Tag Archives: Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival

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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A little more OFFF

Posted on October 18, 2023 | 1 comment

The marketplace at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival opens on Saturday. Friday is a quiet day, just classes and a lot of setup.

Some of the steekers

You have to make your own excitement, and we did that in the morning by reinforcing and cutting steeks, eek! (And I see that my students are suggestible, using the same colors I did in the Sheepy Steeky Coasters pattern!)

We had the assigned pooling class in the afternoon, which is another kind of excitement. I think of these skill builders as party trick knitting.

On Saturday morning, there was a complete annular eclipse (95% of the sun blocked by the moon) right after class started. Unfortunately it was foggy AND cloudy in Albany, so we just saw gray sky. Five percent of the sun’s light is still a lot of light; we didn’t really see any difference, although Karen and I were ready with our eclipse glasses. Mine were leftover from the 2017 total eclipse.

We went back in for the Minerva Entrelac class. The party trick in entrelac (besides the entrelac), is knitting back backwards without turning your work. It’s a great skill to have when your rows are only 8 stitches long!

I didn’t have an afternoon class, so I made a quick tour through the market and the exhibits. (I had to get home to deal with some…stuff, so I didn’t get to visit the animals in the barn. Next time.)

Wanda Jenkins

Wanda called me over in the market to show me Ed’s newest spindles, the Merlin (left). It has 6 legs, and it’s magical. The smaller one on the right is so new that it’s still being worked out. Ed Jenkins makes the loveliest Turkish spindles.

My favorite pieces in this year’s Fiber Arts Exhibit were felted!

Wet Felt Raven #6 by Mady Wolsfeld

I love the raven, and the moody sky behind it.

Maisie’s Menagerie by Dana Nishimura

This piece took the Grand Champion Award. Here’s the description:

A lot of work and an impressive FO.

As I said, I didn’t have much time to spend, so that’s my abbreviated OFFF report for this year! Did you go? What did you love?

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Classes, in person! and online

Posted on October 3, 2023 | 1 comment
Class at Hook and Needle Fiber, Vancouver WA

Over the past 4 years I’ve taught a lot on Zoom, and a little at select retreats and events. This past weekend, I taught in person at a local to me LYS, which is the first time since 2020. We had a good time with Petite Brioche! (I didn’t think to take a picture til after class, so not all 9 students are pictured, oops.)

Brioche Pastiche, Cap and Cowl

I’ve just listed the followup to that class at Hook and Needle Fiber. It’s on Sunday Nov. 5 at 1:30 pm. We’ll be using my Brioche Pastiche pattern for a gentle introduction to brioche increases and decreases. Register here. Come knit with me!

Thrumbelina slippers

I’m also teaching the Thrill of the Thrum in-person at For Yarn’s Sake in Beaverton OR on Sunday Oct. 22 at 1:30 pm. These ridiculously cozy Thrumbelina slippers are fun to make. Class is sold out, but check to see if there’s a waiting list.

Oregon Flock and Fiber classes

I’m teaching at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in Albany OR on Oct. 13 and 14. Friday’s classes are Sheepy Steeky Coasters (your first steek!) and Assigned Color Pooling. Minerva Entrelac Cowl is Saturday morning’s class, and we may take a break in the middle of that one for the annular solar eclipse. Bring your eclipse glasses!

Virtual VKLive October classes

Not local to me? I’m also teaching for Virtual Vogue Knitting Live Oct. 27-29. I’ll be teaching slip stitch knitting (Slip Away Cowl), Brioche Pastiche, and syncopated brioche (Syncopation Shawl or Scarf), and giving a lecture: Blocking: It’s Magic! Registration opens tomorrow; you can preview classes today. Scroll down to find the right event; there’s a lot going on including registration for January’s big show, VKLive NYC.

It’s shaping up to be a fun month! Are you knitting more, now that it’s fall? Or spring, depending where you are? I knit year round, but I feel like fall is the beginning of the year. Birthday, school year, a chilly great awakening. What’s on your knitting bucket list for learning this year?

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Register now for Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival

Posted on August 21, 2023 | Comments Off on Register now for Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival

It’s time to register for classes at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival! I know it seems early for October classes, but it really helps us plan for you. The festival is October 13-15.

sheepy steeky coasters

This year I’m teaching Sheepy Steeky Coasters on Friday morning. (Your first steek? totally non-threatening!)

Pooling is a Cinch (hat or cowl)

Assigned pooling on Friday afternoon, using Pooling is a Cinch as a jumping off point to explore several pooling stitches. I’ve ordered this yarn (my favorite, A Wondrous Worsted in Times Square colorway from Knits All Done) for class. I have a limited number of skeins, so sign up soon!

entrelac knitting
Minerva entrelac cowl or scarf

I’m also teaching entrelac on Saturday morning. This technique looks woven, but it’s knit a square at a time and is simpler than it looks! You get to look clever while taking it easy.

The new venue in Albany, Oregon is pretty spiffy; the tradeoff from the closer Clackamas site of previous years is worth it. It’s just about an hour down the road from Portland. Come knit with me, or one of the other fine teachers at OFFF. And the shopping at the marketplace is pretty wonderful, too. I’m looking forward to teaching AND shopping!

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Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival 2022

Posted on October 19, 2022 | 4 comments

Or OFFF, as we fondly call it. We missed 2020 and 2021, and lost our venue at Clackamas County Fairgrounds. This year found us at the Linn County Expo Center in Albany, Oregon. It feels a lot further away, 66 miles vs 20 miles, but I was glad it happened.

It was great to see so many fiber friends! (There were more, just not all pictured)

Scarlet, Kirbie, Seth, Rachel, Mary, Stefania, Shannon, Alice, Wanda

Lots of animals, and 450 fleeces for judging, and then for sale.

Upper left: Valentino, Breed Champion Romney, Topaz (Icelandic), lower left

Beautiful prize-winning knitting (4194 beads in the purple shawl, in 2 colors)

Both gourd art and coiling were new to me, but coiling is an old indigenous technique.

Gourd art + Coilng = WOW from Jane A. Wilson
Felted dolls by Carolyn St Clair Hibbard

This weaving by Jane Herbst features wool from 131 different sheep breeds.

I taught Petite Brioche, and the classroom was a definite upgrade! This is how I like to teach since the pandemic: Overhead camera so everyone sees my hands demo at the same time, and then I get to go around the room to fine tune with everyone.

You can see all of my OFFF pictures in this Instagram album here. There are a lot!

The other nice upgrade: All the vendors were indoors, in climate controlled splendor. Not quite as charming as being out on the lawn, but the possibility of being overtaken by a monsoon doesn’t exist, either. The weather was gorgeous this weekend, but that’s not always the case for OFFF.

Loot!

I don’t generally buy yarn until I’m ready to use it. That keeps my stash tidy, and is moth avoidant, too. So I generally buy other goodies at festivals. I came home with dryer balls (what pretty colors!) from Compass Moon Creations, an RBG-themed notions bag from Kirbie at Change Your Fate Creations (love that I can see what’s in it), a notions tin from Miss Purl so I can give it away as a bead tin at my Embellishment Cowl class at Vogue Knitting Live NYC in February, and a cute sheep necklace from Sheep Lady Charms (she was with Valentino the Breed Champion Romney, above).

I also bought this bookmark/bracelet loom from Craft Emporium PDX (Shannon and Lorajean). It’s a very teeny way of experimenting with weaving. In my copious spare time. But I’ve been dreaming about it ever since I saw it last month!

I did bring home a little yarn. It’s a slippery slope, isn’t it? At least it’s not yarn support, which sits around making me feel guilty that I haven’t designed with it yet. This was just a trade (and I think it will be a little brioche confection). Or just something to dream with! Carolyn mentioned she wanted to learn brioche, so I traded her a copy of my book for this set of minis.

Speaking of my book, Brioche Knit Love is one year old today! Happy birthday, baby!

Have you been to any fiber festivals this fall? What was your favorite thing?

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A belated OFFF report

Posted on October 22, 2019 | 5 comments

Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival was fabulous, as always! This late September event never fails to delight.

I had a full class for my Brioche Pastiche hat on Saturday morning, very fun. The power of group learning is strong! And then I met friends for lunch and zipped around to see the sights.

Icelandic on the hoof

I love the real-ness of Icelandic wool, and you can’t get more real than this! He’s from Ten O’Cock Farms in Beavercreek, OR.

A bunny parade brought some bunnies out of the barn so they wouldn’t be overlooked. So soft.

And there was shopping. This lazy kate was strangely mesmerizing. The woodworker, Dave Yocom, has been coming to OFFF for a long time; I’ve been admiring his bowls for years.

I bought this DK weight gradient (Practical Tactical Brilliance) and speckle (When You Said Hi, I Forgot My Dang Name) from Scarlet Tang of Huckleberry Knits. I’m having a grand time trying to make an idea come to life; we’ll see if it pans out.

And I bought two more shawl pins from One of a Kind Buttons. I love these little clay pins; they stay nicely in my shawls and help keep me together.

The day was swiftly drawing to a close, so I went to see the kids running their kids (ha!) through the goat obstacle course. Very fun. How had I missed this event for so many years?

At this point in the afternoon, the skies darkened and the thunder and lightning began. I made it to my car in time for torrential sleet-filled rain. Whoa. September fun!

I went back on Sunday afternoon because I wanted to see the judging results upstairs in the pavilion. This was the Grand Champion winner, and I think it won by a mile.

A 100% silk knitted lace shawl. Coleen Nimetz raised the silkworms, unreeled the silk cocoons, spun and plied the yarn, dyed it, and knit this masterpiece.

The tiny size 11 delica beads are almost gilding the lily, but they’re perfect, too. Congratulations to the winner!

Also? I loved this felted fox by Dana Nishimura. And I just noticed the flowers on its chest when I zoomed in to look more closely.

Also not to be missed: The ladies in the Knitted Wit booth! They had been shopping together, clearly. Hi Shannon, Maria, and Lorajean!

It was a grand weekend, and it feels like a long time ago, but it’s been less than a month. Tempus fugit!

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Time jump! Fall knitting and events

Posted on September 8, 2019 | 5 comments

Well, the rest of August went by in a flash! It’s time to catch up and think about fall.

I have a new shawl coming out soon; it’s syncopated brioche and I’m in LUV. So squishy. It’s being test knit now, and I plan to have it out before Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival later this month. If you’d like to know when it’s out, and get a discount on this and other new releases, sign up for my newsletter here!

I just celebrated my birthday; my friend Carole made me this beautiful (and delicious) cake for a gathering with friends. And I had a great dinner out with the family, too. September is my celebration month: birthday, anniversary, back to school, back to knitting (not that I ever stopped). But the festivals and retreats start up again!

I’m so excited about teaching at Vogue Knitting Live in Columbus, November 1-3! As part of the preparation for that, I’m doing an Instagram takeover of the VKLive account on Tuesday, September 10. Follow me on Instagram, pdxknitterati, and VK Live, vogueknitlive to be in the loop. I’ll be doing a giveaway on my Instagram page for a Buckeye Daytripper Package, so follow me and comment to win!

The last day of VKLive Early Bird registration is Tuesday September 10; prices go up at midnight EDT. Registration info is here.

Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival is September 28-29 (some classes are on Friday the 27th, too). Today (September 8) is the last day of online registration. My Brioche Pastiche class is full, but there’s still room in my Slip Stitch/mosaic class if you’d like to come knit with me. You can register on-site for classes that still have space, but registering early is better, as classes can be canceled if there aren’t enough people signed up for them. It pays to plan ahead!

My Seeing Stars Fall Shawl Retreat is October 11-13. It’s a very small retreat, so if you want to come, please sign up soon! We sold out last year. I have room for 7 knitters max. We’re knitting Lucky Star with very beautiful yarn from Mosaic Moon.

Oh! I’m speaking at the Tigard Knitting Guild meeting on Thursday, September 19. Social knitting is at 6, and I go on at 7 pm. Come hear about my design process! It’s evolving, just like me. Not a member? You can visit for two meetings before deciding if you’d like to join.

Back to my knitting…happy fall!

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Planning for fall knitting classes

Posted on July 16, 2019 | 7 comments

It’s the dog days of summer, but I’m busily planning for fall. (This is my friend Sissy at Lost Lake, Mt. Hood National Forest, last week.)

Dog at Lost Lake, Mt. Hood

First off, I’ll be teaching at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in September. This local festival is just the right size, with lots of things to do. I’m teaching my Brioche Pastiche Hat, and Slip Stitch Knitting on Saturday, September 28.

And right after that, I’m doing another fall shawl retreat with crochet designer Laurinda Reddig, October 11-13 at Quinn Mountain in the Columbia River Gorge. I’m teaching my Lucky Star Shawl, with ways to embiggen those stars. Laurinda was inspired by it to design her new Star Bright Shawl, which just took 3rd place for accessories at the Crochet Guild of America last week. Knit or crochet, you’ll be seeing (and making) stars! Registration is open now.

In November, I’m teaching in Columbus, OH at Vogue Knitting Live. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity! I’ll tell you all about it in a separate blog post in just a bit.

But summer isn’t over yet, so I’ll also be showing you my linen project…soon!

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Knitting for the near future

Posted on September 20, 2018 | 5 comments

I’ve been knitting up a storm.

Here’s a sneak peek of my newest shawl, coming soon. It’s called Lucky Star. You may now have a Madonna song running through your head. You’re welcome.

You know that hump that happens at the center neck of top down crescent shawls? I didn’t want that on Lucky Star, so I’ve worked on minimizing it. I’m making a tutorial on how to do that. It’s coming soon, too. I’m debuting it in my Favorite Shawl Shapes class at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival this Saturday morning.

I’ve been knitting little samples for class, too. We’re going to have fun talking about shape and design.

You can still register for this class on-site. You can knit these little shapes, too!

What are you knitting now?

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Flock and Fiber? Yes Please!

Posted on August 20, 2018 | 2 comments

Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival is just around the corner! This local fiber festival has something for everybody: yarn, fiber, classes, animals, cooking, shopping, and more.

I’m teaching two classes this year. Brioche Pastiche is sold out; I’m really looking forward to introducing more knitters to two color brioche in the round!

There’s still room in my Favorite Shawl Shapes class. We’ll make mini samples of four of my favorite shawl shapes, and talk about how to incorporate your design ideas into them. You’ll have a better understanding of how shawls are made, and a good basis for designing your own. Come join me on Saturday morning, September 22. Registration link is here; pre-register by September 8 to make sure you get the class info you need.

I’m judging the knitting entries at OFFF again this year. It was educational for me last year, and I hope my comments on lasts year’s entries were educational for the knitters! You can enter your knit, crochet, felted, woven, and other fiber projects at OFFF, as well as spinning. Last year’s winners were stunning, and all of the entries were worthy of praise.

One more class! A reminder that registration is happening now for the Nymphaea Shawl Retreat that I’m doing with Laurinda Reddig at Quinn Mountain Retreat in the Columbia River Gorge (near Camas), Nov. 9 – 11. There are only 4 knitter’s spots left. Come get a jump start on knitting or crocheting this beaded shawl with us! Gradient yarn by Fierce Fibers and beads are included in the registration price. Registration link here.

Fall is coming; make plans to get your knit on!

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