2021 Speakers
December 9, 2021 (Webinar)
​Gayle Roehm
Hand Knitting Design in Japan
Gayle Roehm will discuss Japanese knitting design and introduce us to some of her favorite Japanese knitwear designers and their designs, highlighting the incorporation of beautiful stitchwork and unique variations on traditional techniques. While there isn’t a long tradition of Japanese knitting nor specific unifying elements of Japanese design, you are likely to be inspired, amazed, and sometimes bewildered by these creative and intriguing designers. Gayle has lived in Japan, speaks Japanese, and is the translator of Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible and 250 Japanese Knitting Stitches as well as several other books of Japanese knitting. She is also a nationally recognized knitting instructor and a knitwear designer.
November 11, 2021 (Webinar)
Kate Atherley
The Good, The Bad, and The Pooling: Working with Multicolored Yarns
Kate Atherley will discuss the fun and challenges of working with hand-painted yarns, including a review of different types of hand-painted colorways. With the help of lots of photos, she will explain how to figure out what a yarn will look like when it is knitted up and she’ll provide guidance on how to best apply different types of colorways for the most attractive results. Kate will also share stories about the best, the worst, and the most surprising skeins of variegated yarns she’s bought. She is a knitting author with nine published books, an internationally recognized knitting teacher and editor, and the co-founder and publisher of Digits & Threads, an online magazine of Canadian fiber and textile arts.
October 14, 2021 (Webinar)​
Susan Rainey
Introduction to Invisible Stranding
Invisible stranding is a game changer that Susan Rainey loves to share with other knitters and she will introduce this technique to us in her presentation. Also known as Ladderback Jacquard, invisible stranding is an essential tool for the serious colorwork knitter because it allows the knitter to carry yarn across any number of stitches without catching the floats. When knitting with two or more colors, it is usually standard practice to trap long floats by twisting the working yarn with the carried yarn, but this creates a pucker in the fabric on the right side, and often, the other carried color shows through. With invisible stranding, these issues are eliminated and the colorwork remains neat and uniform. Susan is a knitting instructor who dabbles in design. She shares her passion for knitting with her equally obsessed sister, Sally, on their blog “The Rainey Sisters,” which has been going strong for fifteen years.
September 9, 2021 (Webinar)
Kim McBrien Evans of Indigodragonfly
Inclusive Design and the Maker
Kim McBrien Evans of Indigodragonfly is a Canadian knitwear designer and indie hand dyer whose designs are known for their ability to turn an abstract idea into a textile reality while simultaneously fitting and complimenting a wide range of bodies. She will be discussing the maker's role in inclusive design with a focus on improving sweater fabric and fit through understanding ease, the importance of taking and applying measurements to choose a size or create a hybrid size, and what three things you can do to make your next sweater perfect for the wearer. She will also highlight the role of the maker in improving access to inclusive sizing.
August 12, 2021 (Webinar)
Françoise Danoy of Aroha Knits
Demystifying Shawl Shapes
Françoise Danoy of Aroha Knits will discuss shawl construction and shaping by highlighting how the usage and placement of increases and decreases work together to form the popular shawl shapes seen in designs: triangular, crescent and asymmetrical. The presentation will focus on the ways that understanding shawl construction can help knitters to more confidently knit or design shawls. This knowledge can then be incorporated into a knitter’s repertoire to boost creativity in conceiving and crafting their projects. Françoise is a knitwear designer who uses her designs to connect artistically with her Maori heritage. She is also an instructor and mentor to beginning designers through her signature program, the SWATCH Studio Circle.
July 8, 2021 (Webinar)
​Carolyn Bloom of Bloom Handmade Studio
Creating Outside Your Comfort Zone - Taking Chances, Embracing Mistakes and Discovering Your Artistic Potential
Carolyn Bloom is a designer and teacher who has developed techniques for embroidery on stockinette that allow the items to be reversible. In this presentation, she will share examples of this work as well as the creative process that led to the creation of her techniques. She believes that taking risks in artistry and allowing for failure can lead to incredibly rewarding artist experiences of learning, changing, expanding, and expressing oneself. Carolyn’s patterns have been published by Interweave Press and Twist Collective and she has been featured as a guest lecturer at Knitty City in New York City.
June 10, 2021 (Webinar)
Jesie Ostermiller of Knitty Jo Designs
Mastering Color Choice
Jesie Ostermiller, the author of The Colorwork Bible, will discuss how to choose colors that work together. She will teach the techniques and skills that are needed to make effective and successful color choices. The presentation will include real knitting examples to help knitters identify color combinations, learn about the science behind the color wheel, and apply that knowledge to create beautiful knitwear. Jesie is an avid knitter and designer with a passion for colorwork. Her designs have been featured in various Interweave publications and can be found on Ravelry.
May 13, 2021 (Webinar)
Faith Humphrey Hill of Dartily
Mirror Knitting
Faith Humphrey Hill will discuss Mirror Knitting, a technique that allows the knitter to work stitches from the left hand needle to the right hand needle, then knit them back again from the right hand needle to the left all without turning the work. Mirror Knitting is an efficient technique for short rows, large projects that are heavy to rotate, and colorful yoke cardigans that you don’t need to steek! It’s also a technique that is interchangeable with other methods within a single project. This presentation will include demonstrations of the technique in both English and Continental styles of knitting as well as a discussion of the technique’s impact on stitch structure.
April 8, 2021 (Webinar)
Carson Demers of Ergo, I Knit
Tips to Knitting Longevity and Comfort
Carson Demers of Ergo, I Knit will give an overview of what you need to know in order to be able to knit comfortably for years to come. He’ll give specific tips and strategies for integrating his recommendations into your knitting routine. Carson is a physical therapist who manages an ergonomics program for a San Francisco Bay Area medical center. He is also accomplished at knitting, spinning, designing, teaching, writing, always with a watchful eye toward ergonomics. His aim is to keep knitters creating healthfully and comfortably ever after. Carson is the author and publisher of Knitting Comfortably: The Ergonomics of Handknitting and a regular contributor to Ply magazine.
March 11, 2021 (Webinar)
Jennifer Berg of Native Knits
We Are Still Here: Keeping My Culture Alive Through Knit Design
Jennifer will talk about sharing her Navajo heritage through Native focused knitting designs. She'll give us a tour of her home, family store, frybread stand (small example of tortilla making by Clara, Jennifer's grandmother) and talk about how she is keeping her heritage alive through design. She'll show her inspirations and talk a bit about appreciation vs appropriation. Jennifer will introduce her Tsekoh Cowl (Rock cut/Canyon), which was designed specifically for her visit to Puddletown, and which will be featured in the class she will teach for the Guild on April 17th and April 24th, 2021.
February 11, 2021 (Webinar)
Kristine Vejar and Adrienne Rodriguez, cofounders of A Verb For Keeping Warm
Journeys in Natural Dyeing
​Journeys in Natural Dyeing shares the story of Kristine Vejar and Adrienne Rodriguez’s travels to four countries, Iceland, Mexico, Japan, and Indonesia, where they visited natural dyers who use their locally-sourced dyes in dramatically different environments to create textiles that evoke beauty, a connection to the land on which they live, and showcase their mastery of skill. From their California-based studio, Vejar and Rodriguez used their own locally-grown and gathered dyestuffs, from leaves to fungi, and utilized techniques, from extraction to fermentation, to create over 400 shades of color. This book includes profiles of the artists met, shares their process of creating dye, and includes recipes and projects to create a wide spectrum of color. Kristine and Adrienne hope this book and talk help you learn how to work with your own natural environment to create deep, beautiful colors and to see your neighborhood in a whole new way.
January 14, 2021 (Webinar)
Cecelia Campochiaro
An Introduction to Sequence Knitting and Making Marls
Hear about sequence knitting, marls as colorwork, and Cecelia’s journey from high tech to knitting-book author. Cecelia's suggestions for Yarns to Marl.