Prince William Purlers Knit for Charity

The Prince William Purlers is a group for those who love to knit, do charity work and spend time with friends.

The knitting guild meets once a month in Manassas at the Java Rock Café, and between meetings they have "knit outs" where they knit at various locations.

Membership ranges from young children, to their oldest member, Ruth Jacksier, who is in her 90s. There are also members from countries such as England and Australia, as well as from the Northern Virginia area.

“It’s still about forwarding the craft and teaching fresh ideas,” said Penny Grammer, who usually brings her 12 and 15-year-old daughters with her to meetings because they also knit and like to submit their work to the county fair.

During the July 3 meeting, there was an announcement that a member had recently passed away, and some of her supplies and unfinished projects were free to be taken by anyone who wanted them.

“Nothing ever dies in knitting, so we just pass them all along,” Grammer said.

The guild makes sure the art of knitting never dies by helping each other when they are confused, and by teaching young people how to knit. They have made a tradition of teaching a Girl Scout troop some simple stitches every winter.

Julie George, a member for the past four years, said she would like to bring knitting to older people as well. She feels knitting together is a good tool for older women who need people to talk to.

George also demonstrates wool spinning and raises angora rabbits that produce wool for her.

Another member, Eugenia Fisher, said she mostly knits for her relatives. She remembers her first knitting project was a sweater she made for her doll. She still has it.

“There’s a lot of talent here, and you can talk to people if you have a problem, they can come to you if they have a problem,” Fisher said.

Guild member Jann Frick agrees that her favorite part about the group is the camaraderie and the exchange of ideas.

Something she learned through knitting is that using the Fibonacci Sequence when knitting rows of color helps attract the eye.

One of the original members of the guild is MaryAnn Strand, who helped explain the history of the group.

The guild began as a group of ladies in winter of 1996 that took knitting classes in a yarn shop, but when the teacher said she could no longer teach them, they decided they still wanted to meet.

The guild has grown in size and moved from that shop to a library and a few other places until they found their home in the Java Rock Café.

During meetings the ladies sit around tables and talk as they knit. Toni Lipe, the president of Prince William Purlers, makes announcements about the Santa Train charity they will take part in, upcoming knitting contests, and asks members to raise their hand if they want to give a brief book review of something they have read recently.

The guild members also make announcements about any yarn sales they know of, and midway through the meeting they are able to show off their creations to the whole group.

The Prince William Purlers caters to every type of knitter from those who want to knit caps for chemotherapy patients, to members who want to submit their work into shows, or those who just want a group of people with whom to share their interests.