Knitting - Clever Cast Ons and Bind Offs
Getting your cast on and bind off right can make the difference between a garment that is wearable and durable, and something that is not. Spend half the day with designer Kirsten Johnstone learning cast ons and bind offs to give you a professional finish.
Teacher: Kirsten Johnstone
Workshop Duration: Half Day
Description: This technique focused class will provide supported assistance to elevate your knitting skills to the next level. Kirsten will explain the benefits and application of different cast on and bind off methods before working with you on four of her favourites:
- Twisted German
- Tubular Cast On
- Tubular Bind Off; and
- Sewn Bind Off.
Participants will develop an understanding and application of each technique and with Kirsten’s guidance will create four finished sample swatches. Developing confidence in these essential knitting techniques will give a professional finish to your next knitting project.
Materials: Participants need to bring along their own yarn, tools and some swatches as detailed below.
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 10ply yarn):
- 5cm length of 30 sts of 1x1 Ribbing (k1, p1) on your needles ready to cast off
- 5cm length of 30 sts of Stocking Stitch (RS: knit; WS: purl) on your needles ready to cast off
Please also bring the following equipment;
- 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: Detailed workshop notes will be provided. And confidence!
Level: Intermediate Knitter – must be able to confidently perform Long Tail Cast On, Cable Cast On, Knit, Purl, Rib and seam using a tapestry needle.
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.