Sunday, August 03, 2014

Teaching Schedule


Hi, Knitters,
This post will be linked on the sidebar of my blog for future reference. I will update it often.

This is not a complete list. I have more venues but they haven't been formally announced yet. I will announce them on this list as soon as I am able. 

Here are some of my upcoming workshops for the fall season:

February 20-22, 2015 ~ Madison Knitters Guild Knit In in Madison, Wisconsin

April 11-12th, 2015 ~ Washington DC Stitch 'n Bitch Retreat, Solomons, MD on Cheseapeake Bay

April 17-19th, 2015 ~ Vogue Knitting Live Pasadena

April 25th, 2015 ~ Yarnover in Minneapolis, Minnesota

July 2015 ~ Super Summer Knitogether or SSK in Nashville, Tennessee 

There are more teaching dates on my calendar but I think these are the only dates formally announced at this time. I will come back and add more to the list as it grows and changes. I am already getting bookings for 2016 if you can believe that. It seems so far away.


I've been working on a new workshop that will debut at The Loopy Ewe Fall Fling. It is a design your Fair Isle Mitts class. This is the first sample set I have worked up for the class.


I am teaching tons of technique and tips for achieving stunning two-handed two strand knitting within these fingerless mitts but I want my students to delve into a little designing themselves. I am giving the students a bare-bones plain fingerless mitt pattern/recipe in three sizes, and then I am providing loads of options for colorwork charts to plug in, and different cuff ideas to boot. Every mitt will most likely be different than the next, sometimes even in the same pair. 

Sounds like good fun to me!


The class will include instruction and tips on Latvian Braids, corrugated rib, reading colorwork charts, floats and how they work best, weaving in ends, blocking, adding in new colors, catching or weaving in floats as you work over long repeats, and more.

The fun thing is that students can design their mitts with as many colors and patterns as their heart desires or they can go the more subtle path and use only two colors and one stitch pattern for the entire mitt. It's the student's choice. Anything goes!

I am on to making a more subdued pair of matching mitts next for a different type of sample. Though in my heart my favorite is always the mismatched colorful route. Knitting with lots of color like this is always fun and entertaining and cute to wear. 

The yarn I used in these mitts is Quince & Co. Lark. It is a worsted weight wool knit at 5 stitches per inch on US size 7 double-pointed needles. I have a big bag of left overs from various projects so I just keep pulling out random colors and putting them together. It's like a grab bag of color.

For this particular Fair Isle Mitt Workshop the students can work on double-pointed needles as I do, or they can work on circular needles using the Magic Loop technique or some other variation. However, the main requirement is that students are completely self-sufficient at whatever technique they are using for working in the round on a small number of stitches. These classes are not the place to learn how to knit in the round on dpns or how to do Magic Loop, we start out assuming these skills are already mastered. For all of my toy-knitting workshops I prefer that students are able to work on double-pointed needles as the patterns are written specifically for dpns. 

Let me know if you are able to join me at any of these venues. Many of the retreats fill up very quickly and are already closed with waiting lists but it's always worth checking into if you are interested. The bigger venues sometimes have spaces left often right up to when the class starts.

Hope to see you in class.
xo ~ susan

19 comments:

Unknown said...

Wish you would be in my neck of the woods, but I am happy for all that will have a chance to spend time with you!!

Jeanne said...

Love these mitts. I took your Fair Isle hat class one stormy night at the Loopy Ewe -- such a fun time we all had! Will the pattern for these knits be available at some point? I could see a number of these in my future!

AnnM said...

Those mitts are fabulous and I recognize many of the stitches from your fair isle hat class! Love that Latvian braid! Looks like you have a busy Fall ahead of you. I only wish I lived closer to some of those venues.

Esther said...

Those mitts are adorbable and look like so much fun to knit. I hope that one of these years you'll teach in the SF Bay Area. It would be such a treat to take one of your classes.

BListello said...

Any more Craftsy classes on your schedule? Maybe other DVDs or online courses?

LannieK said...

Love these mitts! I will try to make The Loopy Ewe... try!

BarbaraH said...

I would love to take your class on color work. As one of the other posts mentions....could this be another crafty class?

I am so impressed and intimidated by the speed that you knit. You mentioned on an early morning IG post that you whipped up your first sample mitt in the morning....you must rise early!

Suzanne said...

I am definitively jealous of people who live in those areas and can take your classes. I know there is Craftsy, but one day I'd like to get the glorious opportunity of sitting in a class with you. Your vivacious and gentle spirit are what I admire as well as your knitting prowess, of course!

Anonymous said...

I love these mitts! They seem like they are so much fun -- both to knit and to wear.

Carrie (cstein) said...

I hope you will be able to come east for Vogue Knitting Live in NYC again!

Elena Fuentes-Afflick said...

What lovely colors and great idea!

Unknown said...

I have signed up for that class at the fling!

Sickofitcindy said...

Ooh I hope you'll teach this at Vogue Live NYC!

So excited! My mom signed me up for your fair isle hat class in Northampton for my birthday. I took your string along class at VKL NYC. I can't wait for this class!!!

Unknown said...

Please look at attending the next STITCHES South! Many of us here would love to have you teach several classes. Best of luck with your other classes -- they do look fun.

Unknown said...

Hi, Susan. Here is a question about a pattern in "itty-bittsy nursery." Page 61 for the Knotted Cardigan:
In neck shaping wouldn't Row 1 be Bind off 4 stitches, P to end instead of K???. Section before that ended with right side row.

Warm regards,
Dorothy Malowney
shuttervector@gmail.com

ChrisNJ said...

Wondering if it is open to any knitter the Solomans , MD date? Not from Washington but what thinking about making the trip to MD if it was open to anyone. What does the time consist of? Classes ?
Thanks !!!!!!!

Susan B. Anderson said...

ChrisNJ,
I believe the event is for members of the DC Stitch n Bitch group only.

Marie is in charge and you could email her at: nofrogging@gmail.com to find out more info. in case I am wrong:)

susan

ChrisNJ said...

Susan-
Missed you at Vogue NY due to the nasty weather on Sunday and was thinking MD isn't too far away- no troubles- see you in NYC in 2016 !!!!!!!!!!

NiteOwl said...

To follow up on Susan's comment to ChrisNJ, the Solomons Island event IS open to other knitters. Please feel free to email me at the address Susan posted and I can send more details. So glad Melanie found us. :)

We are SOOOO excited to have this weekend with Susan!!! We can hardly wait.