Guest Column: A Successful Knitting Guild
© Suzanne Griffith
For Michelle, as for many of us, discovering the world of online knitting was a revolution in her life. She says:
I joined Knitlist and KnitU, and a new world opened up for me. I joined a local artists cooperative, Springwater Fiberworks in Alexandria, Virginia, and plan to take classes there. I joined TKGA and attended their meeting in Richmond (just the vendors this time). I went to Maryland Sheep & Wool this year. I'm planning to go to Knitters Day Out in Pennsylvania and Stitches East this fall.
Michelle offers us special expertise in the area of small groups. She's been active in discussion salons for several years through the Utne Reader initiative to set up salons in large cities around the country. Michelle has been active in various special-interest groups since 1992. She set up a successful discussion salon in Maryland and remains active in the Washington, D.C. salon network and a Virginia quilt guild. Her experience should be helpful to anyone wishing to set up a knitting guild.
RECIPE FOR A GUILD, by Michelle Strange
People: Groups often work best when people are meeting for the first time. Start with an ad in the local giveaway paper or flyers at yarn stores, fiber arts stores, grocery stores, and libraries. To get ten to fifteen people each month, you need twice as many on your contacts list. The reinforcement starts when people see your notice, then hear about it from a friend or neighbor, and then are invited personally.
Place: There may be a meeting room at a community center, library, or rec center. This relieves members from playing "host" and provides a gathering place for before and after the meeting.
Time: Stick with a schedule that works for you. I recommend "first Sunday" or similar setup to make it easy to remember. You could lose members if you change the schedule.
Format: The first meeting will set the tone and let people know what to expect. If you can stay loose, that helps. Focus is more determined by the group than by the leader or convener.
Publicity: I called the local paper and offered to write an article about my group. Instead, they sent a reporter and photographer, and the group doubled in size after the article appeared. Other ways to get publicity include mentioning the group at other community meetings and posting a notice on a community web page.
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