Saturday, May 31, 2014

WWKIP: Shenanigans in Waterloo, June 7th

I love the ladies of Shall We Knit (and not just because they feel the way I do about chocolate ice cream). They know how to throw a party.

The last few years Kim and Ron of indigodragonfly and I have been joining them for World Wide Knit in Public Day, in early June. We wear silly costumes, we knit, we raise funds, and generally amuse ourselves our our visitors.

This year's theme is Superheroes.

There will be yarn! There will be vendors with other goodies, including the Body Blessed's lovely skin care products, Erin of Robot A Day, and more indigodragonfly yarns you can shake a stick at, and Marit's rather clever hand-dyed gradient 'Gobstopper' yarns.

There will be a photo booth - superhero-themed, naturally. There will be games. Prizes. And assorted other shenanigans.

As last year, indigodragonfly is auctioning off naming and design rights for a custom colorway. Details here.

And I'll be available for rent. That is, I'll be providing knitting help and consultations for a small fee. (If the past years are anything to go by, I'll likely be wearing a silly outfit.)

Funds raised will go to the Canadian Breast Cancer Support Fund, a group doing important work. Their mission is to support women (and the families of those women) who are going through breast cancer treatment.They provide short-term financial support to help with daily expenses - mortgage, rent, food, utilities, transport, etc. - during treatment and recovery. They also provide educational workshops that promote breast health and raise awareness about the impact of the environmental factors affecting breast cancer.

More details in the Shall We Knit newsletter.



And on the Sunday, I'm teaching a class: Knitter's Toolkit.
This three-hour workshop focuses on  the key skills to take your knitting to the next level. You know how to knit and purl and increase and decrease and even read a pattern - but to really make your knitting great, we talk about all the other skills you need. I'll show you how to confidently diagnose and fix mistakes. I'll actually explain in a helpful way what the big fuss is about gauge. I'll talk about how to join a new ball of yarn; and how to weave in ends. I'll explain the key finishing skills - and why they are so important. I'll demystify blocking. Along the way I'll share some of my favourite tips, tricks and techniques for casting on, for binding off, for increasing and decreasing. Bring your questions!



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