Name
Knit Your First Sweater! (EXCLUSIVE!) (Part 2 of 2)
Date
Friday, November 1, 2019
Time
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Photos
 
 
Session Type:
3-Hour Class
Skill Level:
Intermediate
Teacher
Sarah Solomon
Category
Projects & Patterns, Tips & Techniques
Class Details:
There are few things as satisfying as being able to knit your very own sweater. But even if you’ve knit many other types of projects, knitting sweaters involves techniques and a knowledge base that might still be unfamiliar to you. This class will serve as a firm foundation for your first sweater and teach you all of the techniques you will encounter along the way. Students will come to class with a specific sweater pattern (see Supplies List below) and a blocked swatch that will form the basis for learning about gauge. We will then continue to work on the swatch as we go through the pattern, using it to try out the various techniques that will be encountered throughout the sweater-knitting process and ensuring that you will be familiar with everything you need to know before you embark on your sweater, including methods of casting on, increases and decreases, selvedge stitches, keeping track of lengths and stitch patterns, blocking, seaming, and neckline treatments. You will leave ready to begin you first sweater with confidence. Technique Requirements: Knit/purl; cast on/bind off; increase/decrease; working in the round; have completed several projects
Homework:
2 swatches (see Abbreviations below)
Swatch Instructions: 
Swatch 1: Following the needle sizes given in the Kobolt sweater pattern (see Supplies List), cast on 36 sts with Size 10 needle and work in K1, P1 rib for 1” as follows:
Rib row 1 (WS): *K1, p1; repeat from * to last 2 sts, k1, sl 1 pwise wyif. 
Rib row 2 (RS): *K1, p1; repeat from * to last 2 sts, k1, sl 1 pwise wyif. 
Repeat these 2 rows until piece measures 1", ending after a WS row. 
Change to US 10.5 (6.5 mm) needles. 
Next row (RS): Knit to last st, sl 1 pwise wyif. 
Next row (WS): K1, purl to last st, sl 1 pwise wyif. 
Continue in stockinette stitch, always knitting the first st and slipping the last st of each row pwise wyif. Work until swatch measures 6" from cast-on edge. Bind off loosely. 
 
Swatch 2: Cast on 14 sts with Size 10 needle and work in K1, P1 rib as for Swatch 1.
Change to US 10.5 (6.5 mm) needles and work in stockinette stitch as for Swatch 1. Work until swatch measures 6" from cast-on edge. Bind off loosely. 
Block swatches as follows: Fill a basin with cool water and a small amount of rinseless wool wash. Immerse swatches and allow to soak for at least 20 minutes. Rinse in fresh water, then squeeze as much excess water from the swatches as possible. Wrap in a towel and press on them firmly to remove remaining water. Reshape and lay flat to dry. If you have them, use T-pins to pin the edges flat.
 
Abbreviations
K: Knit
P: Purl
sl 1 pwise wyif: slip 1 stitch as if to purl with yarn in front. This creates a slipped chain selvedge at either edge of the swatch (full explanation of selvedges in class). Slipping a stitch as if to purl simply moves the stitch from the left needle to the right needle, without twisting it.
St(s): stitch)es)
RS: right side
WS: wrong side
Supplies for Class:
We will be working from the Kobolt Sweater pattern (available on Ravelry from Sarah Solomon Designs). Please purchase the pattern before class and bring a printed copy with you. We will be marking up the pattern together in class. The pattern calls for Woolfolk Luft and although it is always easiest to approach a pattern with the recommended yarn, for the purposes of this class you can use another yarn that gets you the pattern gauge of 14 stitches and 19 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch (using a suggested needle of Size US 10.5/6.5 mm). It can be tricky to get the pattern gauge when substituting yarn, but it is an important part of the sweater process that we will discuss. If you would like an alternative yarn choice, the following yarns will yield a similar gauge: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky, Amano Puyu, Blue Sky Fibers Techno, Hikoo Oh!, Elsebeth Lavold Luscious Llama.
    You will knit and block two swatches with your chosen yarn before coming to class; a larger gauge swatch and a smaller swatch to practice seaming. During class we will continue working on our gauge swatch, using it to practice all of the techniques involved in the sweater pattern. 
    It is only necessary to purchase and use one skein of yarn for the class; if you buy a sweater quantity of yarn for the pattern, wind one skein only and check with where you purchased the yarn about their return policy for unwound skeins. There is always a chance in the swatching process that you can discover that you don’t actually like the yarn you chose or that it is not suited to the pattern; this is an important part of the process, so only wind what you need to swatch with, in case you change your mind.
    Please bring your blocked swatches and the remainder of the skein you used, along with the yarn care label. Also bring the needles you used for your swatch as well as needles a size larger and a size smaller than the gauge needle (please bring circular needles though we will be knitting flat; if you have an interchangeable set this is an ideal time to use them). Please count the number of stitches and rows in 4", record those numbers, and bring them to class. Don’t be concerned if you are entirely accurate, it’s just important that you have tried on your own before class as this will help identify what you find challenging about the measuring process so we can discuss as a group. You will also need: a notebook, pencil, small ruler or tape measure, a few locking stitch markers, and a calculator.
Materials Fee (to Be Paid Directly to the Teacher):
$0
Day
Friday