Name
Exploring Shawl Shapes & Design
Date & Time
Friday, January 13, 2017, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Photos
Session Type:
3-Hour Class
Skill Level:
Advanced Beginner
Teacher
Susan B. Anderson
Category
Design
Class Details:
Grab that languishing ball of fingering-weight yarn or a favorite skein you’ve been saving for just the right project, your needles, and a pencil, and away you’ll zip, designing your very own shawl in one of 10 selected shawl shapes. In class you’ll get in-depth instruction on designing your own shawl, directions on exactly how to create the shape you are going for—be it crescent, triangular, long-ended for extra wrapping, half-hexagon, asymmetrical, semi-circle, or more! Your shawl may have lace, garter stitch, stockinette stitch, many textures, stripes, beads, etc. The sky is the limit, and you’ll leave with an excellent understanding of how to design your own shawl from scratch, from cast-on to bind-off and everything in between. In class you will plan and start your own shawl design from scratch. No homework is required: just bring your shawl yarn, needles, and a pencil! Technique Requirements: Knit/purl; cast on/bind off; increase/decrease; beginner lace; chart reading; have knit a few accessories
Homework:
None
Supplies for Class:
Yarn: How big do you want your shawl to be? It’s really up to you how much yarn you’ll need! Here are some guidelines: 100 grams of fingering-weight yarn with at least 400 yards (this could also be several balls of different colors.) OR 300–600 yards of a sport/DK/worsted weight yarn. Needles: Find a gauge that will make your knit fabric have a nice drape. This is achieved by knitting at a slightly looser gauge than usual. These are my favorite needle sizes for shawl knitting and yarn weights: For fingering weight: US size 5–7/3.75mm–4.5mm. For heavier-weight yarn, go up a size or two: worsted weight: US 8/5mm or 9/5.5mm. DK weight: US 7/4.5mm or 8/5mm. Sport weight: US 6/4mm or 7/4.5mm. Optional: Beads and a flosser to add beads to the shawl in the body, edging, or on the bind-off. Make sure the beads fit on the yarn you have selected. Bead size 6/0 will usually fit on fingering- to sport-weight yarn.
Day
Friday