by Melanie Chen

Board President Kimberly Williams opened the January 2022 virtual meeting and noted that we welcome a diverse community and respectfully acknowledge that the land on which we gather rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. We recognize Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of this land and acknowledge the enduring relationship between the land and the people since time immemorial.  

Kimberly announced that meetings will continue to be held virtually through at least June 2022.  

Membership:  We are happy to have guests join us, but after attending a meeting or two, we ask that you become a member.  Dues for individuals are $35 per year. Virtual knit nights continue weekly on Tuesdays from 6 to 8 PM via Zoom and a new virtual event has been added:  a monthly Beginning Knitters Group night, the third Wednesday of each month from 6 to 8 PM, hosted by Anna Lorton, where you can bring your questions and make new friends while you learn.  See Guild events page for Zoom links.  

The 2022 Service Project (with intentional change of name to “service”) features the North by Northeast Community Health Clinic.  Guild members are encouraged to make machine- washable hats, scarves, mitts, and cowls.  In addition to the year-long drive, there is a special challenge project to make as many large, neutral-colored hats as possible by February 28, 2022, with a $25 yarn shop gift card as first prize and a ball of Knit Picks gradient yarn for second prize.  Each item made for the February challenge earns 1 ticket for the challenge raffles and 2 tickets for the December raffle.  There are some really cool year-end prizes:  $50 yarn shop gift card for the Most Prolific knitter and another to First Prize raffle winner, with  Zauberball yarn for second prize.  Each item (or pair of matched items such as socks and mittens) made receives one raffle ticket.  

Kathryn Gearheard presented our Sister Guild Update on the Brave Girl Knitting Guild in East Africa (Uganda).  Many PKG members donated knitting needles for our sister group, which is a guild in the sense of a trade group, with a government license, apprentices and items for sale.  Their financial plan allows them to sell shares in the guild, so it is run as a business.  They had an excellent year in the agriculture business, and many of the knitters have farms, so they bought three sewing machines and a knitting machine.  Kathyrn reports to them often and they are happy to know of our activities.  

PKG business member Brooklyn Tweed has issued a call for Preview Knitters for the new 2022 BT Littles Collection:  preview knitters receive a free advance copy of their chosen pattern as well as a yarn discount.  The collection will come out in installments starting in March 2022.  

Rose City Yarn Crawl:  Share your MKAL finished projects with us using hashtag #puddletown knitters.  The Yarn Crawl is coming up at month’s end, from Feb 24 to 27, with both virtual and in-person participation.  

Member tips:  Anna Lorton kicked off her Garment Advocacy series and spoke on behalf of Hats, which you can view here.  

In her talk, Anna noted some key pros:  hats are quick to knit because of their size, they are fairly simple construction and don't need a pattern, they don’t need a ton of yarn, so they are not expensive and can be an easy one skein project.  Yay hats!    The potential cons include:  possibly advanced techniques are required, hats are usually knit in the round, or there might be seaming, or short rows. Furthermore, if decreasing at the top, the needle to stitches ratio gets very uncomfortable.  Anna then highlighted some conventional hat patterns, including those found in Ann Budd’s book Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns; the Sockhead Slouch hat by Kelly McClure (free pattern that uses a single skein of sock yarn); the Latrine Hat in Piecework Magazine by Interweave Press April 2020.  Anna also gave a shout out to some unconventional hats:  1) Musselburgh by Ysolda Teague, Elizabeth Zimmerman; 2) Rhinebeck Hat by noted hat designer Woolly Wormhead, which uses short rows, and 3) Beloved Bonnet by Tincanknits.  Anna also showed us her very own four corner hat.  Inspiring! 

​Next month will feature techniques for knitting in the round.  Send your inputs to  info@puddletownknittersguild.com.  

Sharon Grayzal, Programs Chair, introduced feature speaker Catherine Lowe, whose talk was called “Change the Way You Think about Knitting.”  Catherine is a designer, teacher, the developer and owner of Catherine Lowe Yarns, and the co-founder of Knitting with Company.  Catherine discussed how her couture methods for hand knitting differ from traditional hand knitting and why couture methods are important for giving knitters complete control over their project outcomes. The development of Catherine’s couture knitting techniques is the result of a shift in her perspective that led her on a journey in pursuit of better fabrication and construction techniques for hand knitting. She explained the philosophy behind her approach, detailed the consequences of its techniques for both the process and the outcome of a project, and suggested how these techniques can be incorporated into any knitting practice to elevate the look and functionality of hand knit garments. 

Highlights of her presentation:  

• A focus on construction techniques, and on garment finishing.  
• Obsession with detail, combining both aesthetics and functionality
• Bespoke yarn, parallel ply, not center pull
• Knit-together construction rather than sewn together
• Blocking the fabric to “true” it so that columns of stitches are straight

by Melanie Chen

Board President Kimberly Williams opened the January 2022 virtual meeting and noted that we welcome a diverse community and respectfully acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the traditional homelands of a diverse array of indigenous tribes and bands. The greater Portland metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. We recognize Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of this land and acknowledge the enduring relationship between the land and the people since time immemorial.  

Kimberly announced that meetings will continue to be held virtually through at least June 2022.  

The 2022 Service Project was announced (with intentional change of name to “service”):  this year features the North by Northeast Community Health Clinic.  Guild members are encouraged to make hats, scarves, mitts, and cowls.  In addition to the year-long drive, there is a special challenge project kicking off now–Make as many men’s (or large, neutral-colored) hats as possible by February 28, 2022, with a $25 yarn shop gift card as first prize and a ball of Knit Picks gradient yarn for second prize.  Each item made for the February challenge earns 1 ticket for the challenge raffles and 2 tickets for the December raffle.  There are some really cool year-end prizes:  $50 yarn shop gift card for the Most Prolific knitter and another to First Prize raffle winner, with  Zauberball yarn for second prize.  Each item (or pair of matched items such as socks and mittens) made receives one raffle ticket.  Sharetta Butcher, community service director for North by Northeast spoke to us about the organization’s history and announced that they will donate an additional prize as well!!  They were started after nearly a dozen families relocated from the New Orleans area to Portland after Hurricane Katrina and currently serve 600 patients, with a focus on African-American health.  

Can you help us?  Going forward, the Guild is in need of a video editor to perform basic editing of meeting videos to share clips on our blog–primarily Anna’s member tips, and Show and Tell–adding slides with music tracks, and when we have permission to share, light editing of speaker presentations and full meetings.  If you have any skills in video editing, or are willing to learn, please reach out.  

Membership:  We are happy to have guests join us, but after attending a meeting or two, we ask that you become a member.  Dues for individuals are $35 per year. 

Programs Chair Sharon Grayzel introduced featured speaker Patty Lyons, who presented a condensed version of her talk on ‘Secrets of Yarn Substitution.’  Patty is a nationally recognized knitting teacher and technique expert who specializes in sweater design and is known for teaching the “why” of knitting in her pursuit of training more mindful knitters.   Proper yarn selection can make or break your knitting project and when done appropriately, yarn substitution will result in a project that is beautiful and fits beautifully.  Patty began by looking into why the crafter might need to swap yarns, with reasons ranging from tackling a vintage pattern or pattern that calls for discontinued yarns, to other reasons such as yarn availability, allergies, budget, color, and/or different needs (machine washable, softness, vegan, etc).  She identified three main factors in yarn substitution:  1) how much yarn, 2) how big/gauge, and 3) what is it. 

1. How much yarn?  With a pattern, you will have sizes and requirements for weight/yardage of yarns).  Designers work with an overage (Patty’s is 10%) which allows for extra yarn to be used for seaming, etc.  With yarn substitution, you need to look at the yards and/or weight specifically, because different yarns will come in different measures.  This is complicated because weight can refer to thickness or weight on a scale.  Patty is often asked “Which Is more accurate to use when trying to figure our amounts, yardage or weight?”  In response, Patty advised that we need to use yardage (or meters), because yarn density matters–it affects weight, drape, sag and warmth.  For example, chainette construction is hollow inside, meaning you can get an aran weight chainette yarn that is actually pretty light.  

 

1. How big?  Gauge.  Yarn comes in many weights, and most ball band information will give you stitches and rows per 10 cm.  This gauge assumes stockinette in knitting and single crochet in crochet, and produces sweater fabric, which is based on yarn companies’ reaching out to a variety of knitters and then taking the average.  However, Patty advised that rather than following the ball band gauge, you swatch to get the fabric you like.  With regard to the ball band numbering system (weights by Number Category), it is important to understand that these are broad categories.  Also, note that some vintage patterns date back to a time when every yarn was spun to the same weight single, which gave the terms two-ply, three-ply, four-ply etc. much more meaning.  

 

1. What is it?    There are several factors to be considered regarding the fiber qualities of yarn:  texture, color, and fiber content.  These things are not fully revealed until swatching.  Ideally, swatch for the yarn, to understand the yarn, and then decide the type of pattern it should be used in.  Patty gave us a brief overview of the qualities of different fibers such as crimp factor, texture, color and absorbency. 

In sum, the key things to consider are how much (yardage is more accurate, also consider density), size (washed and blocked gauge is more important than weight category) and yarn fiber properties (elasticity/memory,  absorbency, strength, drape and warmth.)

Member Tips with Anna Lorton.  The tip this month covered swatches in the round.  As a freebie bonus, Anna went back to the Invisible Stranding by Susan Rainey and showed us how she had used it in a hat she was knitting.  With regard to swatching in the round, there are several methods:  1) you can choose to do it with the normal round needles you would be using, and knit the entirety across, 2) or you can bring the yarn around in an unknitted loop in the back and twist the first stitch to help stabilize the swatch.  Knit-scootch, knit scootch and you get a more accurate swatch for a piece that will be knitting in the round.  

​Next month Anna is starting a brand new series:  Expanding your Horizons.  To kick this off, the February member tip will feature hats, and Anna welcomes our input.  Why do you love them, and/or why do you struggle with them?  Write to Anna at info@puddletownknittersguild.com.  

Show and Tell featured some absolutely beautiful knitting by our members–enjoy!  

Join us next month on Thursday, February 10th at 7 pm via Zoom, when Catherine Lowe presents Change the Way You Think about Knitting.  ​

by Melanie Chen

Board President Kimberly Williams opened the December 2021 virtual meeting and explained that in keeping with our mission, we welcome a diverse community and respectfully acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the traditional homelands of a diverse array of indigenous tribes and bands. The greater Portland metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. We recognize Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of this land and acknowledge the enduring relationship between the land and the people since time immemorial.  

Kimberly announced that meetings will continue to be held virtually through at least March 2022.  

As this marks our last meeting of 2021, we really owe a huge thank you to lyric apted, Julie Spellman, and Elle Gough for their service to the Guild in Communications and Events. The past two years have been intense, and the technical wizardry of lyric and Julie has made our virtual meetings run very smoothly. Big round of applause!!

Going forward, we are in need of a video editor to perform basic editing of meeting videos to share clips on our blog (primarily Anna’s member tips), and Show and Tell (adding slides with music tracks), and when we have permission to share, light editing of speaker presentations and full meetings. If you have any skills in video editing, or are willing to learn, please reach out.  

For those wanting to show their Guild pride or to help get the word out about the Guild, there is a new online shop located at CafePress, featuring PKG logo clothing, bags, mugs/bottles and accessories. Currently, these items come with no mark-up for the Guild.  

Early Bird membership for 2022 is now available. Save $5.00 for individuals or 10% off business memberships when you join or renew by December 31st. See the membership page for more info and a link to pay. If you need a scholarship membership, please get in touch. Gift memberships to give to others are also available. For questions, requests for scholarships, or help with gift memberships contact membership@puddletownknittersguild.com.  

Member Tips with Anna Lorton. The tip this month described some ways to use your smartphone to help with knitting: Members suggested using your phone to assess color contrasts, which Anna demonstrated. She showed how to use the black and white filter on your camera phone to verify the degree of contrast among different yarns. There is also a collage app which is quite useful in comparing yarns. Anna also noted there is a site/online yarn shop called KnitPicks (which kindly donates yarn to the Guild for charity knitting) and she recommends checking them out. 

Next month we will talk about swatches. As always, please send your ideas and suggestions for future Member Tips to info@puddletownknittersguild.com. 

Programs Chair Sharon Grayzel introduced featured speaker Gayle Roehm, who presented Hand Knitting Design in Japan. Gayle discussed Japanese knitting design and introduced us to some of her favorite Japanese knitwear designers and their designs, highlighting the incorporation of beautiful stitchwork and unique variations on traditional techniques. Gayle has lived in Japan, speaks Japanese, and is the translator of Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible and 250 Japanese Knitting Stitches as well as several other books of Japanese knitting. She is also a nationally recognized knitting instructor and a knitwear designer.  

Gayle noted there is quite a range of Japanese designers, and the ones she highlighted were her personal selection. Hitomi Shida is the most recognizable designer now, but there is a lively and active knitting community in Japan, with a lot to explore, and many of these designers are on Ravelry. 

Some key distinguishing features of Japanese knit design include: 

• interesting stitch work
• intricate details
• neckline and hemline panels
• fresh takes on tradition
• emphasis on shaping and tailoring
• use of ensembles and matching pieces
• interesting construction/asymmetrical pieces
• creative embellishment such as crocheted applique
• fearless technique and color, and 
• combinations of knit and crochet in a single piece, as Japanese fiber artists tend to work in both mediums.     

Gayle gave us a whirlwind slideshow tour of select designers, to whet our appetites. She did note that traditionally, most Japanese patterns were only done in one size, with the knitter responsible for making any size-related adjustments, although this is changing now.  Patterns usually are presented in graphs. Designers whose patterns are available in English include Michiyo, Yoko Hatta, Junko Okamoto, Eri Shimizu, Hiromi Nagasawa, Ririko, Hiroko Fukatsu, Yuko Shimizu, Noriko Ichikawa, Mari Tobita, Kineco Yuki, Rievive, Sachiko Uemura, Ayano Tanakaand Yumiko Alexander.  

Other famous Japanese designers whose work Gayle highly recommends, although some of their work is only available in Japanese: Hitomi Shida, whose knitting stitch bible has come out in 11 different languages, and whose 250 stitch pattern book was put out 10 years earlier. Toshiyuki Shimada, who was trained as a pianist in Europe, and whose designs tend to follow traditional European styles, incorporating fair isle and lace. And Mitsuharu Hirose, Keiko Okamoto, Jun Shibata (a personal favorite of Gayle’s), Kazuyo Nakamura (sculpted stitchwork), Mayumi Kawai (interesting stitches and colorwork), Mutsuko Kishi, Mutsumi Harada (exuberant colorwork), Mari Abe, Yoshiko Hyodo, Naoko Shimoda, Hikaru Noguchi (pioneer of visible mending technique), Yukiko Kuro (lace), Michiko Narukawa, Kasumi Suzuki (floral themes), Mariko Mikuni, Misako Murayama, Mariko Oka, Junko Okamoto, Saichika Fukiko (avant garde large gauge work), and Erika Tokai. By the end of Gayle’s presentation, we felt we had gained a tiny window into a whole new world—dazzling!

The meeting concluded with Show and Tell, which featured the work of busy Guild knitters as well as presenting Michelle Lee Bernstein’s fabulous Steek with Me free coaster/swatch pattern that is a great way to take the plunge and steek something that does not intimidate.  

by Melanie Chen

Board President Kimberly Williams opened the November 2021 virtual meeting and announced it was the 4th Anniversary of the Guild’s founding—how exciting! She also explained that in keeping with our mission, we respectfully acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the traditional homelands of a diverse array of indigenous tribes and bands. The greater Portland metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. We recognize Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of this land and acknowledge the enduring relationship between the land and the people since time immemorial. 

An official member meeting was called to order for the annual elections. Tai Buschert was voted in as Member-at-Large for Communications, heading up the Communications committee (volunteers welcome!) and Misty Wegman was nominated from the floor and then voted in as the Member-at-Large for Events, responsible for organizing guild events and coordinating any volunteers needed for said events, such as classes and field trips. Kimberly acknowledged Susan Plack and Ellen Silva as members of the charity knitting committee and Melanie Chen as meeting recap writer and Emily Rogers as Zoom admin. The board is still looking for volunteers to be on the communications committee, so please reach out soon if you can assist with any of these vital functions, and we thank you in advance for your support!

Kimberly announced that meetings will continue to be held virtually through at least February 2022, which allows us to continue to have such great far-residing speakers via Zoom. 

Our 2021 Winter Warmth Charity Knitting for Rose Haven was a huge success: members made 170 hats and headbands, 56 cowls and scarves, 20 pairs of socks and slippers, 12 sweaters, 37 shawls and blankets and 10 pairs of mitts, for a grand total of 305 donated items to be shared as gifts for Rose Haven clients. Kathryn Gearheard won the Charity Knitting Raffle, 220 yards of natural gray and hand dyed wool and alpaca from Handspun by Val Yarn, whose fiber comes from San Juan Island where her studio is located.

The inaugural Puddletown Make Along, launched this summer, featured three of our business members creating exclusive Puddletown colorways. 1) Puddle Stomp, from local indie dyer Knitted Wit; 2) a collection from Ryberry Yarns, and 3) the Fremont Bridge colorway from Opposite Coast Dyes. It was really fun to see the various projects that resulted and Kathryn Levine won the raffle for MAL participants. 
 
For those wanting to show their Guild pride or to help get the word out about the Guild, there is a new online shop located at CafePress featuring PKG logo clothing, bags, mugs/bottles, and accessories with no mark-up for the Guild. 

2022 Business Membership will now feature 3 levels, for varying amounts of engagement that reflect the amazing growth of the Guild. There will be a Knit Aid table at our meetings (once we are back in person again) for member questions, with answers from our Business members, as well as opportunities for Level 3 Business members to sell their products at one meeting per year. For more information, see the Business Memberships page.

Michele Lee Bernstein will be at Knot Another Hat with a trunk show from her new book, Brioche Knit Love, and will be ready to sign your copies. They'll have light refreshments and plenty of yarn suggestions! Tickets to the book signing are $5 (refundable with any purchase of materials for the book’s projects that day).

Member Tips with Anna Lorton. The tip this month was about joining yarn ends. From the many options, Anna has picked three joins to show us: 1) the Russian join, which requires a sharp tapestry needle, 2) the two overhand knots method, and 3) the spit join or felting join, which is done with animal fibers (but NOT superwash yarn), and relies on movement, heat and moisture. 

Next month’s tip: How do you use your smartphone to knit—favorite apps/tools/tips? Send your ideas and tips for future Member Tips to info@puddletownknittersguild.com. 

Programs Chair Sharon Grayzel introduced featured speaker Kate Atherley, presenting The Good, The Bad, and The Pooling: Working with Multicolored Yarns. A knitting author with nine published books, Kate is an internationally recognized knitting teacher and editor, and the co-founder and publisher of Digits & Threads, an online magazine of Canadian fiber and textile arts. Kate, who has a university degree in mathematics, is based in Toronto. She discussed the fun and challenges of working with hand-painted yarns, and gave us a review of different types of hand-painted colorways. 

Kate noted that in many knitters’ stashes, there are single skeins of variegated yarns, reflecting our propensity to fall in love with beautiful multi-colored yarn. However, we often find such skeins knit up into something less than we had imagined—for example, if you are doing a patterned stitch, you want something less variegated. Kate put forth two key steps to Variegated Happiness: 1) understand the skein, and then 2) choose a pattern for that skein. Sometimes, the language is not clear, and we need to better understand the terms variegated, self-striping, kettle dyed, hand dyed and hand painted, OOAK, marled, tonal, speckled, fixed striping, faux isle, gradient, and semi-solid. 

Variegated means multiple colors, and OOAK stands for one of a kind, aka wild child, meaning the dyer only has one skein of that kind. With regard to semi-solid vs. tonal, the difference lies in how the color is applied to the yarn, but from a knitter’s perspective, they are very similar and produce a reasonably solid color, sometimes appearing a bit faded or shaded. These are wonderful yarns for pattern stitches, and also good for larger projects. Self-striping is a bit problematic, because it has shifted in meaning—it is more accurate to call them self-patterning, since the striping doesn’t always result in clean stripes. Fixed striping yarns are designed for specific types of project, most often socks. Generally these yarns are more expensive, because of the extra care taken to produce the precision of the dye. Gradients mean the colors change slowly. You can also get gradient kits, to do more than a single skein project, or sometimes these are done in minis so you can control better when the gradient change will occur. Faux isle is more commonly seen in commercially made yarns, mainly for socks. Indie dyers do speckling, where each color is a little splash and these are suitable for all sorts of patterns and stitch counts. Marled yarn is coming up now as a verb, and refers to two colors twisted together, with Zauberball crazy as an example of a gradient marl. These have lots of personality, but you may not be able to get a matched pair of socks. 

In determining yarn type, you will need to look at the colors (which, how many, and how they look together) and transitions (sharp or blended, length of colors before change). Kate suggests that after you buy the yarn, unfurl the skein to get a better sense of it, and fold it in different ways to see how the colors look together—lots of colors means it will likely look busy. 

She shared some tips to make such busy, multi-color skeins work:

• work straight but tilt the rows, such as in chevrons, or work on the bias
• change the length of the rows with short rows, such as in the gorgeous Impervious shawl by Kim McBrien Evans
• use pattern stitches to change the alignment
• use Entrelac patterns, and watch the texture change our impression of the colors

The bottom line is the busier the yarn, the simpler the pattern should be, and vice versa. Reasons why busy yarns don’t work include the nature of pooling, situations where the yarn is too busy and obscures the pattern, or the pattern stitch fights with the yarn pattern. In terms of pooling and the barber pole effect, this is where stripes appear to be magically on the diagonal. Sometimes this is totally a false impression, due to stacking in a certain way. However, sometimes you can leverage the ugly color change, by using the purl stitch to add texture. Kate cautions that stripes in ribbing are problematic due to purl stitches having the colors cross, but seed stitch can produce a very nice effect. 

Kate’s other suggestions include adding a solid color to work stripes with a variegated yarn, using fading/blended stripes, slipped stitch patterns (such as Gridiron Socks), stranded colorwork and if all else fails, do two color brioche and pair those ridiculous yarns with a solid as in Lemon Difficult. Sometimes you let the busy be busy—and you just need to let them be what they want to be. That is part of the knitting adventure. Kate noted there is a section on her website with lots of tutorials, etc. 

During Q and A, Kate gave advice for how to join a new skein to try to maintain the same sort of color pattern: move through the next cake to find the appropriate point in the color sequence, and make sure that the skeins were both wound with the same color change direction. This also is the case with starting a second sock if you are trying for them to be matched. 

Show and Tell featured the many looks of the Puddletown colorways used in projects, with oohs and aahs all around. ​​

Next month, Gayle Roehm presents Hand Knitting Design in Japan, on December 9th at 7 p.m. via Zoom. In January, Patty Lyons will share Secrets of Yarn Substitution. Looking forward to it!

by Melanie Chen

The October meeting was convened by Board President Kimberly Williams, who noted “I would like to respectfully acknowledge that the land on which we are gathering today is the traditional homelands of a diverse array of indigenous tribes and bands. The greater Portland metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. We recognize Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of this land and acknowledge the enduring relationship between the land and the people since time immemorial.” Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15th through October 15th, and Kimberly encouraged everyone to support Hispanic dyers/designers.

Board elections will be held at the November meeting, and there are several open Guild Leadership Positions: Tai Buschert has indicated willingness to be the Member-at-Large for Communications, heading up the Communications Committee, overseeing our social media accounts, website, newsletter, and virtual meetings using tools like Hootsuite, Weebly, Mailchimp, and Zoom. To assist the Communications head, the board would like to establish a committee of members who can each handle part of it. Also at the Board level, we are seeking an Events Chair, who will organize guild events and coordinate any volunteers needed for said events, such as classes and--one day, we hope--field trips. The board is also setting up two new Committees: 1) the Charity Knitting Committee, to find each year's recipient and organize the distribution of yarn and collection of finished items, and 2) the afore-mentioned Communications Committee, whose members will handle social media accounts, website, newsletters and/or virtual meetings. Please reach out soon if you can assist with any of these vital functions, and we thank you in advance for your support!

We get a lot of requests from non-Guild members who would like to have custom work done, in both knit and crochet. If you happen to do repair, finish, or custom work and would like more business, please share your information using the handy form found at PuddletownKnittersGuild.com/Referrals. 

Our 2021 Winter Warmth Charity Knitting for Rose Haven will be wrapping up by the end of October so if you have completed any items for donation, now is the time to get them to the Guild. Machine-washable hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, etc. are much appreciated! Email outreach@puddletownknittersguild.com to arrange hand-off.

We welcome members to join the Puddletown Make Along, which has an enticing special raffle prize! Three of our business members have created exclusive Puddletown colorways. 1) Puddle Stomp (from local indie dyer Knitted Wit) a DK superwash merino made sheep-to-skein in the USA; 2) a collection from Ryberry Yarns made of 85% SW Merino/15% nylon yarns with fingering weight available in full or mini skein and DK weight available in full skeins; and 3) the Fremont Bridge colorway from Opposite Coast Dyes, done in a DK weight Peruvian highland and merino wool blend. Complete your object by Sunday, November 7th. Post a picture to Instagram or Facebook—be sure to tag it with #PKGMAL2021 so we'll see it—or email us at info@puddletownknittersguild.com. We'll show off the finished objects and announce the winner of the MAL raffle at our November 11th meeting. The November show and tell will feature exclusively projects made with the Puddletown colorways. 
 
Weird Sisters announced a Spooky Knit Along every Tuesday in October via Zoom, and their Wednesday Workshop series. Both are free to register at WeirdSistersYarn.com. Future Wednesday workshops include Nov. 3 Picking up Stitches, Nov. 17 Yarn Substitutions and Dec. 1 Marls and Fades. 

PDXKNITTERATI news: A beautiful new book entitled Brioche Knit Love by Michele Lee Bernstein was just released and book signings take place on October 23 at Yarn Folk (Ellensburg, WA); on Oct 30 at For Yarn’s Sake; Nov. 6 at Weird Sisters; Nov. 20 at Knot Another Hat in Hood River; Nov. 21 at NW Wools and Dec. 4 at Wild Knits in Salem. Congratulations, Michele on this exciting publication!

Reminder to renew your 2021 Membership online: We're happy to have guests at our events, but after a meeting or two, please support our programs by becoming a member. Visit puddletownknittersguild.com/membership to renew or join. Individual membership is currently $17.50 (1/2 off full year). 

Member Tips with Anna Lorton. Anna’s freebie tip was to use liquid bandage when you have minor injuries on knitting fingers where a bandage would interfere—​smart! The October feature tip was about left-leaning decreases. We often find that standard left and right leaning decreases are not comparable, because the right leaning decrease connects to the next stitch and pulls it tightly but left leaning decreases don’t work that way. Anna took us through the various left leaning decreases and noted that she prefers the SSK. Anna also showed us a way to do the SSK but in one move. 

Next month’s tip will be the End of the line: methods for joining yarn. Send your ideas and tips for future Member Tips to info@puddletownknittersguild.com. 

Programs Chair Sharon Grayzel introduced our featured speaker, Susan Rainey, who presented an introduction to Invisible Stranding. Susan (lv2knit on Ravelry) is from Minnesota, has been knitting for over 50 years, and does a popular blog with her sister called The Rainey Sisters. Susan likes to delve into technique and found that invisible stranding, which allows stranding to be carried invisibly across any stitch count, can be game-changing for those of us who do colorwork. 

As background, Susan shared that a while ago, she was working on the Dale of Norway “10903 sweater”, which has extremely long stretches where dark yarn must be carried across the back of white yarn for 30 or more stitches. In looking for help with this, she fell down the Ravelry rabbit hole, and came upon a discussion of a machine-made store bought sweater that was deconstructed. Technically, it was called ladderback jacquard in machine knitting. People then tried to carry this across to hand knitting. Susan discovered it to be perfectly smooth, with no bleed through, which allows for undertaking dramatic bold designs without worry. Susan eventually came up with the It’s Not About the Hat pattern (available on Ravelry), which introduces the technique, and has YouTube videos that accompany each section. In short, stranded yarn is anchored to other floats and not the fabric. A second layer is formed with these connected floats, almost a form of double knitting because you are knitting two layers at the same time. Susan strategically places extra stitches to link the floats to other floats, and she shows them on her charts as a line between 2 stitches. These extra stitches are not part of the design, and don’t show on the right side. This invisible stranding technique can be applied as needed throughout the garment, and can be ended and started up again in the same garment without problem. Yoke sweaters are especially conducive to this technique for the last dot’s or the points on the yoke at the bottom. The down side to this technique is that it takes more yarn, and the gauge can be different on large plain areas. She tightens up her knitting there to take this into account. It also takes more time, and ripping out sections can become more cumbersome. 

Knitters eager to learn more about this exciting technique should buy a copy of Susan’s It’s Not About the Hat pattern (on Ravelry) pattern and watch the accompanying videos. Everything in the hat pattern is carefully included for a reason, allowing the knitter to learn the various aspects of the technique and get good practice. ​

Next month on November 11th at 7 p.m via Zoom, Kate Atherley shares The Good, The Bad, and The Pooling: Working with Multicolored Yarns. On December 9th at 7 p.m. via Zoom, Gayle Roehm presents Hand Knitting Design in Japan. On January 13th at 7 p.m. via Zoom, Patty Lyons will share Secrets of Yarn Substitution. Mark your calendars!

Want to watch the full meeting? Click here. ​

by Melanie Chen

Board President Kimberly Williams welcomed knitters and friends to the September meeting with an acknowledgement statement, in keeping with the Guild’s mission:  “I would like to respectfully acknowledge that the land on which we are gathering today is the traditional homelands of a diverse array of indigenous tribes and bands. The greater Portland metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. We recognize Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of this land and acknowledge the enduring relationship between the land and the people since time immemorial.”

There are several Guild Leadership Positions open so please reach out if you are interested.  We need your help and it’s a great way to make new friends and have a lot of fun.  At the Board level, we are seeking a Communications Chair, who will lead the Communications committee, overseeing our social media accounts, website, newsletter, and virtual meetings using tools like Hootsuite, Weebly, Mailchimp, and Zoom.   Because that is a lot, we plan to establish a committee of members who can work together and each handle part of it.  Also at the Board level, we are seeking an Events Chair, who will organize guild events and coordinate any volunteers needed for said events, such as classes and (one day we hope) field trips.  We are also setting up two new Committees:  1) the Charity Knitting Committee, which will find each year's recipient and organize the distribution of yarn and collection of finished items, and 2) the afore-mentioned Communications Committee, whose members will oversee our social media accounts, website, newsletters and/or virtual meetings.

We get a lot of questions from non-Guild members who have heirlooms that may need help restoring or sometimes they would like to have custom work done, in both knit and crochet.  If you happen to do repair, finish, or custom work and would like more business, please share your information using the form found at PuddletownKnittersGuild.com/Referrals.  

Our 2021 Winter Warmth Charity Knitting for Rose Haven will be wrapping up by the end of October, so if you have started or contemplated starting projects, now is the time to get them finished.  Machine-washable hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, etc. are much appreciated!

We welcome members to join the Puddletown Make Along, and just think, you could win a special raffle prize! Three of our business members have created exclusive Puddletown colorways.  1) Puddle Stomp (from local indie dyer Knitted Wit) a DK superwash merino made sheep-to-skein in USA; 2) a beautiful set from Ryberry Yarns, which has created a collection of 85% SW Merino/15% nylon yarns in Puddletown’s name with fingering weight available in full or mini skein and DK weight available in full skeins; and 3) the Fremont Bridge colorway from Opposite Coast Dyes, done in a DK weight Peruvian highland and merino wool blend.   Complete your object by Sunday, November 7th.  Post a picture to Instagram or Facebook—be sure to tag it with #PKGMAL2021 so we'll see it—or email us at info@puddletownknittersguild.com.  We'll announce the winner at our November 11 meeting.  Follow our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feeds for upcoming special MAL Virtual Knit togethers. We hope to have some special guests. 

Reminder to renew your 2021 Membership online:  We're happy to have guests at our events. After a meeting or two, we ask that you support our programs by becoming a member.  Visit puddletownknittersguild.com/membership to renew or join.  Given that the year is more than half over, the individual membership has been changed to $17.50 (1/2 off full year).  

Member Tips with Anna Lorton:  This month is about Training Wheel tips (going through something you already do, but in an easier way!).  Watch below as Anna demonstrates learning how to knit without looking at every stitch:  you can start by just glancing away occasionally, then gradually work up to knitting without looking for multiple stitches.  In another tip for folks who are trying to learn to knit continental style, Anna demonstrates using the long tail cast on and then dropping the  thumb to launch into continental style.  Finally, Anna showed us how she became comfortable knitting with one yarn in each hand for stranded knitting.   

​Next month will feature left-leaning decreases.  Send your ideas and tips for future Member Tips to info@puddletownknittersguild.com.

Programs Chair Sharon Grayzel introduced our featured speaker, Kim McBrien Evans of Indigodragonfly.  Kim is a Canadian knitwear designer and indie hand dyer whose designs are known for their ability to turn an abstract idea into a textile reality while simultaneously fitting and complimenting a wide range of bodies. Kim loves color, design and texture, and in her talk, she covered the maker's role in inclusive design with a focus on improving sweater fabric and fit through understanding ease, the importance of taking and applying measurements to choose a size or create a hybrid size, and what three things you can do to make your next sweater perfect for the wearer. She also highlighted the role of the maker in improving access to inclusive sizing.

Kim shared her powerpoint deck with Puddletown members, which is summarized below:  

Inclusive design is a utopian ideal where everyone has clothing that fits well, is affordable, and functions well for their needs, abilities, and style.  Makers need to work alongside designers, as partners in Inclusive Design. Over the past hundred and fifty years, styles have changed and the so-called ideal female body has been redesigned from time to time as if it were an automobile.  However, the average women’s clothing size today is 16/18, and the majority of women in North America are size 18 or larger, whereas standard sizing for patterns has remained unchanged since the 60s.  What used to be a size 8 in 1958 is now called a size 0.  

Kim wants to see more diversity for everyone, and she advises “You are making clothes for you.  Know your body.  Measure your body.  Often.  Know what you LOVE to wear.  Know your fabric.  Adjust patterns to suit your body and your fabric.  Choose styles that you enjoy and are comfortable wearing.  Don’t knit something just because it is the most popular thing right now!”  

Kim noted that you can change shoulder structures if you need to, and she frequently swatches to make a fabric that she loves.  She doesn’t try to match the gauge, but instead does the math to change the pattern.  In determining fit, she looks for no distortion of fabric, so that vertical seams and edges are perpendicular to the floor, bust darts end just before the fullest part of the bust and set-in sleeve seams sit at the shoulder joint.  She also looks for sleeves that don’t bind or twist, necklines that sit flat against your body and are comfortable, and horizontal hems that are even and parallel to the floor.  Ideally, you should be able to fasten the button without stretching, gapes or bulges.  

Kim advised that your sweaters will always look like they fit you well when they fit you in the shoulders.  She has observed that pattern sizes are often based on the upper torso (just below armpits), which helps determine where the shoulders fit.  If the difference between your upper torso to your bust is 2 inches or less, then you can usually choose a pattern size based on your full bust.  Otherwise you will most likely need to modify it.  

Kim covered some major sweater shapes (hourglass, A-line, and straight) and shoulder styles (set-in, raglan, and drop) and mentioned that for certain body types--such as folks with comparatively small shoulders--you might want to steer away from top-down raglans.  She recommended drop shoulders as an excellent style that complements many body types and advised first-time sweater knitters to seek patterns with drop shoulders.  

In terms of ease, Kim differentiated between minimum ease, functional ease, and design ease.  
Minimum ease standards for the upper torso are generally as follows:  Set in sleeve ease is minus one to positive three.  For a raglan, you want two to four inches of positive ease.  Drop shoulders often have four to six inches of positive ease.  Yoke patterns feature two to four inches positive ease for shallow (where yoke ends at armpits or two inches), and four to six inches for deep (one to three inches below armpit). 

Other useful tips:  Watch out if your sweater pattern doesn’t have a schematic, as you will often find this pattern is not worth your time and effort.  Swatch, but swatches lie, so knit your swatch exactly the same way you will knit your sweater (in the same posture with the same distractions), and make sure to knit a fair sized gauge swatch of six inches square at a minimum, then measure before and after blocking.   With non-wool or partial wool, Kim advises that you hang your gauge swatch for at least 24 hours.  

For those desiring more information, Kim’s classes can be found here.

Show and Tell:  Enjoy the wonderful array of completed projects!

Due to some scheduling issues, the speaker lineup has been altered slightly. Next month, join us on October 14 at 7 PM as Susan Rainey presents Introduction to Invisible Stranding.  

by Melanie Chen

Board President Kimberly Williams welcomed knitters and friends to the August meeting with an acknowledgement statement, in keeping with the Guild’s mission:  “I would like to respectfully acknowledge that the land on which we are gathering today is the traditional homelands of a diverse array of indigenous tribes and bands. The greater Portland metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. We recognize Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of this land and acknowledge the enduring relationship between the land and the people since time immemorial.”

Future Venue Update:  With the unpredictable nature of COVID, the Board has decided to continue meeting virtually via Zoom through the end of 2021.  However, when we do eventually transition to in-person events, our growing guild will need a new home! We're looking for an affordable event space for future member meetings. Kimberly has researched dozens of possibilities and we have some good leads, but we also still want to hear from you.  Does your office rent a large room? Or perhaps there's a gym or cafeteria at your kid's school available to rent.  Send your ideas to info@puddletownknittersguild.com.

Sadly, the end of summer in-person Yarn Swap has been postponed due to the resurgence of COVID in Oregon.

Don’t forget about our 2021 Charity Knitting for this year, which is Winter Warmth washable knit-wear for Rose Haven.  Many wonderful items have been received, but we would love to have more donations as well.  The items will be handed out at the end of year Holiday Party for the Rose Haven guests.  Let us know if you need yarn.

Exciting news:  Puddletown Colorways! Three of our business members have created exclusive Puddletown colorways, which became available on August 13, 2021.  Get ready for fall and join us in a yarn-based Make Along (MAL). Make anything you like with one or more of these Puddletown-inspired colorways: 1) Puddle Stomp (from local indie dyer Knitted Wit): a DK superwash merino made sheep-to-skein in the USA; 2) a beautiful set from Ryberry Yarns: a collection of 85% SW Merino/15% nylon yarns in Puddletown’s name with fingering weight available in full or mini skein and DK weight available in full skeins; and 3) the Fremont Bridge colorway from Opposite Coast Dyes: done in a DK weight Peruvian highland or non-superwash merino wool.   Start and finish any project using one or more of these gorgeous yarns, and post your completed items on Instagram, other social media (tagging PKG), or email a picture to info@puddletownknittersguild.com and in October we will draw raffle winners.

In other news from business members, on August 18th Brooklyn Tweed unveiled Tones, a new worsted weight yarn line, in which every color comes in two tones, one with an undertone and the other with an overtone. Produced from Columbia wool in 3-ply, woolen spun.  

Reminder to renew your 2021 Membership online:  We're happy to have guests at our events. After a meeting or two, we ask that you support our programs by becoming a member.  Visit puddletownknittersguild.com/membership to renew or join.  Given that the year is over half over, the individual membership has been changed to $17.50 (1/2 off full year).  

Member Tips with Anna Lorton:  This month is about weaving in ends, a topic with a surprising lack of formal guidance, given how essential it is to completing a project!  Anna notes that a primary consideration is the yarn type;  whether it is wool or nonwool, superwash wool or non treated wool.  Anna has observed that nonwool and superwash yarn types are a tiny bit more difficult to weave in.  Anna’s suggested techniques include “ghost following” a zigzag path on one side looping through purl bumps.  For yarn ends that are short, you can do a straight line, weaving in and out in a line with the needle first, then threading the needle at the very end.  On ribbing, Anna suggests choosing one of the ribbed columns and zigzagging vertically, being careful not to pull it too tight.​

​Show and Tell:  Enjoy the wonderful array of completed projects!

Next month, join us on September 9, at 7 p.m. for Kim McBrien Evans of Indigodragonfly, on Inclusive Design and the Maker.  
​
​Want to watch the full meeting? Click here.

by Melanie Chen

​Board President Kimberly Williams welcomed knitters and friends to the July meeting with an acknowledgement statement: “I would like to respectfully acknowledge that the land on which we are gathering today is the traditional homelands of a diverse array of indigenous tribes and bands. The greater Portland metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. We recognize Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of this land and acknowledge the enduring relationship between the land and the people since time immemorial.”

Don’t forget about our 2021 Charity Knitting for this year, which is Winter Warmth washable knitwear for Rose Haven. Many wonderful items have been received, but we would love to have more donations as well. The items will be handed out at the end of year Holiday Party for the Rose Haven guests, and we know that the gifts are much appreciated. Let us know if you need yarn.

Exciting news: Puddletown Colorways! Coming in August, three of our business members are creating exclusive Puddletown colorways. Get ready for fall and join us in a yarn-based Knit Along (KAL). Knit anything you like with one or more of these Puddletown-inspired colorways from local indie dyers Knitted Wit, Ryberry Farms, and Opposite Coast Dyes. 

Puddletown Gear: Are you interested in getting a nifty t-shirt or a convenient tote bag with the Puddletown logo? Please take a minute (maybe less!) to let us know with this survey.  

Renew your 2021 Membership online: We're happy to have guests at our events. After a meeting or two, we ask that you support our programs by becoming a member. Visit puddletownknittersguild.com/membership to renew or join. Given that the year is half over, the  individual membership has been prorated to $17.50 (1/2 off of a full year).  

Mark your calendars for a Live In-Person Event: Puddletown is hosting an end of summer Yarn Swap on Saturday, August 28th from 11am-2 pm in Grant Park (NE 33rd & US Grant Pl.)  Grab some skeins you'd like to help find new homes or just bring yourself and join us--you don't have to bring yarn to get yarn. Happy with your stash exactly the way it is? Bring your lawn chair and knit in the park with us. We will be happy to see you!

Upcoming Class Announcement:  Reversible Embroidery on Stockinette with Carolyn Bloom of Bloom Handmade Studio, on Saturday, August 7 at 10 am PT. Are you craving a unique way to add visual interest to your knitting? This class will have you looking at straight stockinette with a newfound appreciation! Learn how to turn both the right side and wrong side of your work into a canvas for embroidery. $25 for members with promo code sent via email, $35 for general public.   

Member Tips with Anna Lorton. This month is about counting your stitches. Anna’s advice is to use removable markers and count in multiples (e.g. fives or twos or threes).

Next month’s topic will be weaving in ends. Send your ideas and tips for future Member Tips to info@puddletownknittersguild.com.

Programs Chair Sharon Grayzel introduced our featured speaker, designer Carolyn Bloom. Carolyn is a teacher who has developed a technique for embroidery on stockinette that allows items to be reversible. In the presentation, she shared examples of this work as well as the creative process that led to the creation of her techniques. Carolyn believes that taking risks in artistry and allowing for failure can lead to incredibly rewarding experiences of learning, changing, expanding, and expressing oneself. Her patterns have been published by Interweave Press and Twist Collective and she has been featured as a guest lecturer at Knitty City in New York City.

Carolyn thanked the Guild Board and noted that her mother and daughter were joining from the East Coast to see the presentation! Carolyn, who hails from Athens Ohio, shared that she is six feet tall, and worked as a programmer and technical recruiter before getting married and having children, which is when she learned how to knit.  Her first project was a queen-size blanket! As an example of her creative process, Carolyn recounted a story about her bicycle ride down Pikes Peak with her son (at his instigation), which served as the inspiration for a syncopated brioche stitch that was reversible. The result was the Concurrent pattern and this is now her favorite design. Carolyn then took us through a visual tour of her stunning photography of yarn and flowers, in which pins, markers, and knitting needles all make their way into her art, too. Truly a feast for the eyes! 

Addressing her upcoming class on embroidery on knitwear, she noted that this technique has been influenced by the traditional Japanese art called Sashiko. Carolyn encouraged everyone to give it a try. “When you embroider with yarn, it is easy to pull it out if you don’t like it,” she said. She likes embracing mistakes, but said she also realizes that in some cases you have to cut your losses if the project is just too frustrating. Responding to questions, she noted the knitting is done in advance, then embroidery is added one side at a time. She also indicated that you can do fingering weight embroidery on fingering weight knitwear but DK on fingering also works--the heavier the yarn, the more the embroidery will be pronounced. You can do colors as well as black and white, but embroidery can get lost on variegated yarn. Best to swatch if in doubt! An audience member asked how she finds her test knitters, and she replied that she goes to her newsletter subscribers (see the link at bottom of her home page) and puts out calls on Instagram for testers. Definitely worth looking into!

As always, we saw some great pieces created by members in this month's Show and Tell.  

by Melanie Chen

The June meeting featured a whirl of color and the announcement of a special in-person knitting event in late August, although Zoom will continue to be the basis for the Guild meetings for the coming months.  

Kimberly Williams, President of the Board, began by noting that part of the mission of the Guild is to promote a diverse community. She read a statement “I would like to respectfully acknowledge that the land on which we are gathering today is the traditional homelands of a diverse array of indigenous tribes and bands. The greater Portland metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. We recognize Indigenous peoples as the traditional stewards of this land and acknowledge the enduring relationship between the land and the people since time immemorial.”  Let Kimberly know if you would like to read this message at a future meeting.  

Meeting Space Ideas Needed! Our growing guild needs a new home. We're looking for an affordable event space for future member meetings. Does your office rent a large room? Or perhaps there's a gym or cafeteria at your kid's school available to rent. Kimberly has some good leads, but welcomes further ideas--she is checking them all out.  Send your suggestions to info@puddletownknittersguild.com

Charity Knitting: The temperatures may be rising now, but before long they will fall again, so if you would like to include some charity knitting in your queue, now is a great time to get started! Winter warmth items are being collected to donate to Rose Haven day shelter and community center. Machine-washable knitted hats, socks, scarves, mittens or even sweaters will all be appreciated. We still have donated yarn to use if you need it, just send the Guild an email to inquire.  

2021 Membership: RENEW ONLINE We're happy to have guests at our events. After a meeting or two, we ask that you support our programs by becoming a member. Visit PuddletownKnittersGuild.com/Membership to renew or join.

End of Summer Yarn Swap: Mark your calendars for a long-awaited In-Person PKG Event on  Saturday August 28, from 11-2 in Grant Park (NE 33rd & US Grant Pl.) Grab some skeins you'd like to help find new homes or just bring yourself and join us! You don't have to bring yarn to get yarn! Happy with your stash exactly the way it is? Bring your lawn chair and knit in the park with us. We will be so happy to see you!

Social Media Users: Check out or use the tags #puddletownknitters and #pdxknitters to see or share posts with knit-related items.  

Upcoming class (via Zoom): With Carolyn Bloom of Bloom Handmade Studio, set for late summer--Are you craving a unique way to add visual interest to your knitting? This class will have you looking at straight stockinette with a newfound appreciation! Learn how to turn both the right side and wrong side of your work into a canvas for embroidery. Stay tuned for more details!

Starlight Knitting Society’s Kool-aid Dye Day returns on Saturday, June 26 from 10 to 3. They’ll have socially distanced stations set up and ready for you to custom dye your very own skein (no prior experience required). You are welcome to bring yarns from home and they’ll have ready-to-dye yarn available at the shop for purchase. 
 
This month’s MEMBER TIPS with Anna Lorton featured Crochet Hooks, in which Anna told us about her own personal progression of appreciation for crochet hooks. She started without using them, but gradually came to realize that they can be very helpful for many things, such as provisional cast on, adding glass beads to knitting, casting off and other uses.  

​The main speaker was Jesie Ostermiller, author of The Colorwork Bible, and a self-taught knitter and designer who lives in Utah. Jesie’s very informative talk gave Guild members plenty of guidance on mastering color choice and learning how to pick colors that play well together in knitting. Jesie observed that knitters often find themselves stressed trying to pick out colors, or stuck picking coordinating colors, or faced with too many choices.  She referred us to the color wheel, comparing it to the hands of a clock, and how coordinating colors are often paired. She also noted that color choices themselves are only part of the secret. The other part is color value, which equates to how light or dark the color is. Jesie showed us how to use the photo edit feature of our phones to easily assess whether two skeins of yarn would pair well together. Perhaps Jesie’s most liberating advice was, “THERE ARE NO RULES, so don’t feel constrained to have to choose colors in one certain way.”  

For those who want more, Jesie’s book The Colorwork Bible (a raffle prize won by a lucky attendee at the June meeting) contains chapters outlining more than a half dozen colorwork knitting techniques, and interesting swatch lessons.  Jesie also encouraged everyone to sign up for her KnittyJo newsletter.  

Guild members’ colorwork, lace, and other fun knitting was showcased during Show and Tell. Raffle prizes included a copy of Jesie Ostermiller’s The Colorwork Bible, a beautiful ceramic mug from Creative with Clay and two skeins of yarn from The Loopy Ewe. ​

Next Month on July 8th at 7 p.m via Zoom, Carolyn Bloom of Bloom Handmade Studio will talk about Creating Outside Your Comfort Zone--Taking Chances, Embracing Mistakes and Discovering Your Artistic Potential. Hope to see you there!

Want to watch the full meeting? Click here. ​

by Melanie Chen

President Kimberly Williams opened the meeting (marking over a year of being virtual!) and noted that despite the challenges of recent times, the Puddletown Knitters Guild is going strong and increasing membership steadily. Kimberly explained that Puddletown is joining others across the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to acknowledge the traditional Native inhabitants of the land and honor the truth in our history. Each meeting will now start with an acknowledgement of the diverse array of indigenous tribes and bands who had traditional village sites around the metro Portland region. Kimberly also welcomed Elle Gough to the Board as the new Event Chair and shared that Elle is already working on some fun stuff outdoors for the summer.  Hooray, Elle!

Meeting Location--Ideas Needed:  Our growing guild needs a new home! We're looking for an affordable event space for future member meetings. Does your office rent a large room? Or perhaps there's a gym or cafeteria at your kid's school available to rent. Send your ideas to info@puddletownknittersguild.com

2021 Charity Knitting: Puddletown knitters can continue to donate Winter Warmth items (such as machine washable hats, socks, scarves, mittens or even sweaters) for Rose Haven, a day shelter and community center serving women, gender non-conforming folks, and their children experiencing poverty, trauma, and intersecting issues. If you have items to drop off or need yarn, just send PKG an email.  

2021 Membership: RENEW ONLINE! We're happy to have guests at our events. After a meeting or two, we ask that you support our programs by becoming a member. Visit PuddletownKnittersGuild.com/Membership to renew or join.

Community News: Brooklyn Tweed is pleased to announce their new pattern collection, Water’s Edge, which sets a course for knitting adventure with five fresh patterns. Also, the merino/cotton blend Dapple is now available in two new gorgeous, saturated hues: black walnut and currant. Yummy!

Member Tips with Anna Lorton: Good news for those who loved last month’s swatching tips--Anna’s swatch form is now available online. For this month’s tips, Anna first shared ideas to hold working yarn while walking, such as attaching a paper clip with super glue to a plastic take-out container. Anna’s main tips were about yarn winding for balls and cakes. The key to success? Don’t wind the yarn too tightly! Densely-wound yarn will lose its elasticity, and won’t have bounce. If you get a skein that is really hard/tight, then immediately take it out because this is not good for the yarn. Anna advised that we aim for yarn that is soft and squishy, but not so loose that it tangles. Anna also demonstrated using an umbrella swift. Anna cautioned against allowing the swift to be powered by the ball winder, because your cake may be wound too tightly. She powers the umbrella swift with her hand so that the cake is loose enough. 

Next month’s topic will be things knitters can do with crochet hooks. As ever, Anna welcomes inputs and suggestions from the membership.  

FEATURED SPEAKER: Programs Chair Sharon Grayzel introduced May’s guest speaker, fiber artist Faith Humphrey Hill of Dartily. Faith, who has worked in the industry for twenty plus years, is well known for her portraits, and is a champion for Mirror Knitting, a technique that allows the knitter to work stitches from the left hand needle to the right hand needle, then knit them back again from the right hand needle to the left...all without turning the work. 

Faith shared her personal history and motivation for incorporating knitting into her portrait work, and also let us know that she is a professional sample knitter for the Bellish App (https://www.bellish.co/) that is available for iPhones. This handy free app allows knitters to  specify what they want in a pattern.

Mirror Knitting (aka Backwards or Reverse Knitting) is an efficient technique for short rows, large projects that are heavy to rotate, and colorful yoke cardigans that you don’t need to steek! This technique is interchangeable with other methods within a single project. Faith demonstrated Mirror Knitting technique in both English and Continental styles of knitting and shared the technique’s impact on stitch structure. She also gave us a hand-out to help understand this process.  

“Mirror Knitting is so helpful,” said Faith, noting that it is fine to do both regular knitting and mirror knitting in the same garment, with some care taken to avoid twisting stitches.  

​Show and Tell and Raffle Prizes: Beautiful finished products were shared by several members. Really inspiring! You can watch below. This month’s raffle prizes included the Embody pattern set by Jacqueline Cieslak, an Opposite Coast Dyes drawstring bag and the Starlight Hat Pattern collection, which contains one pattern by our member Emme Von.  ​

June Meeting: Next month’s meeting will feature Jesie Ostermiller of Knitty Jo Designs, who will talk about Mastering Color Choice on Thursday, June 10th at 7 p.m. via Zoom.  
​Hope to see you there!

Want to watch the full meeting? Click here.