We're excited to host our first destash sale and brunch potluck! 

WHERE IS IT?
Our regular meeting place: Fremont United Methodist Church, 2620 NE Fremont Street, Portland.

WHO CAN COME?  
Everybody! Do you want to sell some yarn from your stash? Then come. Are you interested in seeing what others are selling and maybe interested in picking up a skein or a sweater quantity? Then come. Are you just interested in hanging out and knitting while enjoying the company of other knitters? Then join us!

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THE SALE?  
It's a silent auction. Bring your yarn and fill out our form that sets the minimum bis and notifies potential buyers what forms of payment you can accept (cash, check, PayPal, Venmo or other payment app). Then others can browse and bid on yarn.

Bids stop at 11:00 am and then buyers and sellers can settle up. All transactions are between the buyer and the seller; the guild does not participate in the sale. There is no cost to sell yarn at the Destash Sale.  

HOW DO I GET A SALE FORM?
If you didn't pick up a sale form at the meeting, we will have them available Saturday at the event. If you want to get them filled out before hand, download one here, or just shoot us an email at puddletownknitters@gmail.com and we'll send you the form for you to print out.  

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THE BRUNCH? 
It's a potluck, so just bring something to share. (Margaret has been practicing her carrot-almond scones.) 

The guild will provide coffee and tea, and plates. If you want to be super helpful, you can bring your own coffee cup and utensils. 

WHAT ABOUT MIMOSAS?
Our lease with the church does not allow for alcoholic beverages, but mocktails would be delightful. 

IS THIS A FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENT? 
Sure!   

CAN I HELP?   
That would be great! Email us at puddletownknittersguild@gmail.com if you can help set up at 8:15 am, or stay a few minutes after the sale and help clean up.  

Favorite place to knit:
​I am an avid OSU Beaver football fan and during the season I love to knit in front of the TV or at Reser stadium and knit while I yell.

What’s your biggest knitting victory?
My biggest knitting accomplishment has been learning how to change the gauge from recent PKG speaker Nele Redweik. I did the math from “The Easy One” designed by Joji Locatelli and knit a beautiful orange (my favorite color) pullover in DK weight yarn. (Check it out here.)

I have been over the moon meeting different designers at workshops this year including Thea Coleman a.k.a. Babycocktails and Caitlin Hunter a.k.a. Boylandknits (Check out Kim's Tegna top here). Being in their presence has been awe-inspiring.
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What do you want to learn more about in knitting?
I am tinkering with knitwear design and have a couple of sweaters in mind and on paper for the future.

PDXKnitterati
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Business member Michele Bernstein of PDXKnitterati told us about yarn support. As a designer and teacher, she helps grow her business and supports other fiber entrepreneurs by collaborating through yarn support.

Yarn support is when a yarn designer and a knitwear designer forge a mutual agreement. The knitwear designer may be inspired by a particular colorway and decides to create a pattern around it. Michele’s Concentric Cowl perfectly shows off KnitCircus Ringmaster Panoramic Gradient's color-play, for example. Michele’s pattern and the yarn are a great pairing, and each party gets exposure, making it an ideal yarn support situation!


How do you engage in yarn support?

• Look at yarn! Easy, right? If you’re itching to design something of your own and only have a vague idea of what you want, exploring your favorite LYS may spark inspiration.
• Send ideas to the yarn supplier of your dreams. Starting a conversation with a yarn designer can result in a project even better than you expected.
• The dyer or pattern publisher comes to you. If you’re gaining traction in the fiber world, a yarn designer may reach out to you and ask for support.

Michele’s designs show her unique vision, are relatively swatch-forgiving (cowls, scarves, shawls, and hats, yay!), and support yarn designers in the spirit of our close-knit community. Learn more about her on her blog or see if there’s a spot at her upcoming retreat, a collaboration with crochet designer Laurinda Reddig.

Prolific knitter, sometimes designer, and co-founder of Butterfly Boxes Adrienne Enriquez shares some of her knitting favorites with us for the second installment of Member Spotlight!

Why do you knit?
I'm among those who find knitting relaxing. It's also how I justify binge-watching Netflix or listening to hours and hours of podcasts ... I'm being productive while I do it!

What got you started knitting?
A family friend taught me how to knit when I was 5 years old, and I worked on that olive drab, bulky, misshapen scarf for a few years. When I was 12, I asked my grandma to "really teach me" how to knit. She was a believer in both making the thing you wanted and in ripping out all mistakes. So my first "real" project was a forest green, heavily textured - cables, bobbles, and more! - sweater that was perfectly executed under her eagle eye. After that, I was a fairly intermittent knitter until just after college. In the past 20 years, it's become a regular part of my daily life.

Favorite place to knit:
On my couch - best place to binge-watch Netflix!

What’s currently on your needles?
So many things! I'm not a monogamous knitter. Not even close. Right now, the top three in rotation are a Wool & Honey sweater for me, a narwhal stuffie for a friend's baby (which will likely be accompanied by a harbor seal stuffie for his older sister), and an Apex scarf.

What’s your biggest knitting victory?
I've designed a couple colorwork baby blankets that I really loved. But my biggest victory might actually have been a rather simple project that just took forever. And bored me to tears. But I finished it.

I made my niece a queen-sized striped "sky" blanket (pictured above). Over the course of her 16th year, I took a photo of the sky everyday around noon and then knit those colors into a blanket for her. Biggest surprise? I was astounded that I had to reorder blue yarn twice. And I'm STILL making my way through the leftover gray yarn (using it for the narwhal, in fact!). Portland's skies aren't gray as often as we like to think!

Oh! I'm also pretty proud of an ocean-themed baby activity book I made for a friend a couple years ago. Most of it was pattern-based, but I designed a couple of pages to go with it because my friend loves crabs and clearly needed a crab page, right?

What do you want to learn more about in knitting?
It's probably about time I do something in brioche, right?

What other hobbies do you have?
I bought myself a spinning wheel about 6 months ago, and I've loved every time I've used it. Same for the rigid heddle loom I bought a couple years ago. I've recently re-picked up counted cross stitch for when I need a change of pace. Outside of crafting, I'm a reader.

Colorwork or cables?
Colorwork.

Describe your ultimate knitting project:
I like projects that teach me something new.

Follow Adrienne:
adriennepdx on Ravelry and Instagram
Want to share your love of knitting with the guild? Email us at puddletownknitters@gmail.com with subject line Member Spotlight. 

Members beat the heat by enjoying the a/c and lots of cozy, cozy knitting at our August meeting.

Keep Up with Events

We want to make sure you're in the know! In addition to announcing events at our meetings (thank you, Margaret!), we maintain our Community Events page regularly. If you use Google Calendars, you can add events we publish to your own agenda--easy-peasy. Just scroll to the bottom of our Community Events page, find the Google Calendar, click on the event you don't want to forget, and select "Copy to my calendar." 

Member Tip

Kate Cornelius shared with us a tip for helping with hand and finger pain. To ease pain from general inflammation or arthritis, she suggests compression gloves, specifically the design without fingers so that you don't have to put down your needles. You can find her pair here on Amazon. Find out what is meant by compression.

By Hand Serial
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By Hand Serial, created by Andrea Hungerford with photography by Karen DeWitz, is on its 6th issue. Upcoming features include Vancouver Island and Nova Scotia. Andrea had a preview of a gorgeous handmade leather pattern and needle holder. Look for the pattern and potentially even kits to make your own.

Program: Change the Gauge with Nele Redweik

As a knitwear designer and resident tailor at Portland's Wildwood & Company custom shop, Nele is a pro when it comes to changing the gauge. She walked us through the various ways you can tailor patterns to fit your unique vision.

You want to use the perfect yarn of your dreams for the perfect sweater of your dreams, but somehow the two just won't work together. Don't give up. You may be able to make it work.

Start Easy(ish)
If you've never knitted a sweater or gauge-changing before, perhaps you'd want to start with experimenting on simple projects like scarves and hats. Adding/reducing rows, pattern repeats, and stitches per inch isn't as vital to fit when working with hats and scarves as it is when working with sweaters. 

Jump Into Intermediate
If you've made a few pullovers and you're ready to start experimenting with your own designs, start with a simpler crew new, perhaps something knit flat or in plain knitting in the round. 

Go Pro
A seasoned gauge swatcher with no fear of maths? You're ready to play with unique shaping and advanced techniques. 

How To Make Your Sweater Fit You Better

What is it that you want to achieve? A longer hem? More contouring? To use a bulkier yarn? Determining your objective can help you decide what kind of modifications you can start making should you be working off of an established pattern.

To demonstrate the kinds of changes you can make, Nele walked us through an exercise.

Start with your pattern and gauge swatch (blocked). Determine your stitch and row gauge (both the horizontal and vertical stitch count in a 4" section). 

Then, grab your pattern's schematic or finished measurements for the size you choose. Compare your own gauge numbers to the pattern's and do a bit of math to determine the new cast on number, how many rows to knit before the armhole shaping, the rate of decrease for the neckline, etc. If you end up with fractions (3.32 stitches for example), round down to the nearest whole number. 

How Do You Know How Much Yarn To Get?
When using a different weight of yarn than what the pattern calls for, Nele recommends using the handy pamphlet Yarn Requirements by Ann Budd. Knitty also has a wealth of articles on going beyond the pattern with sleeves.

If you have questions for Nele, she's easily found on Ravelry!

Show and Tell

We had an impressive Show and Tell, including snowmanknitter’s trek on the Tour de Sock! Finishing 20th out of about 1700 (!!) on her first FO, Tour de Sock 2018 - Marvin, it took her 20 hours and 5 minutes to complete the socks. We’re cheering her on as she continues!

Sunshine Division Hats

We are still collecting hats until the October 11th meeting. Free yarn is available at the September meeting if you need some (and love to work under a tight deadline). We're up to 91 hats, so keep them coming!

September 13th - Next Meeting
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See you next time with ​Parna Mehrbani, local knitting teacher and an intellectual property lawyer, who will present "The (C) Word:  Copyright for Knitters." 

Helene Knott enlightened us about how to use color in your knitting projects. She was gracious enough to put together her favorite resources, generators, and tools to help you play with color. Be sure to bookmark them! Take it from Helene:

Apps

Palettes (for iPad only)
This app is great! There is a limited free version but the Pro version is only $3.99 and worth every penny. It is one of the most useful apps I’ve found for creating a palette from an image because it allows you to select the colors you want rather than just generating dominant colors that the algorithm detects. You can create a palette of up to 25 colors, play with those colors using tools provided and then save and email the palette you created to yourself.

Color Grab  (for Android only)
This is very close to the Palettes App for iPad, though not quite as versatile or easy to use (in my opinion). It too allows you to open a photo in the app and move a selector tool around the image and select colors to save to a palette then save the palette in a variety of formats. It also lets you point the camera at anything and select/identify the color seen in the focal point of the lens (this function is a bit more difficult to control).

Free Sites

Palette Generator
This free generator includes the color HEX code and a proportional scale to show percentages of each color presented in the original photo. A slider allows you to increase the palette to up to 10 colors. To save your palette, you can right click on it and take a screenshot, then download that, copy and paste it into a photo editing program (like Photoshop) or save it to the Cloud.

Color Explorer
Rather complex and not as easy to use as some of the other ones but a very thorough tool. You can choose how many colors you want it to extract and it gives you both RGB and HEX codes for the extracted colors. It will only work with low res (250KB and below) image files.

CSS Drive
This generator creates a palette of 49 colors and will also give you three limited sample strips – a light, a medium and a dark palette drawn from the master palette. The palettes can be saved as CSS (for website development) or Photoshop files but you need to have CS4 or higher for the Photoshop version.

Color Code HEX Finder 
This site allows you to put in the Color HEX code you get from a palette generator and it will provide the CMYK and RGB models to recreate that exact color for viewing on a computer screen (RGB) or for printing (CMYK). You type in the HEX code and it will generate all the related information along with some color design tools such as the color harmonies based on that color.

Color blender
​This tool does not allow you to extract colors from a photo; rather, it gives you some color charts from which to pick a starting color and an ending color. and then select how many steps you want to include in the blended transition and whether you need the HEX code, RGB or CMYK codes. The generator then creates a blended palette that bridges the two colors you selected; very cool!

Color Hunter 
Free to use and register, not as versatile as others.

Book

Color Works by Deb Menz (ISBN-13: 978-1931499477)
There are doubtless plenty of books on knitting and color that I am not familiar with but this older book is quite a gem. It is a definitive examination of all the aspects of color theory applied to various art and craft projects. The beauty of this book is that it shows each application in the same design rendered in different media – quilting, paper collage, spinning, weaving, knitting, beading, and embroidery (both hand and machine). This allows you to see the interaction and effect of color as it would pertain to all these different mediums. The book is out of print but readily available on Amazon from third party sellers, though the price of it varies wildly from about the original list price to ridiculously expensive copies. It is well worth investing in if you find one at a reasonable price.

Why do you knit?
I learned how to knit as a child out of boredom. My mother taught me two stitches in English style: knit and purl. I took it from there. Fast forward a decade or two: after college I was working in mental health. I started knitting more frequently as a way to reduce stress. It was also a much less self-destructive means of coping. I have a couple of misshapen color-work sweaters from this period of my life‒the sweaters are not quite wearable but I keep them around as a reminder.

​When I switched careers knitting became a destination, a joyous activity, something you can do when you feel good‒not just as an escape. I use it to connect with other people, to explore my creative side. I love being around wads of color smooshiness and turning it into something wearable.

Favorite place to knit:
My porch, with a nice breeze and a glass of bubbly water.

What do you want to learn more about in knitting?
I am curious to learn about what knitting meant to people before me and people living in other places.

Tell us about some project highlights:
Orange Knit's Saturate Shawl a.k.a. The First Time I Blew Money On Nice Yarn
This is the first well-made large project I ever completed and the first time I realized there is value in paying for a knitting pattern as they are often very well thought out and often times a designer is willing to give you a moment of their time if you get stuck.

Tin Can Knit's Prairie Fire Pullover
I dyed the skeins in Kool Aide, knitted it up without alternating skeins, then over-dyed the whole thing in Rit dye. I love the deep purple- but still exemplifies why alternating skeins is usually important

Orange Knit's Santa Clara Sweater
I liked the subtle texture throughout and the bauble stitch- it used up a bunch of fingering weight yarn I had from prior project. Mara is a helluvah pattern writer.

Our July meeting was once again packed with wonderful knitters and programming, including Helene Knott’s presentation “Speaking in Color.”

About TKGA (The Knitting Guild Association)
Members Hilary, Sue, and Lesli shared the benefits of being a part of TKGA, The Knitting Guild Association. It’s the only national non-profit dedicated specifically to knitting.
TKGA membership is only $25 a year, and gives you access to their Correspondence Courses  and Mini Courses; the certification programs like the Master Hand Knitter Certification and the Technical Editor Certification (which Hilary Forrest has completed), tons of technical information, their monthly newsletter, and Cast On magazine. The quarterly publication is currently in digital format, but members can request back issues that came in print.

There’s also a TKGA Ravelry group to get you started. The group was generous enough to donate a free membership, which was raffled off to member Emily Rogers!

Puddletown Shawl KAL with Fiber Besties
Dressed in their most fabulous frocks, Shannon Squire (Shannon Squire Designs) and Lorajean Kelley (Knitted Wit) announced their knit-along and invited us all to Yarn Prom.

If you’re looking for a project, the Puddletown Shawl KAL is the perfect light and airy lace pattern for the mohair Fairy Floss, Knitted Wit’s newest base. If you didn’t get a chance to purchase the kit, check out Knitted Wit’s Etsy shop.

Wear your shawl or favorite summer knit to Yarn Prom, August 4th at their studio, 19959 East Burnside. Doors open at 5 p.m., with a DJ spinning at 7. Attendance is free. Bring your projects, pals, and party vibes.

July’s Program: The Basics of Color Theory with Helene Knott

Handcrafters, from knitters to scrapbookers, dyers to quilters, can make their projects sing with color. Quilter Helene Knott shared her expertise in color theory with us for our July program.
Trained as a painter, Helene has a deep appreciation for and understanding of the nuanced play of color in visual arts. And, as Helene states, you don’t need talent to experiment with color.
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Helene posed a simple yet interesting question to us--what is color? We rarely stop to think about it. As she states, color is energy. Cones in our eyes interpret wavelengths of red, blue, and green. Each of us has a different amount of cones, so everyone sees colors a little differently. Yet, there are still guidelines to help inspire your own designs.

Color Wheels
This is a tool knitters can use that shows the relationships between colors.

From bind off solutions to the incredible dandy-inspired work of Emily Carrig, we had a jam-packed June meeting!​

What To Do with an Enlarged Last Bind Off Stitch

How do you make that stretched-out final stitch disappear? Member Hilary Forrest shared with us her favorite way to create a smooth, clean bind off.

As you work across a row of knitting, the first right-needle stitch "stretches" the first stitch on the left needle by borrowing yarn from the stitch to its right.  Take a look as you knit and you'll see this happen.  As you work across the row, the extra yarn "moves" across the row with you.  Again, take a look as you knit and you can see this.  When you get to the last stitch, there is nowhere for the yarn to go, which is why the last stitch appears to be bigger than the others on your row.  


There are two strategies to prevent this. Assuming you will be binding off stockinette stitch on a right side row, on the last row before binding off (the purl row) work the first stitch normally, and work the second and third very tightly.  Work the rest of the (purl row) normally, and bind off normally.  You will notice that the last bind off stitch is not enlarged.  

​If that doesn't work as well as you would like, try this:  On the last purl row, first the first stitch, then take it off the needle and place it on a rigid stitch marker. Snug that stitch up, and purl the rest of the row.  Bind off normally until you get to the stitch on the marker, and work that stitch right off the marker.  Success!  No enlarged last stitch.  

​Hilary is a TKGA-Certified Master Knitter and Technical Editor.  She suggests referencing Arenda Holladay and Knitting with Suzanne Bryan for the knitty gritty.  

Margaret first discovered ZZ Alpacas at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival when she found the perfect brown alpaca yarn. It came from an animal named Godiva in the tiny town of Fall City, OR. It only gets more charming from there.
 
Dave visited us to share his experience, passion, and hilarious stories around these incredibly cute animals.
 
Dave Zanberg and Sue Zofchak (“ZZ”) started their adventure together in 1978 at Rutgers School of Pharmacy, both having grown up in the industrial suburbs of New Jersey. After time in the Bay Area, Dave discovered the book The Complete Alpaca by Eric Hoffman. Breeding and raising alpacas seemed more pleasurable than living in the fast-paced city.
 
Land was bought in Utah, but later sold. Luckily for us, the couple eventually settled just outside Dallas, OR not far from McMinnville. Twenty acres, 2 Corriedale sheep, 3 mini donkeys, 3 dogs, 7 angora goats, 9 llamas, a bunch of equipment, and 54 alpacas later, Dave and Sue are truly living the alpaca lifestyle. Oh, and they share their home with a 22-year-old cockatoo named Birdie.
 
This is not just a job or a hobby for them. While the couple both work as pharmacists (at competing pharmacies in the same shopping center), they spend just about every other waking hour tending to the herd. Besides feeding them daily, there are stretches of the year that call for their full attention, such as clipping, breeding, and birthing times.
 
Dave affectionately speaks of his alpacas, referring to them by their given names (Red Baron, Tommy Lee, Lani, Monte Crisco) and appreciating each animal’s distinct personality. Generally, Dave said, they are aloof camelids, wanting attention and then playing it cool. The apparent joy and commitment Dave has is what made this program so enjoyable.
 
Dave and Sue breed alpacas for color (anything but uniform white), and there are 16 official colors with names like Rose Gray and Bay Black. However, they have a keen eye for the “30 shades of brown” and the other tonal subtleties that make for unique yarn. Each animal only produces about 4 pounds of yarn.
 
Partnering with veterinarian Pat Long, who has a connection with Oregon State University, Dave and Sue reach out for help on the riskiest part of owning alpacas—labor and care thereafter. There are occasionally heartbreaks in the process, yet many joys.
 
One cria (an alpaca baby) was struggling after birth. They took him to OSU where it was treated with what’s called the “bear hugger” in order to help him along. Dave and Sue’s pharmaceutical knowledge eventually saved the little one. Pat Long then examined the animal and made an announcement—this wasn’t an alpaca. They had a huarizo, or an alpaca/llama hybrid. The alpaca lifestyle is full of surprises.
 
A refrain throughout the stories told was that Dave and Sue often go to fairs or auctions and come back with not one or two animals, but dozens. “There’s about 80 of us now,” Dave said, and that’s not counting the looms, farm equipment, and future animals that will surely make way into their hearts.
 
Lastly, we were so lucky to have the chance to buy yarn at this meeting! While the ultra-soft and warm yarn they produced with the skills of Janelle Casey is irresistible, Dave is currently focusing on weaving rugs with the wool. The samples he brought are some of the softest you’d ever feel beneath your bare feet.
 
Thank you so much, ZZ Alpacas!

Yet another Knit Crate subscription was won, this time by lucky member Donna!

And, join us for social knitting at the first PKG sponsored World Wide Knit in Public Day! We’ll be at Oui Presse on SE Hawthorne. Bring your friends, knitters and those who want to learn. Stop by before or after visiting Brooklyn Tweed’s event at Laurelhurst Park.
 
Come back next time to Fremont United Methodist for Emily Carrig’s program on her experience earning a Master’s Degree in Knitwear Design, Production, and Heritage.