Joan Schrouder's Classes (LAST CALL)

If you have been waiting to sign up for Joan Schrouder's classes in January, time is running out and some classes are full. Because of the demand for her classes we have rented a separate space in the University Plaza to hold Joan's classes. This has allowed us to add additional seats to some of the classes.

Fiber Fact & Fiction (January 14th from 6:00-9:00pm)

(We still have seats available for this lecture style class.)

Learn about the characteristics of many different natural fibers, synthetics and blends, the construction of yarn (how it is spun), gauges and substitution of yarns, how to read foreign labels, conversion of metric numbers and how to use a McMorran balance to estimate yardage. All of these pieces of information will help you become confident in making your yarn-buying decisions and figuring out what to do with it, now that you've got it!

Skill Level: This is a lecture style class, so there is no homework and students of all experience levels are welcome. Cost: $25.00

Faroese Shawls (January 15th, Friday, from 10:30am till 5:30pm)

(We still have 3 spaces available.)

From the Faroe Islands in the cold North Atlantic Ocean come these wonderful shawls, especially shaped to cling to the shoulders. While traditionally knit from the bottom up, they can just as easily be worked from the top down.

Knit 2 mini Faroese shawls, learning to work the unique shoulder shaping into the body of the shawl, one sample with a darted shoulder, the other with a gathered shoulder. Experiment with incorporating various lace stitches into the distinctive center panel. Then miter a corner and attach the border to the body sts as you knit it. A final miter and the Russian graft, and your shawl is ready for blocking!

By the end of the class students will have learned the knitting basics, as well as information on suitable yarns and blocking information, so that they can then design and knit their own full-size shawl.

Skill Level: Intermediate experience level. Cost: $100.00

Engineering with Entrelac (January 16th, Saturday, 10:30am-1:30pm

(We still have 3 spaces available.)

Entrelac knitting can be used to actually construct the basic lines of the garment by utilizing its naturally occurring diagonal lines in the design of the garment. Raglans, V-necks, sawtooth borders, etc., all of these can make logical design use of this factor. Also, resizing the diamonds by either increasing or decreasing at various pertinent parts of the garment becomes a shaping tool, ie tapering a sleeve, etc.

The nature of entrelac lends itself to working in the round so that pieces do not need to be sewn together after the knitting is done. (Why knit triangular shapes at the periphery which are meant to be sewn together later to form diamonds when you can just knit the entire diamond to begin with?) With a bit of foresight (and a steady supply of graph paper and pencils) you can plan out uniquely designed garments with minimal or no sewing up. Don't you just love it when fashion fuses with function?

This class will cover:
- decreasing and increasing the size of the "diamonds" in the same piece by knitting a sample swatch.
- how to figure the overall size of the garment from the size of one diamond and conversely, how to figure the size of one diamond from the desired garment size (the Pythagorean formula comes in real handy here and will be covered in simple terms for the geometry-impaired!)
- information and suggestions for yarn (color, texture, amounts) and stitch selections.

Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced experience with previous experience in entrelac knitting.
Cost: $50.00

Set-In Sleeve Shaping Simplified (January 16th, Saturday, from 3:00-6:00 and January 17th from 10:00am - 5:00pm)

(We still have 2 spaces available.)

Even veteran knitters agonize over rewriting patterns to adjust armholes and the sleeve caps that must fit into them because many patterns rely on drop shoulder, ie NO shaping at all. Alternately, patterns for typical set-in sleeves include elaborate stair step bind offs that make set-in sleeves awkward to work because they interrupt stitch patterns, so are aesthetically unpleasing and they are difficult to sew together neatly. And raglans, while they may be easier to execute, don't always fit a wide variety of human shoulders (or a variety of wide shoulders).

Join Joan in learning how to take the best elements from several sources, plus some new ideas, to create a better fitting and easier-to-execute set-in armhole and sleeve. These techniques can be substituted into patterns you already have in place of the set-in directions or to convert a drop or other shoulder shaping. The body can be made either bottom-up or top-down. The class sample covers top-down seamless sleeve construction with a different sleeve-shaping twist. All the joinings are knitted, so no seaming up at the end.

Skill Level: Intermediate-to-Advanced level experience (previously have knit sweaters and understand basic sweater construction.) Cost: $150.00

Don't miss out on this internationally known instructor's classes.

Call to reserve you seat.