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by Kimberly Williams Our first virtual meeting was a success. Margaret welcomed people as they signed into the Zoom meeting. And what a breath of fresh air was that bit of normality in the face of our current situation. Anna Lorton has graciously volunteered to organize our member tips to make them a regular feature of meetings again. She started off with two great ideas. For those reluctant to speak in front of a crowd, you can ask a friend to present your tip. As well as technique tips, we can also share “knit-changing” book recommendations. Anna’s tip for this month was a game changer for Make 1 increases. Back by popular demand and bravely agreeing to be our virtual presentation guinea pig, Meaghan Schmaltz, aka The Unapologetic Knitter, spoke to us about the challenges of grading designs to achieve size inclusivity. Her passion for this movement was apparent immediately and outlined in three reasons to design for all body shapes. Community, pride in creation, and because it’s the right thing to do. When a pattern gains popularity and everyone is knitting it, a community is created around that pattern. If that pattern’s design limits sizes to a small range, many will be excluded. And isn’t one of the best parts of being a knitter the sense of belonging? When you knit a pattern and the design is thoughtful about each size, thus allowing the finished sweater to fit you well, pride will follow. Pride that you made this beautiful sweater, stitch by stitch. And hopefully, that pride will translate into self-love. There are many challenges to grading a pattern. Grading is adjusting a pattern for a range of sizes based on a sample size. Ratio of increases is not the same at every part of the sweater, collar, yoke, bust, sleeve, waist. Raglan yokes are especially hard to grade and maintain the 45 degree angle. To grade a pattern for an inclusive size range takes time. Either the designer must put in the effort themselves or hire technical editors, like Meaghan. What does all of this mean for knitters? Patterns will be longer with more breakouts—sections of the pattern written for a subset of sizes; for example, size 1,2,3 only, work these steps. More time on the designers part will increase pattern pricing. In our opinion, the cost will be well worth it. Meaghan also presented results from her size off comparison of Andrea Mowry’s Comfort Fade Cardigan sized using standard nomenclature (S,M,L) and the Weekender sized using numerical nomenclature (1,2,3,4). Part of this inclusive movement in knitting design is the shift in nomenclature. Meahan looked at 10 pages of Ravelry projects for each sweater. Out of the 320 projects of each design, 50% of the Comfort Fade reported the size made. Compare that to the numerical sized Weekender at 70% reporting the size made. Are people more comfortable with a method of naming sizes that does not include a negative connotation? It would seem so. This all goes back to the sense of community. Ravelry provides us with a place to share our projects and learn from others’ projects. How much more useful would this be if we all felt comfortable to share the size we made? Lastly, Meaghan highlighted some designers she knows who are doing the work to further embracing body positivity and size inclusivity. Jacqueline Cieslak is a great inspiration for both of these. Shannon Squire and Annie Lupton are making the effort to go back and regrade their designs for a wider range of sizes. Meaghan works with Trysten Molina and Andrea Mowry to create designs that have the same look at all sizes. Thanks, Meaghan, for a great presentation. Despite being virtual, we still wanted to do a show and tell. We asked the community to mail in their projects, and finished off the meeting with the below.
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We have been following the evolving COVID-19 situation carefully and doing our best to follow public health guidelines. With our community in mind,
the March meeting previously scheduled for Thursday, 3/12 and the Native Knits KAL evenings previously scheduled for Tuesday, 3/17, and Tuesday, 3/31 are postponed due to coronavirus. As soon as we have the arrangements complete, we will share the details with you. by Kimberly Williams Another great meeting of Puddletown Knitters Guild with a lot happening.
We received some adorable stuffed animals for our charity knitting project, bringing us to a total of 20. Don’t forget to tag @ButterflyBoxesPDX to spread the joy of crafting with a purpose.   Exciting news for our guild. We are now sister guild to the Brave Girls, a group of new knitters in Rwanda and Uganda. Next month, Kathryn Gearheard, teacher to these women, will tell her story and share their goals. We will also be collecting straight knitting needles for her to take to the Brave Girls. So clean out your duplicates or purchase some new ones and bring them to the March meeting. Peter and Betty Charles were on hand to demonstrate their finely crafted swifts and winders. It was fascinating to hear the origin story of their company, Oregon Woodworkers. Betty’s LYS asked him to fix and recreate a shop swift that was always breaking. Peter spent the next two years perfecting the design. Their swifts come in a variety of woods, set up and pack up easily, and are pretty enough to leave out all the time. Even better, there are zero wood on wood turning points, so our PNW humidity won’t wreak havoc on your yarn winding. 
Our speaker had years of wisdom and stories to share with us. Yvonne inspired us with her designs and the process behind each. The highlights I took away are:
 Examples of Yvonne's work she brought to show Post meeting book list from Yvonne, in no particular order:
And her latest purchase mentioned at the meeting:
Show and tell
 Margaret photobombing Anne and Susan Huffman (in her Carbeth Cardigan). In her presentation, designer Debbi Stone of Stitches of My Life Designs discussed gauge: what is it, what determines it, and what is the role of gauge in the success of your final project. Like many beginning knitters, Debbi was never taught about gauge and how it can affect your knitted item, and this led to many project failures where things just didn’t fit right. Luckily, once you master gauge you can prevent these things from happening. Gauge is defined as the number of stitches per inch, in both stitches across (stitch gauge) and stitches vertically (row gauge). Gauge can be affected by the yarn, the needles, the knitting style, the knitter, and the situations of the day; therefore it’s important to always check gauge if you want your project to come out as expected. An additional consideration with gauge is the desired overall structure or drape of the finished fabric. Before making anything, Debbi recommends knitting a gauge swatch. If this matches the gauge listed in a pattern, then your project will match the design as written. If it doesn’t, it will not and you will need to make changes (different needles or yarn are the easiest things to switch out). When swatching, you will be able to find out how you like the fabric, how the yarn looks, how the pattern or colorwork look, how the fabric flows/drapes and generally how you like it, in addition to the gauge you get. Some swatching tips Debbi had were to be sure to stick to the same situation as the pattern calls for as much as possible. For example, use the same yarn, and the same needles; if the pattern is knit in the round; knit the swatch in the round; swatch all of the knitted patterns you will be making in the project; and be sure to knit onto the full shaft of the needle (not just the tip of the needle) even though it’s a small swatch. By following these steps, you will get a swatch that is representative of the gauge you will get with the project. To make a useful swatch, Debbi suggests always including a garter edge so as to more easily see the edges of what you’ve made without curling. Finally, Debbi insists that if you don’t block your swatch, you shouldn’t even bother knitting it, as you will have no idea of what happens to the yarn/fabric once blocked. When blocking, she recommends following the ball band regarding temperature, but then simply laying out the swatch to dry (without pins) in order to see what it does naturally. Thank you, Debbi! Show and Tell
Brad Clark and his life-long sweetheart, Cheri, owned The Naked Sheep Knit Shop for 12 years. Living with a knitter for over 30 years has taught Brad a lot. He shared insightful lessons, humorous stories, and tips. Brad asked us to consciously think about our knitting and our lives. He broke it down into a few steps:
He highlighted that knitters are a wonderful group of people. Whether it’s supporting local businesses like The Naked Sheep Knit Shop, or during tragedies like a Portland knitter who was in a serious accident while bicycling, we pitch in when others are in need. Rose Haven Blankets Puddletown donated about 50 handmade blankets to Rose Haven. Some were quilted, some crochet, some knitted, but all were made with TLC. Seeing the heavy bags filled with blankets was inspiring. These blankets will help women and their families stay warm throughout the winter while letting them know that someone cares. In addition, we also donated many boxes of menstrual products to help refill Rose Haven’s shelves. Kim Biegler shared her work process at Ewethful Fiber Farms and Mill. In 2015, Kim met Janell of Fantasy Fibers. After processing her own fleeces at home, Kim was intrigued by the milling process and Janell reached out when she decided to retire. In 2016, Kim took over the business, and used it as a reason to expand her menagerie with more fiber producing animals. In addition to her own yarn, she also works with farms throughout the northwest. When Kim receives skirted fleece from a farm, she washes the fiber and sends it through the dehairing process to remove coarse hairs like guard hairs. Then, it’s time for picking where the fibers are fluffed and blended (e.g., different types of wool, or wool with alpaca). When it’s all fluffed and blended, it’s off to the carding process where fibers are aligned and roving and batts are produced. Then it’s time for spinning, winding, steaming and skeining … and then … Yarn!  Throughout this whole process, there are many variables that Kim needs to account for including things like temperature and humidity, which affect the fibers and can cause the machinery to jam.
Unlike larger commercial yarns, Ewethful yarns are sourced, milled, spun, and dyed in Oregon. Large, commercial yarns could start in the northwest, but are transported out-of-state for washing, then hauled somewhere else for spinning and yet another for dyeing before coming back to the northwest for sale. Thank you, Kim! Board Elections Chair Margaret Weddell explained to the members that the purpose was to elect board members for the term of January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022. The terms for Angela Bayout, Kimberly Williams, Kim Winter would expire December 31, 2019. Angela did not want to seek reelection, and we thank her for all of her hard work. Kimberly Williams sought reelection to the board and would like to serve as Outreach Coordinator. Kim Winter sought reelection as Volunteer Coordinator. lyric apted and Julie Spellman sought election to the board as co-Communications Coordinators. There was a motion by member Stacy Hankin to elect them, seconded by Michelle Corcoran, and was passed with no dissenting votes. Board members Margaret Weddell (chair), Natalie Sass (Secretary/Treasurer), and Annette Caughman (Program Chair) were elected to two-year terms last year and will continue to serve on the board through December 31, 2021. JC Briar's October presentation produced so many cries of delight with her unique approach to visualizing a pattern on paper. After writing a book (Charts Made Simple) explaining how charts work, she took her computer programming know-how to revolutionize charts into maps. Stitch-maps.com is an “online stitch dictionary, crowd sourced” that produces stitch maps that resemble the knit fabric in a way a stitch chart just can’t.    You can search for common stitch patterns by pattern name or tags such as “brioche” or “lace” and even “Japanese stitch clusters.” If you can’t find the pattern you need, you can enter the written directions, click a button, and voila, a stitch map just for you. Don’t worry about copyrights, JC keeps tabs on the new additions to the site. Also, most stitch patterns are not eligible for copyright status. The website has various levels of access. Some parts are free. For $15 a year you get access to a little more, and if you are a designer there are even more features for you. Just to name a few features of the stitch maps, there are row guides and column guides, section highlighting and even stitch counts per row. It seems hard to believe this amazing tech has been around since 2012! It has 250 symbols for stitches and over 1000 stitch patterns in its library. Check it out so you can be as amazed as everyone else. Thanks, JC! Show and Tell Check out your amazing finished projects! Rose Haven Blankets It was overwhelming to see all of the finished blankets piled up at the bow tying table. At least 40 blankets have been collected for Rose Haven Women's Shelter. A big thanks to everyone who worked hard on making that possible. We will be taking them to Rose Haven after our November meeting along with any menstraution products collected at that meeting.   Join us next month when Kim Biegler, owner of Ewethful Fiber Farms and Mill, joins us!
This month, our own Volunteer Coordinator Kim Winter stepped up to share her Tip Top Sweater Tips before casting on. As a knitting teacher herself, Kim is full of amazing information. Thank you, Kim, for sharing your expertise! Here are her tips, in her own words!  PKG Volunteer Coordinator Kim Winter shared her sweater secrets!
Once I have begun my sweater, I keep the pattern, all the yarn and needles in the same project bag. If I need that needle for another project, I never put it on another needle but instead put the sweater wip on waste yarn or just a needle holder. I make copious notes on my project and even will put a note to myself as to where I left off in case I don’t get back to my project in a timely manner. They say an average sweater takes 30-60 hours to complete. The ten hints listed above usually take me under an hour and by doing this “homework”, I knit successful and wearable sweaters. I encourage you to delve into the world of sweater knitting! It is so much fun! Thank you, Kim!
Join us next time, October 10, with JC Briar.  Wendy Hanson of Shaggy Bear Farms and her delightful farm-to-needle yarns. Puddletown had the pleasure of hosting Wendy Hanson of Shaggy Bear Farms to our August Guild Meeting. Wendy and her husband moved to Scio, Oregon about 15 years ago and began a fiber farm where they breed and raise a variety of goats, sheep, and alpacas. This growing farm now boasts more than 25 different breeds of sheep and they currently have over 400 animals in their "farm to needle" operation. Many of the sheep were originally rescue animals. Wendy described the characters of her sheep and has enjoyed giving them names and personalities. She enjoys singing while shearing them. She also provided information about intentional breeding versus accidental breeding and what it takes to continue a fiber farm. A self-described hard worker, Wendy rises about 3:30 in the morning to tend to her "babies" before working a full day's job and coming home to more farm work before retiring in the evenings. Wendy's inventory of yarns were truly beautiful; from vibrant colors to a natural/neutral palette. Wendy brought many hanks and rovings of her self-dyed yarn to show and sell. Wendy describes her inspiration for color choices from "Mother Nature". Thank you, Wendy, for sharing a glimpse into your incredible life with us. Please join us at our next week, Thursday September 12th, for finishing techniques with Shellie Anderson.  A Shaggy Bear Farms resident enjoying some attention.  PKG Volunteer Coordinator Kim Winter and Member & Volunteer Michelle Corcoran at our guild's first ever table at Black Sheep Gathering. Thank You, Black Sheep Gathering for Having Us Puddletown Knitters Guild held its first booth at the Black Sheep Gathering (BSG) in Albany on July 7th and 8th. The guild was well received by the staff organizers! It was the first time BSG had hosted a guild and they were warm and welcoming. Thank You, Volunteers Our fabulous volunteers greeted the public, introduced them to our budding guild, described our past events and current charity, and provided cards, pins, and project bag patterns to inquirers. It is estimated that volunteers spoke to well over a hundred people during the weekend. In addition, the volunteers chatted with folks from three other nearby guilds and it was great to share information. We would like to especially thank the following volunteers who were so kind to help: Michelle Corcoran, Anna Manayan, Kathryn Gearheard, Kimberly Williams, Laura Bergeron, Michele Nichols, Rebecca Robb and Emme Von! Did you go to Black Sheep Gathering this year? What fiber festivals did you visit this summer?  Over a 100 people visited our table!  Remember our June program with Celeste Percy, BSG Sheep to Shawl Contest judge? Here are participants spinning at the 2019 contest! |
AuthorsMissives from the fabulous women who got the ball (of yarn) rolling. Archives
February 2021
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