Tag Archives: classes

Entrelac Encore

Posted on July 4, 2025 | 4 comments

I’m knitting away on this new entrelac piece. It’s much like Minerva, my usual entrelac teaching piece, but it has fewer units in width, so it grows more quickly in length. There’s also an optional flower motif in the center squares, because why not add something new?

The driving force behind this new piece? I’m teaching an online entrelac class for Marie Greene’s virtual Knit Camp at the Coast in September. I decided that I want a minimalist project that better fits into the allotted time.

I love the yarn that I’m using here. It’s Berroco Wizard, which is a fluffy chainette. It’s listed as chunky/bulky, but the chainette construction makes it almost weightless. So cozy! One skein is enough for up to a double looped cowl or scarf, but you could stop at any time after 20” and seam it up for a shorter cowl.

Pattern coming soon! This will be my entrelac teaching piece after it’s published.

I’m headed to San Diego on Monday to speak and teach for the San Diego North Coast Knitters Guild. We’ll be playing with brioche, fancy elongated stitches, and steeks. And I’ll have plenty of knitting time on the plane to finish this entrelac project!

In the meantime, happy 4th of July to the Yanks! I’m working this weekend, prepping for San Diego, and getting ready to launch Scattered Petals on Monday. Knit on!

4 Comments

Posted in classes, Knit, pattern design, yarn

Tagged classes, entrelac, knitting

Rose City Yarn Crawl 2025 this week!

Posted on March 2, 2025 | 3 comments

The Rose City Yarn Crawl is coming right up, Thursday March 6 – Sunday March 9. Lots of shops to visit, lots of prizes to win! The theme this year is “Our Sky Full of Stars.”

I’m having a trunk show on Thursday at For Yarn’s Sake, come say howdy! I’ll have lots of knits to squish, including my latest design, Starstruck. Way to fit the theme!

Collage of shawlette, detail of shawlette, and the assigned pooling yarn

It’s busy season around here. This morning I gave a lecture on blocking and taught a class on brioche + assigned pooling for Vogue Knitting Online.

Brioche cowl featuring assigned pooling/algorithmic knitting

Trunk show is this week, and next week I’m heading to Nashville for NashYarnFest. This is the first NashYarnFest; it’s being put on by Modern Daily Knitting. I’m looking forward to knitting…and some music!

Speaking of Modern Daily Knitting, I have news! I’ll share in the next post…

3 Comments

Posted in events, Knit, Portland area fun

Tagged Brioche knitting, classes, Nash Yarn Fest, rose city yarn crawl

Thrumbelina class, in person

Posted on September 18, 2023 | 2 comments

This is a correction: My Thrill of the Thrum class at For Yarn’s Sake is AT For Yarn’s Sake, not on Zoom! October 22, 1:30 pm Pacific. There’s one spot left; is it yours? Register here!

Thrums are such a tactile experience, they’re much better in person. We had decided that when setting up the class. And then I typed the wrong thing. Come knit WITH me!

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Posted in classes, Knit

Tagged classes, thrill of the thrum, thrumbelina

Fall class lineup

Posted on August 28, 2023 | 8 comments

Holy cats, it’s almost September! My favorite month: birthday, anniversary, back to school, back to knitting classes.

I’m teaching on the Vogue Knitting Alaska Cruise September 2-9; I’m teaching Brioche Pastiche, hat or cowl. Ana Campos is also teaching on the cruise; she’s teaching Portuguese knitting. I’m looking forward to this! I haven’t been to Alaska since I was working in a cannery on Kodiak Island to pay for college.

I’m teaching a Zoom class on stranded colorwork for For Yarn’s Sake using the Shetland Wool Week Buggiflooer Beanie as a jumping off point. I have the feeling that I’m going to go rogue with my sample and knit a cowl instead; I haven’t worn any of the previous beanies (they mess up my hair!).

We’ll talk about yarn color dominance, ways to manage your yarns, and more.

I’m teaching Petite Brioche on Saturday September 30 in a new venue! I’ll be in-person at Hook and Needle, a new shop in downtown Vancouver WA, right across the river. Register here.

I’m teaching at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival October 13 and 14. Come learn assigned color pooling, and entrelac with me!

I’m teaching a Thrill of the Thrum Zoom class for For Yarn’s Sake on October 22. These deliciously cushy slippers are a longtime favorite.

Virtual Vogue Knitting Live is the weekend of October 27. I’m teaching Brioche Pastiche, Slip Away Cowl (slip stitch knitting), and Syncopation (syncopated brioche). And I’m giving a lecture on blocking, too. Come knit with us, virtually! Registration isn’t open yet (there’s a virtual event at the end of September currently on the site), but you can sign up for their newsletter and you’ll be the first to know when classes are available.

I’m teaching assigned pooling via Zoom with my Starfall Cowl for For Yarn’s Sake on November 12.

And that’s the plan so far! Are you planning your fall knitting experiences? It’s time!

8 Comments

Posted in classes, Knit

Tagged classes, Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival, Virtual Knitting Live

Weekend in Buffalo NY

Posted on May 23, 2023 | 4 comments

I had the great pleasure of teaching for the Knitting Guild of Greater Buffalo this weekend. We had a day of brioche, and then we explored elongated novelty stitches (some of which are also great for assigned pooling) and designing with favorite shawl shapes. So much fun!

I usually choose my airplane seat by whether there might be a view of Mt. Hood. It only matters during daylight, and it was a very pretty morning. (No view? Aisle seat please.)

Maureen was the perfect hostess/tour guide/organizing whiz. I met her (and Sharon, the other half of the organizing duo) at Madrona years ago. She took my entrelac and Syncopation classes and knew we’d have a good seminar weekend! My one non-knitting wish was to see Niagara Falls. We went over to the Canadian side for a better view.

Niagara Falls, American and Canadian, on the Niagara River

The water is a pretty green from dissolved minerals.

American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls (the smaller one to the right)

Looking across the ring of Horseshoe Falls

I think the Canadian falls are prettier than the American falls, but I’m not trying to create an international incident!

I didn’t think to take class pix until the last class, which was on shawl shapes. It’s a pretty relaxed class, and you have a bunch of mini-shawls when you’re done. Vince says he’s going to string his on a cord and hang them like a garland on his mantel. After blocking and weaving in ends, of course! Blocking is magic for shawls.

When in Buffalo, one must have Buffalo wings!

Thank you to the Greater Buffalo Knitting Guild for having me! I love teaching for guilds. If you want me to come teach for yours, let me know…

Now I’m home trapped under these cats!

4 Comments

Posted in classes, travel

Tagged Buffalo NY, classes, Niagara Falls, shawl shapes

Knitting classes, in person and Zoom

Posted on March 9, 2022 | 1 comment

We’re at an interesting time in the Covid world. Mask mandates are being lifted everywhere. I’ve been to my first in-person event, Red Alder, and felt very safe there with masks and vaccinations required. Next up is Vogue Knitting Live in Seattle/Bellevue in April; vaccinations or negative Covid tests are required but masks are optional. I’m pretty comfortable with that, but I may be wearing my mask in a crowd! I’d love to have you join me in-person!

I’m teaching Sheepy Steeky Coasters, Slip Away Cowl, Petite Brioche, Deep End (brioche increases and decreases) and Syncopation (syncopated brioche). Vogue has extended their early bird registration pricing through March 15. Marketplace tickets are free, if you just want to shop. Hazel Knits Yarn will have my books, and I’ll have a book signing on Saturday afternoon. (Hazel Knits provided some of the yarn for my book samples; it’s gorgeous.)

Not ready for in-person classes? I’ll still be teaching on Zoom; I’m teaching Slip Away Cowl through Bazaar Girls Yarn Shop 3/26, Sheepy Steeky Coasters through For Yarn’s Sake April 3, and Deep End April 2 and Sheepy Steeky Coasters May 3 for Twisted.

If you want a class with me, this is the time! I need to some time off from teaching beginning in May to take care of some things, and I’ll be back to teaching in September. I may sneak some classes in during July, depending on if there’s interest during the summer.

Let’s knit! One way or another…

1 Comment

Posted in classes, events

Tagged classes

Swatching, charting, knitting

Posted on February 12, 2022 | 2 comments

It was a splendidly beautiful day yesterday; it got up to 67 degrees F (19 C); which is unusual for February in Portland. I took my work outside. My math swatch has paid off, and I’m done with the first section of my new design. The next step required some charting and planning to make stitch counts work out on the repeat (do you sense a theme here?). I want to alternate the variegated and semi-solid, and give the variegated yet another chance to sing. This yarn is Knitted Wit Sock in The Future is Bright and Kiss and Teal.

The book on the table is Lorna Miser’s The Hand Knitter’s Guide to Hand-Dyed and Variegated Yarn. It talks about different dye methods, and how to make the most of them. A lot of the book is about how to recognize if colors will pool, and how to avoid pooling, if desired. There are lots of stitch patterns to play with. I’ve swatched the one that it will be perfect for this project. We shall see.

Sometimes you want colors to pool, and Hunter Hammersen’s Stochastic Hat is an example of that. She worked with Gauge Dyeworks to make a yarn with spaced out color runs, just long enough to knit random color burbles into the hat. (As well as a section to knit a brim all in the contrast color, whoa.) You can use any yarn for this hat, but the thought of knitting it with assigned pooling (the yarn tells you when to make the burbles) is fun.

I was going to knit this hat with Knit Picks Chroma Worsted, but the fuzzy single ply (top) doesn’t want to settle nicely into burbles. The smooth superwash yarn (Malabrigo Rios, below) is much better behaved. I’m not sure I have a hat’s worth in two coordinating colors, though. I’ll poke around a little more. I’m glad I swatched the burbles *before* jumping in and knitting an entire hat brim before finding out my yarn wasn’t going to cooperate! Swatching can be very helpful.

I’m teaching a Zoom class on planned pooling for For Yarn’s Sake on March 6. We’ll talk about planned pooling and assigned pooling. Come knit with me! Register here.

That same weekend I’m teaching Petite Brioche for Twisted (also Zoom). Saturday March 5. If you’d like a jump start into two color brioche in the round, this is it! Register here.

Okay, time to see if my charting made sense, and if my math works out!

2 Comments

Posted in classes, Knit, pattern design, yarn

Tagged classes, design process, knitted wit yarn, swatching

Steek with me! Free pattern

Posted on December 2, 2021 | Comments Off

I’m in Minneapolis, MN this week to teach from the studio for Craftsy/The Knitting Circle. I did a free steeking event featuring my Boxed Hearts Coasters.

You can download the pattern and find the video here.

My favorite giggle-worthy moment:
Me: Are you just talking because you’re afraid to cut your steek?
Jen Lucas: (pause) YES.

I also taught two slip stitch knitting classes for the Holiday Knits Virtual Event. It was really fun! A lot like teaching via Zoom, but I didn’t have to manage the cameras. I just had to my hands in the frame while knitting (thank you monitor). We had 3 cameras; one on top of the monitor (to see both Jen and me), one overhead (shows on the monitor), and one over the shoulder. Fancy!

I’ll publish the pattern for the slip stitch cowl when I get home; I’m wearing it in the picture with Jen.

I’ll be teaching Brioche Doctor via Zoom on Sunday, December 5 with For Yarn’s Sake. This is my last class of the year. If you’d like to learn how to fix your brioche mistakes, this class is for you! Register here.

And! Tomorrow is the last day of my holiday pattern sale. 21% off any of my self-published patterns through December 3 with coupon code HOLIDAY21; the coupon works on both Ravelry and Payhip.

Looking forward to going home tomorrow. Calvin keeps knocking over the Snowy Woods Log Cabin Blocks pillow and using it as a throne.

But now Bisquee has taken over. She’s definitely the Queen of the House!

Comments Off on Steek with me! Free pattern

Posted in classes, events, Knit, pattern design, tutorial

Tagged Cats, classes, Craftsy, slip stitch knitting, Slipaway Cowl, The Knitting Circle

Frogging, refinishing, classes, and a retreat

Posted on August 12, 2021 | 6 comments

I love my Cherry Blossom Wrapture; it’s so pretty. But it’s huge! When I designed and knit the sample, I wanted to see how far the yarn would go, and it went this far. 98 inches wide, which is a lot of wrap(ture) for a 5’2” person. So this week, I’m frogging the ends to take off 4 sets of stripes from each end. That’s a lot of frogging, but it’s all modular so it’s really easy to know when to stop.

I’m well on my way; one end is already done. I’m featuring this piece, as well as my other log cabin knits (Log Cabin Baby Blanket, Snowy Woods Log Cabin Blocks) in a video class I’m making for Olive Knits/Knit Camp’s Knit Camp at the Coast Retreat in September. The virtual retreat is open for registration to members of Knit Camp, a virtual club that has activities all year long. For knitters who aren’t Knit Camp members, registration will open on August 16.

I’m not a member of Knit Camp (yet?), but I’m going to register for the retreat. The other teachers are Marie Greene (founder of Olive Knits and Knit Camp), Marceline Smith (Hey Brownberry), Amy Detjen, Stephanie Lotven (Tellybean Knits), Shawna Clingerman, Marcie Leek, and Heather Best, teaching topics from knitting to lettering to yoga, and more.You can read all about it here. The retreat is September 16-18, online. Classes are recorded, and playback is limited to two weeks, just in case you can’t participate in real time.

This is the video class that I mentioned in a previous post. It’s based on my log cabin knitting class that I’ve taught before, but I’m adding new shapes and ideas for more log cabin knitting fun. (I learned some new things with Cherry Blossom Wrapture.) I’ve written the script, knit the step-outs and samples, and now I need to practice, time, record, edit, and compile. Never a dull moment around here!

I don’t have any in-person classes scheduled for fall yet. Are you still taking online classes? Are you taking in-person classes? What’s the mood out there these days?

6 Comments

Posted in classes, events, Knit, pattern design

Tagged Cherry Blossom Wrap, classes, Knit Camp, log cabin knitting, The Knitting Circle

Classes: Get ‘em while you can!

Posted on May 11, 2021 | 8 comments

I have a couple big projects to work on this summer, so I’m cutting back on my teaching schedule. If you’re itching to take one of these classes, do it now!

Petite Brioche at Virtual Vogue Knitting Live: There’s still room in my Petite Brioche class on Saturday, May 15. If brioche is on your bucket list, Petite Brioche is a great place to start.

Darn It! Mending Your Knits: Tuesday May 18 via Bazaar Girls Yarn Shop, and Saturday May 22 via Twisted Yarn Shop. Weekday or weekend, I’ve got you covered!

Advanced Tink Drop Frog (Lace Edition): Sunday May 23 via For Yarn’s Sake.

Brioche Doctor: Fixing Brioche Mistakes: Tuesday, June 22 via Bazaar Girls (link coming May 20 or so).

I’m taking a chunk of time to work on a big project, and I’m looking forward to telling you about it, once I get some final details ironed out.

And summer’s coming; we want to get outside! I’ve had both my Covid vaccinations, and I’m starting to see friends and family in real life. I had a road trip with friends up the Columbia River Gorge to Hood River last weekend. We had a year’s worth of stuff to catch up on.

I saw this bronze at Gallery 301 in Hood River, and I’m in love. She’s so serene, and she knows that kitchen magic. I’m not sure where she would go in my house, though.

We drove home on the Old Historic Columbia River Highway (it’s been closed due to landslides, but it’s open again).

I used to bring the kids out here to play in the splash pool on hot summer days, before we had air conditioning in the house. It’s also the trailhead for a favorite hike.

Vista House is currently closed to visitors, but the views are still inspiring.

Looking east toward Beacon Rock from Crown Point on the Columbia River

Salmon and scallop poke, and favorite bubbles!

And I was home in time to celebrate Mother’s Day with the family. The kids came over and made 2 kinds of poke, and we made pineapple fried rice to go with it. (Tossing the pre-cooked rice with fish sauce before it goes into the wok makes it so good.) It was great to be back in the kitchen with them, after a long year of distancing. A perfect cap to the weekend.

8 Comments

Posted in classes, Knit, travel

Tagged classes, Hood River, poke, waterfalls