Craft University: Socks for Beginners

Socks are my first knitting love, my true passion. If I had to give up all other kinds of knitting, I could happily knit only socks for the rest of my life.

And I love teaching sock knitting. If I had to give up all other kinds of work, I could happily teach sock knitting for the rest of my life.

I teach sock knitting a lot locally, and I've been lucky enough to travel to a few great places to teach - but there are corners of the country, the continent, the world, that I haven't yet reached.

Well, thanks to Interweave, I'm now teaching sock knitting ALL OVER THE WORLD. Heck, I hear that they have internet access on the ISS, so I'll be able to teach sock knitting there, too.

My Sock Knitting for Beginners class launches on Interweave's new Craft University platform September 30th.

What's great about this class format is that it combines a number of different tools for teaching and learning. Each class has a written "lecture" in the form of notes and instructions. There's lots of pictures, and video demonstrations. There are detailed downloadable notes for every class. And you'll get to interact me, asking me questions as you go.

There are five lessons, and we work from the ground up, on top-down socks. (I feel pretty strongly that top-down socks are the best place for a new sock knitter to start.)

We use my training sock, and work through that in the class - everything from casting on, to working in the round, to turning the heel, to the gusset, to the foot, and right to decreasing and closing the toe.

Along the way, I share lots of tips and techniques

• how to work on DPNs & the best cast on for top-down socks
• how to fix a twisted round
• how to turn the heel without losing your mind (and a quick way to make sure that your stitches are safe if you do need to undo and rework it)
• an easy way to pick up stitches
• how to make sure socks fit well
• how to choose good sock yarn
• where to find good sock patterns
• my favorite sock knitting books
• what the deal is with Magic Loop and Two Circulars

At the end of the class, you'll have made your first two socks, and you'll have a set of notes and instructions to guide your sock knitting adventures. And you'll have your own copy of my Classic Top Down Sock pattern - sized for XS women's feet to XL men's feet, suitable for all sock yarns. This is the pattern you'll go back to again and again, for all your sock knitting needles.

If you've not worked top-down socks before, this class teaches you everything you need to know.

Come, join me!