Tuesday, January 5, 2010

EPS Class 1

It was great to have my first class for the Elizabeth Percentage System (EPS). This class uses the "Weekend Sweater" pattern Spun Out #46, from School House Press. The principles of EPS can also be found in The Opinionated Knitter by Elizabeth Zimmermann.



Students need to read the pattern to determine your gauge and Key number. The pattern sections 1-4 of the pattern give a great description of how to use the Key number to determine your cast-on number and increases.

Techniques needed to complete the first part of the pattern:
How you cast-on is up to you. Here are some examples of nice cast-on techniques. We talked about the long-tail cast-on and the crochet cast-on.
Here are two examples of crochet cast-on. example 1, example 2.
I don't recommend the single cast-on or the provisional cast-on.
KnittingHelp.com has some great information about increases. You may need to increase after you complete your lower edge to get your key number. Increasing evenly information is found here. Here's a handy calculator to do the work for you!

A few tips!
Take notes as you work on your project. Note how many rounds of your edge treatment you complete. It will make it easier if you want to have your sleeve edge match.
After you cast-on, place markers at the beginning of the round by using a stitch marker.
Mark the "halfway" st of your sweater. You'll use these throughout the pattern.

Additional Resources:
Sweaters from Camp is currently out of print. Ack! The price is really high. A great bit of information is available in this book. I'll bring mine next class if you want to look at the book a bit closer.
Knitters Handy Guide to Yarn Requirements should be available at the shop if you are interested.
Ravelry is an online resource for all things knitting and crochet. Ravelry can be a bit overwhelming at first but the search function is really great!

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