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
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!
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:
StarstruckPeekaboo CowlScattered Petals
My other classes are:
Brioche Pastiche (beginning 2 color brioche in the round)Brioche Doctor (fixing brioche mistakes)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.
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…
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 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…)
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!
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.
to this! Pardon my Quality Assurance Cat; she’s making sure the ends have been woven in properly.
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!
I’m excited to be part of the Knit Your Own Adventure Summit! This is a free 4-day event where you’ll learn from 20+ top knitting designers who are ready to help you fix your knitting mistakes, tackle challenging techniques with ease, and knit with confidence.
I’m giving a presentation about frogging your knitting. As a designer, I have a lot of experience with frogging. It’s part of my design process. (Rip-it, rip-it, rip-it! Practice makes perfect.)
This summit is free! You can watch the presentations for 48 hours after they go up. You can also upgrade your access with an Expedition Pass, but basic access is totally free.
You can get all the details about the Knit Your Own Adventure Summit over here, but as a quick recap:
The summit will run from October 7-10, 2025
Each day will be packed with amazing speakers who are ready to help you learn
The summit is absolutely free to attend, but you can choose to get the upgraded Expedition Pass for bonus resources and an upgraded event experience
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!)
I spent last week in San Diego, presenting and teaching for the San Diego North Coast Knitters Guild. This is a happening guild! They bring in guest speakers/teachers nearly every month, and have two retreats per year. Impressive!
Monday was travel day, in order to be in place on Tuesday. I arrived in the afternoon, so I went to the beach! Moonlight State Beach was just a half mile down the street from my hotel in Encinitas.
Not your usual concession stand hot dog
It’s a lot more crowded than an Oregon Coast beach, because the water is warm.
I walked a half mile south to where it was quieter. Perfect. Then back to my starting point, and a little ways north. I sat on the sand watching the waves, and it was so pleasant that I couldn’t bring myself to get up for an hour past when I thought I should.
I explored the main drag of Encinitas. Very touristy, lots of fun shops and eateries. And overlooks at the ends of the streets so you can see the beach and ocean.
The main drag is Highway 101, so 4 of these surround every tree and lightpost. .
I gave a presentation on my design process, and blocking accessories at the guild meeting on Tuesday. And I enjoyed the Show and Share time at the end of the meeting.
The knitters in Emmy’s family had a knitalong (KAL) of the Both Sides Now shawl that I designed for Knit Picks. It was fun to see so many of them, and to see how different each side looked.
And one of the knitters modeled a cardigan that she started in 1997. She had set it aside many times, and was finally determined to finish it. Then she ran out of her lilac yarn, so she color blocked one of the fronts in a gorgeous spring green. It looked fabulous, but the kicker? She found the rest of the yarn after finishing the sweater! I think the color blocking really added to the piece, so it was a serendipitous misplacing.
I was pleased to have a chance to wear my new Scattered Petals cowl.
I taught classes on Wednesday and Thursday: Brioche Pastiche, Whale Conga Line, YO YO Fancy Stitches, and Sheepy Steeky Coasters.
I loved that program coordinator Theresa bound off her coasters just before class, and she brought her steamer for steam blocking!
Mary is knitting a Starstruck shawlette. I love her color choices.
It was so nice to meet Karen, who test knit for my Brioche Knit Love book.
Theresa, Denise, Karla, Anne
I had a great time with this guild! I’d happily teach for them again.
I came home and hit the ground running. Lots to get done this week before I leave on Friday to go sing in Sisters!
Find my patterns on Ravelry: Michele Bernstein Designs
Here are some of my favorites, and the newest. Many of my designs are also available through my Payhip store.
PDXKnitterati 