As I’ve mentioned, the Circumnavigate Cardigan I’ve been working on is being knit as part of a guild wide knit-along for the Dallas Hand Knitters Guild. I had a bit of a surprise recently when I found out I had been nominated for 2nd Vice President (Education)/ Programs Chair. Last week I was voted in and I’m really getting excited about the upcoming year. This position handles setting up the meeting programs and workshops and the guild’s had amazing ones in the past. So now my brain’s been abuzz with possible topics, ideas and thinking what sort of things/classes would be interesting. I’d really love to get a wider input though of course. So, to make it a little more fun here’s the contest thingie.
Simply comment letting me know a knitting related topic, technique, event, something that’d you’d be interested in. You don’t have to be local (although if you are in the Guild, please offer your suggestions!). I’m just hoping to get some ideas. What is something you’d like to see at your knitting group? Do you have a teacher or specific workshop you’d love to attend some day?
Then in the effort to give “prizes that don’t suck”, list your favorite colors and/or fibers. I’ll draw a random name and work with the winner to get you some cool goodies. Let’s say it’s open until Sunday, April 22, 2007 until Midnight (CST).
Sound good? Go!
Do I hear, Contest?
Leave a comment ?
I’m almost sorry to suggest something so elementary, but a good fair isle class, to learn solid technique (two-handed throws, ways to twist the back of long floats, ways to get knitting not to pucker) would be very welcome.
For fun, a quick argyle event would be a neat way to make socks interesting. (I’m burnt out on socks right now, haha.)
I’m not sure how in-depth your educational duties are, but pattern alteration (for fit and style) is usually the item I’m asked about most often.
Good luck! It sounds like an exciting new responsibility.
Congratulations on your nomination! I’m not local and am not sure if your education classes are hands-on or just presentation, but here are some things I’d be interested in hearing about:
* Differences between fibers–many people don’t have the money to buy a bunch of random yarns in a variety of fibers “just to test,” but it would be interesting to be able to knit a small swatch in different fibers to be able to feel and see the difference in the final fabrics. Each ball could be split between the group. I’ve never even felt quivut or some of the other rarer yarns, so it would be interesting to get a chance to knit with a small length of it.
* On a related note, it would be interesting to learn more about fiber lengths for the different fibers–wool, rabbit, alpaca, etc. and how this affects springiness, blocking, and durability.
* For simpler hands-on classes, some techniques that many people haven’t tried might include entrelac, fair isle, intarsia, and short rows.
* I’d be interested to try swatching different increases and decreases (similar to the swatch on knittinghelp.com) to see what looks best. Nona did a decrease swatch recently that got me to switch the way I do ssks.
I hope this is the sort of thing you’re looking for!
Congratulations on your new position!
If there were one sort to workshop I would really find helpful, it would be one on how to modify/make a pattern to fit, especially how to change sleeves and the armhole (I can never remember the real name for this) fit together for a particular gauge and body size. It’s pretty easy to figure out how to increase or decrease the body of a sweater, but set in sleeves are mysterious.
I would also think a class on fair isle technique like Stef mentioned would get a lot of interested participants.
I would love to know more about how to alter knitting patterns… I’m short and chesty and most patterns aren’t designed that way, so I end up unofficially fudging patterns to fit.
miters are everywhere and miters are fun! you could cover “no sew” techniques, color theory, etc. and make blankets or cozies for things.
after reading others’ comments, looks like my first thought is something quite common – that is, altering patterns. This is not only for personal fit but also to learn some general guidelines about using different yarns & how different stitches alter size, both width & length… (I know swatching is critical but is there some general information to use as a guide???).
This may seem very elementary, and for what it’s worth being as I am not in your guild, but my knitting group is always craving a great finishing class, from something as basic as hiding ends to joining yarn to blocking to finishing edges. It’s what makes or breaks a project, in my mind.
Oooh and as for my yarn loves: anything natural and wonderful.
I don’t know how experienced your guild is, but I’ve been knitting for a year, and I’m still completely baffled by Intarsia and Fair Isle. I don’t really even know the difference – I’ve never had anyone show me, and trying to read about them can be frustrating.
Also, this is a little thing, but I hate purling, and think it would be cool to get a roomful of people to show how they purl so I could find a more suitable method.
I also agree with Stef that a “fiber showcase” would be excellent.
Good luck in your position!
i’m not in your guild either, but i agree with others who would like a fair isle or intarsia class. also, i would be interested in learning how to knit continental or to “knit backwards.”
i hope everything goes well with your position!
Congrats!!! I’m not a member of the guild but have thought about it (and now I will think even harder!). I would love to see a class in designing a pattern to fit your own body. Or taking a pattern that already exist and make it fit your own body. Does that make any sense? Anyway… congrats!
I am not in the guild but thinking over it I would really like to participate in a design your own class. It’s so difficult for some people to figure out the process of how you should go about designing your own patterns. At least offer some solutions and ideas to get them off the ground. This would also cover copyrights and stuff. A lot of people, I noticed, don’t know about that either.
Congratulations! People have some really awesome ideas, especially about modifying patterns for fit. A few further suggestions:
- Teaching a variety of cast-ons, especially provisional ones. They can be really tricky to learn on your own, esp. the ones that are supposed to unzip. This could be combined with bind-offs and finishing techniques in general.
- Stranded colorwork and the importance of color dominance
- This might be dumb, but I think it would be useful. Ergonomics for knitting — how to avoid carpal tunnel, different stretches, ways to hold your knitting to avoid fatigue, etc.
Blue’s my favorite color, and I love natural fibers that have some elasticity to them like wool and alpaca.
Congratulations on the nomination!
I’d like a class on steeks and colorwork. I’d also like a class on how to alter a pattern, or do the math to design a sweater. A class on how to work different fastenings like installing a zipper in a sweater, or doing buttonholes.
I love jewel tones! ;-)
Our guild does a mini class night, and some of the topics this year were
-knitting with wire (Annie Modesitt has a great book out on this)
-double knitting (huge crowd for this)
-needle felting (we had people climbing over each other for this one)
-someone did crochet help, because all knitters should understand the basics of crochet… don’t you think?
-one longer class was nuno-felting; the results of which were just gorgeous!
that’s all i remember, but I thought that they were great choices, and all of them could be much deeper topics for a longer classrom experience :)
Exciting to be able to have such a fun position in your guild! I’m not sure if we even have a guild here in Perth, WA, but I do go to a Stitch & Bitch every now and then. To go to a class on knitting would be great, especially as I’ve only been knitting for a few months and still have a LOT to learn. I would be interested in:
- An introduction to colour work of some sort. It’d be great to try a two colour project like fingerless gloves or something that could be started in a class.
-Seaming. I tend to be a bit hit and miss with this, so a few pointers would be nice. Not sure if this would be too tedious for more experienced knitters though?
-Introductions to felting, dying or spinning (if this was in the scope of your guild). Just a fun session to try out a few techniques.
-As well as notes on pattern design, maybe to have a designer come in and tell ‘their story’ would be interesting. I’m always interested in hearing how people have turned something that is a hobby for me into a career or small business.
Good luck and I hope you get some appropriate suggestions that you can use.
I think a double knitting class would be great. I’d also enjoy a class on dyeing yarn and colour theory. What about different construction methods including pros and cons. I think an interesting ongoing project would be to start a yarn review book, where yarns are swatched and laundered then document the results as well as anyone with actual experience using/wearing the yarn could also add comments.
Congrats on the new position!
I second the idea for a Design Your Own Knits class. Also a workshop on finishing techniques would be wonderful, especially including 1) how to put in a zipper for those who don’t like buttonholes 2) comparisons of how people sew in ends. That last is still somewhat of a msytery. I’ve read about some different sewing-in-ends ideas, but would really like to see them in practice. Also how about sewing for non-sewers? That’s me!
I’m into natural soft things, cashmere & merino stuff… :)
Hi Jen!
All right, this has been mentioned here already, but I’m going to say it again to emphasize them:
1) Short rows, and other “advanced” techniques like fair isle and intarsia. I’m a self-taught knitter, and even though I’ve done a pretty fair job of figuring things out for myself, I still can’t figure out what the heck short rows are and what they’re used for. Which makes me sad, because I really want to knit your Liquid Silver sweater. ;-)
2) Basic knitting pattern design, plus sizing in knit design. I feel like I could design a sweater pattern in one size if I really tried, but how would I go about sizing it for others?
3) Maybe something on “ethical knitting?” This is always an issue for me in jewelry design since the industry has some areas of corruption and abuse–but I don’t know much about the fiber industry and how the animals in particular are treated for processing their coats, or even if it’s an issue at all.
Anyway, congratulations!
i whole-heartedly second the fair-isle basics, i feel like i really need someone to walk me through learning my last knitting hurdle, and i’m sure there are others out there who want the same!
also, i think a class on sweater design would be a HIT. how to plot arm-hole shaping, where to place darts and waist shaping… all that stuff. ohhh that would be fun.
yarn loves (as if i’ll actually win, hah!), BRIGHT colors, vivid stuff. ya know.
I completely agree with those who said a finishing class, especially one in which a portion of the time is spent explaining seaming, would be of interest. More experienced knitters may not like that, but still..
I think a class exploring the different sock constructions (shortrow/flap heels, toe shaping, etc) would be great, because in my experience people find/try one or two and then stick to that.
Lots of different cast-ons and bind-offs, finishing techniques in general, various inc and dec, pattern personalization, steeking, double knitting…oh just about everything! I guess this wasn’t very helpful after all. However, congratualtions and good luck!
In my knitting group we once had a presentation from a LYS who brought samples of all their new yarns, patterns, and sample projects. It was fun seeing new yarns and learning about a new yarn shop. I’d love to have more presentations like that.
I’d also like a spinning lesson or two on both a drop spindle and a wheel. Learning to draft fibers, ply, etc.
Great contest idea! Good luck with your new position!
Congratulations!
I’m biased, but I like lectures on historic knitting complete with lots of pictures.
At our guild in St. Louis, I’ve also enjoyed lectures on zippers, on opening a LYS, dyeing, tips from a pattern designer, beaded knitting.
Congratulations!
I’ll suggest a presentation on fitting or adjusting a pattern to size. Or a discussion on yarn substitution accounting for gauge in a complex pattern or changing fiber types. Or finishing techniques. Yup. Any of those. :)
Congratulations on your new position :)
I’m not a guild member or local but I would second Jodi’s suggestion of ergonomics for knitters, we all want to be able to keep knitting for a long time so we need to know how to look after our digits!
I would also suggest some discussion/presentation of things not necessarily knitting related, but that can be applied to knitting such as colour selection, shape and form.
I’m probably repeating the suggestions, but I’d really like to attend a good far isle class and learn how to sew the knitted parts of a sweater together in a proper way (that’s still a mystery to me). ^^
Congrats on your position! I know I’m repeating suggestions, but I’d vote for 1) finishing techniques (for example, everyone just says “weave in ends” but is there a way to do this optimally?), 2) basic crochet for finishing things off. Another “basic” topic would be identifying and fixing mistakes.
I also think it would be fun to have a swatching party, especially if there are very interesting yarns (like, say, Habu’s stainless steel).
I’m fascinated by both large and small knitting. Chunky knits are fast and easy but present their own challenges (weaving in those bulky ends, for example). And then there are the microknitters like http://www.bugknits.com
It would be fun to look at some of the novel ways that garments get put together–like Knitty’s Tubey or just about any of Norah Gaugh’s recent stuff.
Oooh, contest! :)
I’d love to take a class from Shirley Paden. I just love her designs. For general classes, I would like to learn about steeking, fair-isle, etc.
As for fibers, I love sock yarns and blues/greens. I’m also very partial to kidsilk haze and all rowan yarns :)
Congrats on the position! Sounds like fun.
Congrats!
Some class ideas that may be interesting:
Bohus knitting technique
Pattern drafting and writing
Steeking
Fair-isle techniques
Crossover crafts mini workshops–things like crochet, felting, sewing, spinning, fiber dying, etc.
The possibilities are endless!
I’m both a member and local (and an officer, so I’m abstaining from contest status), but I’d love to see a demonstration on mobius knitting. The idea of that just fascinates me and I still haven’t figured it out. I like the fit and adjustment suggestions, too. Some people have expressed interest in sock construction, or maybe a discussion of pros and cons of various methods – toe up v. cuff down, DPNs v. Circs. v. Magic Loop (although a discussion like this might have to be a more collaborative or ‘panel’ type presentation. …. Anyway, I’m way looking forward to the coming year — all knitting talk is good knitting talk!
Cheers and see you at the May Fashion Show — I mean meeting! :)
-Regina
It’s the thing we all want to try but are too afraid to try it alone. It’s the technique that cries out for moral support. It’s steeking! Akkk! Cut my knitting?! Are you crazy!! But a class with a mini steeking project where everyone can cut together and then have a soothing drink afterwards would go a long way to calming the crazed knitter. Of course.. maybe ya’ll down in TX don’t knit so much wool and it’s just us northerners who have to pull out the scissors to finish our wool cardigans!
Good luck and I’m sure you’ll come up with tons of creative ideas!
Well, one thing I know that has stumped me for months is the basic construction of lace. I wish I could get a better feel for it so I could design my own cool eyelet patterns and all that jazz.
I’d like to see a class on finishing techniques. (different bind-offs, button/zipper bands, button holes, hems and collars.
Congrats on your new “job”! It’s very rewarding to hold that post. I’m in the Carolinas and have done several guild programs. I found there was a need for both short programs, no more than an hour to be held on weeknights, and long programs, three plus hours to be held on weekends.
My most popular short programs are (1) I-cord: how to, uses, variations; (2) Gauge: what is it really and why is it important; (3) Yarn substitution; and (4) Chart reading. The gauge one is fun; I have everyone bring size 7 needles and hand them all a small ball of the exact same yarn with the directions to cast on 20 stitches and knit all the yarn while I talk. At the end we compare everyone’s swatches and measure the gauge on them. There are rarely two the same size!
The most popular long programs have been on finishing and basic sock construction, both six hour programs.
Hope this helps! Have fun!
I really enjoyed learning double knitting, but there aren’t too many patterns out there where you can try this technique. I think it would be fun to teach double knitting and show how you can seperate it and have nice seaming for a bag….multi-purpose technique
It might also be fun to do a “regional” knitting series…Norwegian techniques, Scandanavian, maybe you could even bring some techniques unique to India (what would those be???) ? I just think back to my love for my Folk Shawls & On the Road socks book and how inspiring it is to see different regional pieces. But it would be neat to tie that into techniques.
Favorite colors for me? Deep reds, oranges, and purples. Fibers? Any natural fiber
Congrats, by the way!