Have you tried handknitting socks, and struggled through the process? Do you have joint pain that prevents you from working with small needles? Do you just want to try something new? Knitting socks on a sock loom is a fun alternative to traditional sock knitting. Using an adjustable sock loom, you’ll learn basic loom-knitting skills, including all the steps needed to create a sock. We’ll knit a top-down baby sock in class, and you’ll have the skills to knit socks of all sizes on your sock loom. We will not be using circular looms, but rectangular adjustable sock looms.

Materials: Materials – either bring your own or before/during class get 20% off on:A skein of sock yarn of your choice (preferably at a called-for gauge of 7 sts/in) and an adjustable, rectangle sock loom. Your loom may come with a recommended yarn weight. If so, please bring the yarn suggested by your loom.

This class is being taught by Parna this Saturday, March 31 from 10-2:30 with a half hour break for lunch.

Call us or come by the shop to register!

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So how incredibly perfect that Carrie from Irish Girlie Knits just sent us this new pattern of hers called Blackberry Brambles! The berries travel down the sock on their brambles. Add this to colorways with names such as Mochaberry and Ripe for Pickin’, well, enough said.

Gauge: 30 sts and 48 rows = 4” over st st

Finished measurements: 8” (9 ½”) foot circumference; 6” approximate leg length

Materials: 380-400 yards of fingering weight yarn such as The Plucky Knitter Merino Cashmere Nylon fingering, Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock lightweight, Hazel Knits Artisan Sock, Kollage Yarns Sock-a-licious, A Verb for Keeping Warm Creating.

Needles: Size US 1.5 (2.5mm) or size to obtain gauge, either DPNs or circular needles.

Notions: Stitch markers, tapestry needle.

Skill level: Adventurous beginner.

Pattern includes: Instructions are written for a cuff-down sock. Charts are provided on the last page.

Pick up a copy of Blackberry Brambles for $6 either in our bricks and mortar shop or from our web store.

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(They don’t get much wilder than these!)

Walk on the Wild Side: Using hand-dyed yarns
$30 With Star Athena
What are you going to do with all of that vibrant and crazy hand dyed yarn? This workshop will teach you how to use wild, bright, hand painted and/or variegated yarns to yield the best results. We’ll talk about pooling, flashing, striping and all of the other effects of hand painted yarns. We’ll focus on stitch patterns that highlight the yarns well, and learn techniques to change the effect of a single yarn.
Date/Time: Thursday, Jan 12, 5-8pm
Materials: Wild sock yarn (several if you have them, solid if you have that) and several needles in different sizes. The size you usually use for socks and a size larger and a size smaller. Pen or pencil for taking notes.
Homework: with smallest needle, CO 40 (50, 60) sts (40 for DK yarn, 50 for sportweight, 60 for fingering). Knit 4 rows flat in garter stitch. Join to work in the round and knit 1/2″ in plain stockinette st.
Prerequisites: Students should have knitted at least a few pairs of socks before trying this class, and should be comfortable with the basics, knitting in the round, and reading a chart.

Ready to sign up and find a use for those fancy-pantsy-handsy-paintsies? Call us at 503-922-1150 or email class@twistedpdx.com.

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Socks: Cuff-down with a Gusset Heel on Two Circular Needles
$60 With Parna Mehrbani
The traditional top-down, gusset method using two circular needles so you’ll never lose a DPN again.
Date/Time: Sundays, Jan 8, 15, and 22; 12-2pm
Materials: 275-300 yards of Sport Weight yarn, 2 sets of 24” US 3 (3.35 mm) needles.
Includes: Knitting Pure and Simple #242 sock pattern.
Skills learned: Knitting in the round, heel flap and gusset techniques, kitchener stitch.

Time to warm up those chilly toes! To enroll, call us at 503-922-1150 or email class@twistedpdx.com.

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First up, from 10am-12pm:

The Thrill of the Thrum!
$20 with Michele Bernstein
What’s a thrum? A bit of fiber worked into your knitting for extra warmth and cushiness. This technique has been used to make super-warm mittens in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, for hundreds of years. They know cold! Learn how to make thrums with wool roving, and how to work them into your knitting. We’ll start a thrummed headband or cowl for you to practice on in class.

You may think knitwear is already warm, but just wait til you try this stuff. *snorglesnorglemmm*

Next, from 12-3pm:

Story Socks: Create a Story with your Sock Design
$30 with Deb Accuardi
Using different patterns and a beautiful sock yarn, create a one of a kind gift that tells a story to the recipient. We’ll look at several examples of socks I’ve done this with so you might find inspiration for your project. We will start with a short writing exercise, delve through stitch dictionaries and then move onto swatching and knitting towards the story idea each student has come up with. I will have several small balls of yarn available in different colors for trying out stitch patterns, but students should start thinking about a topic when they sign up for this class and bring in an appropriate yarn. This is one of our Sock Summit Encore classes and we are super excited to bring it to you!

And wrapping up the day, from 3-5pm:

Introduction to Spindle Spinning
$40 with Leila Wice
Come learn the magic of making your own yarn with the most basic of tools. No experience necessary, but wheel spinners who want to get acquainted with spindles are welcome too. Kids 8 or younger, please register together with an adult. Please note, this is the first of two sessions- the second is December 17th at the same time.

You can find more info on these classes and more on our Classes page. Have questions, or want to sign up for one of these fabulous workshops? Give us a call at 503-922-1150 or email us at class@twistedpdx.com. Or just drop on by!

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Socks: Toe-up with a Gusset Heel on Two Circular Needles
$60 with Sivia Harding
The ultimate sock technique. Never run out of yarn or lose a DPN again – and get the perfect fit every time. Standard class is three weeks long. Students may opt for the bonus session for extra time and attention.
Date/Time: Wednesdays, Dec 7, 14, and 21; 6-8pm
Materials: One skein sport-weight yarn (plain-colored and not too dark), two sets size 2.75 mm (US 2) circular needles. Students may choose from STR Mediumweight, Gems Sport, Fly Designs or Lotus Yarns.
Includes: Sivia’s Toe-up Socks For All pattern.
Skills learned: Judy’s Magic Cast-on, short-rows, using two-circular needles to knit in the round, gusset heel.

Want to sign up or get more info? Call the shop at 503-922-1150 or email us at class@twistedpdx.com!

9 out of 10 Twisted mannequin feet agree: nothing like warm, wooly socks on a chilly day! (The other one prefers cotton.)

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Date/Time: Sundays, Dec 4, 11, 18; 1-3pm
Materials: Two colors of fingering-weight yarn, highly contrasting is the best. Size US 1 needles, either DPNs or circs as needed to knit in the round.
Included: Zig Zag Socks pattern by Anne Berk (if you wish to learn intarsia in the round without doing this project, we can contact Anne and work out an alternate plan for you)
Homework: Knit the ribbing as directed in the pattern, in whichever color your prefer
Prerequisites: Previous experience with intarsia is required for this class.
Skills learned: Intarsia knitting without seams.

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Date/Time: Saturday, Dec 3, 10am-1pm
Materials: A skein of sport or dk yarn of your choice and an adjustable, rectangle sock loom. Your loom may come with a recommended yarn weight. If so, please bring the yarn suggested by your loom.
Cost: $30
with Parna Mehrbani

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Inspire Sock by Blissful Knits is $20 a skein. We don’t have her colors listed on our website, so coming into the shop is really your best bet, but if you’d like to order some on our website, click on over and let us know what color familes you are interested in.

All of Blissful Knits and Dyeworks yarns are hand dyed in Raya’s small fiber arts studio right here in Portland. She employs different painting and dyeing techniques and loves to experiment with color. Raya specializes in fine and luxury yarns and makes every attempt to locate US based fiber suppliers.

Inspire Sock Details:
Fiber: 80% Superwash Merino, 20% Nylon
Weight: Fingering
Gauge: 6-8 sts per inch
Needles: US 00-2 (1.75-2.75 mm)
Weight: 100 g. skein
Length: 430 yards/393meters
Care: Machine wash gentle or hand wash cold. Dry flat.

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Want to design socks? It’s your lucky day! I’ll let the class description speak for itself:

Sock Design Workshop: Know the Rules, then Break Them
$30 With Star Athena
Are you ready to design your own socks? This sock design workshop covers the basics of sock construction and technique. We’ll ask questions like: Why go toe-up or cuff down? What will slip stitches, cables and ribbing do to the fit? How does stranding affect gauge? Then we’ll cover ways to unleash creativity onto the simple sock, mixing in alternative design ideas and unexpected elements. How can you make your designs stand out in a competitive market, and where can inspiration be found? We’ll brainstorm, sketch, and knit some designs in class. We’ll also discuss pattern writing, proofing, tech editing, and test knitting, tips and tools to make the design process easier, how to solve problems, and, finally, we’ll cover the submission process: how to do it and what to expect. By the end of the workshop, the sock knitter will feel inspired to take designing to the next level. They’ll have new designs on the needles and in the sketchbooks. If they want, they’ll even be ready to start submitting designs for publication.
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct 22, 10am-1pm
Materials: Sock yarn and needles for starting a sock you will design in class, (Choose something not too dark or overly busy). Usual knitting tools and notions, unlined paper, pencil, and knitter’s graph paper. Optional (but highly recommended): one or more stitch dictionaries, calculator, colored pencils (if you want to design colorwork socks) Bring in your existing design ideas if you’d like!
Prerequisites: You must be familiar with the basics of sock making, toe-up and cuff-down construction, different stitch patterns like lace and cables, reading knitting patterns and charts, and have a basic understanding of knitter’s math.

Sound good? It totally is. So good. Interested? Shoot us an email at class@twistedpdx.com, or call or stop by the shop (503-922-1150)!

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