Home - Fort Vancouver Knitters Guild

MISSION

The Fort Vancouver Knitters Guild is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to provide education to guild members to further skills in knitting, broaden their understanding of the craft, and to serve the community through services and donations.

WELCOME

All are welcome regardless of age, skin color, nationality, religion, gender identity or disability. We dedicate ourselves to the goal of a diverse, inclusive and spirited knitting community free from inequality, racism and injustice.

Upcoming Events

Monthly Meeting

Our next meeting is on March 5th, 2026 and is a hybrid meeting.

We will meet at:
Barberton Grange (Map)
9400 NE 72nd Ave,
Vancouver, WA 98665

If you cannot attend in person, you will find the zoom link below. In addition, we will have door prizes for the Zoom attendees as well as door prizes for the in-person attendees. If you are going to be on the Zoom call, please click on this link and choose a door prize. Your name will be added to the spinner for that door prize: https://forms.gle/TeqTk82S9HimLr656

You must choose your door prize BEFORE 6 PM on Wednesday, February 4th, and you must be present on Zoom to win.

Zoom Info
Fort Vancouver Knitters Guild is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Time: March 5, 2026, 6 pm Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85080776985?pwd=QooJ2UITVSD7Smwgo4F50jLdeRzCET.1

Meeting ID: 850 8077 6985

Passcode: 3544

Spring Retreat!!

Spring Retreat: Let's Go!!
(Event Sign Up)

Registration goes LIVE next Monday, March 2! Join us for an opportunity to step away
from the demands of daily life and spend leisurely, creative time with like- minded makers? Join us for knitting, crocheting, spinning or whatever your creative hands desire! The retreat provides space for simple relaxation, learning new skills or sharpening existing ones, getting help with knitting projects, traveling to Local Yarn Shops, taking nature walks on the 26 acres of beautiful grounds of the retreat house, enjoying someone else's delicious cooking, participating in a weekend-long Yarn Swap or in the Saturday evening Fashion Show (spectators welcome!).

2026 Spring Retreat Classes

Erik

Erik Gleason

About Erik Gleason
Erik is an expert in sheep breeds, their wool, and how it works in knitted garments, as well as a master of moving wool from sheep to sweater! You can find his adventures on IG! Click Here for Erik on Instragram! Give him a follow!

About His Class "Steeking 101"
Erik will explain how, why, and when steeking is useful in garments. Then, he will walk us through the prep, planning and execution involved in the not-no-scary art of steeking in a low-stakes atmosphere! Class prep is essential: Homework will be emailed to all retreat registrants. Classroom: TBA.

Katie Burke

Katie Burk

About Katie Burk
Katie Burk knits, creates, connects and spreads fiber arts knowledge and effervescent
joy as she travels, presents and speaks to knitters and crocheters around the U.S. She
lives in Vancouver, WA. You can find Katie on Instagram Click Here! Give her a follow, too! Follow some awesome knitters and spinners!

About Katie Burk's Class
“4 Hacks to Save Your Knitting (or crocheting) Life” with Katie Burk on Saturday, May 2, at 10am. Katie is a FVKG member, the SGO for Twice Sheared Sheep, an ever-contagious harbinger of knitting joy, a social media influencer to over 145K of us fiber-loving humans, and a possessor of the sparkling ability to bring people together! She will be taking a break from her wildly wooly event travel schedule, and Zooming in to our retreat from Chicago, just for us! She will walk through several innovative methods for improving
knitting and crochet essentials such as easy keeping track of your rows, how to (really)measure gauge, a new way to tame yarn tangles while doing colorwork, and more! No special prep necessary. Just bring yourself! (And your knitting …). You can find
Katie's Classroom will be the Main Room.

Spring Retreat Scholarship

Due to the generosity of members and supporters of the FVKG Knitting Retreat, we have full and/or partial scholarships to our spring retreat for member(s) of the Guild to award this year. If you know a guild member that would like to go — and is available to go — to the retreat (including yourself), but funds are a limiting factor, then nominate them or yourself for a scholarship using the form below.

Please submit your nomination by April 15th to Karen Stavis. Her FVKG email is president@ftvancouverknittersguild.org

Applicants will be notified by the Karen Stavis, FVKG President, on April 18th.

Scholarship recipient(s) will be selected from the pool of nominations and self-nominations only by the FVKG President. The identity of the nominees and recipient(s) will remain confidential. The recipient(s) will be officially notified 30 days prior to the retreat.

Notes

A Note From Karen

Dear Members,
As the days begin to grow longer and the first hints of spring will soon begin to show, I’m thrilled to share just how much excitement is unfolding for our guild in the months ahead. This season is shaping up to be one of creativity, connection, and plenty of beautiful stitches.

We have a wonderful lineup of programs coming your way including inspiring guest speakers, skill building, workshops, and fresh opportunities to learn from one another. Whether you love mastering new techniques or simply enjoy knitting alongside friends, there will be something for everyone to look forward to.

Spring also brings renewed energy to our community projects and charitable efforts. It’s always amazing to see how our individual stitches come together to make a real difference, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together this season.

Of course none of this would be possible without you - our talented, generous and enthusiastic members. Your passion is what makes this guild such a special place. I hope you’ll join us at upcoming meetings and events, bring a friend, and share in the joy of creating together.

Here’s to a spring filled with inspiration, laughter, and yarn in every color imaginable. Thank you for being part of this vibrant community... I’m so excited for what’s ahead.

Karen Stavis, FVKG President
516-721-0605

Rose City Yarn Crawl!!

Rose City Yarn Crawl Field Trip

It's time for the Rose City Yarn Crawl, and if you want to go as a group, read on!~
If you want to go as a group, cool. We can do that. I am willing to drive up to four people plus me. If there's more than five, how about we get another volunteer driver for the rest of the group?! Okay, read on for the details.

On the morning of Thursday, March 5th, about 9:30, I plan to stop at the Fred Meyer's on Mill Plain,(at 205) right side of the building and Mill Plain. It's the overflow parking area. I will look around for knitters/crocheters with knits on and bags in hand. And we will also have lunch before returning home. I plan on going just Thursday. So if you want to go other days, too, make plans with someone while we're on the trip. The address for Fred Meyer for those who use gps maps is 11325 SE Mill Plain Blvd.

Trish
(360) 487-6828

The annual 2026 Rose City Yarn Crawl, an event for knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, and felters, will be Thursday, March 5th to Sunday, March 8th, 2026. This is the seventeenth year of the RCYC in Portland, Oregon.

The Rose City Yarn Crawl is an opportunity to visit the local area yarn shops. The Rose City Yarn Crawl Passport is a way to participate in visiting all of the yarn shops, have your passport stamped, and at the last yarn shop you visit, before the close of business Sunday, March 8th, 2026. Find out more by visiting the Rose City Yarn Crawl website under "How to Crawl." There are specific shops that participate in the RCYC, which can be found on the RCYC website under "RCYC Shops."

Click here for the Rose City Yarn Crawl website.

Rose City Yarn Crawl from 2025,
Professor Purl talks about the RCYC.
Some live action crawling, and her haul!

OUR GUILD VALUES

COMMUNITY

GIVING THROUGH KNITTING

EDUCATION

Community

February

* Projects completed by our members *

We are continually amazed by the creativity and talent within our Guild!!

Three Hats by Elizabeth Harris

Lizabethharris on Ravelry

Karen Stavis

"I made it for my daughter."

Lida Dekker "PoodyKittyLatte got involved in the photo shoot.

Here is my Shetland/mohair blended hands-on sweater.

Pattern: Andoa

Knitting News

Hook and Needle Yarn Shop
-Upcoming Classes

11/1 - Log Cabin Steeked Coasters with Michele Lee Bernstein
11/8 - Three Color Stranded Colorwork with Karel Chen
11/15 - Fixing Common Knitting Mistakes
11/16 - Crochet Star Garland with Becca Denning
11/22 - Woven Ornament Workshop

To see full list of upcoming classes and register click here.

Knitterly Travels

Shetland Wool Week 2025

Participants come from far and wide to be immersed in Lerwick's , a.k.a. "the mainland's," complete and local support of all things sheep and wooly. But of most notable fame is Fair Isle where the claim to fame is Fair Isle knitting's origins. The wool from sheep is processed in smaller skeins, but with a wide variety of colors to make beautifully patterned and colored knit wear such as sweaters, hats, gloves, mitts, scarves, and so much more! But there's more! The patterns for Fair Isle were developed on a small isle that is now a sparsely populated island that is known around the globe for Fair Isle colorwork. This style of knitting became THE style for all Shetlanders, and what they have done with it is nothing short of remarkable.

Chipping Sodbury
--by Linda Frederiksen

If you ever happen to find yourself in the small English village of Chipping Sodbury, pay a visit to a lovely little local yarn shop called The Wool Cellar. It’s a family-owned business, in a countryside loaded with sheep. The friendly and helpful owner suggested Bam Ram Ewe’s 100% British Wool, made of Bluefaced Leicester and Masham - a slightly curly and coarse, long fiber breed - for a hat and I can hardly wait to get it on my needles.

Linda

The Woolery Rewards Program

A valuable reminder: You can support FVKG and buy your yarn and fiber at the same time — what could be better?

The Woolery is a family-owned store, and the perfect place for weaving, spinning, felting, dyeing, rug hooking, punch needle, knitting, and crocheting. In addition to being a great resource for us for our addictions er, crafts, it can also help the guild out with a cash-back program. FVKG has enrolled in the Woolery Guild Rewards Program (WGRP), where the Woolery donates 5% of all purchases made when the member first clicks on the WGRP link.

Then look around online, and place your order as usual.

NOTE PLEASE, you must use this link to ensure the rewards go to FVKG.

Questions? Contact Laurel at treasurer@ftvancouverknittersguild.org.

Laurel Prager

Giving Through Knitting

Screenshot_2025-03-28_at_10.20.32_AM.png

"And, don’t forget the hat machine!"

Here’s a picture of a few of the hats I produced on our Guild hat machine last year, both for the Guild
project and for a gift exchange I was going to. The ombre and self-striping yarns produce such a pretty
product, and in short order!

—Sarah Kerridge

Thanks to one and all for your continued support and contributions to our charity knitting projects. Your efforts are very much appreciated. Please continue to knit items for our various charities.

There are several projects to choose from, or try one of each. Last call for 2025 will be at the November 6 meeting. Bring all knitted charity items to that meeting. If you are not able to come to the meeting, call Geri 703-599-9626 or Sue 503-968-9740 to arrange for a pick up.

We are still knitting hats for the food bank to be delivered just before Thanksgiving.

We are also knitting fingerless mitts in brown, black and grey for the nuns who take such good care of us at the retreats. They will be for Christmas gifts.

We continue to knit items for the Veterans hospital on an ongoing basis. They like fingerless mitts, scarves and hats in washable yarn as well as shawls that are size large and do not have a long V in the back. The longer shawls get caught in wheelchairs. These also need to be made of washable yarn.

If you have an idea for other charity knitting projects please let us know. We are always on the lookout for new things to knit!!

Stay tuned for a surprise project announcement in the New Year. In the mean time~

Happy Knitting from Geri and Sue

Please continue to make soap sacks and/or donate soap to Velda Madison. Collecting soap and soap sacks is a continuous initiative and the donations to various organizations happen year round. The receivers of these sacks are thrilled to have them.

Thank you for your support!

—Velda Madison

Yarn Heart

Dan and I have a charity that needs knitting hands. St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Orchards is home to the Winter Hospitality Overflow (WHO) for families. (About WHO) Dan and I cook dinner meals as volunteers for those in the shelter. For example, we bring pots of chili, cakes, and breads. Lots of warming food made with care. They get a hot meal, a warm place to sleep, showers, hygiene products, and tables of clothing and knits to select winter clothing from. The knits table looks a little bleak. We can knit or crochet and donate winter knits for this table, and any winter clothing that you would like to donate. You can get started right away. I would like for a group of us to adopt this table, this population of people for the winter season.

We will gladly take donations from our Guild members at meetings then take them to the shelter when we go to cook, which is frequently during the winter months. So just bring them along to the meeting, find me or Dan, and drop them off with us. Easy peasy! Or arrange to meet me for pick up.

It makes a difference! Out of all of the clothing I watch being taken, the knits disappear the fastest. They are drawn to the knits table, and love knitted items! They are really wonderful people who appreciate and are grateful for the items they get there.

We begin in November and end in April. Please bring any knitted items and/or clothing to the November meeting for the WHO shelter this winter.

Trish Freedman

Education

Knitterly Reads

Two recent additions to the Fort Vancouver Regional Library collection fit nicely with the season:
The cooler temperatures of fall are ideal weather for a bit of wool knitting...be it sweaters, hats, cowls, or - in this case - socks. The great thing about socks are they are a small canvas for experimenting with or perfecting knitting techniques and skills. In Joyful Colorwork Socks by Charlotte Stone (Page Street Publishing, 2024), knitters get patterns that highlight stranded colorwork in delightfully whimsical ways. The 25 unique designs are organized by interest area such as pets, hobbies, holidays, and celebrations. Socks for a dog or cat lover? Check. Botanical or garden-related designs? Check. How about a pair of cupcake-inspired socks for an upcoming special birthday? Again, check. Patterns instructions are all clearly written and colorfully illustrated in easy-to-read charts. Introductory sections include how to choose and substitute yarns and color combinations, tips and tricks to avoid second sock syndrome, and how to design a customized colorwork sock of your very own.

Halloween is just past and Christmas is on it’s way...what better time to begin a project from Tim Burton’sThe Nightmare Before Christmas: The Official Knitting Guide to Halloween Town andChristmas Town? Edited by Tanis Gray (Insight Editions, 2023), this collection of 28 designs runs the gamut from ‘terrifying toys’ to ‘horrifying home decor,’ with costumes and everyday apparel in-between. Like the Addams Family theme song goes, the projects are creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky, but altogether ... fun, unique, and iconic. Here can be found a 10” tall classic Jack Skellington figure and his Santa counterpart, an Oogie Boogie Cowl, and a Nightmare Before Christmas throw. Projects range from beginner-level to more advanced and combine a number of techniques such as lace, cables, intarsia, and mosaic. Instructions are written, with charts as appropriate to the design. It is, as the editor writes, “a chillingly delightful collection of cozy knits with an eerie twist."

—Linda Frederiksen

Mosaic Knitting Workshop - Ashleigh Wempe (David & Charles, 2023).

It looks complicated but after learning the basic technique, it’s something that any advanced beginner can master quickly. Color work patterns are created by using one color for two rows while slipping some stitches then switching to a second color and slipping specific stitches in those rows.

The result is intricate-looking geometric designs that can be worked flat or in the round. Unlike fair isle and intarsia techniques there are no floats to carry or bobbins to manage. After going over the basics of mosaic knitting, the author dives into 13 small to medium-sized projects. Get a taste of mosaic knitting with a coffee cup coaster or cozy then expand to cowls, shawls, and blankets. Unlike many pattern books, the samples are made up with affordable Lion Brand yarns rather than expensive and often difficult to find fibers. Charts are large and easy to read. A perfect starter kit for those new to the technique.

Knit Modern Scani Sweaters
- Marita Clementz (David & Charles, 2025).

This new book highlights 12 visually striking knitting patterns from a Swedish designer. All are made with Scandinavian yarns that have both a cozy and warm look and feel. The designs, which are a modern take on traditional Nordic knits, are primarily top-down, raglan sleeve pullovers in crew or turtle necks and short and long sleeves. And, it’s the patterns that are the stars here, The big bright, colorful, abstract floral motifs and geometric designs in interesting and alternative color ways are reminiscent of the well-known brand, Marimekko. Unisex sizing is inclusive from extra small to extra large adult and most of the knits are in DK (light worsted) weight. The
attractive and appealing designs designs also feature short rows and Ladderback jacquard or yarn floats techniques. For more advanced knitters.

To paraphrase Martha and the Vandellas, summer’s here, and the time is right for reading at the beach. Or the deck. Or the pool. Or the park. Or an air-conditioned room. What’s needed is something light and entertaining, a book that’s both pick-up-able and put-down-able, with a cast of interesting and clever characters, and an easy-to-follow plot. If it happens to be yarn-adjacent, even better.

Two new books that tick all those boxes are by a best-selling German author, Leonie Swann. The concept in both is to skewer the murder mystery genre by taking an animal’s point of view. In Three Bags Full (translated from German by Anthea Bell, Soho Crime Press, 2025), a flock of sheep in Glennkill, western Ireland, find their shepherd, George, quite dead. The behavior of the local humans is incomprehensible to the sheep, which include Miss Maple, a very clever sheep, Sir Ritchfield, the aging lead ram, Othello, a Hebridean ram with a mysterious past, and Mopple the Whale, a merino with a good memory. It soon falls to the sheep to solve the mystery of George’s death.

In Big Bad Wool (translated from German by Amy Bojang, Soho Crime Press, 2025), the sheep find themselves transported to a chateau in France, under the care of their new shepherdess, Rebecca. All is not as it seems with high jinx and mischief around every corner. With the help of some neighboring goats, the flock use sheep logic, courage, and the willpower of wool-power to save the day. Both books are available in print from the Fort Vancouver Regional Library.

—Linda Frederiksen

Hook and Needle
September Class Schedule

Hello, Knitters!

We have lots of classes coming up. Here’s our September lineup:
✦ Beginner Colorwork Workshop with Karel Chan - September 13
✦ Classic Ribbed Hat - September 20
✦ Mini Shawl - September 21
✦ Brioche Pastiche with Michel Bernstein - September 27
✦ Beginner Knitting - October 4
To see the full list of classes and register, go to https://www.hookandneedlefiber.com/shop/

Submitted by Julie Patterson

Used with permission and with thanks to KnitPicks

Volunteers

Knit Club at Riverview Elementary

Thanks to FVKG and their members for the support of our Knit Club at Riverview Elementary School. Thanks to Pam, Sue, Cheryl, Rita for knitting sample animals with simple patterns for the kids to knit.

Thanks to all the folks that have donated knitting needles, yarn, bags and notions. The Fifth Graders at Riverview are doing great. We have about 14 kids in the Knit Club. Some are finishing fingerless mitts and the kitten above, while others are just starting. Rita, Nina, Lomoar, Leslie, Pam, Patty and Molly are teaching them.

One of the challenges we face with the fifth graders is that we only have one school year to teach them as much as we can. We teach at lunch / recess 11:40–12:15) on Wednesdays and Fridays, so we only get about 20-25 minutes of knit time. But they work hard when they are at Knit Club.

We would like to start a Fourth Grade Knit Club at Riverview on Thursdays at 11:25-12:00. Then we would have 2 school years to teach them, and we might get them further into learning all there is about knitting. Would any of you be willing to help teach the Fourth Graders? If so Please email Rita at copphous@comcast.net or text Rita at 360-608-6989.

THANKS!
~ Submitted by Rita Coppernoll

Webmistress: Patricia Freedman
Email: webmistress@ftvancouverknittersguild.org
Last Updated 02/07/26