March 2023 Meeting Recap: Member Tips and Brioche Knit Love with Michele Lee Bernstein

by Shela Perrin​​

March went back to a hybrid meeting. In person meeting at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church located at 1907 NE 45th Avenue, in  Portland, Oregon, doors open at 6:00pm for social knitting. In Person and Virtual  program begins at 7:00pm and there is no entry after 7:00pm. Covid vaccination, booster  proof, and masks are required for those attending in person. We are always looking for  volunteers to help at the in-person meetings. Please share your availability via  rsvp@puddletownknittersguild.com when you RSVP or by filling out this form. 

Membership new or renewal is available through the website at the Membership page. Cost  is $35.00. Scholarships and Gift Memberships are available. Questions can be sent to membership@puddletownknittersguild.com. 

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

Virtual knit night is every Monday evening between 6:00pm and 8:00pm Pacific Time. Drop in  anytime and pajamas are encouraged. Visit the puddletownknittersguild.com Guild Events  page on our website for a current link. 

Member Tips are open for anyone wishing to share favorite tips. Send a note to  info@puddletownknittersguild.com if you are interested. 

Member Tips this month are shared by Emme Von about the pros and cons of test knitting. Designers use test knitters for their new designs to get feedback. They use it to decide what  level of difficulty the pattern is, as well as to evaluate fit and shape for a wide range of sizes. They also  use pictures of the samples to post on Ravelry and Instagram when they make the new pattern  available. If you decide to become a test knitter the designer will usually ask for any clarity  issues in understanding the pattern. The test items are usually kept by the test knitter. The  designers also usually give the tester a deadline by which to complete the knitting. If you tend  to modify the pattern heavily, don’t read the patterns, are unable to meet the deadline, or just  don’t like the finished object then perhaps being a test knitter is not something you would  enjoy. However, if you are ready to grow your knitting community and are not inspired by what  you have currently, then be sure to read the expectations set out by the designer. You can  begin by signing up for all designers announcements for testers on Instagram and Ravelry to  get on their mailing lists. 

​Local fiber events:

• Aurora Colony Handspinners Guild is featuring Antique Spinning Wheel Showcase on Saturday  March 11th from 10-4 and Sunday March 12th 12-4. They will be located at 15018 2nd St NE  in Aurora, OR. Admission is $6.00 for adults, $5.00 for students and seniors. Children under 5  are admitted free. 
• Abernethy Spring Fiber Sale is Saturday, March 18th 10-4 at the Abernethy Grange located at  15745 S. Harley Ave in Oregon City, OR. 

Our service project to benefit foster children April challenge is toddler sweaters 2T and 3T and infant  sizes are emphasized to be due in April. Baby blankets are a year long need as well. Please 
bring your items made with SOFT, WASHABLE YARN, to the April meeting or send a note to  outreach@puddletownknittersguild.com to arrange delivery. They are in need of many items. 

April 29th is local yarn store day. It lands on a Saturday so get ready to spend some love at  your local yarn store! 

Michele Lee Bernstein designs and teaches from her home in Portland, Oregon. She talked  about her journey with brioche knitting and shared samples from her new book, Brioche Knit  Love. In her book she teaches a new technique with every pattern. We all brought knitting  needles and yarn for a lesson in one-color brioche knitting. Michele shared some of her  experiences designing and teaching locally and internationally over 17 years. She began  knitting at 14 years old and began brioche in 2017 where she began her love relationship with  it. She described her approach in the design and knitting of 2 color brioche, increasing and  decreasing, flat color brioche, and syncopation where one color turns to reveal another color as  more prominent. Caps, cowls, scarfs, mittens, coasters, stockinette brioche, brioche, and  garter stitch. We can sign up for her newsletter by going to her website. Also she has classes  coming up at For Yarns Sake in March, April, and May scheduled thus far. Michele can be reached at pdxknitterati.com. She is on Ravelry, Instagram, Payhip, and  YouTube. 

Watch Michele's Presentation

Raffle prizes for March meeting include a signed copy of Brioche Knit Love by Michele Lee  Bernstein and a $25.00 gift certificate to Knitted Wit. In person winners were announced at the  end of the meeting, virtual meeting participants will receive notification of their win by the  Monday following the meeting. 

Show and tell for the March meeting presented a lovely zip sweater, a syncopated shawl, a  child’s sweater, all demonstrating skill and design. 

Upcoming Fiber events:

• Craft Emporium and Knitted Wit located at 19959 E. Burnside, Portland, OR 97233. Every  Wednesday from 4-8pm and Fridays from 1-6pm come and browse yarns, fabrics and crafts  and just hangout and get crafty. 
• March 26th the Knit for Food event will be taking place at Fremont United Methodist Church  located at 2620 NE Fremont from 12-5pm. This event is hosted by Michele Lee Bernstein and  Margaret Wendell. You can support this cause by finding sponsors, donating directly, or just  knitting. Money raised will be equally divided between Feeding America, World Central  Kitchen, No Kid Hungry, and Meals on Wheels. Masks are not required, but are welcomed. 
• Gathering of the Guilds is coming up April 28th - 30th to be held at the Oregon Convention Center.  Admission is free and include six area guilds who will be exhibiting and selling art. 

April 13th meeting will feature Amanda Lane as she presents Reclaiming Yarn From Knit  Projects. Amanda will talk about how to reclaim yarn from thrifted sweaters, including how to  over-dye the yarn. She is obsessed with all things fiber and understanding how things work.  She loves learning new skills and sharing her knowledge with others. She comes with the  perspective of an engineer and a garment designer. Amanda spends most of her free time  knitting, spinning, sewing and weaving.