Knitting - Finishing Techniques
How your knitting is finished is the difference between a beautiful result and one that is a little meh! Spend half the day with a true master of finishing, knitwear designer (and architect) Kirsten Johnstone.
Teacher: Kirsten Johnstone
Workshop Duration: Half Day
Description:
This workshop will elevate your knitting projects from finished to fabulous! Spend the day with Kirsten as she presents and discusses the following knitting techniques:
- Folded Hem (also known as a Knitted Hem)
- Incorporated I-Cord
- Kitchener Stitch (also known as Grafting)
- I-Cord Edging
And if there is time Kirsten will also demonstrate;
- Seaming - Mattress Stitch
- Picking Up + Knitting Stitches
Each participant will gain an understanding of these essential techniques and will complete their own swatches of each technique in class with Kirsten’s assistance and guidance.
Materials:
This class has homework :) :
Participants to prepare the following swatches, using your choice of yarn and needle as recommended on the ball band (for the purposes of simplicity, I would recommend using an 8ply or 10 ply yarn):
- 2 x 5cm length of 30 sts of Stocking Stitch (RS: knit; WS: purl) on your needles ready to perform the Kitchener Stitch
- 1 x 5cm length of 30 sts of Stocking Stitch (RS: knit; WS: purl) on your needles ready to perform an I-Cord Bind Off/Edging
Please bring the following;
- Project Yarn - 8 ply or 10 ply
- Working Needles to suit your project yarn, (I would suggest at least 2 pairs of straight and circular needles in addition to those used on your prepared swatches)
- Stitch Markers
- Tapestry Needle
Takeaway: You will take away some swatches, detailed notes and confidence!
Level: Advanced Beginner/Intermediate Knitter – must be able to confidently cast on, knit, purl, slip stitches and bind off.
So I wrote last week a post asking “Is my making fast fashion?”. And then I did a video on Instagram discussing similar topics in a slightly different way. And as always, you lovely humans have helped me clarify some of my thinking with your thoughtful, clever commentary.
And while I think there is so much more to discuss, here are four key possibly-more-meta ideas that have come up for me out of those conversations.
In using the quote last week that suggested that there was no single answer, and suggesting that this was freeing, I really did mean that we should sit in the grey. Not that the lack of “an” answer to this question should mean we get to ignore the question but rather that the lack of “an” answer means that we need to keep asking bigger more beautiful questions. And keep asking them.
Is my making fast fashion?
Am I living my values or merely thinking them?
And how can I make those two things a little more aligned in this moment?
These are my big beautiful questions.
Yours might be different.
And importantly this leads to point 2.