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.
​​
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.

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.  ​