Category Archives: events

Red Alder 2026

Posted on February 19, 2026 | 1 comment

I had a fabulous time at Red Alder Fiber Arts Festival last weekend. I taught 4 classes: Brioche Pastiche, Brioche Doctor, Embellished Brioche (brioche + assigned pooling), and Fun Stitches for Assigned Pooling. I was in my technique heaven!

Andrea

Andrea wore her Whale Conga Line to Assigned Pooling class. I love seeing finished projects from previous classes!

Katherine wore hers, too! And I loved wearing my Seagull Flight shawl from Brioche Knit Love. (Seagull Flight pattern is still on sale for 15% off with code FLOCK through February 24.)

It was fun to have Lily Chin teaching on this coast! I usually see her in NYC.

The marketplace was full of goodies, as usual. And I feel like an influencer: Last year I asked several dyers if they had assigned pooling yarns, and I only found one.

Tara from Stranded by the Sea gave me the yarn that turned into Fired Up last year (see it over her shoulder?), and had lots more pooling yarn this year in both fingering and worsted weight.

I picked up some Starry Night to demo in my assigned pooling class, and also picked up sparkly yarn…and chocolate.

Phat Girlz Fibre also had pooling yarn, and Ashley took my pooling class to make the most of it.

Dragonfly Fibers/Canon Hand Dyes had gradient and rainbow assigned pooling minis (very cool).

And Northwest Yarns had assigned pooling yarn AND my books, which we sold out. Woohoo!

Greta showed me her Portland Frog Hat. I’m getting to ya!

I also loved Susan’s little frog hat in the Runway Rubber Duck contest. He took 3rd place, yay!

Debbie’s duck took Top Duck and Fan Favorite. The small scale lace and bead shawl plus the red hat were well done.

Anna-Lisa’s group won the Top Flock award with this Olympic themed team.

And Mr. New Beginnings at the train station modeled my Fired Up Cowl.

I had a great time teaching, socializing, shopping, and knitting.

But perhaps brioche plus pooling isn’t the best choice for knitting by the fire during a late night game of Cards Against Humanity. I taught Brioche Doctor the day before, so I was definitely prepared to frog and get this back on the needles!

This morning I gave a presentation on Design Process and taught an assigned pooling class for the Greater Boston Knitting Guild; we had a fun 3 hours together! Let me know if your guild would like a presentation or class, too. Tomorrow I’m off to Spain to visit friends. DH is staying home with the cats. Hasta luego!

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A frog is (re)born

Posted on February 7, 2026 | 5 comments

It was a toss-up about which of my frogged yarns was going to be on the needles first.

balls of yarn, and a frog hat

And it was this one!

two balls of yarn, and a bit of knitting

Remember I said I thought the dark purple was too contrasty with the pooling yarn? Before I went to New York, I popped in the LYS to pick a green, figuring that Mother Nature knows what she’s doing. But I didn’t love this so I ended up going with the dark purple again.

two hanks of yarn, before soaking to unkink it

I was really glad I wound 3 of my 4 hanks on my swift, because the dark purple that I wound on my 2 yard niddy-noddy was too wide for my swift when I was ready to re-wind it after soaking. I had to wait for DH to come home from a trip so he could be my human swift, the night before I left for VKLive.

brioche and assigned pooling knitting

The initial bit of knitting looks pretty good. Using the dark purple as background and a small featured accent helps tone it down. I’m not sure about my pooling motifs, though. And then I had another idea while I was at my aqua-fit class. I do a lot of mind knitting in the pool.

reconditioned yarn

So this yarn is now the project on the needles.

brioche and assigned pooling knitting in greens

I’m realizing that the orange color pop is shorter than I’m used to, but it works fine for the motif I’m using. Part of the fun of assigned pooling is that every yarn is different, and you can choose what you want to do or not do, to adapt or let it be.

So this is my “mindless” knitting project to take with me to Red Alder Fiber Festival on Wednesday. I’ll be gone for the weekend, teaching classes and hanging out with other fiber loving creators. For now I have to set it aside and prep my teaching things, and pack!

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VKL NYC 2026

Posted on February 3, 2026 | 5 comments

I’m back! I had a fabulous time teaching and playing at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC. I taught 5 classes and we had a lot of fun!

steeking class

I think the one with the highest risk/reward ratio was my Log Cabin Love Coasters class, which involved reinforcing and cutting steeks, and then adding log cabin edges. These knitters are no longer afraid to cut their knitting!

I was thrilled to be a featured designer with GoSadi, a new platform for designers and makers.

My Whale Conga Line cowl was featured in the designer display (upper group).

What is GoSadi? According to their site, “GoSadi is your central hub for discovering, saving, and organizing your favorite knit and crochet patterns from across the web. Follow your favorite designers, keep track of your projects, and find endless inspiration all in one place—built to make your creative life simpler and more joyful.”

The Makers part of GoSadi just launched last week. You can sign up for a free maker’s account at this link. There are upgrades you can pay for, but the basic membership is free. Decide if you like it, and you can cancel at any time. I’ve been part of the Designers side of things for the last year, but I haven’t spent a lot of time on it. I’m not good about taking time to learn new things that aren’t knitting! I’ll catch up soon.

Sarah Divi's interactive art display
Sarah Divi Art

I was charmed by Sarah Divi‘s interactive art exhibit; she was here last year, too.

ellie d'eustachio's knitted coral reef

Ellie d’Eustachio‘s knitted coral reef was kinetic and tactile, and blacklit!

knitted corals

She said the corals were especially fun to knit, and encouraged me to touch them.

I posted lots more pictures on my Instagram and Facebook accounts, so if you want more you can find them at those links. I’m not quite done posting yet!

Times Square

I spent all of my time in the venue, the Marriott Marquis at Times Square. It was super cold out and I didn’t get out at all, except for a show on Wednesday night after arriving.

Maybe Happy Ending, before curtain up

I went to see Maybe Happy Ending at the Belasco Theater, starring Darren Criss (remember him from Glee?) and Helen J. Shen. It was fantastic, very sweet concept and very well done. And the ending? Maybe it was happy; I don’t know! There was a technical issue before the last (?) act. The actors were asked to leave the stage, and it was announced that they were working on a technical issue. Dez Duron (the jazz singer in the show) came out and entertained us with a few songs. And then Darren and Helen came out to chat a bit and say that the issue couldn’t be fixed that night, and we were sent home (getting a refund). So, maybe happy ending? I’d love to see it again and find out!

I’m home getting ready to head to Red Alder Fiber Arts Festival next week. It’s all brioche and assigned pooling for me next week! There’s still room in Brioche Doctor, Embellished Brioche, and Fun Stitches for Assigned Pooling, so come to Tacoma and knit with me!

woman wearing a handknit cowl featuring assigned pooling motifs
Fired Up assigned pooling cowl

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Planning, packing, knitting

Posted on January 18, 2026 | 7 comments

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.

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Craftivism in the news

Posted on December 27, 2025 | 7 comments
link page for The Guardian article on craftivism

I’m in the Guardian! Earlier this month I was contacted by a reporter about crafting and activism. I put her in touch with Tracy Wright, who is also mentioned in this article. The gist of the story is that common interests make it easier to participate in protest. True!

knitters protesting
portland frog hat

Knit on…

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Red Alder Fiber Arts: Treat yourself!

Posted on December 20, 2025 | 5 comments
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!

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Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival 2025

Posted on October 22, 2025 | 4 comments

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!

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I get a round

Posted on October 5, 2025 | 4 comments
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!

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Introducing Fantasia Cowlette

Posted on September 30, 2025 | 6 comments
Woman wearing a hand knit cowl featuring assigned pooling fans

I’m so pleased to publish the Fantasia Cowlette! Fantasia is a fingering weight bandana cowl knit in the round, featuring easy assigned pooling fans on a stockinette stitch background.

Choose a single skein of fingering weight yarn that is dyed for assigned pooling. I used A Chick that Knitz Singles Fingering in Tropical Flowers for mine.

yarn dyed for assigned pooling

The pattern is available through Ravelry and Payhip. Use coupon code FANCY for 15% off the pattern through October 9, 2025. Let’s get knitting for fall!

Reminder: The Knit Your Own Adventure Summit is next 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!)

I’m presenting a segment on frogging your knitting and how to get back on track. And I’m participating in a Zoom presentation on Tuesday, too. Come join the fun!

Onward!

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Knit Your Own Adventure Summit

Posted on September 22, 2025 | 2 comments

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!)

Looking forward to it!

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