by Shela Perrin​

In person meeting was held at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church located at 1907 NE 45th  Avenue, Portland, OR. 6:00pm to 7:00pm was social knitting. Capacity was restricted so an RSVP  was required to reserve a seat. Covid vaccine and booster proof and masks are required. As of the December meeting, Bivalent Boosters are required.Proof of vaccination can be emailed to info@puddletownknittersguild.com or checked at the door.  Virtual meeting  began at 7:00pm via zoom. Meeting volunteers are needed to set up chairs, greet other  members and help monitor the zoom chat. Please let us know if you can help when you RSVP. 

Membership new or renewal is available through the website at the Membership page. Questions can be sent to membership@puddletownknittersguild.com. Early  bird discounted membership is available through December 31st. $5.00 savings for an  individual and 10% savings on a business membership. Scholarships and Gift Memberships  are available. 

If you have ideas for programming and/or speaker suggestions, please share them at  programs@puddletownknittersguild.com.

Another calling for old phones and tablets with a good camera, wi-if capabilities and a power  charger to assist in the meeting production. If you can donate one or more that would be very  helpful. 

Virtual Knit Night is every Monday between 6:00 and 8:00pm Pacific time, drop in anytime and  pajamas are encouraged. Visit the Guild Events page on the website for a current link.  

Our Service Project for the benefit of North by Northeast was wrapped up in November. There  was an astonishing 828 items made and donated so thank you to all who participated. North  by Northeast is the only clinic in Oregon devoted to African American/Black Health. The clinic  provides primary care services and health education, promoting through a variety of venues.  Raffle winners are as follows: 
1st place prize goes to Caroline Barnett 
2nd place prize goes to Ann Howell 
Prize for the most prolific knitter goes to Cassandra Manuelito-Kerkvliet 
Gift of a Dutch Oven was donated from North by Northeast and goes to Jane Henderson $50.00 gift also donated by North by Northeast goes to Patty Blodgett 
A ChromeBook was donated by North by Northeast and goes to Cassandra Manuelito Kerkvliet. 

Kimberly wished to send a huge THANK YOU to our outgoing Board Members as this year wraps up  their term: Anna, Krista, Sharon and Wendy! 

Member tips with Anna Lorton: Knitters Confessions - these include things you would not say  in front of a room full of knitters. Anna shared secrets from her own experiences and other  knitters as well.  
1. You can refuse to do a tubular cast on/bind off. 
2. You can knit thereby coping with in-laws despite their disapproval.
3. You can enjoy knitting swatches - it's good to play around. 
4. Even if you have never made even one adult sweater that does not make you any less a  knitter! 
5. You do NOT have to deadline knit - No Holiday, No Birthday, No Anniversary to name a few.
6. Ideas for future tips: The absolute best way to weave in ends, how to track projects, what  to do with hand knit socks that have been outgrown.  

Send your tips and ideas for tips to info@puddletownknittersguild.com. If you are interested in  presenting Member Tips you can volunteer to take one month or several while Anna is on  sabbatical. 

The Guest Speaker was Tina Johnston. She is the owner of Black Sheep Fiber Emporium and  Kokomo Yarns. She spent several years working with the sheep at Portland Community  College’s Rock Creek Campus during shearing days. In collaboration with the farm manager,  Tina educated veterinary technician students about fleeces. She has also been sharing fleeces  with other spinners and working to develop yarns and roving from the fleeces of the Rock  Creek Campus flock.  

Tina began teaching Math in 2013 and heard about the farm at Rock Creek. They had a herd  of 25-30 sheep as well as other animals: cow, horse, mule, rabbits, and chickens. Prior to Tina  working with the sheep the farm manager just threw the fleece away. From 2014-2018 Tina  attended the shearing and used the fleece for vet tech education. She also has taught classes  in roving, yarn spinning and pattern design. They specialized in Roving and DK weight yarn in  2014, Fingering weight yarn in 2015 and Lace weight yarn in 2016-2017. The yarns are  typically in 200 and 400 yard hanks. She shared pictures of some of the items made with the  yarns.  

In 2018 there was a noticeable drop in quality of fleece. In 2019 there was no fleece available,  the quality was not good. In 2020 the farm manager retired and a new manager came onboard  at Rock Creek PCC. The old flock of sheep were sold and the new manager switched to Finn  Sheep to better meet the needs of the vet tech students. New classes for the future are fiber  prep, spinning, natural dyes, and knitting with hand spun yarn. The old barn was torn down  and a new barn built. Roving and yarn is available via PCC’s online store under extended  education.  

Tina can be contacted at: 
tina@blacksheepatorenco.com 
www.blacksheepfiberemporium.com 

Show and Tell was presented in person and virtually with pictures, pattern name, and details  about the yarn. Send your photos to showandtell@puddletownknittersguild.com before you go  to bed the Tuesday before our meeting on the 2nd Thursday of the month. 

Upcoming January Meeting will feature Anna-Lisa Miller presenting Photographing your Fiber  Arts. Anna-Lisa, aka @ahiddenpurl will share her tips for capturing the beauty of finished  projects using a camera or phone. She will also teach us strategies that professionals use in  editing photos. She’s is a local fiber artist and professional photographer. She works with  local knitting designers to help them showcase the artistry of their designs.

by Shela Perrin​

In person meeting is held at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church located at 1907 NE 45th  Avenue, Portland, OR.  Social knitting and a Business Member Marketplace in support of our  level 3 business partners took place from 6:00pm to 7:00pm. This included a Knitted Wit sale of hand dyed yarn and craft supplies.  Virtual meeting began at 7:00 pm via zoom. As a side note Knitted Wit is offering free shipping with the coupon puddletown through  the end of November. 

Capacity was restricted so an RSVP was required to reserve a seat. Covid vaccine and booster proof and  masks are required. Bivalent Booster is required by December 8th. Proof  of vaccination can be emailed to info@puddletownknittersguild.com or checked at the  door.   Meeting volunteers are always needed  to set up chairs, greet other members, and help monitor the zoom chat. Please let us know if  you can help when you RSVP for the meeting. 

Membership new or renewal is available at a monthly meeting or on the website. Early  bird membership will be available through December.  Questions can be directed to membership@puddletownknittersguild.com.

Calling for old phones or tablets with a good camera, Wi-Fi capabilities, and a power charger to assist in  the meeting production. If you can donate one or more that would be very helpful. 

Virtual Knit Night is now every Monday between 6 and 8pm, drop in anytime. Visit the Guild  Events page on the website for a current link. 

A Communications Chair is needed to fill a vacancy on the board. This position needs to be  filled through the end of 2023. Monthly time commitment is 3-4 hours. 

The 2023-2024 Board Member candidates for open positions were introduced. Voting took place at  the Annual Official Member meeting during the November 10th meeting. All members attending in person and virtually had the opportunity  to vote. Candidates were as follows: 
Kate Perry, President 
Julie Moore, Secretary/treasurer  
Sioux Van Kol, Member at large  
Maria Asbeck, Member at large 
The candidate slate was approved and they will start their terms in January 2023.  

Service Project was wrapped up at the November meeting and all items will be submitted to  North by Northeast before Thanksgiving. They are the only clinic in Oregon devoted to  African American/Black health. The clinic provides primary care services and health education,  promoting through a variety of venues. 

Member Tips with Anna Lorton: In a Knitting Slump? 
Following are some of the tips Anna shared with us that are knitting adjacent activities, mostly  cost free: 

• Do a notions research for your projects 
• Join a knit night or guild meeting
• Scroll knitting on Instagram to get ideas 
• Make a list of yarns, patterns you want to knit, techniques you want to learn
• Look at patterns on Ravelry or in books at the library 
• Take a class 
• Figure out a system to track your projects or update your records 
• Design or pretend to design something 
• Work up a color work chart, knitter graph paper #5 is available from schoolhouse press.
• Undo an undone item and use the yarn for something else.  
• Clean out your knitting bags and organize. 
• Cast on or pretend to cast on. 
• Make a dishrag by casting on one, then making increases and then decreases to get beck to  one stitch on your needle. 
• Mend something 

Share your tips and tricks at info@puddletownknittersguild.com. If you would like to try your  hand at sharing tips during the meeting, please volunteer one month or several so Anna can  take a sabbatical. 

Next month Anna will share confessions of a knitter which will be her last tip for a while. If you  want to send her any confessions that you would not want to openly confess. Send your  confessions to info@puddletownknittersguild.com. 

The Puddletown Knitters Guild is celebrating 5 year anniversary of the guild. Congratulations  to all for your interest and participation. 

Guest Speaker Jen Parroccini presented Your Most-worn Sweater: Choosing Patterns for Your  Wardrobe and Your Life. She resides in Pittsburgh, PA, Jen designs patterns and teaches  workshops and classes as well as offering consulting. She helps students find clarity and plan  fundamentals for choosing what to add to our current wardrobe. There are many items to  choose when starting a new project. She focuses on how we can determine our needs and our  gaps with intention. We can find patterns on Ravelry, Instagram, Etsy, Pinterest, Reddit, a book  or any making materials. She shared some hashtag places on Instagram where we can find  designers and follow them. She also talked about barriers we might face in a project and  shared ways we can get around them. She had suggestions to inspire us while we come up  with a plan for a project.  

Contact information: 
Website: www.jpknitsthings.com
Email: hello@jpknitsthings.com
Instagram: @jp_knits_things
Ravelry: Jennifer L Parroccini

Jen is teaching a workshop for your wardrobe on Saturday, November 18th at 5pm Pacific  Time. This is a 3 hour virtual class and it comes with a book and a short pre-work assignment.  You will leave with a framework that lasts forever and a concrete plan for your next three  projects. This will be her last workshop for 2022. Cost is $75.00, class is filling up fast there  are a limit of 8 attendees. Questions can be addressed to hello@jpknitsthings.com. 

by Shela Perrin

The in person meeting was held at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church located at 1907 NE 45th  Avenue, Portland, Or 97213.  Social knitting was held from 6:00pm to 7:00pm. RSVPs to reserve a  seat were required as capacity is restricted.  Covid vaccine and booster proof and masks were required. Bivalent Booster will be required by the December 8th meeting. Proof of vaccination can be emailed ahead to info@puddletownknittersguild.com or checked at the door. The virtual meeting  began at 7:00pm via Zoom. Meeting volunteers are needed to set up chairs, greet members for future meetings.  Please let us know you would like to help when you RSVP for the meeting. 

Join us for Virtual Knit Nights on our NEW DAY—-EVERY MONDAY. Drop in any time  between 6 and 8pm. Visit the Guild Events page for the current link. 

Service Project: DROP OFF DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 10TH. North by Northeast Community  Health Center is the only medical clinic in Oregon devoted to African American/Black health.  The clinic provides primary care services as well as health education and promotion through a  variety of venues. Any type of warm item is welcome — hats, gloves, mittens, scarves and  cowls. All color and sizes are welcome and crocheted or sewn objects work also. 

Matched Set Challenge Project: Final challenge of the year is making matched sets. Think a  cowl and a hat. Or a hat and mitts. Or all three, cowl, hat, and mitts. A pair of mitts/mittens/gloves count as one piece. These sets will make wonderful holiday items for NxNE to distribute  to their clients. Submit a photo or turn in items by October 31st to be entered in the challenge  project raffle. DROP OFF DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 10TH. 

Member Tips: Have you ever wanted to try your hand at member tips? Anna is taking a  sabbatical, so if you want to sign up for one month or several beginning in January of 2023, please  take this opportunity. 

Member Tip: This month Anna Lorton shared many good thoughts about buttons!
1. How to match up buttonholes with the buttons placement. 
2. How to choose buttons wisely (texture, weight, shank or flat). 
3. How to knit your buttons onto your garment. 
4. Places to find buttons: Weird Sisters Yarn Shop in St. John’s, Portland, on Etsy, “A needle  runs through it” and also craft and fabric stores. 

Candidates for 2023-2024 Elections: 
Kate Perry - President 
Julie Moore - Secretary/Treasurer 
Sioux Van Kol - Member at Large 
Marla Asbeck - Member at Large 
Voting will be at the November 10th meeting. All members attending in person and virtually will  have the opportunity to vote.

Communications Chair is also a position needing to be filled through the end of 2023. This  position coordinates with the communications committee to post to our social media accounts,  update our website, and send out our monthly newsletter. Monthly time commitment is 3 to 4  hours. Please email info@puddletownknittersguild.com if you are interested. 

Business Member Marketplace on November 10th 6pm to 7pm in person only. Level 3 Business  Members will be presenting their goods during the social knitting hour. Meet the owners and  shop their wares. This year’s vendors include Knitted Wit! 

Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival: Saturday and Sunday, October 15th & 16th, 9am to 5pm at the  Linn County Expo in Albany, OR. We will be spreading the word about our hybrid meetings and  all the benefits of membership. 

The Alpacas in Autumn field trip was highly successful and will become an annual event. 

Guest Speaker Beth Brown-Reinsel presented Scandinavian Construction Techniques. She  has traveled extensively throughout Scandinavia, Sweden, Denmark and Norway and shared  with us historical examples of techniques used in designing and knitting sweaters in those  countries. These included knitted sleeve facings, buttonbands, the Swedish half gusset,  surface design, felt and braid embellishment and many more. She has been teaching historic  and traditional knitting workshops nationally and internationally for more than 30 years. Beth is  a knitting designer with her own line of patterns. She is the author of “Knitting Ganseys” as  well as many articles featured in major knitting magazines. 

Contact information: 
Website: knittingtraditions.com
Email: beth@knittingtraditions.com
Instagram: @bethbrownreinsel
Ravelry: bethbrknits

Show and Tell: In person attendees please limit your items to 1 per meeting. Also please have  your pattern name and yarn details ready. Virtual Attendees, please submit your photos,  including pattern name, yarn details and anything special about the projects. Email your  photos to showandtell@puddletownknittersguild.com by the Tuesday before a meeting. 

Raffle Update: In person attendees will have 2 raffle prize choices. Winners must be present  at the end of the meeting to win. Virtual attendees will have 2 raffle prize choices. Winners will  be notified the following Sunday. 

November Meeting: Jen Parronccini will present “Your most-worn sweater: Choosing patterns  for your wardrobe and your life”. Jen will be joining us from Pittsburgh, PA. She primarily  designs sweaters, focusing on texture, structure, and fine finishing. She is committed to size  inclusion. Her background includes custom sewing and professional tailoring. She also offers  workshops and consulting. Her website is www.jpknitsthings.com

by Jo Mancuso

The Guild’s third hybrid meeting since the Covid-19 pandemic began was held Sept. 8, 2022, virtually and at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church, 1907 NE 45th Ave., Portland OR 97213. Next meeting: Oct. 13. Doors open at 6 p.m. for social knitting. Covid vaccination/booster proof and masks are required; no one may enter after 7 p.m.

Membership for the rest of calendar 2022 is half-price, individual membership is pro-rated at $17.50. Join at a monthly meeting or on the website.

Virtual Knit Night has moved to Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. Find the link by date on the website events page.

Continuing with the Guild’s 2022 service project, members can knit, crochet or sew warm, machine-washable hats, mitts, scarves and cowls in any size and color. All will be donated to the North by Northeast Community Health Center. More information on the Guild Service Project page. Items will be collected at the Oct. 13 and Nov. 10 meetings or contact outreach@puddletownknittersguild.com to arrange drop-off.   

Member tip with Anna Lorton: When the yarn twists  
Anna demonstrated with a rolled-up tape measure how annoying twists may develop between the yarn and project as you knit. Balls and cakes are wrapped around “something” and twists develop when yarn is pulled straight up. (Yarn bowls do not prevent twisting.) 

Anna’s solutions are (1) to avoid the problem by setting up the feed so yarn doesn’t twist when pulled or (2) to remove the twists as you knit. To avoid twisting, treat the yarn like toilet paper that you pull straight off the roll, from the outside. Create a “yarn-dispensing unit” using a container such as a wire basket. Stab the yarn ball or cake through the middle with a long knitting needle — or something that will function similarly —  and suspend it in the basket where it can spin freely. Pull yarn from the outside — like the roll of toilet paper. 

If you prefer to release twists that form as you work, either hold up the project and let the yarn ball untwist or lock the yarn onto the ball (to prevent it from unwinding) and let the ball dangle as it untwists. To secure the yarn to the ball, use a straight tool like a stitch holder, earring, hairpin or pencil. 

Next month’s tip: Button fun

Send ideas for tip topics you’d like Anna to take on, or present yourselves, to info@puddletownknittersguild.com

Guest speaker (in person and virtual): Sarah Keller
Topic: “Help! My Stash is Smothering Me!”

Sarah Keller, owner of Knot Another Hat yarn shop in Hood River, often hears this refrain: “I can’t buy more yarn. I have enough to open my own store.” If you knit, crochet, spin or weave, your second hobby is buying yarn, she said. Sarah shared steps to manage your stash while protecting the yarn and maximizing inspiration to start using what’s been hidden. 

Inspecting your yarn for insect damage generated lots of interest because many of us didn’t know carpet beetles, not moths, are the danger in our geographic area. Sarah suggested local extension agents and exterminators as further sources of information. 

“Yarn is enchanting,” Sarah said, and your stash is a curated art collection, but tough-love sorting will “free your knitting psyche.” She encouraged thinking about feelings each yarn inspired and letting go of what no longer speaks to you. She provided ideas for organizing the “keep” yarn using categories and record-keeping that make sense to your brain.

Sarah stressed displaying at least some of your stash where you can see or visit it often — and the payoff is jumping into a project as soon as creative sparks fly.

Resources for Sarah Keller
Website: www.knotanotherhat.com
Email: sarah@knotanotherhat.com
FaceBook: knotanotherhat
Instagram: @knotanotherhat
Stash-busting patterns: https://tinyurl.com/stashinspo
Ravelry: Knot Another Hat

Knot Another Hat
11 Third Street #103
Hood River OR 97031
(541) 308-0002

If you have a favorite tip please share your ideas! Send a note to  info@puddletownknittersguild.com. 

Guest Speaker Karel Chan presented Mindful Making. She is the owner and designer at KC  Knitting Company. She designs knitting patterns for mindful making, fostering the cultivation  of contentment, satisfaction and well-being. She discussed the process of mindfulness and  how to intentionally engage the mind in knitting to enhance mental health and well being. Her  philosophy encourages the knitter to learn about their own body and to engage with  techniques, methods and craft that align with each knitter, individually. Karel discussed how  you can train, expand and relax the mind though creativity and craft. It is important to have  self-compassion, be in the moment, be present and develop a curious awareness with focus  and an attention to the here and now. Be sure to remove distractions, notice the shape of the  item you are working on and at the same time being aware of all the parts. She stressed the  importance of being flexible and adaptable. She talks about the feelings of usefulness and  success when we complete a project. Be social and share it with others.

Contact information: 
Website: www.kcknittingCo.com 
Email: KCKnittingCo@gmail.com 
Instagram: @KCKnittingco 
Ravelry: KCKnittingCo 

Raffle Update: In person attendees will have 2 raffle prize choices. Winners must be present  at the end of the meeting to win. Virtual attendees will have 2 raffle prize choices. Winners will  be notified the next day. 
​
September Meeting: Sarah Keller presents Help! My Stash is Smothering Me! Sarah has been  the owner of Knot Another Hat in Hood River since 2005 and has been teaching knitting for  twenty years. She is also a designer of knitting patterns published through Knot Another Hat.

by Jo Mancuso

At the first hybrid meeting since the Covid-19 pandemic began, about 30 people gathered in person and around 90 attended virtually on July 14. Hybrid meetings will continue for the time being. The new meeting place is Rose City Park Presbyterian Church at 1907 NE 45th Ave., Portland OR 97213. Doors open at 6 p.m. for social knitting. Covid vaccination/booster proof and masks are required; no one may enter after 7 p.m. Next meeting: Aug. 11.

Membership for the rest of calendar 2022 is half-price, prorated at $17.50 for an individual membership. See the Business Membership page for those half-price rates.  Join at a monthly meeting or  thru the website.

Virtual Knit Nights continue every Tuesday between 6 and 8 p.m. Find the link by date on the website events page. 

Continuing with the Guild’s 2022 service project, members can knit, crochet or sew machine-washable hats, mitts, scarves and cowls in any size and color. All will be donated to the North by Northeast Community Health Center. More information is on the Guild Service Project page. Contact outreach@puddletownknittersguild.com to arrange drop-off or hold items for the final delivery in the fall. 

Members have stepped up to serve on the board of directors for 2023-2024, but the Guild is still searching for a new president. Volunteers of all kinds are always needed, so think about how you might help. For more information visit the About page, talk with a board member, or email us at info@puddletownknitterguild.com.

Member tip with Anna Lorton: A provisional cast-on 
Anna shared her preferred variation of a temporary cast-on, using waste yarn to hold live stitches so they can be knit into later. For waste yarn she recommends light-colored mercerized cotton (DK or sport) because it will accommodate fingering to worsted main yarn and, unlike “clingy” wool, will pull out smoothly. You’ll also need an aluminum crochet hook with a slim shaft. 

Anna suggests checking out a tutorial for the step-by-step, which involves crocheting a short chain and then working with hook and knitting needle to create the desired number of stitches on the needle. Finally, crochet-only a few loops, cut the yarn, pull through and tie a knot to identify which end to pull to undo the provisional cast-on. Switch to your chosen yarn and knit on. 

When you’re ready to access those live stitches, Anna says you can either first pick them up one by one with the needle or just find the knotted waste-yarn end and "pull gently, gently, gently,” leaving live stitches ready to pick up for the Kitchener stitch, knitting in the opposite direction, or whatever your pattern calls for. 

​Next month’s tip: Does your knitting need some bones? How cast-on edges can add structure to your garments

Send ideas for tip topics you’d like Anna to take on, or present yourselves, to info@puddletownknittersguild.com 

Guest speaker: Anne Berk

A self-described problem-solver, Anne Berk—a TKGA-certified master knitter, teacher, and designer who also has her own optometry practice in Happy Valley—created Annetarsia, her own version of intarsia, to make this color work easier and fun. On stage at the church using visuals, she explained her various techniques and breakthroughs:

• Knitting intarsia in the round, employing a “magic trick” she discovered/developed 
• Combining intarsia and stranded knitting
• Simple scarves working intarsia on garter stitch instead of stockinette
• Burying yarn ends
• Multistrand yarn management

The point of intarsia is to personalize, Anne said, but it requires lots of swatching and careful math preparation. A longtime published designer, Anne said her students favor her pattern for a personalized name-and-number sports jersey. Among her colorful sock patterns are Astoria, Willamette, and Oaks Park, which was photographed at the Portland skating rink. Her final intarsia tip: before you set aside your knitting, turn your work and do a few stitches so you don’t lose your place. 

Anne’s book Annetarsia Knits: a New Link to Intarsia is available on her website and elsewhere online.

Website: annetarsia.com
FaceBook: annetarsiaknitting
Instagram: @annetarsia
Ravelry: anne-berk
YouTube: Anne Berk
Twitter: @annetarsia

by Shela Perrin
  
Our July meeting with be a hybrid one so you will be able to join virtually or be in person at the  meeting. The new meeting site is at the Rose City Park Presbyterian Church located at 1907  NE 45th Avenue, Portland, OR 97213. Doors open at 6:00pm for social knitting. Covid  vaccination, booster proof and masks are required. 

The Guild cannot function with volunteers, please consider the following positions:
Board membership 
Sound system information 
Programming 
Special events 
Administration within the Guild 
General volunteerism 
For more information visit the About page, talk with a  board member, or email us at info@puddletownknitterguild.com.

Virtual Knit Nights are every Tuesday between. 6:00pm and 8:00pm. All are welcome. Visit the  Guild Events page for the current  link. 

Please save the date of Saturday, July 16th, 1-3pm for an Ice Cream Social, location to be  announced. 

2022 Service Project - North by Northeast Community Health Center is the recipient of all  projects donated. Any type of warm item is welcome - hats, gloves, scarves and cowls. Any  size and color, knit, crochet or sewn. More information on the Guild Service Project page. Please contact outreach@puddletownknittersguild.com to arrange  drop off or hold items for the final delivery in the fall. 

Dishcloth Challenge items to be included in the produce boxes distributed to the community  by North by Northeast Community Clinic. Finished items are due by June 30th. Email  outreach@puddletownknittersguild.com to arrange a drop off. Every item will give you a  double entry for some great year end prizes. The person completing the most dishclothes will  win a $25 gift certificate to the yarn store of their choice. Every item will earn one chance in a  random drawing for 2 skeins of Knit Picks Chroma Fingering, Get your Neon (70% SW Merino,  30% Nylon, 396 yards/100g). 

Welcome to two new business members: 
3 Green Sisters in Portland, Oregon 
Nancy Williamson Framing & Fibers in Clatskanie, Or 

Member Tip with Anna Lorton: socks, socks, socks!  
Anna described the basic construction of a sock is the cuff, leg, heal, gusset, foot and toe.  You can accomplish knitting a sock with circular needles or double pointed needles. You can 
make two at a time with a magic loop method, sock race 2 at a time or knit 2 socks in 1. You  can knit one sock and then knit the 2nd sock in the opposite direction. Once completed make  sure they fit and then take a few weeks to get used to them. On the plus side they are portable,  beautiful yarns to choose from, they take a small amount of yarn, some of the knitting is  mindless and they provide warm feet!  
Suggestions: 
Rye Light pattern by Tincanknits, free on Ravelry. 
Rose City Rollers pattern by Mara Catherine Bryner, free on Ravelry 
Vanilla is the New Black pattern by Anne Fletcher, free on Ravelry 
Next month Anna will share tips for the provisional cast on. 

​Guest Speaker Sydney Crabaugh described how knitwear has become fashion through the  history of knitting from the early 1900’s to the 1950’s. In an interesting and fun presentation  Sydney shares the history of knitting and how it eventually becomes a fashion statement. She  begins with knitting for WWI, then cycling garments, how knit wear became popular in the  1920’s, then 1930’s when the stars of Hollywood begin knitting on and off the screen. 1940’s  and WWII everyone became involved knitting for the war, after 1945 people began to knit for  themselves. Yarn was cheap. 1950’s Argyle became very popular. She recommends the book  No Idle Hands The Social History of American Knitting by Anne L. Macdonald.  

sydneycrabaugh@squidneyknits.com 
Squid’s School of Vintage Knitting on Patreon.com/squidschool

Meetings will continue virtually through June, though the July 14 meeting may be hybrid, if in-person arrangements can be made. 

The guild is seeking a technical audio-visual volunteer, someone familiar with mikes, speakers and recording equipment. Kimberly encouraged anyone potentially interested to inquire at info@puddletownknittersguild.com. She said that a volunteer-specific survey will be provided to members soon. 

​Virtual Knit Nights continue every Tuesday between 6 and 8 p.m.; find the link by date on the website events page.
 
Members can save the date — Saturday, July 16, 1 to 3 p.m. — for an ice cream social at a Portland park to be determined.  
 
Please continue to knit warm, machine-washable hats, scarves, mittens, etc., for the guild’s 2022 service project with North by Northeast Community Health Center. Contact outreach@puddletownknittersguild.com to arrange drop-off or hold items for the final delivery in the fall. 
 
Dishcloth challenge! How many can you knit, crochet or weave for NxNE to distribute at its community health events? See the service-project page for raffle information. Finished items are due by June 30. Email outreach@puddletownknittersguild.com to arrange a drop-off.
 
Member tip with Anna Lorton:
Ways to hold the yarn while knitting (An overview, not a how-to) 
 
Anna encouraged attendees to relax and pretend they're flipping through a catalog — watch, shop, compare and choose techniques to try: Notice the tension, how much movement is required, what your hands are doing and how they are angled. Why have a repertoire? Some techniques are better for specific kinds of knitting; repetitive motion can cause hand strain; you can get bored and it’s fun to switch it up. She recommended searching YouTube for demo videos, such as those by VeryPink Knits. 
 
Demonstrated techniques
[Anna said she avoids geographic place names in terminology when possible because we’re a global knitting community and historic terms may be outdated.] 
Picking (also known as continental): Yarn from the left; yarn over left index finger
Throwing: Yarn from the right; put down right needle
Flicking: Yarn from the right; consistently tensioned, good for two-color work
Lever: Yarn from the right resting in hand “slingshot”; good for socks
Portuguese: Yarn runs through a special hook on front of knitter’s body; choose right or left
 

Next month’s tip: Garment Advocacy Series: Socks Edition
Anna asked members to email the guild if they have other tip topics they’d like her to take on or present themselves. info@puddletownknittersguild.com
 
Sharon Grayzel encouraged members to consider joining the board and succeeding her as program chair for the 2023-2024 term. She listed the advantages of this position as choosing what you want to learn; interacting with wonderful leaders in the world of knitting and yarn; and becoming more connected to the guild. Responsibilities include: research and recruit speakers; write presentation descriptions; be a liaison between speaker and the guild; introduce speaker and moderate Q&A. Inquire at info@puddletownknittersguild.com.
 
Guest speaker: Suzanne Bryan, “Afterthought Pockets” 
 
Sharon introduced Suzanne Bryan, who is a virtual-bootcamp knitting teacher, creator of more than 400 knitting tutorial videos, and a “knitting engineer” whose primary interest is knitting architecture. In her virtual presentation for the guild, Suzanne described and demonstrated two main ways to add a patch pocket to a garment (or other knitted item, such as a tooth-fairy pillow). 
 
The “patch technique” involves knitting a patch and then attaching it to the garment. Care must be taken in placement and each of the three sides is attached differently.  The “knit technique” requires joining the new yarn to the garment; the pocket is knit in a way that creates a flatter “profile” and is nearly invisible on the back. Suzanne said she would like to write a book just on pockets, as no definitive resource has been published. Right now she is contributing a 10-part series on pockets to Cast On magazine. 
 
Resources for Suzanne: 
YouTube
Cast On magazine
Ravelry
Pinterest

Kimberly Williams opened the meeting welcoming all as they arrived virtually.  She asked everyone to enter the raffle and take a short survey to help with planning future meetings.  She also shared our mission statement as well as showing recognition of the First Nation populations inhabiting this land before us. Kimberly acknowledged that although the past 2 years have been full of challenges, the guild is thriving.  We have virtual speakers scheduled now thru June 2022.

Susan Platt is our newest volunteer and we are still in need of a volunteer to manage sound technical issues.

Virtual Knit Nights are every Tuesday between 6pm and 8pm. All are welcome.  Visit the Guild Events page on our website for the current link.

Learning Knitters Group hosted by Anna Lorton is every third Wednesday of the month from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.  If you have wanted to join please do so this month as this will not continue without participating members.  Visit the Guild Events page for the current link.

Kimberly also made a call out for new volunteers to join the board for the 2023-2024 term.  Her first request is for a new President to serve.  There is no need to have served on a board prior to this.  She discussed the primary focus for this position and more information can be found at info@puddletownknittersguild.com.  She shared that the best reason to serve on the board is your love of the guild to help sustain it.

Community Events
Scarves for teddy bears for Ukrainian refugee children has had a generous response and so please deliver yours to Kimberly Williams in North Portland as soon as possible.  Contact her at kimberly@puddletownknittersguild.com to arrange.

Sheep to Shawl:  Looking for team members to compete at Black Sheep Gathering in Albany, Oregon on Friday, June 24, 2022 from 9am to 2pm.  Our team needs one weaver and six spinners.  Please contact kateallisonperry@gmail.com if you are interested.

Wednesday Workshop at Weird Sisters Yarn Shop features Maggie Miller teaching Beginning Texture Series:  Twisted Stitches on April 20th and May 4th 7pm on Zoom.  Visit the Weird Sisters website for the current link.

Member Tips with Anna Lorton
Anna had to miss this meeting, so Emme Von, a sweater knitter, graciously stepped in for the Member Tips. She shared the pros and cons of knitting sweaters.  She has knit 27 sweaters to date that she wears, that does not include gifts, etc. She highly recommends knitting sweaters because of all the knitting techniques you will learn, the garment construction information you will gather and because there are so many sweater patterns to choose from. Some of her favorite patterns are from Flax by Tin Can Knits; In-the-round patterns by Jennifer Steinglass as well as pieces and seamed patterns by Patty Lyons.  Her recommendation is “Just Knit”. 

Next month Anna will share different ways to knit. Email info@puddletownknittersguild.com if you would like to share some tips.
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Sharon introduced our guest speaker, Maggie Radcliffe who is an internationally recognized teacher and author of The Knowlegable Knitter among several other bestselling knitting books.  She is also the designer of Maggie’s Rags line of knitting patterns. She spoke to us tonight about using endangered heritage sheep breed wool and the processes it takes to move it from fiber to fabric.  She has done extensive research on buying direct from shephards and determining the best wool for different projects.  She has put together a spread sheet for many different types of heritage sheep breeds, categorized each of them and indicated how they can best be used.  She also showed samples of her work based on the wool used for them. She has extensive knowledge on the subject and suggested ways we can do further research for our projects.  This was an interesting and in-depth presentation for knitters to gain more insight into the product we knitters purchase and work up into garments, etc.  

​(Please click below for Maggie's breed spreadsheet)

Next month:  Member Tips’ garment advocacy will move to sweaters.  Anna invites members to share their thoughts on whether and why they love or hate sweater knitting!  Do you have a favorite tip?Share your ideas! Send a note to info@puddletownknittersguild.com.

Sharon Grayzel introduced key speaker Faina Goberstein, who discussed the many uses of slip-stitches, including color and texture, to create effects that vary widely in their appearance. Faina Goberstein is an internationally recognized independent knitwear designer and professional teacher. She is also the co-author of The Art of Slip Stitch and The Art of Seamless Knitting.  She introduced us to the four groups of slip-stitch knitting patterns, how they can be incorporated to achieve different effects, and how they can inspire knitting designs. She also highlighted how the choice of yarn can enhance the results with these patterns. 

In brief, Slip Stitch knitting is a technique that creates interesting texture by intentionally leaving some stitches undone.  This creates a “float” placed either on the back or the front of the fabric.  You can easily create many different textures with this technique.  Slip stitch knitting can be done with a single color, or with multicolor textures.  Mosaic stitches are a type of slip-stitch knitting, where the stitches are slipped to make pictures, as in tiles.  Barbara Walker's seminal 1968 publication on knitting contains a chapter on slip stitch knitting, as well as having slip stitches used throughout in other chapters, where she simply calls them textured patterns.     According to Faina, the four groups of slip-stitch patterns are: 1) traditional (patterns place floats on wrong side, as in mosaic knitting)  2) woven (so fabric looks woven, and floats are on the right side of the work), 3) reversible (floats on both right and wrong side), and 4) combination or fancy (slipped stitches combined with cables, or lace, etc.)  and knitters can learn more about all of these wonderful techniques in Faina’s book The Art of Slip Stitch, available for purchase here.

Next month:  Join us on April 14, 7 p.m. via Zoom for Margaret Radcliffe, From Fiber to Fabric: Knitting the U.S. Heritage Sheep Breeds.  Margaret Radcliffe will take us on a tour of her experiences working with U.S. heritage sheep breeds over the last three years including the challenges of washing, preparing, and spinning wool from over 20 breeds. She will describe the wide variety of wool properties across these breeds, and the choices that have contributed to crafting successful knitted garments from her handspun yarns. Margaret is an internationally recognized teacher, the author of several bestselling knitting books, and the designer of the Maggie’s Rags line of knitting patterns.