Top Down Raglan

I took the top down raglan class with Brenda on Saturday. It was a great class and provides me the information I need to design sweaters!

Flower Basket Shawl Lace Class

Hi,
I wanted to offer some clarification on chart two of the Flower Basket Shawl. I wasn't clear on chart two. In the written instructions, there are details on the number of repeats that need to be repeated for chart to to create a shawl in the suggested size. You will repeat all the rows for chart two multiple times before moving to chart three.



I suggest that you place a lifeline each time you complete a chart. Here's a video that goes into more details. You can also use a tapestry needle and thread through with a contrasting colored yarn on the last row of the pattern repeat. The last row of chart 2 (row 34) will always end with the K2, P to last 2 sts, K2.

This video is for the provisional cast-on as described in the pattern.
See you on Monday!

Thinking about classes

I've been thinking about classes that might be interesting to teach at my LYS. The trouble for me right now is that I don't have a lot of time to create a new curriculum. Thoughts?



Jeremy suggested his Shadow Knit Greek Key Scarf.   It's a nice scarf and would be a nice one day class.  He's given permission to use the pattern. 

The Leaf Lace Shawl and Swallowtail Shawl are high on the list. Of course, I have to review the copyright for these patterns. I really want to find a pattern that I could get the students to purchase and have good options for yarns.  I'm trying to use up my sock stash yarn.  I also don't want a class to go on for too long. 

I've been really enjoying listening to Hoxton Handmade Podcast. Have you heard it? I'm enjoying the essays and humor of the magazine reviews.  I'll vlog about my love affair on this a bit later. 

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!

EPS and the Kitchener Stitch

I've referenced the EPS multiple times on my blog. It's a great way to knit a sweater based on percentages from a Key measurement. This was created by Elizabeth Zimmermann.



The Opinionated Knitter by Elizabeth Zimmermann is a great book. The Spun Out #46 "The Weekend Sweater" is from Schoolhouse Press.

The Kitchener Stitch can be found here for those who don't knit. It's also known as grafting.

Thanks for the Congratulations on the Class

I wanted to say thank you to those who commented about my experience teaching.

It really was a great experience. Now, what should I teach as a next class?

I wonder about how to get the pattern out from the class I thought? Should I just post it here? Sell it?

Thoughts? Do comment. I love those comments.

Successful Class!

I taught my first knitting class at my LYS yesterday. I was fortunate to have 7 good students that were interested in learning a new pattern. The pattern was put in the schedule as the scallop scarf but I changed the name to Color Wave Scarf.

Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns was a great help for the pattern design. The Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts gave great motivation for the use of color.