Outgoing 2021-2022 Program Chairs
The outgoing Program Chairs volunteered for this pivotal Guild function before the pandemic hit and successfully allowed the Guild to continue to have relevant program content via Zoom when necessary and in person whenever possible. Some of the East Coast and international speakers were so enlightening, we will continue to explore the Zoom option in the future.
A most heartfelt thank you!
Lou Wanna Katz
Lou Wanna took her first knitting lesson 16 years ago and hasn’t stopped knitting since. She’s got lots of future projects in mind, but not enough time to make them all. She doesn’t have a preferred type of project, yet Malabrigo yarn in all weights is her favorite. A Combination knitter, she works with fingering to worsted weight yarns in her varied projects.
She joined the Guild six years ago to meet Stephen West. Once that mission was accomplished, she took on several key roles in our leadership. Her first two years she helped with the Stash Sale, then took on the job of coordinator for the next two. Not only did she devote her time and organizational skills to this monumental task, she opened her home to all that yarn. She also hosted many out-of-town speakers at her home, saving the Guild hotel costs and enabling us to keep the dues low for years.
As part of the Programs trio, Lou Wanna sought out and contracted program speakers and made the Holiday in July event possible.
In her life before becoming a Guild member extraordinaire, she was a Credentialling Manager of Monarch Health Care.
Unfortunately, the Guild will be saying farewell to Lou Wanna, as she has moved to Orange County.
Ravelry ID knittinkatz
Mary Woo
Mary learned to knit from her mother when she was about 9 years old. Her first project was a vest for her father. Of course, there were knitted clothes for her dolls. As she got older, other interests filled her time and knitting took a back seat.
Knitting came back into her life when she found herself living in Switzerland with lots of free time and no work permit while her husband was there on a fellowship. That’s when she discovered circular needles, knitting magazines and wonderful yarn. The patterns were written in three languages and had clear charts and schematics. She has been intrigued and challenged ever since.
Her favorite projects are shawls, but she has also liked knitted skirts, sweaters, socks and hand mitts. Knitting has gotten her through the pandemic. She was able to take all the workshops offered via Zoom. She felt they were wonderful, and always learned something new. To this day, she continues to knit as often as possible.
Her duties as part of the Programs trio have been to coordinate workshops including locations, payments and overall class management. She picked up speakers from the airport and ferried them to and from the general meeting and workshops. She even arranged dinner outings for our featured guests. When we were scrambling for a new place to meet, she was instrumental in the successful search for our new home.
Ravelry ID mwoonew
Nancy Lerer
Nancy joined the Guild when she moved to San Diego in 2010 to meet people who share some of her own interests. She went to monthly meetings, workshops, and retreats. She enjoyed it all but hadn’t done any volunteering, so when Lou Wanna Katz and Mary Woo approached her to join them on the Program committee, she was ready to say yes. It was a big job, and she was very happy they worked well together.
The Guild went virtual in 2020 and the team had the good luck of starting off their first year being able to invite several European designers to speak and teach. An early challenge for her was public speaking. Even on Zoom, it was initially terrifying. She says it was all a labor of love, because even in the most demanding times she found she was having a great time. She was learning new skills, making new friends, and the members seemed to appreciate the trio’s efforts. Her not so subtle message here is that it’s really worthwhile volunteering for the Guild.
Nancy doesn’t remember when she first learned to knit and assumes her mother taught her. She does recall knitting an afghan in high school and then in her late 20’s trying to make a sweater that sat unfinished for many years. She took up knitting again when her now 30 year old son was a toddler because she wanted to knit him a sweater and hasn’t stopped since. Along the way she discovered she also has a passion for collecting yarn.
One of her favorite knits is Andrea Mowry’s Nightshift. She made it during the pandemic and really enjoyed seeing the color combinations emerge. She used 6 different colors of Laneras dk yarn for the project. Now that her term as program chair is over, she’s looking forward to having more time to put projects together using some of her extensive stash.
It’s astonishing to learn Nancy was terrified of public speaking, since she is known for her poised, velvet voice during every monthly meeting.
Ravelry ID nelknits
— Tania Marshall, Guild President and News Coordinator
