Category Archives: classes

Wear it or Frog it!

I have a shawl that I don’t wear, and I decided to frog it (rip-it! rip-it!) to give the yarn another chance to shine.

a purple brioche shawl with orange stars

I didn’t publish this design; I didn’t like the edge (this was my first attempt at putting brioche and assigned pooling together). And I decided (much later) that I didn’t love the high tonal contrast of this dark purple with the pooling yarn.

knitters by the ICE facility in Portland Oregon

I decided to frog it with the ICE knitters today. It was 31 degrees F when I left the house, and I knew my current tiny needle entrelac project would be too fussy for cold fingers. Ripping is much easier.

I got most of it done, but had to finish at home. Too cold!

Balls of yarn and a green Portland Frog Hat

Why yes, I was wearing my Portland Frog Hat while frogging!

Two hanks of frogged yarn. Kinky!

It didn’t look too bad in the ball, but you can see how kinky the yarn is when it’s no longer under tension. I wound the purple yarn on my 2 yard niddy-noddy, and the pooling yarn on my swift. The swift is easier; I’m not sure if I put a twist in with the niddy-noddy.

The yarn has been soaked, and it’s now hanging to dry. I may use a lighter purple, or what if I went all the way wacky and used magenta? Too much? I have some velvety deep blue in the same base, and that could be nice, too. This is MadelineTosh Twist Light.

I need to get something on my needles before I leave for New York next week! I’ve packed my teaching suitcase with class supplies and tech, so I’m almost ready.

What are you dreaming of knitting this year?

Planning, packing, knitting

I’m feeling frightfully organized this month. I taught my first (online) class of 2026 on Friday; it was First Steeks for Modern Daily Knitting. We had a blast, and the chat window was filled with glee as students reported that they had cut their knitting. So much fun!

a piece of knitting being repaired

I’ve scheduled local classes through April. My next local class is on Zoom! I’m teaching Advanced Tink Drop Frog: Fixing Mistakes (including lace) on Saturday, February 7 via For Yarn’s Sake. This is a great way to up your knitting skills! Register here.

class samples

I’m reviewing Powerpoint presentations this week (oh! I forgot; the young people are calling them slide decks these days) for my classes at Vogue Knitting Live NYC so I can pack my teaching suitcase for next week.

collage of brioche plus assigned pooling

And I’m planning the classes I’ll be teaching at Red Alder in February, including my newest class Embellished Brioche: Brioche plus Assigned Pooling. I’m also teaching Brioche Pastiche (beginning brioche), Brioche Doctor, and Assigned Pooling. There’s still room in some classes; check it out here.

My calendar is tidy, so my mind must be, too! Sure.

Happy new year!

A quick look back, and then on to 2026.

collage of 2025 pdxknitterati patterns
2025 PDXKnitterati patterns

I published 10 new patterns in 2025, and gave Brioche Pastiche a big glow up for my Modern Daily Knitting brioche class. Not bad! Patterns are: Jelly Jewels (jewelry organizer), Portland Frog Hat (free), Fantasia Cowlette, Simply Stellar Shawlette, Log Cabin Love Coasters (for January 2026 Modern Daily knitting steek class), Flower Power Entrelac, Scattered Petals, Fired Up, Starstruck, Peekaboo Shawlette, and Brioche Pastiche.

Seven of my new patterns featured assigned pooling (four of those combined brioche and assigned pooling), and five featured brioche. I do have my favorite techniques, don’t I?

The Portland Frog Hat got the most attention this year.

2025 Top Nine
2025 Top Nine

Eight of my Top Nine Instagram posts were related to protest, and the last picture wasn’t even mine! It was a tagged collaboration.

Time to move on to 2026! My first class of the year is Log Cabin Love Coasters, an online class for Modern Daily Knitting. Come cut your first steek with me! It’s very non-threatening when it’s just coasters. Class is on Friday January 16, and it’s recorded so you can see it more than once, or if the time isn’t convenient for you. Register here!

What do YOU want to knit in 2026?

Red Alder Fiber Arts: Treat yourself!

red alder logo

I’m looking forward to teaching at Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat, February 12-15! I’m scheduled to teach 3 brioche classes (my favorite, as you know), and an assigned pooling class.

My newest brioche class is Embellished Brioche, which uses brioche rib as a background for assigned pooling. If you know how to knit brioche rib, this would be a great addition to your brioche toolkit. You can add assigned pooling to any of your brioche rib projects; you just need to know your strategy. I would love a few more students for this class.

Pre-registration is important for events like Red Alder; a class may be cut if it doesn’t get enough pre-registration before January 4. Embellished Brioche is in that danger zone. Treat yourself, and treat me, too! Here are some examples of brioche + pooling:

Collage of shawlette, detail of shawlette, and the assigned pooling yarn
Starstruck
Peekaboo Cowl
a brioche plus assigned pooling cowl
Scattered Petals

My other classes are:

Brioche Pastiche
Brioche Pastiche (beginning 2 color brioche in the round)
Fixing Brioche mistakes
Brioche Doctor (fixing brioche mistakes)
Assigned pooling stitches
Fun stitches for assigned pooling

If you are planning to come to Red Alder, please pre-register for classes! There is limited registration available on-site, but for maximum choice, pre-registration before January 4 is the way to go.

Hope to see you there!

Busy weekend of entrelac, frog hats, music

I was grumbling to myself about having to finish all those ends, and the rest of the design work for this project, when I reminded myself that I had successfully done small circumference entrelac in the round before.

I knit these on dpns, and had no trouble with them. Hmm. Easier than magic loop or flexi-flips. I never thought I’d say that!

It seems a lot less fussy this way. And I do love Brittany birch dpns. I’ll see if I can make this piece be what I want it to be…

two people wearing frog hats

We took a stroll to see some Christmas decorations in the neighborhood. Froggy shenanigans continue! I was pleased to receive a letter this week from a church group that knit 27 frog hats, sold them at their holiday bazaar, and donated $550 to Oregon Food Bank. And I received a note from Northeast Emergency Food Program thanking me for the $100 donation from my frog hat sale. I’m glad the hats help people get fed!

winter choir concert
Alameda Women’s Choir

Our choir concert was on Saturday. We sing pop music, and it is fun!

What Is This Feeling? (from Wicked)

I had a fun solo at the beginning of this song. It’s such a gleeful piece, all about loathing!

Back to work. I’m prepping handouts for Vogue Knitting Live NYC and Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat. My goal is to have them all turned in by tonight. Wish me luck! And register for these events now, if you’d like to come.

VK Virtual class winner and more frog hats

Wow, 11/13 of the commenters want to cut their knitting! We could all use a friend when it comes to that first steek. I’m that friend!

sheepy steeky coasters
sheepy steeky coasters

The winner of a Vogue Knitting virtual class with me is Judith Grant. I used a random number generator to choose. Congratulations, Judith!

If you’re interested in cutting with me, you can still register for this class here. Use coupon code NOV25 for 25% off the class. We’ll discuss ways to reinforce your steek before cutting, cut the steek, and pick up stitches for finishing. Class is on Friday Nov. 14, but it’s also recorded and available for 2 weeks after the event.

frog hat made from goodwill sweater

I was away for the weekend, and talked a friend through cutting some knitting! She doesn’t knit, but she wanted to make a frog hat. She bought a green chenille cardigan at Goodwill. The back of the sweater was wide enough that we could use it for the hat, including the ribbing for the bottom. It’s just a rectangle straight up, seamed to make a tube (she put the seam at the back, since there was only one seam), then seamed across the top. It turned out great.

woman wearing a green knit hat

I finished my worsted weight frog hat, too. Free pattern from me, for worsted and super bulky weight yarns! This yarn was burlier than most worsted, so it’s a little bit big on me.

Green knit hat and Feminist Knit Club patch

I’d like to sell it for a good cause. $100 for the hat and a Feminist Knit Club patch, with all money going to my local food bank (Northeast Emergency Food Program).

Thanks to Thao from Nerdbird Makery for the patches! These are the last of the last; there are no more patches or other Feminist Knit Club swag available. Come and get it!

How was your weekend?

VK Virtual class giveaway

I’m teaching two classes next weekend for Vogue Knitting’s November virtual event. This is the last VK Virtual event of 2025; the next one will be in February. They’re running a sale, use code NOV25 for 25% off all remaining classes. The classes are recorded and available for 2 weeks after the event, so you can sign up for class even if the time isn’t convenient for you. I’m signing up for a class that’s at the same time as one of mine, and I’ll watch it a bit later.

I’m giving away a spot in one of my classes; would you like to win that spot?

tink drop frog

Tink Drop Frog teaches you how to identify and fix mistakes in your knitting. This is a great class for advanced beginner to early intermediate knitters. This class is on Saturday November 15.

Sheepy Steeky Coasters walks you through reinforcing and cutting your first steek. You knit your coasters before class, so there’s some homework. This class is on Friday, November 14.

If you’re interested in winning a spot, leave a comment telling me which class you’d like to take. I’ll pick a winner on Wednesday November 12. Good luck! (Edit: I’m changing this to Tuesday Nov. 11, to give time for homework…)

Steeks, log cabin knitting, and a tidy bind off

Collage of me and my Log Cabin Love steeked coasters

I’m very pleased to be teaching my second class with Modern Daily Knitting in January. It’s a workshop on cutting your first steek! We’ll be using my Log Cabin Love Coasters pattern, which also features a log cabin knitting border. That’s peak MDK. The virtual class is on Friday January 16. It will be on Zoom, and also recorded. You can register here.

While working on my log cabin edges, I’ve been annoyed by the loose stitch at the end of my bind off. It doesn’t matter in the middle of a project, because I’ll be picking up stitches all the way around the edge, but at some point there will be an outside edge that lets that loose stitch show.

I went poking around on the interwebs, and found a great tutorial by Patty Lyons on the Modern Daily Knitting site. She demonstrates five methods; some of them take pre-planning. All of them are shown with stockinette stitch, and they look great.

My favorite is the one that takes the least planning and effort. Yep, that’s me; git ‘er done. It does show a little bit more in garter stitch knitting, but I think I prefer that to having a loose stitch on the outside edge. I made a video for my log cabin knitting classes.

What do you think? Does that little blip bother you, or does the burble in the garter stitch bother you more? Knitter’s choice! I haven’t found a perfect solution, but this is good enough for me. For now. And I’ll definitely be using it for stockinette stitch.

Do you have a better way? I’d love to know that, too!

Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival 2025

I spent the weekend in Albany, Oregon teaching at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. I taught entrelac, Darn It! (mending), and log cabin knitting.

I think the mending was the most challenging for me, because it’s been a hot minute since I’ve taught it. But I was ready, and we had fun.

I didn’t have a lot of time in the market, but I managed to snag a few things.

Yarns for frog hats, and some sweet buttons for a baby sweater.

How do you start knitting a frog hat? Rib it! Rib it! 🐸 This super bulky is knitting up quickly on US 15 needles. I’m riffing off Pussy Hat for 4 gauges by Sarah Keller, pattern free on Ravelry. I’ll add buttons and felt for eyes.

Flock and fiber festival isn’t just for knitting. There are animals (I only saw the bunnies), spinning, weaving, crochet.

This wet felted hat with needle felted ornamentation was my favorite piece in the exhibition. It’s by Val Kinman, who was in my log cabin class on Sunday.

Needle felted pygora goats. I didn’t catch the name of the artist. If I find out, I’ll update here. Edit: Lester Nishimura is the artist, and he has only been needle felting since early this year!

Navajo style weaving by Bob Van Slyke

Saw lots of fiber friends over the weekend; it’s always great to catch up! You can see more of my pictures on Instagram, if you’re so inclined.

Karen’s frog hat is fabulous! I was going to use the green worsted for a brioche beanie and add eyes, but I really like the shaping on this one. We shall see…this pattern is Frog Hat by Annanitato Lolo, available on Ravelry. The eyes are crocheted.

It’s definitely knitting season!

I get a round

Three knit circles

So it’s gone from this

A knit circle being stretched over an embroidery hoop

to this

Three knit circles featuring assigned pooling, and a cat

to this! Pardon my Quality Assurance Cat; she’s making sure the ends have been woven in properly.

A knit circle featuring assigned pooling motifs on an embroidery hoop

I’ve added spiral stitch markers to the circle; can you see them? They’re cats! The ears help them stay in place. The stitch markers are meant to hold my lightweight necklaces. Which I’ll show you, once I get them untangled. They’re currently in a box, all jumbled up.

Reminder: The Knit Your Own Adventure Summit is this week! This free online event will help you be a more confident knitter. Learn more about the Knit Your Own Adventure Summit, and grab your free ticket here (The links to the summit give me credit for you signing up, which is free. If you upgrade your access with an Expedition Pass, I receive a commission. Your choice!)

My presentation is Frogging Your Knitting: Getting Back On Track. And I’m participating in a Zoom panel on Tuesday October 7 at 1 pm Central. It’s called Live Fix-It Lab: Your Top Troubleshooting Questions Answered. Come join the fun!