Sunday, March 22, 2015

New Craftsy Class & Giveaway!


I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that I have a new Craftsy class launching at the end of the month: Perfect Knits Every Time - Understanding Knitting Patterns is aimed at knitters who are confident with needles and yarn, but are less confident about working from patterns.

I encounter a lot of knitters in this boat. I remember being that way myself. In my early 20s, when I decided to try knitting again, after a few years' hiatus, I went into a yarn shop. I knew what to do with my needles and yarn, and so I asked for some help choosing a project. They pointed me in the direction of the pattern binders and told me to choose something. Up until then, I'd worked from instructions my grandmother had given me, or had made pattern-less scarves.

I was terrified. How did I know what was going to be easy? I didn't understand the first thing about reading the yarn requirements or figuring out what size to make, and I certainly didn't know what WS and RS and foll alt and even and all those other terms meant. And then there were those *... repeat from where?

(I actually remember asking the woman behind the cash desk how I would know that the hat would come out the right size, when there were all these different yarns to choose from.)

In this class I explain how to understand everything about a pattern: not just how to read the instructions and understand all those special terms and abbreviations, but also
  • where to find good patterns
  • how to identify the right pattern for your skill levels
  • how to make sure you're using the right needles and yarn for the project
  • how to understand the sizing information given, and to make sure you always choose the right size to make
  • how to read and work from charts
The goal is to help you find a pattern that's appropriate to your skill level and interests, and make sure that you're able to work through it with ease.

Along the way I share tips for working from a pattern, to ensure you not only produce a beautiful finished result, but also that you have a good time doing it!

I'm giving away a registration for the class. Enter here. The contest ends midnight Eastern Time Sunday March 29th.

Because browsing for patterns is an important part of the process... 

1 comment:

Ühltje said...

Choosing a pattern and sticking to it, is where my problems lie.