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.
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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. Next month, Anna will cover Training Wheel tips (going through something you already do, but in an easier way!). Send your ideas and tips for future Member Tips to info@puddletownknittersguild.com. Programs Chair Sharon Grayzel introduced our featured speaker, designer Françoise Danoy of Aroha Knits. Françoise is a Franco-Maori,Australian-American knitwear designer and knit design coach living in San Antonio, Texas (and she previously lived in Japan for many years). She enjoys helping people who want to improve their designs, and create meaningful and fulfilling work. Françoise has published over 100 patterns, the majority of them being shawls. Why shawls? She has discovered a plethora of shawl shapes that you can play around with. Françoise applies her creativity within the five major shawl shapes, which are Triangular, Crescent, Asymmetrical, Side-to-Side, and 3/4 Shawl. She also notes that learning the construction of shawls has helped her create non-shawl pieces, such as sweaters, cowls, scarves and hats. In Puddletown’s August meeting, she covered shawl design, in a condensed version of her “five shawls in five days” online workshop. Françoise talked about many aspects including the different types of cast on methods, how to accomplish increases, the importance of slant and curve to certain shawl types, how bias is generated and maintained, and which shawl types are most comfortable when worn. She discussed which techniques lead to a stretchy fabric, which lend themselves to adaptations, and which are most easily charted. She also highlighted the importance of blocking due to the puckers that are created when yarn-overs are used to obtain increases. Members were given a link to download the handout, and are encouraged to watch the recording again as needed. This extremely interesting presentation brings a lot of clarity for shawl knitters, by explaining how shawl designs incorporate structural features in their approach, while also including many helpful hints for producing beautiful finished objects. 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. Join us next month for Francoise Danoy of Aroha Knits, who will present Demystifying Shawl Shapes on August 12th at 7 p.m. 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. by Melanie Chen Guild President Kimberly Williams welcomed everyone to the April 2021 meeting, and noted that it has been a full year since we started doing our meeting via Zoom! Kimberly thanked lyric and Julie for their dedication and hard work in making the Zoom meetings happen so smoothly. We not only have raffles via Zoom, we have voting via Zoom! And our meeting attendance has been phenomenal. Much appreciation to everyone who has paid their dues, and a reminder for those who have not yet done so that we hope you will use our membership payment link today. On March 31st, Ravelry retired its classic mode. As has been announced in the past, their new interface may cause issues for people living with light-triggered migraines or photosensitive epilepsy. If you live with these conditions, we suggest that you have a buddy access your account. Some designers, including our own Michele Bernstein and Shannon Squire, are making their patterns available on Payhip. Other options for pattern browsing and shopping include Etsy, yarndatabase.com, designers’ websites and yarn companies’ websites. Need a buddy? Want to be a buddy? Email us at info@puddletownknittersguild.com and we will match people up. We are continuing our charity Winter Warmth knitting drive for Rose Haven through October/November of this year. Rose Haven is a day shelter and community center serving women, gender non-conforming folks, and their children experiencing poverty, trauma, and intersecting issues. Washable warm items, such as socks, hats, scarves, mittens, gloves, and even sweaters are being collected and please note that we appreciate having matching socks and mittens attached together. Good news with regard to our Sister Guild in Uganda; Katherine found a way to get the donated needles there, so they are on their way! Vote on Bylaws. As announced in an email sent to all members, a brief business meeting was conducted to amend the portion of bylaws relating to the structure of the Puddletown Knitters Guild Board. Kimberly called the meeting to order officially, read the proposed new Article III regarding Officers and noted that the change is to add language for At Large Board members. The motion passed with a quorum as required. The approved bylaws can be read here. Sharon Grayzel introduced noted knitting ergonomics expert Carson Demers as our April featured speaker. Carson is a knitter, spinner, weaver, physical therapist, and author of the book Knitting Comfortably, and his topic for the evening was Knitting Longevity and Comfort. Carson’s background as both a knitter and physical therapist combined with his own experience undergoing injuries that interfered with his life, led him to study and become passionate about ergonomics. He saw lots of knitters around 2000ish and realized that while their main physicians would tell them to stop knitting, they also had other manual work that was contributing to their problems. Carson undertook his own analysis of common knitting behaviors that interfere with good performance and developed some key tips to improve these behaviors. He looked at technique, posture, and chair selection in particular and cautioned that knitters might need to learn a method to implement change so that they can achieve optimal performance without overburdening their systems. Otherwise, discomfort and even injury might result. Carson acknowledged that he is sometimes seen as something akin to a “posture nun”, and when he attends group events in person, he can tell who has heard him speak by the way they sit up straighter when he is around! Carson recommended that we consider using a chair for knitting that is designed for desk work. This is because when you are reclining, you have to flex your shoulders to see your work. To counteract this, you can do stretches that involve opening up your shoulder front. He advised us to learn to knit without looking down at our knitting, to remember to stretch occasionally, and to tension our yarn in a way that doesn’t cause us to pull our fingers far away from the needles. The overall objective is to minimize the force used in knitting because our tissues can tolerate less force over time as we age. Finally, he said to remember to have fun! If you are interested in making changes to your knitting, go for the low hanging fruit. You can stay within your system and just add stretches to your knitting, or drink more water. And it is iImportant to reward even the smallest success (that includes noticing failure) and appreciate them. “No negative self talk--stay happy in the playground,” said Carson. Audience members obviously took great interest in his approach and asked many follow-up questions. Our member tip from Anna Lorton was preceded by a short bonus tip regarding how much yarn to allocate for the long-tail cast-on (her advice is four times the desired length of stitches, and hold the tail over the thumb). Anna then launched into the main tip regarding Swatch Motivation and unveiled an absolutely brilliant Gauge Swatch Data Sheet to record the date, yarn type, cast on style, needle size, knitting style, etc. Best of all, Anna is sharing this so we can use it, too! You can download the PDF below if you just want to use Anna's form and/or the .docx version if you want to easily change it up, or use it only electronically.
Next month’s tip will cover the finer points of how to wind cakes and balls from skeins. Anna also said if anyone has a tip to share or request, please reach out. Due to the enthusiastic participation in our Show and Tell portion of the meeting, Kimberly said the Board is hoping to put in some parameters to help us remain within our overall time limits: Each member is requested to show one item (or set), keep to one minute and cover a brief description of the yarn, pattern and any alterations. This month’s fantastic items were produced by the below knitters. What a treat to see all this eye candy! Next month’s meeting on Thursday, May 13th at 7 PM will feature Faith Humphrey Hill of Dartily with a presentation on Mirror Knitting. Mark your calendars!
by Melanie Chen Puddletown Knitters Guild Board Chair Kimberly Williams (sporting a beautiful Meditations shawl, which was this year’s Mystery Knit Along for the annual Rose City Yarn Crawl) convened the March 2021 meeting, which debuted a truly inspiring video presentation by Native Knits designer Jennifer Berg. Kimberly thanked everyone who has paid their annual dues, issued a gentle reminder to those who still have it on their To-Do List and announced that the Board has decided to keep the meetings in virtual format via Zoom through October. This allows the Guild to book speakers from farther away than normal, a benefit to help offset the loss of shared in-person time. Many thanks to those who have already made items for the Winter Warmth Drive (this year's charity knitting for Rose Haven women’s shelter), and finished projects continue to roll in, which is wonderful. If you are doing paired items (mittens, socks, etc.) it would be great to put them together in a clear bag or pin them together so the mates don’t get lost. Our sister guild in Uganda was recently given help from USAID to sell their items through the internet. They will receive our gifted needles as soon as Kathryn Gearheard is able to travel with them. The 1:00 PM afternoon slots for April 17 and 24 are still available for Jennifer Berg’s Mixing of Cultures stranded colorwork class, but going fast! Jen’s work will also be offered at the Native Knits trunk show April 1-4 hosted by Weird Sisters. There will be a virtual show with Jennifer on April 1st via zoom to kick it off. Weird Sisters also has a spring Knit Along (KAL) featuring Anker’s Summer Shirt by Petite Knit (done in a light DK yarn) set for March 17, 31, and April 14. The Knitted Wit has announced a Springtime KAL with kits available now and KAL itself starting on March 20. Call for Sock Test Knitters. Abstract Fiber seeks 3-4 experienced sock knitters or adventurous beginners, and they will supply the pdf pattern and yarn. Contact abstractfiber@gmail.com for more information. Our Member Tip this month looked at Stash Organization. Anna took us through several good ways to keep our yarn sorted, including by weight, project, fiber, brand, and color. Anna personally uses categories of yarn: sock yarn, mini-skeins, left over bits of yarn, yarn already designated for projects (kits, etc.) and general yarn all kept in bins, and then places recent acquisitions throughout the house to gaze at and consider the possibilities! We thank Kerry Elenitoba-Johnson for sharing the Closet Organizers and Kimberly Williams the Fabric Cubes methods they use and imagine that one day soon our stashes, too, might just be better organized. Bonus Member Tip: drawing from the Vogue Live knitting class with Lili Chin, Anna shared this rule of thumb for determining appropriate needle size: take intended yarn, fold it double and see which size needle matches it best by looping it through a needle gauge guide with holes. Next month’s Member tip: swatch motivation. How do you get yourself in the right frame of mind to do a proper swatch before commencing a project? Anna welcomes suggestions from members who have tackled this. The centerpiece of the March meeting was the must-see video produced by Native Knits designer Jennifer Berg. Jen, who draws inspiration from her Dine/Navajo cultural background, took us on a tour of her birthplace, showing us the sights and colors that feature prominently in her work. Jen noted that while her designs are based on traditional themes, she often puts a contemporary twist on them. Above all, she uses the knit pieces to tell a story of the Navajo people’s continued existence, strength, and resilience. “We are still here,” she noted. Jen also gave us a window into her family’s heritage and traditions and linked them to the patterns and symbols that she incorporates in her knitwear. We got a glimpse of the art and craft-filled interior of Chee’s Indian Store, which has been in Jen’s family for four generations, and also learned about their philosophy to employ Navajos and provide livelihoods for the community. Jen spoke to us about the distinction between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, and how we can avoid the former and embody the latter, but she emphasized that her goal is to encourage people’s curiosity about not just the Navajo, but all the Native Americans and their traditions. Jenn has kindly offered a 20% discount to PKG members. She also gave us a preview of her stunning new design, the Sheep Camp Sweater, which is due to be released later in March. We’ve been busy! Guild members were able to enjoy seeing the completed projects of so many knitters. Congratulations to this month's raffle prize winners!
Mark your calendars for next month’s meeting on April 8 with Carson Demers of Ergo, I Knit, who will provide tips to knitting longevity and comfort. Want to watch the full meeting? Click here. by Anna Lorton The February meeting started and there was a winter storm on its way! Cozy in our pajamas we met over zoom. The meeting was opened by our distinguished Chair Kimberly. If you are not a member but feel like you get something from our meetings, please consider joining. We do have costs to run our guild and it is nice to know that we can continue to provide for our community. If you cannot afford to become a member at this time, we do have scholarship memberships; email us at info@puddletownknittersguild.com if you are interested, no questions asked. If you would like to purchase a gift membership for a friend or donate to the scholarship fund, email us, we can certainly also do that! Thank you! Winter Warmth for Rose Haven Day Shelter: knit something to keep someone warm for our 2021 charity knitting drive. Please use yarn that can go through the washer and dryer. There is yarn available for charity knitting; contact us and we will get it to you. Our Jennifer Berg event is coming up! Colorwork classes over zoom! Registration will be in your email soon. Member Tips with Anna: Knitting with your eyes closed! (or at least not looking at your knitting). You can do it! All it takes is a little practice and Anna talked about why, what, and how you would start doing this. Why? Maybe you like those Swedish mystery television shows and have to put down your knitting to read the subtitles, maybe you want to impress your friends. Whatever the reason you CAN do it. The first thing to consider is WHAT you are knitting. Don't try to do intense colorwork, any lace, or cables. Shoot for plain knitting, plain purling, or ribbing. How to start: start by closing your eyes for a little longer than a blink. Then longer and longer stretches. Choose a particular part of the stitch to close them and then peek. Just keep practicing and soon you too can take your knitting to the movie theater (when they open up again). Tip: explosions are good excuses to pick up stitches you may have dropped; at the opera you may choose to just fix your mistakes later (there are not many explosions at the opera). Next were some book recommendations from Anna and others: The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren recommended by Kimberly Cast On, Bind Off by Leslie Ann Bestor recommended by Julie Knitting Rules by SPM recommended by Anna The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd recommended by Anna The Principles of Knitting by June Hemmons Hiatt recommended by Anna Next Month (March), we will be talking about yarn organization! Sharon introduced our February speakers: Kristine Vejar and Adrienne Rodriguez, the authors of the book Journeys in Natural Dyeing. Kristine and Adrienne came to our meeting from their shop, A Verb for Keeping Warm, in Oakland, California. Adrienne started with a land acknowledgment before she and Kristine showed us the production dye studio, educational dye garden, and retail space. Kristine talked about their journey to understand both the natural fibers and dyes and where they originate from. It's not as simple to use natural dyes and get a rainbow of colors, especially since the processes are often passed from generation to generation and not written down. But it is possible and Kristine and Adrienne have been working on books to explain what they discovered in order to make natural dyeing more accessible. If you want to go natural, you can get natural dyeing extracts, which are highly concentrated powders, as well as using the plants themselves. Kristine explained what colors various plants can create and the methods that they used to dye several fibers, as well as discussing how in different regions, different plant life can be used. They showed us glorious pictures from their latest book and the plethora of colors you can get with only natural dyes, as well as techniques to alter colors from the same dye source. The presentation ended with a variety of questions, from simple to complex. We are thrilled that they came and shared so much knowledge with our guild. We ended the meeting with show and tell and the raffle. Our knitters have been productive and have created some beautiful things. It will be great to see you next month for Jennifer Berg!!!!
Want to watch the full meeting? Click here. by Anna Lorton The first meeting of 2021 was headed by our new and fabulous Chair Kimberly Williams. Kimberly said that the Guild is seeking a volunteer to help organize special events. They'd be involved in setting up and taking care of the details for things like classes/workshops, annual special events like our brunch and destash party, arranging field trips and tables at festivals (once those sort of things become available again). If you are interested, contact us at events@puddletownknittersguild.com. Kimberly also mentioned that if you haven't yet, you can renew your membership online! The 2021 charity knitting was announced as Winter Warmth for ROSE HAVEN. Rose Haven is a day shelter and community center supporting women, gender non-conforming folk and their children. This is the second time that we have knit for Rose Haven, partially because Rose Haven is accepting donations, whereas many organizations are not because of the pandemic. Katie O’Brian from Rose Haven spoke to us and told us about the services that Rose Haven has been able to provide to the community. The charity knitting’s theme is Winter Warmth. We will be knitting anything to keep people warm: hats, mittens, scarves, shawls, sweater, socks! Any size is acceptable. The only requirement is that the item MUST be machine washable, so superwash wool, cotton, or other fiber that fits that description. The Guild had a large donation of charity yarn given to us by Knit Picks, so if you need yarn for charity projects it will be available for pick up Friday 1/22 & Saturday 1/2. Email outreach@puddletownknittersguild.com to arrange a time (If you are reading this at any point after 1/23, you can still contact us, as we will find a way to get yarn to you). There was an update from Katheryn on our sister guild, Brave Girls Knitting. They have started using circular needles and adore them! They have all started experimenting with cabling. Exciting! When we can get stuff to them, we will. Next Anna gave some member tips. The Freebie Tip was that you can get different tips on a tapestry needle, sharp and blunt. The blunt tipped needles are best for grafting and seaming. The sharp tipped needles are really handy to have when you want to sew ends in. You can split the yarn in the back to better hold the end down. I have also been known to embroider designs with dates and names on the wrong side all because weaving with the sharp needle was so much more entertaining that the blunt needle. The Main Tip was about a technique to avoid ladders in your knitting. Ladders are when there is too much running yarn between two stitches in a consistent place. The technique covered: When you come to the stitch on the left side of where the ladder is or where you expect a ladder to form, insert your needle as if to knit into the stitch. Western knitters, at this point would usually wrap the working yarn COUNTER CLOCKWISE around the right needle to form the new stitch. Since we are trying to use LESS yarn to make the stitch—so that there is less yarn available to the ladder—wrap the yarn around the right needle in a CLOCKWISE direction. This will use less yarn than the other direction and hopefully a ladder will not form there. It is as if our working yarn is taking a shortcut around the right needle. The only consideration to keep in mind with this method is that you must knit into the back of that stitch on the next round so that it is seated as the rest of the stitches are, in the case of the western way, with the leading leg forward. Next Month’s Tip theme is: What book(s) should knitters know about? Email your recommendations to info@puddletownknittersguild.com. Also: if you have any tips that you would hope that Anna would cover please send them along as she is putting together the tip calendar for 2021. Sharon introduced the evening's speaker: Cecelia Campochiaro. Cecelia is the author of two books. They cover playing with color and texture and are available here from Schoolhouse Press. Cecelia is from California. The theme of the talk was “Knitting Beautiful Fabric with a thoughtful Process”. Fabric has an underlying logic and architecture, and when you understand that you can be more free in your crafting. First Cecelia talked about sequence knitting which is using knits and purls in sequence to create texture. She talked about different ways that you can change fabric with shapes and texture by changing the sequence of knitting it or changing the amount of stitches cast on in relation to the sequence. If you have a sequence that is 6 stitches long, and you cast on a multiple of 6, you'll get one texture. If you cast on 6+1, or 6+2, or 6+3 and knit the same sequence, you'll get three entirely different textures. Second Cecelia talked about marling. Marling is a yarn, a fabric, and an action. You can control color in knitting by knitting with multiple strands of different colors. Cecelia mentioned visiting Vivian Høxbro (who has written Domino Knitting, Shadow Knitting, and other books) and when talking about variegated yarn, Viven told Cecelia, she didn’t like variegated because she wanted to put the color where she wanted the color. She didn’t want the yarn to do it for her. In marling, you put the color where you want the color. The history and inspiration of marling Cecelia talked about is fascinating. Marianne Isager is a modern marl knitting designer; She innovated a marl that looks like newsprint. Setsuko Torii also added much to the development of marling in knitting. Kaffe Fassett's Glorious Knits was the first time that Cecelia ever saw really complicated colorwork knits. Stephen West marls with handpainted yarns. Anna Maltz's book Marlisle: A New Direction in Knitting, combines marling and Fair Isle. One of the major reasons to marl is to get more colors. Knitters are usually limited by the yarns that can be purchased. Cecelia always want more colors. Making marls makes more colors. Microswatching is a method Cecelia uses to be able to see how the yarns she has chosen will look in different combinations. Cecelia broke down the nitty gritty of how to calculate yarn weights of yarns knit double, as they are when marling. She also gave tips on how to wind the yarn in preparation for marling. All in all it was a great talk and the classes Cecelia is teaching for the guild at the end of the month should be fun! As always, it was wonderful to see more pictures from members' projects for our virtual show and tell. Enjoy knitting weather until we see each other again.
by Melanie Chen The December meeting marked an important milestone, the official transition from the outgoing Puddletown Knitters Guild Board to the new. Margaret Weddell noted that we have successfully come through a difficult year together, and wished everyone a happy holiday season, according to their beliefs, and spoke about how our Guild has been built upon principles of inclusivity and compassion, which are more important now than ever. Margaret then turned the meeting over to incoming Chair Kimberly Williams. Kimberly commended Guild members for their dedication in making 147 toys sent to the organization Butterfly Boxes for area refugee children. Charity knitting is its own reward, but to make it even better there was a raffle for participants, and enthusiastic toy-maker Susan Plack won the drawing of yarn. Ann Howell’s noteworthy contribution of 34 bears and mermaids was also recognized with an appreciation prize. Congratulations Susan and Ann and thank you to everyone who crafted toys! Kimberly noted the outstanding contributions of outgoing Board members Margaret Weddell (Board Chair), Natalie Sass (Secretary/Treasurer), Annette Caughman (Programs Chair) and Kim Winter (Volunteer Coordinator and Programs Co-chair). Zoom didn’t allow us to rise for a standing ovation, but the comments reflected our deep appreciation. We still need a Programs Co-Chair, so anyone interested in helping with special events like classes, annual brunch/destash party, as well as supporting monthly speakers, please contact events@puddletownknittersguild.com. The 2021 Membership Drive is now ongoing, and an early bird discount price of $30 is offered to those who renew or join by Dec. 31, 2020. After that, the normal price of $35 will apply. Pre-COVID, the Free Table was a highlight of our monthly meetings, and a new discussion thread Virtual Free Table has been started on Ravelry for those able to access it. The idea is one way to allow sharing of items, but still relies on individuals to practice social distancing, mask-wearing, and safety measures. Do you want to be a test knitter or do commission knitting? The Guild is often contacted by designers and others in need of knitters, so let us know if you would like your name and contact information to be added to the list. We have an exciting upcoming speaker and virtual workshop: acclaimed designer Cecilia Campochiaro will present an introduction to Sequence Knitting and Making Marls at our January 14 meeting, where you can hear about sequence knitting, marls as colorwork, and Cecelia’s journey from high tech to knitting-book author. There will also be a three-part Zoom class exploring Marls and Color, with registration (fee $40) opening Jan. 3, 2021 for members in good standing. Classes will take place Jan. 30, Feb 6, and Feb. 13, with a class size max of 20 people. Required materials, which can be done using stash yarn, are heavy lace weight yarn of six different colors. There will be a Ravelry page to help coordinate group yarn acquisition, given that only around 75 yards is required of each color. We also have been granted a 20% discount on Cecilia’s books at Schoolhouse Press, using promo code Puddletown Knitters. If you are missing interaction with PKG members, consider dropping in on the Virtual Knit nights held weekly via Zoom on Tuesdays from 6 to 8 PM. The link changes weekly and can be found on the Events page of the website. Anna Lorton’s Member Tips for December featured the Kitchener Stitch, aka grafting, which is a nifty technique for attaching two pieces of fabric together. Anna presented different ways to do it, and next month’s member tip will cover the dreaded appearance of ladders, and how to avoid them when using double-pointed needles. Our featured speaker for December was Lori Patterson of Abstract Fiber, who spoke on understanding yarn through hand spinning. Lori believes that hand spinning your own yarn is positively the best way to understand yarn, and when you understand yarn you can genuinely make your knitted projects truly your own. By way of background, Lori shared that she went to an arts focused high school, Emerson College, and art school in Atlanta, prior to arriving in Portland. In 2018, she purchased Abstract Fiber and since then has been producing intense color through hand painted skeins of yarn. She calls hand painting a slow, peaceful, reflective process. Spinning is something that Lori discovered almost by accident while she was at the Yarn Garden. She showed us her first spinning wheel, and gave us a glimpse at her extensive collection of spinning wheels and spindles. Lori likes to think of spinning as an extension of knitting. Most knitters think of it as a meditative process, and spinning adds the empowering feeling of making your own yarn, which gives you a sense of value that is beyond what can be derived from commercial yarn. Lori noted that spinning allows you to make the yarn you want to knit in terms of color, weight/gauge. You can explore different breeds of yarn-producing sheep, other animals and even plants. Lori gave us an overview of the types of equipment involved in spinning, such as the drum carder, niddy noddy, control card, types of wheels, and also shared a list of websites for wheels and equipment including https://woolery.com/, https://www.paradisefibers.com/, www.etsy.com, https://www.dreamingrobots.com/, and https://www.heavenlyhandspinning.com/, as well as Ravelry. She also showed us spindles and how they are used and recommend the sites, https://bosworthspindles.com/, https://www.snyderspindles.com/, https://yarntools.com/ (Jenkins), and https://www.akerworks.com/. Having given us that whirlwind tour of spinning equipment, Lori then demonstrated actual spinning, and showed us techniques for drafting, controlling the size, ratios, twist, and treading. Lori shared a helpful hint to practice with commercial yarn before you actually start spinning and also demonstrated spindle spinning. Her last slide contains great magazine and book recommendations, including the Fleece and Fiber sourcebook, reference book Yarnitecture, https://plymagazine.com/, and https://spinoffmagazine.com/, as well as YouTube. All these links and a few more are consolidated here. This month’s show and tell included Michelle Corcoran, Melanie Chen, Shannon Goffe, Sue Heck and Laurel Kaufman. Happy Holiday season and Happy New Year! And a final big thanks to Margaret Weddell, who now gets more time to actually knit! See you next month!
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