September 2022 Meeting Recap: Member Tips and Sarah Keller presents Help! My Stash is Smothering Me

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

Watch Sarah's Presentation

Oct. 13 speaker: Beth Brown-Reinsel on Scandinavian construction techniques