First Steek: Virtual Workshop with Michele Bernstein

Details

Date: Friday, January 16, 2026

Time: Noon-2:00 p.m. Eastern time

Location: Zoom—this is a virtual event. The class will be recorded, and participants will have access to watch and re-watch for as long as they like. Your order confirmation email will include a PDF download with the Zoom link, and we will send email reminders the week of the workshop.

The Class 

During this 2-hour workshop, Michele will introduce us to the fiendishly clever traditional technique of steeking. Her pattern for Log Cabin Love Coasters is a great introduction to this technique—think of them as steek training wheels.

You will do all the knitting before class (it’s not a lot) so this workshop will be packed with Michele’s best steeking tips and techniques—and actual live-action steeking!

We will learn to stabilize our steeks and then cut our first steeks together. In the words of the song, you’ll never steek alone!

Finally, we will finish the edges of our coasters with a log cabin border (Kay’s favorite).

After this workshop, you’ll have the confidence to knit any pattern that calls for steeking, and even to retro-steek a pullover into a cardigan.  Once you get the hang of steeking, there’s no stopping you!

If this is not your first steek, that’s fine, too. You’ll pick up loads of tips, tricks, and courage from Michele.

What you’ll need:

• Michele’s Log Cabin Love Coasters pattern. Your confirmation email will include a code for a free download of the pattern on Ravelry.com.
• US No. 7 (4.5mm) circular needle 16 inch/40 cm length
• 125 – 250 yards of worsted weight wool yarn (not superwash) in two colors. We think Jane is perfect for this project.
• Crochet hook, size E or F, plus approximately 4 yards of fingering weight yarn (wool or cotton) for crocheted steek
• Stitch markers, tapestry needle, and scissors
• Please bring your pattern and leftover yarn to class.

What is a steek?

Steeking is a shortcut used to knit garments in the round without interruption for openings or sleeves until the end. After completing a tube, a straight line is cut along the center of a column of stitches to make an opening to attach a sleeve, collar, or button band. The steek itself is a bridge of extra stitches, usually 6-10 stitches wide, in which the cut is made.

Steeking has several advantages: Many knitters work knit stitches faster than purls, so knitting in the round goes faster. Working in the round also keeps the right side of the fabric facing the knitter all the time, so you’re never working colorwork in purl. It is easier to maintain an even tension, and there are fewer ends to weave in. This is why the old-school Fair Isle knitters are steekers!

There’s just one thing holding some knitters back: the dread of slicing into their knitting.

We get it! But we also know that steeking is easier than you think, safer than you fear, and more fun than any knitting feat we can think of.

For more about this exhilarating technique and to see it in practice, check out Ann’s post Steeking: What It Is, Why It’s Fun.

Our Workshop Leader

Michele Lee Bernstein, known as PDXKnitterati, designs and teaches from her home base in Portland, Oregon. She loves designing accessories, especially if they use one or two skeins of very special yarn. She’s fond of texture (brioche, lace, entrelac, elongated stitches, assigned pooling), and using interesting techniques to make accessories sing. Her patterns are available through Ravelry and Payhip.

Michele loves teaching knitters to be the boss of their knitting! She’s a hot ticket, teaching around the country at fiber festivals (Vogue Knitting Live, Red Alder Fiber Arts Festival, Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival), guild meetings, retreats, and local yarn shops. Her book, Brioche Knit Love: 21 Skill Building Projects from Simple to Sublime combines her love for teaching and designing, using simple accessories to take knitters from the easiest one color brioche through more complex brioche techniques.

MDK knitters have high praise for Michele’s teaching skills. Here’s a testimonial from her virtual class on beginning brioche:

I had been quite intimidated by brioche and any tries had always ended up in failure. This class changed everything. For me, the difference is in Michele’s teaching style. She modeled for me that all is not lost if I make a mistake or don’t know the next step. Just take a breath, “read the knitting” and it will work out. There is a cadence to her knitting instructions that encourage one to slow down, take a look, you can do it. And, so far, she is right! Thanks again for making this happen. Time and money well spent.

Michele blogs about knitting, food, and music at PDXKnitterati.com. You can also find her on Instagram, Facebook, Ravelry, YouTube, Threads, and Bluesky; she’s PDXKnitterati on all platforms.

QUESTIONS

What if I lose the Zoom link? Your order confirmation email will include a PDF download with the Zoom link; once you download it, you can always find it on your device under downloads. You can also access it by logging into your MDK account, where it will be stored for you under downloads. If you have any trouble, write to us at he***@*****************ng.com for prompt assistance.

What if I can’t attend the live workshop? The class will be recorded, and participants will have access to watch and re-watch for as long as they like. We will send out an email with a link to the recording after the class concludes, by the end of the day. You can also access it via the PDF download that is stored in your MDK account; the recording link in that PDF will become live by the end of the day of class.