The Big Apple Knitters Guild (BAKG) was founded in 1991 by a small group of intrepid knitters, who met initially at members’ homes, the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza, and the Jefferson Market Library in Manhattan.
Many of the guild’s ongoing events and traditions were initiated in its earliest years:
- January 1992: BAKG held its first yarn swap—the forerunner to our annual auction, a colossal “yarn-bargain”event that BAKG members eagerly look forward to each January.
- March 1992: The name of our members-only quarterly newsletter, City Purls, was unveiled. Early editions contained knitting patterns and recipes; current editions include these entries and much more—with special columns, such as Meet the Knitter, Lesson Learned, True Confessions, and “Knitionary,” to entertain and educate our readers.
- April 1992: BAKG held its first weekend workshop, with instructor Arlene Mintzer. Many notable instructors have since led BAKG workshops, including Franklin Habit, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Melissa Leapman, Shirley Paden, John Brinegar, Alasdair Post-Quinn, Maggie Radcliffe, and Laura Nelkin, to name but a few.
- June 1992: The first of our annual luncheons was held, celebrating the first anniversary of the guild’s founding. On September 24, 2016, BAKG held its 25th anniversary luncheon gala, with special guest speaker Carol Sulcoski.
BAKG boasted 100 members by September 1992. We continue to grow and serve our truly wonderful community of knitters, now over 300 active members and counting!