Knit & Crochet Show 2016 – Class Reviews
I had so much fun at the Knit and Crochet Show in Charleston this year that it won’t all fit in one post! I want to tell you all about it, so I’m breaking it up into separate posts. I took 6 classes, which made for quite a full schedule, so I’m going to start with those:
Bruges Lace with Mary Beth Temple
This was my first time meeting and taking a class with Mary Beth. She’s so much fun! I’ve worked with Bruges lace before, but only the basics, so I was excited to learn a little more. We made a swatch that curved back and forth, a circle, and started working on a heart shape. We also learned a gathered type of curve that’s really pretty – so pretty I made it into a little flower and made a bracelet out of it. Unfortunately, I can’t find the bracelet right now to show you, but I’m sure it will turn up eventually.
Double-Ended, Circular, Tunisian Tapestry with Lily Chin
That’s an intimidating name, isn’t it? As it turns out, it’s not nearly as difficult as it sounds! My first Tunisian project, several years ago, was a nightmare and had kind of turned me off Tunisian. I took the class mainly because I wanted an opportunity to learn from Lily. By the end of the class, I told her “You’re making me not hate Tunisian!” I never thought I’d say it, but this technique was FUN, and the possibilities….well, just look at some of the work Lily has done and you’ll see what I mean. My swatches looks pretty awful, but that’s because we weren’t making anything in particular. We were just trying out all different stitches, increases, decreases, and colorwork techniques.
Cables Over the Edge with Laurinda Reddig
I love taking Laurinda’s classes! I missed out on this one last year, so I was so happy when I was able to get it this year. Laurinda one of my favorite teachers. (She brings chocolate.) Her lesson plans are always well thought out and progress smoothly from easier techniques to harder ones. By the end you’ve put it all together into something that would have been too much to just jump right into. (Plus….she brings chocolate.) This cables technique was one of those that makes your brain hurt until it finally clicks, and then it’s just amazing. The basic idea was to work the edge stitches into your cables so that they are part of the cable, with no straight edge to be found. It takes a little maneuvering to make this happen, but the results were pretty spectacular. (Did I mention chocolate?)
Intermediate Reversible Intarsia with Laurinda Reddig
If you’ve ever seen Laurinda’s vest that she designed with this technique, you’ll understand why this was a sold-out class. Reversible Intarsia is all about how you hide and carry your different colors of yarn from row to row, so that it’s invisible. If you follow Laurinda’s techniques exactly, you won’t see any floats or carried yarns on either side of the fabric, making it truly reversible. The introduction class uses half double crochets, and this intermediate class taught us how to adapt those techniques to double crochets. We also learned how to make smooth diagonal lines, and even how to make half a stitch in one color and the other half in the other color!
Intro to Irish Crochet with Susan Lowman
I met Susan last year through the Master’s program, and was thrilled to be able to take one of her classes. Irish lace is one of those techniques I have no experience with and very badly want to learn. Just look at this beautiful design we made in class! The motifs themselves are not very difficult, it’s joining them that I’ve always struggled with. I have trouble getting them to lay flat without bulging and puckering or leaving gaps. Working through Susan’s pattern helped me see how it all comes together, and she was full of great tips and tricks throughout the class.
Intro to Colorwork in the Round with Kyle Kunnecke
I wrapped up my class schedule with a knitting class. Kyle shared with us his lovely Emeline hat pattern, made with two different colorways of self striping yarn. I’m a slow knitter though, so I didn’t get very far. After swatching (and re-swatching), I only made it about 3 rounds in before class was over. I did learn a new-to-me cast on called the German twisted cast-on. We also talked about some different types of colorwork, and I learned some tips for managing two colors at once.
Last year, I had only taken 3 or 4 classes and found I had more downtime than I liked. This year I took 6 and that may have been just a little bit too much. I think next year I’ll try 5 and see how that feels. With so many great teachers and classes though, it’s just so hard to choose!