2015 Teachers/Classes

Kate from A Playful Day

Kate is the writer, podcaster and creator of A Playful Day, a blog and podcast for creative people, knitters, small business owners, and those seeking inspiration. With a passion for good story telling, Kate also works within the fibre industry with creative businesses developing their brand whether that’s great content, marketing, or copy writing. You can find her as Aplayfulday on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, as well as on Ravelry where she is Greentrianglegirl.





Getting to Grips with Social Media

Whether you’re a creative business owner looking to reach a greater audience or a craft addict wanting to interact with your favourite brands, understanding how to get the best out of social media can be tricky. This session aims to help you decide which platform works best for you, providing tips for sharing your news, and tricks for finding what you want to hear about. Get an insight into how the ‘Big Four’ works for both individuals as well as businesses and get an insight into what developing an online community involves. This session will cover some basic (but nifty) uses for: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, + Instagram.

Kate's class is going to be open to every retreat attendee in addition to the other class you take. That's right! You're getting a bonus class! And on top of that, Kate is also going to moderate 2 panels - question and answer sessions with your favourite podcasters and your favourite designers. These panels will bookend her Getting to Grips with Social Media class on Saturday afternoon after the Vendor Market ends.



Kirsten Bedigan

Kirsten Bedigan of Aphaia will be teaching Drop Spindling for Beginners and Introduction to Fair Isle. Read below for more info on these two classes. You can get to know Kirsten better on Ravelry where she is Aphaia, on Twitter where she is athenaaphaia, and on Instagram where she is athenaaphaia.



Drop Spindling for Beginners

Ever wanted to learn how to spin your own yarn but intimidated by the idea of it? This class is for you!

This class will introduce you to the basics of drop spindling. You will learn how to spin singles and how to ply these together to make both 2-Ply and 3-Ply yarns. We'll also get a chance to discuss different types of fibres, spindles and different fibre preparation techniques.

Students will need:
• a drop spindle,
• a short length of waste yarn (sock yarn works best)
• and fibre. It is recommended that students select their fibre carefully; Blue Faced Leicester, Polwarth, Corriedale or Shetland are perfect. These all have longer fibres and are therefore easier for beginners to master. Fibres such as Merino are not recommended because of their short fibre length.

Jess from Ginger Twist Studio has put together kits which include all the supplies for this class. The cost for the kit will be £14. We'll be in touch with those taking this class to find out if you want to provide your own supplies or if you'd like to purchase the kit from Jess.



Introduction to Fair Isle

Learn to knit with two colours! This introductory class will show you how to choose colours, read charts and swatch colourwork patterns. You will also be shown one-handed and two-handed techniques for knitting colourwork.

Students will need:
• two colours of fingering weight yarn - Jamieson & Smith 2 Ply Jumper Weight or Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift are recommended
• and US 2.5 (3.0 mm) circular needle or DPNs.


Katherine Lymer

Katherine Lymer of Knitting With Katherine will be teaching Beginner Magic Loop and Sock Heels Master Class. Read below for more info on these two classes. You can get to know Katherine better on Ravelry where she is katheryarn, on Twitter where she is KatherineLymer, and on Facebook where she is knittingwithkatherine.



Beginner Magic Loop

Want to knit in the round? Once you can knit in the round, your project options are endless.

This class is perfect for you if you have never knitted in the round, or if you are used to knitting with DPNs and want to try something new. This class is perfect for beginners, all you need to know is how to cast on and the knit stitch.

In this class you will learn about:
• Knitting in the round using magic loop
• In the class, you will create a lovely pair of wrist warmers or fingerless gloves.
• Optional - learn about creating ‘jogless stripes’.
• Optional - learn the ‘long tail cast on method’.

Students will need:
• 100 grams aran weight yarn
• US 8 (5.0 mm) circular needle with an 32 inch (80 cm) cable
• Some lockable stitch markers
• Tapestry needle
• Optional - If you want to learn about ‘jogless stripes’ you need to bring some contrasting yarn. The amount you bring is up to you, it depends on how many stripes you want. I would recommend a minimum of 20g.



Sock Heels Master Class

Have you started knitting socks and want to understand more about heel turns? Do you want to be able to tell your short rows from your heel flap? This is the class for you.

In this class you will learn about:
• Top down heel flaps and turns
• Toe up heel flaps
• Stitch options for your heel flap
• Short row heel

Students will need:
• 50 grams smooth DK wool
• 10 - 15 grams smooth DK wool in a contrasting colour
• US 5 (3.75 mm) needles for working in the round (DPNS or magic loop)
• Three locking stitch markers in different colours

You need to be familiar with working in the round using DPNs or magic loop. Ideally you should have knitted a pair of socks before, but an adventurous and tenacious beginner will be fine.


Suzanne Strachan

Suzanne Strachan of Suzanne Strachan Designs will be teaching Short Rows and Finishing Techniques. Read below for more info on these two classes.You can get to know Suzanne better on Ravelry where she is jsandss.



Short Rows

Course will cover different short rows techniques including German short rows, Japanese short rows, and Wrap & Turns. Instructor will demonstrate how the short rows technique can be used to shape knitwear as well as to achieve interesting visual design effects. Students will be practising the different techniques.

Students will need:
• 1 x 50 gram ball of smooth DK yarn,
• a pair of US 6 (4.0 mm) knitting needles.



Finishing Techniques

This course will teach how to improve the finish of knitted garments to professional standard. Course will cover the following topics:
• Seaming
• Picking up stitches
• Weaving in ends
• Blocking: why and how

Students will need:
• 3 x 10 cm (4 inch) square swatches knitted in stocking (stockinette) stitch using smooth yarn in DK weight,
• tapestry needle,
• ball of smooth DK yarn,
• and a pair of US 6 (4.0 mm) needles



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