March 2024 Meeting Recap: Member Tips and Making De-Stashing Easy with Zeb Walter

by Michelle Myers

Guest Speaker: Zeb Walter of Disco Fibers (Portland, OR)

In Person meeting at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church located at 1907 NE 45th Avenue, Portland, Oregon. 97213.  Doors opened at 6:00pm for social knitting.  In person and virtual program began at 7:00 pm and there was no entry after 7:00 pm. There were 9 full tables with approximately 40+ people in attendance!

Meeting volunteers are needed to set up and put away chairs and tables, registration, meeting assistance, A/V support, the help desk, and to monitor the zoom chat.  If you are interested please write to Seth Richardson [email protected].  Seth is our volunteer chair and he can answer questions you may have.

Virtual Knit Nights are every Monday from 6-8 pm Pacific Time.  Knit and chat from the comfort of your home, pajamas are encouraged.  Go to the website at puddletownknittersguild.com and Guild Events and click on the date to join the group.

Sioux Van Kol made the acknowledgment of the land we are gathering on as traditionally stewarded by indigenous peoples since time immemorial.

Our business members were highlighted and all members are encouraged to support them!

Treasury Report:  Sioux introduced our new Treasurer, Shela Perrin. We currently have just over $12,000 in the bank.  A full treasury Report is available on our website puddletownknittersguild.com under About Us and Finances.  If you have questions please email [email protected].

Volunteers are being recruited to show different knitting techniques at Black Sheep Gathering in Albany (OR) June 29-30. Please email Janis Thompson at [email protected] for more info and to sign up.

Ellen Silva spoke about our Rose Haven project – initially the project was slow getting off the ground, but as of this writing we are well on our way to meet our guild goal of 150 items (hats, cowls, etc) knitted and available to the guests at Rose Haven in time for Mothers Day. The deadline to drop off items is April’s guild meeting, but arrangements can be made for pick up for virtual members.

Additonally Rose Haven has its own knitters & crocheters and is looking for donated yarn (full skeins with ball bands in worsted and/or aran weights, please). Yarn can be dropped off at any guild meeting.

Anna Tip! Anna Lorton put together a terrific way of “Picking Up Stitches without Picking Up Stitches” when starting a garter tab (shawls, et al).

Sioux introduced our guest speaker, Zeb Walter. Zeb started Disco Fibers in April of 2023. In his youth Zeb learned to crochet, knit and sew. He was accepted into the Fashion Institute, but realized the tuition and other costs would be prohibitive, so he took some time off to do other things. Eventually he was drawn back to knitting and crochet; people began dropping off and donating yarn for his projects and that’s when it hit him – why not repurpose the destashed yarn being donated to Goodwill? (Portland is well known for recycling, upcycling and repurposing a variety of goods… why not yarn?) Zeb carefully curates the donated yarn, airs it out and checks for bugs, etc (hoping one day to have a chest freezer to isolate and kill any critters before resale). Last year he collected 190 lbs of yarn! Zeb decided on the name “Disco Fibers” because “the 70s are back and so is your grandmother’s yarn!” His repurposing efforts are now nationally recognized. He currently has a spot at The Memory Den located at SE 2nd & Stark (central East side). Original skeins of yarn sell for 55% off the original price, 75% off books. Indie dyers’ yarn sells for a flat $17/skein. 
Zeb collects skeins with or without ball bands, as well as scrap yarn for local artists’ use (which also includes weavers). He takes donated needles and hooks and some published patterns. Zeb works with art teachers and community groups to promote fiber artistry. He is working on obtaining a non profit status for Disco Fibers, so donations can be tax deductible.

watch Zeb's presentation

If you know of any upcoming fiber events or have a guild speaker or topic idea, please email those to [email protected].

Show and Tell was full of beautiful items and included a vest made by a new knitter/crocheter!! If you participate in the show and tell you receive another chance to win a raffle prize.

April’s Guild meeting – please bring knitting books and (knitting and other craft) magazines to this meeting. For every item you bring you will be issued a ticket. You will be able to use each ticket to select a donated item during social knitting time. Unclaimed books will be donated to Disco Fibers.

There were many skeins of yarn on the “free table” this evening! Leftovers were claimed by Zeb Walters (Disco Fibers).

Raffle prizes: Pattern of your choice from Chic Knits (via Ravelry) and a $25 gift certificate to Knot Another Hat. Both prizes were won by first time guild attendees!!!

Knit for Food – March 23 9am – 12:30pm at RCPPC 
Snack and tea/coffee will be available. No need to stay the whole time, just drop in! There will be opportunities to make hats for Rose Haven and door prizes. Find out more about KFF here.

April Guild meeting’s speaker is Saffiyah Talley, aka The Drunk Knitter, who will demonstrate two at a time sock knitting.

The meeting closed at 8pm with Anna Lorton reminding members to return name badges to the registration table on their way out.