetings to all our members! FROM CANDY TERRY, CSKMS SECRETARY We soon enter the 2020 fall season and are fast approaching the Circular Sock Knitting Machine Society’s annual event, on October 24, and election of the 2021 board members. I encourage members to join the board to help continue our work toward making the CSKMS responsive to our changing needs. The Secretary position is open for nominations. Secretary duties include attending regular board meetings and documenting board meeting minutes. The Board typically meets monthly, in the evening. We are flexible to accommodate board member schedules. No experience is required; you will not need rapid typing or dictation skills! Most note tak- ing can be completed during a meeting and is complete when the meeting ends, so there is no need for added work time after the meeting. Taking minutes begins with a simple outline of the meeting agenda provided by the Presi- dent. The secretary uses the agenda as an outline to document the meeting details. Typical notes include attendees, discussion topics, motion and vote results, continuation topics, and noting the next meeting date. See examples on the site. One of the best parts of being a secretary is the opportunity to listen during the meeting to better understand how a handful of members work together to create a society that remains flexible and able to meet the needs of its members, even in challenging times. Interested in nominating yourself? Email Michelle Siegenthaler, Vice President, at [email protected]. Questions about the role? Contact me at [email protected]. Membership Milestone Over 600 strong! As of August 2020, we have 604 members. Since January, membership has increased by more than 10%. Welcome to all new and returning members! August 2020 Volume 8 Issue 3 Page 3 Treasurer’s Report 8/11/2020 ADVERTISE HERE! Submitted by Sheryl Campbell, Treasurer CSKMS members get free ads for their CSM-related businesses. Send your display ad in PNG, JPG, or PDF form to [email protected]. Click here for more information about ads WE NEED YOUR HELP... for a fun and productive Annual Meeting & Member Event. The event is Saturday, October 24. Email [email protected] if you are interested in joining the planning committee. ARE YOU ON FACEBOOK? Join the CSKMS Facebook group. August 2020 Volume 8 Issue 3 Page 4 Skills Certification Program Update from Kathy Roletter, Member at Large and Past President ur 2020 beginner class (March 15 - September 15) has about a month to go, and we O have six (6) participants (out of 15) who have finished their knitted samples and essay questions, submitted their work, and endured having three judges evaluate their submissions. They all passed! Despite a fair amount of nervous anticipation (judging from the posts in the private Face- book group), they rose to the challenge with skillfully cranked cast-on bonnets, "test tube" gauge swatches, scarves or cowls, and three pairs of socks (plain hem top, mock-ribbed, and striped). Cranking wasn't everything though—they had to explain in detail such topics as the various parts and the mechanical operation of the sock machine, the determination of tension and stitch/row gauge, managing yarn flow, and the origin and technique of the Kitchener stitch. The accomplished and certified crankers from this class (so far): Dorinda Balanecki (Michigan) Kathleen Ducharme (Michigan) Kim Kieffer (Indiana) Annie Rieck (Illinois) Kerry Sheldon (Connecticut) Jane Stewart (Ohio) Congratulations, ladies! You put a lot of study and effort into this work to achieve success, and you have proven your high level of competence in basic cranking skills and CSM knowledge. As I write this, we also have several other participants with completed work and are in the process of being judged. No doubt, we will be able to report their success in our next update. Even though we planned to end this class mid-September, we are prepared to be generous with time extensions given how the COVID-19 pandemic has upended so many lives over the last few months. So far, only one class member has requested extra time, and several others think they can finish up within the next few weeks. I want to thank our judges who have given careful attention to details, provided thoughtful feedback and comments, and shipped packages promptly. They have been so reliable and so willing to serve our members in this way! Current judges are Jenny Deters, Rosalyn Keys, Hope Martin, Jamie Mayfield, Sue Vunesky, and Judy Weller. We hope to have the group all done by the end of October, just in time to start another beginner class in early 2021. If you are interested in being in that certification group, email Kathy Roletter ([email protected]) to be notified when applications open. And yes, we are working on the next level – Intermediate – that will focus on different types of heels and ribbing skills. More on that to come! August 2020 Volume 8 Issue 3 Page 5 Level 1 Certification Program Report Dorinda Balenecki writes about her experience. s soon as I heard about the CSKMS Certification Program, I A knew I wanted in! I was thrilled to find out I was accepted in the first group of this program. I am fairly new to CSM knitting. In August of 2018, after lusting for a machine I could afford, I found a rusty crusty old Gearhart. I spent the rest of the summer and fall refurbishing it to a beautiful running machine. At Christmas, I made wonderful lace ornament covers knit on my machine, which I gave to friends and family as gifts. Lots of tubes and gauge swatches were to follow. Fast forward to March 2020, I still had not made a pair of socks! I have made many tubes, heels, toes, and single socks. I studied hard to figure out the tension for each yarn and the correct number of rows to crank to get the best fitting sock for my feet.