Imagine all the garments created after 30 years of knitting, multiplied by hundreds of creative and industrious knitters who have fun, form friendships and share techniques along the way.
That sums up the women (and a few men over the years) of the Tigard Knitting Guild, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in October. Two of its charter members, Patti Irvin, the current president, and DonnaLee Palin, shared the history of the organization and upcoming plans at the August meeting.
They credit Norm Nelson for starting the Tigard group. A member of a Seattle knitting group, he decided to start a local group when he moved here 30 years ago. A group of 24 knitters was formed, meeting at the Tigard Chamber of Commerce in its early years.
Over the years there have been about 200 members, with the number declining during the Covid-19 pandemic, “but now we’re on an upswing,” Irvin said.
The members range in age from about 40 to 90, and the organization has changed over the decades. In the pre-Internet “old days,” there were more in-person classes. Now, members can participate in the monthly in-person meetings via Zoom, while some also hold Zoom meetings on Friday nights.
“But we conduct our meetings the same way we did 30 years ago,” Irvin said. “People are welcomed when they walk in, we have announcements and then a speaker, followed by show-and-tell, where members model what they have made or show us their projects.”
And for more than 20 years, members go on an annual retreat to Our Lady of Peace Retreat in Beaverton. “We are the only non-religious group that stays there,” Palin said. “On Saturday night, we have a fashion show. This year we are knitting slippers as a gift for the nuns.”
Irvin added, “It is a real joy to still be around after 30 years. In 1994, I never thought that we would still be here 30 years later.”
And this year members are participating in a fun game – a bingo challenge – to celebrate the 30th anniversary. As members cross out squares on two bingo cards after doing such activities as “knit in bed” or “touch some balls (of yarn),” they earn raffle tickets that can be redeemed for prizes.
The group welcomes new members and meets on the third Thursday evening of each month at Rise Church in Tigard; for more information, visit tigardknittingguild.org.
