Fearless Finishing Workshop

Fearless Finishing!

with Jennifer Unger Kroc, TKGA Master Knitter

Five hours of finishing finesse for the fearless (or fearful) knitter!

Saturday, June 6, 2009, 10:00 - 4:00 - $40.00

St. Mary Episcopal Church, 210 McHenry Ave, Crystal Lake 60014

In this workshop, you will tackle and successfully complete beautiful, invisible seams. You’ll practice the best ways to pick up stitches for smooth trim and transitions. Best of all, you’ll gain new understanding of your knitting, so you can approach finishing with confidence and skill. It’s time to finally finish those projects AND love the way they look!

Topics to be covered include planning ahead for easy finishing, invisible seaming in three variations, picking up stitches beautifully and without holes, binding off in pattern and the three-needle bind-off, plus the whens and hows of weaving in ends and blocking.

Skill level: Adventurous beginner or above. Must be comfortable with basic knitting skills including basic shaping. Having completed at least one sweater is a plus. Students may bring in an in-progress or ready-to-finish sweater to be used in class discussion as time allows.

Please bring with you: Homework swatches, smooth yarn for seaming in a contrasting color from swatches, darning (blunt-tipped) yarn needle, scissors, crochet hook, spare knitting needles in size suitable for your swatches (for picking up stitches), reading glasses if you find them helpful. Bring if desired: your favorite knitting reference book; a completed or ready-to-finish project for class discussion on finishing variations

Homework: Five swatches, plus two swatch starts! Use smooth worsted or aran weight yarn in a light solid color (strongly recommend wool or wool blend) and suitable needles. Make four identical square swatches: cast on 25 stitches and work in stockinette (k on right side, p on wrong side) for 4”. Bind off. For fifth swatch, using same type of yarn, cast on 25 stitches and work in stockinette for 2”, ending with a wrong side row. On next row, bind off five stitches, knit to end. Purl back. Next row, bind off three stitches, knit to end. Purl back. Next row, bind off two stitches, knit to end. Purl back. Next row: k1, SSK, k to end. Purl back. Repeat these last two rows four more times. On remaining stitches, work even in stockinette for two more inches. Bind off. (This swatch simulates part of a curved neckline; we’ll use it to practice picking up stitches.)

For all swatches, weave in ends, and block to reduce curling.

Also make two swatch starts: Cast on 20 sts, knit for 1”, DO NOT BIND OFF. Break yarn and leave sts on needle or place on holder. Make a second swatch start in same way but do not break yarn. Bring THREE needles in same size to work 3-needle bind off with these.