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Imagine all the garments that have been created after 30 years of knitting, multiplied by hundreds of creative and hardworking knitters having fun, making friends and sharing techniques.
That’s how you could summarize the work of the women (and, over the years, some men) of the Tigard Knitting Guild, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in October. Two of its founding members, Patti Irvin, the current president, and Donna Lee Palin, spoke at the August meeting about the organization’s history and its plans for the future.
They credit Norm Nelson with founding the Tigard group. A member of a knitting group in Seattle, he decided to start a local group when he moved here 30 years ago. A group of 24 knitters formed, meeting in the early years at the Tigard Chamber of Commerce.
Over the years there have been about 200 members, with numbers declining during the Covid-19 pandemic, “but now we are on the upswing,” Irvin said.
Members range in age from 40 to 90, and the organization has changed over the decades. In the “old days” before the internet, there were more in-person classes. Now, members can attend monthly in-person meetings via Zoom, while some also hold Zoom meetings on Friday nights.
“But we run our meetings the same way we did 30 years ago,” Irvin said. “People are greeted when they come in, we have announcements and then a speaker, followed by a show-and-tell event where members demonstrate what they’ve been doing or show us their projects.”
And for more than 20 years, members have gone on an annual retreat to Our Lady of Peace Retreat in Beaverton. “We’re the only non-religious group that stays there,” Palin said. “On Saturday nights, we have a fashion show. This year, we’re knitting slippers as a gift for the nuns.”
Irvin added: “It’s a real joy to still be here after 30 years. In 1994, I never would have imagined that we would still be here 30 years later.”
And this year, members are taking part in a fun game – a bingo contest – to celebrate the 30th anniversary. By crossing off spaces on two bingo cards after activities such as “knitting in bed” or “touching a few balls of yarn,” members win lottery tickets that they can exchange for prizes.
The group welcomes new members and meets the third Thursday evening of every month at Rise Church in Tigard. For more information, visit tigardknittingguild.org.
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