Category Archives: events

Trunk show today

Posted on February 24, 2023 | 1 comment

I’m venturing out today, Friday February 24, noon to 4:30 pm at For Yarn’s Sake for Rose City Yarn Crawl.

Wish me luck, and hope to see you there!

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Knit for Food update

Posted on February 23, 2023 | 3 comments

It’s official; we have a place for local PDX knitters to gather on Sunday, March 26. We’ll be knitting in the fellowship hall (downstairs) of Fremont United Methodist Church, 2620 NE Fremont Street in Portland. We’ll be there from noon to 5 pm (although I’ll be knitting all day). Join Margaret Waddell (co-founder of Puddletown Knitters Guild) and me for an afternoon of knitting for a good cause. Masks optional, but highly appreciated.

I’m participating in this 12 hour knitting marathon to raise funds and awareness for food insecurity. The money we raise will be equally divided among Feeding America, World Central Kitchen, No Kid Hungry, and Meals on Wheels.

Please support me by donating through this link.You can also sign up to participate yourself, if you’re interested. Come knit with us!

PS: I’ll have some door prizes/raffle prizes from my knitting book collection to share with you. My shelves are overflowing!

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Trunk show postponed

Posted on February 23, 2023 | 1 comment

Mother Nature laughs at all our careful plans.

We’re snowed in! This weather system stalled over us, and we have 6-10 inches of snow. That’s a lot for Portland; we’re not equipped for it and our roads are a mess.

This means I won’t be having my trunk show at For Yarn’s Sake today. We’re hoping that roads are decent tomorrow (Friday), and if they are I’ll be there!

I still have knitting on my mind. doesn’t this look like a sweater yoke? It’s the netting between two neighboring driveways, to keep the basketballs on their side.

The brickwork on my front porch looks like slip stitch knitting. And I love how the snow is a gradient from thin to thick based on how the wind blew. I see some bobbles in there, too!

The snow on my bamboo is lovely. (I’m looking out my kitchen window; please ignore the garbage cans behind it.) To get a better view I’d have to actually go outside, and I’m still in my jammies. Maybe later. I may even ski the neighborhood.

Stay safe and warm!

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Still catching up, bicoastally

Posted on February 21, 2023 | 3 comments

How much can we pack into February? A LOT. I’ll never get to completely blog VKLive NYC and Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat in Tacoma, but here are some highlights.

Fun classes with great students, both at VKLive

And at Red Alder. why am I showing both Sheepy Steeky Coasters classes? Because the joy of scissors makes a great photo op!

So happy to meet up with Keith Leonard and Shaina Bilow again after Knit Maine. And new friend Dario Tubiana, too. (Check out the sheep on the door of La Pecora Bianca.)

The Empire State Building makes a great tiara…or unicorn horn. You decide.

I didn’t have a full length mirror in NYC, but I did in Tacoma, so I could do my traditional what did I wear collage. Coffee Breakers Shawl (from Brioche Knit Love), Camellia Wrap, Ebb and Flow cowl.

Ebb and Flow looks good on everyone! New Beginnings statue outside the Federal Courthouse in Tacoma. It was the train station a long time ago.

Hanging out with Alasdair Post-Quinn (double knitting king), Michael Kelson (Spinpossible), and Xandy Peters.

We had fabulous markets on both coasts. What did I buy, since you know I don’t stash yarn?

Super fun yarn and NYC-themed project bag from Maker’s Mercantile. And it comes with a notions box that fits in the pocket, too. Look closely to see all the fiber-related pictures!

Also from NYC, Jūl’s new toolkit. Choose your shape: round, square, or triangle.

You can make the shape into a shawl pin with the stick pin, or a shawl cuff with the leather band. You can use the stick pin by itself. The other two leather pieces are to close a cardigan front. And the buttons have a round ball at the end of the shank, and a leather back to pop over the ball. You can move your buttons from one piece of knitwear to the next. So far I’ve only used the cuff, but I’ve used it a lot.

From Tacoma: a silly cats in hats project bag, also from Maker’s Mercantile. Did I need it? Yes. It will help corral supplies for a class.

Oh look, yarn! I bought this peacock green to teal gradient from Schmutzerella to knit one more Ebb and Flow. I love how smoothly the colors melt into each other. I can have both the taller neck and the longer triangle with this much yardage. It’s not stash if I have a plan to cast on soon! Right now I’m trying to decide if I want the blue on top or bottom. The piece gets wider towards the bottom, so the stripe down there will be narrower, but more visible. What do you think?

Always nice to see Mt. Rainier from my hotel room window.

So very different from my hotel room view the week before!

Currently on the needles: I’m finishing an Embellishment Cowl sample. I used it in class last week at VKL, and now I need it to display at For Yarn’s Sake as a sample for my class on May 7. It’s almost done. I need to have it bound off and steam blocked by Thursday morning, just in time for my trunk show. Wish me luck!

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Rose City Yarn Crawl begins Thursday

Posted on February 21, 2023 | 1 comment

We always begin the Rose City Yarn Crawl with a trunk show at For Yarn’s Sake; it’s a tradition.

Here’s last year, and we hope to see you this year, too! Pictured with me left to right: Debbie Stone, Lorajean Kelley, shop owner Anne Lindquist, and Shannon Squire. Our trunk show is Thursday February 23, from 10 am to 4 pm. The shop is open from 10 am to 6 pm that day.

I’ll have copies of Brioche Knit Love to sign for you; this is a great last chance to get a copy before they’re gone! I don’t know if there will be a reprint, and we’re down to the last few boxes. I’ll also have samples of my applied pooling adventures, and samples for upcoming classes. Come say howdy!

Helpful links: Rose City Yarn Crawl

Rose City Yarn Crawl Backup Instagram account, because the real one got hacked (ugh). Follow this and post using hashtag #RoseCityYarnCrawl

Starlight Knitting Society backup Instagram account, because the real one got hacked (ugh again). The internet is a wonderful and terrible place…

For Yarn’s Sake Rose City Yarn Crawl page

PDXKnitterati For Yarn’s Sake Rose City Yarn Crawl page

Hope to see you Thursday!

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Knitting for Food

Posted on February 13, 2023 | 4 comments

I’m knitting for food!

I’m participating in this 12 hour knitting marathon to raise funds and awareness for food insecurity. The money we raise will be equally divided among Feeding America, World Central Kitchen, No Kid Hungry, and Meals on Wheels.

Please support me by donating through this link.You can also sign up to participate yourself, if you’re interested.

We’re working on getting space for local PDX knitters to knit together on March 26. I’ll keep you posted!

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Introducing Pooling is a Cinch!

Posted on February 6, 2023 | 1 comment

Pooling is a Cinch is a convertible piece that will please both hat and cowl lovers. The stockinette stitch body is a perfect canvas for playing with assigned pooling. Worsted weight yarn knits up quickly for a fun introduction to this technique. Choose a yarn that is meant to pool; you’ll want 6 to 8 inch (15-20 cm) runs of your pooling color.

Knitting begins and ends with a reverse stockinette rolled edge. A knit cord is threaded through a round of eyelets near the top. The cord is tied in a decorative knot on the cowl. The cord can also be cinched to convert the cowl to a hat.

The pattern is now available through Ravelry here, and through Payhip here. It’s 15% off through February 14, no coupon code needed. If you’re in my Pooling class at Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat, the yarn and pattern is included in your class packet. (I think there are 2 spots left; come knit with me!)

I used Yarn Snob’s A Wondrous Worsted in the Times Square colorway, and it pooled beautifully. Calvin approves!

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Happy Fiberuary!

Posted on February 1, 2023 | 1 comment

Or February, if you’re traditional. This is a jam packed month for me. Who knew you could have this much fun knitting? I have three in-person weekends coming up. I hope to see you at one of these events!

At Vogue Knitting Live NYC Feb. 10-12 I’ll be teaching Petite Brioche (beginning brioche), Deep End (brioche increases and decreases), Syncopation (syncopated brioche), Sheepy Steeky Coasters (steeks!), and my new Embellishment Cowl (elongated stitches, slip stitch quilted lattice, and beads).

At Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat Feb. 16-19 I’ll be teaching Petite Brioche (beginning brioche), Whale Watch Cap and Cowl (brioche increases and decreases), Sheepy Steeky Coasters (steeks!) and Assigned and Planned Pooling.

Rose City Yarn Crawl is Feb. 23-26. I’ll have a trunk show and book signing at For Yarn’s Sake on Thursday Feb. 23, along with Lorajean Kelley (Knitted Wit), Shannon Squire, and Debbie Stone.

Oh, and Bruce Springsteen is coming to town! Should I go see him? He held my sock, you know…

How is your February shaping up?

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Ahoy, knitters!

Posted on January 10, 2023 | 9 comments

I’ve just signed on to teach aboard the Zodiac, a schooner that sails out of Bellingham, Washington. This is in conjunction with Northwest Yarns of Bellingham. The 3 day cruise is July 31-August 2. It’s a nautical knitting cruise! And you get to learn to help sail the ship, too.

Zodiac, the schooner

(photo from the Zodiac website, used with permission, copyright Taylor Hodges)

The trip includes 4 knitting classes. Two of them will be brioche! We’ll use my Whale Watch Cap and Cowl pattern to introduce brioche and then learn increases and decreases.

Our other two classes will explore fancy stitches and herringbone braids (and simple stranded colorwork).

Are you game? Register here!

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Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat 2023

Posted on November 10, 2022 | 2 comments

Registration for Red Alder opens Sunday!

Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat is scheduled for February 16-19 in Tacoma, Washington. Classes are listed on the website now, as well as registration information. Registration begins November 13 at 10 am Pacific time.

I’m teaching four classes:

Petite Brioche, which is a quick start to 2 color brioche in the round,

Whale Watch Cap and Cowl, which is all about brioche increases and decreases

Planned and assigned pooling

Sheepy Steeky Coasters (cutting your first steek)

There are classes for knitting, spinning, weaving…more? Check out the website, choose your classes, and register beginning Sunday. The event is at the Hotel Murano, which is a beautiful venue full of glass art. Come knit with me!

Chihuly glass at the Federal Courthouse in Tacoma

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