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.

Our second meeting at Fremont United Methodist Church was packed with inspiration.

April Tip
First, Nele Redweik shared a tip for stranded knitting: working with three colors in one row.

Knitting thimbles are great notions that help keep strands from tangling and enable efficient stitching. Nele’s custom-made Norwegian thimble from Etsy helped her, but you can experiment with different brands and types to suit you.

Her finished Orkney cardigan by Marie Wallin shows the intricate colorwork. Check out Nele in her three-color stranded glory!

April Program

Next, Chelsea Fuller walked us through the Physics of Yarn.

If you want to pick the right yarn for your project, and ensure it will live a long time, an understanding of fiber characteristics will help.

Fiber Content

From rustic wools to fuzzy angoras, the natural shape, crimp, texture, and behavior of the animal or plant fibers greatly influence your final project.

Chelsea, passed around samples of fleece from sheep like Merino and Shetland, as well as from the surprisingly, incredibly soft and lofty camel. While super luxurious cashmere is a favorite, it’s only beginning to be farmed sustainably. You can learn more about cashmere farming here.

Yarn Structure

A seasoned spinner, Chelsea explained twist, ply, and prep. These actions hold fibers together with varying results of strength and resilience. A key takeaway: high ply equals less pilling!

Choosing between worsted and woolen yarns can make a huge difference in your final project. In terms of how fibers are arranged, worsted yarns are fabulous for cables and lace for their stitch definition. For colorwork, the lofty, airy woolen yarns are ideal.

The Right Yarn for Your Project

Ask yourself lots of questions about what you want to make and how you will use it. Consider the friction between sweater sleeves and the body, if you’ll get caught in the rain with this garment, or if it matters whether or not the fabric will stretch over the course of the day.

And, though the many colorful singles options out there are irresistible, try to avoid knitting high-wear items out of these single ply yarns. Remember: pilling!

Chelsea’s knowledge and experience is valuable for any level of knitter. It complements Annette Caughman's January program on the sweater knitting process perfectly.

April Raffles and Door Prizes

We had some of the best door prizes and raffles yet. One lucky member took home a handspun skein by Chelsea herself. Another won a 3-month subscription to Knit Crate, the service that sends a different bundle of yarn to your door.

And, 16 super lucky people were picked to attend April 20th’s Brooklyn Tweed HQ Tour.

We hope you’ll join us next month, May 10th, for Dave Zandberg of ZZ Alpacas!

We had a great time with Theressa Silver of ArgentGal Designs.  

We learned all about swatching, substitution, and what yarns want to be when they grow up.  Theressa emphasized how important swatching and gauge are.  A 1/4 stitch off in your swatch could end up being inches off in the finished product , especially when we're comparing a 4" swatch to a whole sweater.  You also have to honor your yarn's career goals and aspirations.  You can't make a drapey alpaca into the structured cabled cardigan of your dreams, choose a springy wool for the cardigan or a fluid wrap for that alpaca.  Theressa ended by reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of common fibers.  

We also kicked off our charity knitting project!
There will be Charity Knitting Yarn at each meeting, grab a skein (or two) knit up a hat or pair of mittens and trade them for more yarn, couldn't be simpler.  We'll be collecting at every meeting, with the aim of 125 pieces by September.  We're knitting for the Sunshine Division  a local organization that's been providing food and clothing assistance to our community for more than 90 years.

​We had a fabulous last meeting at the Multnomah Friends Meeting House with Andrea Hungerford of By Hand Serial and Blueberry Hill Designs.   Andrea gave us a peek behind the scenes of the By Hand Serial lookbook creative process.  

“You might think that knitting is a solitary activity,” said Andrea, “but it’s not.  Think of the animals, the ranchers, the spinners, dyers, designers, local shops.  Every time we sit to knit, we are part of the invisible web of makers from farm to needles.”  

We learned how she decides on locations to feature and all the research involved in selecting the individual makers for each issue.  She talked about how she and her amazing photographer Karen DeWitz spend each day on site interviewing and photographing subjects, crashing each night in their hotel.  They return to Portland armed with stories and images to layout each book, creating a “virtual and visual vacation” for readers.  

So far, By Hand has focused on the maker communities of Portland (OR), Portland (ME), Nashville, Puget Sound Region, and the Great Lakes of Michigan.  Andrea plans to continue publishing By Hand three times a year. 

Thank you, Andrea, for helping us see our part in the web of makers.

Andrea also generously donated a beautiful Graf Lantz tote bag filled with the first five issues of By Hand Serial (some of which are out of print!)