I recently had a fun chat with Lee, Stacey, and Andi on the Knit Picks podcast. We talked about my designing and teaching, and about the upcoming World Wide Knit in Public Day, which is this Saturday, June 10. Have a listen here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
I’ve been participating in Knit Picks’ WWKIP festivities since 2017. They stopped in 2020 (hello pandemic) but are starting up again this year. Their events always have raffle prizes, free yarn, free books…and snacks!
This year’s event will be on June 10, from noon to 3 pm. The venue has both indoor and outdoor possibilities, so we’re covered in case of rain! Here’s a link to their current post.
I’ll be there as a special guest designer. I’m bringing knit samples, including the assigned pooling pieces we talked about in the podcast. And books! Brioche Knit Love is back in print, and I’ll have some with me for sale.
See you there, local-ish peeps?
There are many other events in the Portland metro area, and all over the world. Pick one or many! Go forth and knit, and have fun.
It’s wildflower season on the other side of the Cascade Mountains. The balsamroot and lupines are at peak bloom, a little late this year after a colder than usual spring.
Looking west down the Columbia River
The kids and I went to hike the Mosier Plateau Trail, and it did not disappoint. (Mosier is a small town in the Columbia River Gorge, on the other side of the Cascade Mountains just past Hood River. That’s the dry side of the mountains; we live on the wet side.)
There’s even a waterfall, Mosier Creek Falls, along the way. It’s just 3.5 miles, which is about what I like.
So nice to be out on a gorgeous day!
I’m adding a few pictures from May 2019 when I hiked with friends across the river at Catherine Creek. I went looking for them, and found that I never posted them.
Balsamroot, and Mt. Hood Bitterroot blossomsBig headed clover
WWKIP is World Wide Knit in Public Day! Will you be knitting with maximum visibility?
I’ve been participating in Knit Picks’ WWKIP festivities since 2017. They stopped in 2020 (hello pandemic) but are starting up again this year. Their events always have raffle prizes, free yarn, free books…and snacks!
This year’s event will be on June 10, from noon to 3 pm. The venue has both indoor and outdoor possibilities, so we’re covered in case of rain! Here’s a link to their post.
It’s official: Twisted, a local yarn shop, is closing. They were part of the Portland yarn scene for 16 years. In 2020 they went online only, just before the pandemic. Now it’s time to call it a day. Emily is moving on to her next adventure. I’m forever grateful to Emily and Shannon; they jump started my knitting career by inviting me to teach at their shop. We’ve all come a long way since then! Twisted is still open for a bit, and they’re having a sale on their remaining stock. Check it out here.
Portland is actually losing two shops this spring; Pearl Fibers Arts just closed yesterday. I’m sorry to see this shop close, too, but I’m happy that owner Cindy Abernethy is moving on to enjoy retirement.
Next, thank you to everyone who donated to Knit for Food, whether it was through my page or another. We raised $340,000, surpassing by far the totals during 2021 and 2022. That’s amazing!
I began the day knitting in church (it’s my usual practice, not just for this event), and posted this picture to Instagram and Facebook. Based on the comments, I’m not the only one who knits in church! I find that having my hands busy helps me listen; if my hands aren’t busy, my mind wanders. I like to bring a simple project, no counting. It works for me!
We had a nice group of knitters in the afternoon, and I continued knitting into the evening when I came home. I’m giving my hands a break today, and I’ll be back at it again tomorrow. I’m really glad I was a part of Knit for Food, and hope to do it again next year.
Posted onMarch 25, 2023|Comments Off on Knit for Food knit-a-thon is tomorrow!
Almost here! The Knit for Food knit-a-thon is tomorrow, Sunday March 26. Join Margaret Waddell (co-founder of Puddletown Knitters Guild) and me for an afternoon of knitting for a good cause; we’ll be knitting in the fellowship hall (downstairs) of Fremont United Methodist Church, 2620 NE Fremont Street in Portland. (Look for the balloons at the top of the ramp.) We’ll be there from noon to 5 pm (although I’ll be knitting all day). Puddletown Knitters Guild is supplying us with coffee and donuts, yum! And we’ll have raffle prizes, too. Masks optional, but highly appreciated.
Not local? You can support this charity by knitting where you are and gathering donations, or donate without knitting. Support me by donating through this link.
Knit for Food has raised over $255,000 so far this year. In 2021 we raised $265,810 and in 2022 we raised $271,761. I’d love for us to exceed those amounts. The funds will be shared with 4 food related organizations: Feeding America, World Central Kitchen, No Kid Hungry, and Meals on Wheels.
The last Zoom session of the day will be live-streamed on Laura Nelkin’s YouTube channel, 8:15 – 10 pm Eastern, that’s 5:15 – 7 pm Pacific. It will be time for fun and games, and I’m participating in one of the games at 8:45 pm Eastern/5:45 Pacific. Link here to watch. Come watch, and if you haven’t donated, please consider making a donation through my page. Donations will be accepted until 10 pm Eastern/7 pm Pacific, the end of the event.
This is what I’ll be working on, without the bubbly! After a trip to the frog pond, it’s coming along swimmingly, and I think it’s the perfect knit-a-thon project. Assigned pooling, mostly knitting, with occasional pauses to do the fancy stitch. No counting! (Because someone will ask: Yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy in Bali Wood, bag is by MadderRootMaine, and the glass was a gift so I can’t tell you where to get one! It’s several years old and most likely discontinued.)
Hope to see you tomorrow, or that you see me for fun and games on the livestream. I’m so pleased to be participating in this event. Food related charities are very important to me; we give to Oregon Food Bank and the Northeast Emergency Food Program on a yearly basis. No one should go hungry in this country.
Comments Off on Knit for Food knit-a-thon is tomorrow!
Posted onMarch 6, 2023|Comments Off on Puddletown Knitters Guild
I’m giving a talk about my love affair with brioche knitting, including a little introductory brioche project, this Thursday evening for Puddletown Knitters Guild. The meeting is both in-person and online. Here’s a link for more information if you’d like to join us! Masks and vaccinations required for in-person. Hope to see you there!
Rose City Yarn Crawl was my third event of the month. That’s packing in the fun!
On Thursday, the day of my postponed trunk show, I put on my snow boots + YakTrax cleats and walked up to Close Knit. I wore these ancient Selbu mittens; I don’t remember when I knit them. They were too big when I knit them, so I fulled them in the sink way back when, and they are toasty warm! Way better than gloves.
I bought this tote by Kirikomade (IG) that I’ve been eyeing since last year. It’s lightweight denim, with a sweet print. One pocket inside. So pretty!
I did make it to For Yarn’s Sake on Friday for my delayed trunk show! It was great to visit with intrepid knitters. I signed books and chatted about my upcoming classes (Assigned Pooling, Aspen Leaf Brioche Coasters, Embellishment Cowl).
I bought another skein of Dream In Color Classy Cashmere to knit another Fanfare Cowl/Hat (is that it’s name? Probably! Pattern coming next week) because the green/purple one goes to For Yarn’s Sake.
Bisquee says it passes the sniff test.
I didn’t make it to more shops; I had other things on my agenda. I did personalize my bag with pins from JaMPDX and ShannyPeasCorner. Love that yarn chicken! Then we hit the road.
We ended February with Bruce Springsteen, Saturday in Portland and Monday in Seattle. It was DH’s 50th Springsteen show. A big deal, but remember…Bruce has held my sock knitting.
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!
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 