Registration dates, new format and 1st class announcements!

March 26, 2014 thecraftsessions

First up - a new dyeing class - "25 colours from one pot".

So today is the day my friends. We are organised. Classes are locked down, teachers are locked in and we have dates for registration! Pretty exciting for us and I hope for you too.

Rather than giving it all to you in one go I'm going to release information over the next few days to give you some time to think about it before we launch registration next week - more details about that at the bottom of this post!

So where to start....maybe some classes? The full workshop list will be up on the web on Friday, along with some new teacher announcments, so today I am just going to give you a bit of a taster.

We are very lucky to have many of our teachers from last year joining us again - the feedback we got about them was just so good, and we had more we wanted them to do. So with the exception of two classes (Embroidery from the Natural World and Block Printing) we have all new classes.

I did wonder whether it was going to be possible to beat what we put together last year. I loved the workshops we ran. But, I really really think we have topped it. My class-idea-tester friend Jenn did the "and I would do that one", "and I'm going to do that one", "and that one", "oh oh oh and I really want to do that one"...."and I might try that"....

I'm going to start with Julia from Woollen Flower - those of you that have had Jules as a teacher know just how well prepared and organised her classes are. And man is she clever. And lovely and ever so encouraging.

So this year she is going to be running three new classes. A dyeing class which is a full day where you have a single dyepot and get 25 colours out of it. That is right - 25 Colours From One Pot. This extended dyeing class will allow you to really get into the process under Jules' expert guidance. This will be a very fun day.

I also asked Jules to redesign one of her classes from last year (because it was just so popular) but in a different half-day format. So Knitting - Colourwork is now a half day class. She is designing a special 10ply colourwork hat pattern for those of you that want to try colourwork.

The redesigning of colourwork was so we could fit other things in - Julia's other half-day class will be on Steeking. For those of you that don't know what this is - it is the process of cutting your knitting to make a jumper into a cardigan or for armholes or a neck after knitting in the round. There will be a better description in the workshop page on Friday, but if you are a curious kind of knitter and haven't yet gone to the knitting extreme's of steeking then this is the class for you. I have done it once many years ago, and I can't tell you how much fun it is. To knit a jumper and then pick up your scissors and start cutting into it - well it is one of the biggest fibre thrills around. Can't beat it.

Freedom patchwork - I'm so loving the name Melissa gave this class.

So the lovely Melissa from Tiny Happy is joining us again from New Zealand, with her wonderful Embroidery from the Natural World class. The photos from this class, and the feeling in the class for that matter are one of my favourite things from last year's event. The results were just so varied and so very very pretty.

Her second class I love - Freedom Patchwork. It will be a day for exploration - of colour, form and shape - starting with a classic star. We are going to be bringing it back to the basics and then expanding on them. This class if for beginners who want to try to put together their first quilt block but also for those of you that love to patch in a group environment. And you will come out with either a cushion cover or a set of quilt blocks. Up to you!

Next up we have the lovely Leslie from Maze and Vale - have a look at her new website. Super pretty. Her block printing class last year was so popular we are putting it on again for those who missed out. But then we are taking it a step further.

We have a second half-day block printing class that is specifically about how to create a repeat of your print. Leslie will lead you through the process of making a repeat fabric design and you will come away with fat quarter samples of each different type of pattern. Whether you did the Block Printing class last year or you plan on doing it this year - the second course will extend your skills way beyond simple block prints.

Leslie's final class is one I asked her to do after seeing a tote she had made on her blog. You will be making a beautiful foldover tote bag using Leslie's pattern, with an internal pocket and leather strap. If you are a bit unsure of your sewing skills or simply a bit rusty then this is the workshop for you. Or if you want to know how to work with leather or you just want to make a beautiful bag. Bring a beautiful fabric of your choosing and make something you will wear everyday.

So .....I think I have talked about three of them. Maybe one more for today?

Sev[en] Circle Neckpiece by Kirsten Johnstone

OK. So what about we talk about knitting superstar Kirsten Johnstone. Kirsten will be taking two classes for us this year. A full-day relaxing and enjoyable, technical knitting class where we will be making a seamless hat, working with a new pattern she is designing for the class. The workshop will cover skills such as seamless knitting, provisional cast-ons, i-cord bindoff (one of my favourite finishes) and shaping the crown of a hat. If you are an advanced beginner and know how to knit and purl, cast on and off but are wanting to extend your skills a bit further then this is for you.

And the second class she is running for us uses her Sev(en) Circle neckpiece as a basis. This wildly popular pattern will see you create a neckpiece, or bracelet using your own special yarns, colours and ideas. Under Kirsten's guidance you will learn some technical knitting skills while creating something unique and very wearable. We can't wait to see what you come up with.

Format change - more time!

At the end of last year's event we asked everyone who came, how long they thought the event should be - and the resounding majority wanted more time. More time to be in the space. More time to relax and more time to spend with their new friends.

Around half of the people who came last year, came by themselves - and the resounding feedback was that wasn't at all how it felt. It was such a friendly group that it felt like people already knew one another.

So we have made a change. This year we will be starting at 2.00pm on the Friday afternoon. After afternoon tea, we will have our first workshop on the Friday afternoon and the second on the Saturday morning. This enables us to have all of Saturday afternoon free for relaxing in the beautiful surrounds of the Yarra Valley, crafting and spending time with friends, new and old. We have arranged activities - bonus workshops and yoga - if you are the kind of person who likes doing stuff. But if you want to do some relaxing, the time and space are now there. Sunday will consist of a full day of workshops before we say our goodbyes at a late afternoon tea.

Registration Information

Registration is an all inclusive package that includes

Two nights accommodation in the stunning Yarra Valley
Two full days of workshops (over 2.5 days) with our very talented and super encouraging teachers
All meals including a delicious organic afternoon tea each day
Morning yoga on Saturday and Sunday
Free time on the Saturday afternoon to spend time with your new friends relaxing and crafting in the beautiful environment OR partake in activities including optional extra workshops or restorative yoga
A gorgeous arrival and departure gift

Registration will open on April 2nd at 5pm through the registration page on our website.

Lots more to tell you later on this week. We have four more teachers to tell you about including some new (super talented!) teachers and many many more classes. The full workshop list including descriptions and photos will be up later on this week, as will the workshop schedule. So keep popping into the blog....

Sound good so far?

Felicia x

Filling in time

March 21, 2014 thecraftsessions

So I am working really hard on nailing down the last of the details for this years class list and registration details. And we are so close. So very close and so very excited. Big announcements will start early next week including some new teachers and all of the new classes. (Many pretty pictures...) Jump on our mailing list if you want to be kept up to date.

And so things have been a little quiet here on the blog......my apologies but unfortunately there aren't enough hours in the day and also I have no words left. None.

So I thought to fill in a little time I would throw you a few photos from last year's event that I haven't published. Just to get you in the mood.....

I do just want to add one caveat before we begin with the photos (where it looks like everyone knits). There were people at the event that couldn't knit. Lots of them. It isn't a prereq!!

Getting the dyebath ready with a nice cuppa tea.

Blankets ready to warm the knees of the people doing the natural dyeing

Leslie doing her thing in Improv Patchwork

The beautiful Yarra Valley Conference Centre

Stitching around the fire pit.with teachers Anna and Jules

The lovely Martine learning to sew with knits - all about the joy!

Cutting some gorgeous oldschool Ink & Spindle fabric.

Kirsten Johnstone - one of our super talented knitting teachers - the only good photo I got of her....

Colourwork class with Camilla in her Agnes

Wishing you a lovely weekend.

Felicia x

It's not that you can't do it!

March 14, 2014 thecraftsessions

So I was at kinder pickup the other day and we were talking about sewing, and I heard that classic ripper of a line "I'm terrible at sewing. I just can't get it." And I did what I always end up doing. Saying something along the lines of "Patterns that are around these days are fantastic as they teach you as you make." "The diagrams are better and you learn techniques as you sew" (as opposed to old school patterns that assumed that you knew the techniques required). And then "it isn't actually difficult - it just requires a bit of practice".

Anyway it got me to thinking about how many people have said something along those lines to me AND got me wondering why. Why people think they are bad at it and that they can't learn how. And why does there seem to be a perception that you either have what it takes to learn to make or you don't*.

There is this Elizabeth Zimmerman quote that I can't for the life of me find (and I am about to butcher) but it basically says that she has heard people say that they can't knit. Piffle she says! They can balance their cheque book, drive a car and make a meal. Knitting is easier than all those things. They may not want to - but it isn't that they can't. End of butchered quote - my apologies lovely Elizabeth!

When thinking about the why we don't think we can make anymore I have been thinking about what has changed in society and I think there are some clues there. I acknowledge that there is less knowledge floating around in the community these days about domestic handcrafts such as sewing. Whereas once you would have learnt sewing and knitting from your family (aunts, grandmothers etc) or even from school, nowdays those avenues for knowledge gathering are not available to most of us. And in the past there was more making around us. Due to necessity and the lack of disposable clothing and income, people mended and made as part of their daily life. It wasn't a hobby but a necessity.

However, I think what has been lost - the thing that leads to all these comments - is more subtle than just a loss of skills.

I think we have lost the belief that we can make. And that making with our hands is learnable.

We aren't talking about making couture. We are talking about making a frock. Or a quilt or a cardy. None of it is really hard either. It is learned skill on skill with practice. But I think that that loss of belief is the key. And I think maybe that it comes from your childhood. From people around you just making as part of their day. From most people making as part of their skill set - like most people cook or drive, or do their online banking.

I'll give you an example from another craft to demonstrate what I mean. This guy I know, let's call him Will**, grew up in a family of tradies. He isn't one. He has always worked in corporate job. But he does all his home maintenence and he builds stuff. Sheds, chicken houses, rewiring lamps, making bunks - you name it and he will have a go at it. Even if he hasn't done it before, he gets on to the internet and figures it out. "How to hang a door" was one of the many tutorials I have seen Will look at over the years and he did a slow but fantastic job. He isn't phased by something he doesn't know about to do with building, because he believes he can learn it. He finds a person who can teach him or a book or an internet tutorial and off he goes....

I was lucky enough to grow up with a mother that is a sewing teacher. And yes I learnt to sew when I was small. BUT the skills that I have now have pretty much all been learned as an adult over the last ten years. I sew differently to my mum. She thinks the way I put my waistbands on is much harder than it needs to be. I would argue that it gives a nicer finish. Although she can knit I didn't learn from her. I learnt from youtube at when I was nearly 30 and now I am much more a knitter than she is. What I did get from her though was so key - and that was the belief that I could learn it if I tried and practiced.

So how do you get the belief if you don't have it? I don't know..... I know that some encouragement helps. And being pointed to some good resources on the internet is also useful. I think that there needs to be a bit of an education on how not-tricky it is, but what else??

Am I on to something? Do you feel like this, or have you? And what helped you become a maker?

Felicia

* I should qualify this by saying that it is inevitable that the odd person really won't be able to get it. But definitely not most.

** not his real name ;)

Best Of - The Banyan Tee

March 7, 2014 thecraftsessions

The Banyan is my go to pattern for kid's knit T-shirts - for school tees, for up-cycling and also for pyjamas. I have tried other T-shirt patterns but this is the one I come back to over and over.* I think in my time I would have made it easily fifteen times. Maybe twenty.

What I like about it is that it is a little looser - which means more growing room and more comfortable for the small people. And because I sew my knits without an overlocker the looser fit means less broken seams and a nicer finish. It is also super quick. All in all it probably takes an hour or two. And if you can make more than one at a time I think you can do it quicker.

So the details. It is a pattern by Figgy's which is available as a pdf download from Stitch56. There are actually two different shapes. A boys shape which is looser and a girls shape which is more fitted with a different neckline and what I think is called a handkerchief hem. You can see some beautiful versions by sewers on Pinterest here. ** I adore the striped girls versions. They are next on my list.

The bit that I really really love about the Banyan is the neckline. In both the boy's and the girl's pattern, it has a lovely shape. However, my favourite thing is that I LOVE how simple it is to put on the neck band AND the total lack of fiddly-ness. Having to fiddle with a curly knit fabric to do a neckline is one of my least favourite things to do when sewing. This technique makes it super simple.

I love this pattern so much that I asked Sophie to teach it at The Craft Sessions 2013***. You can see what was made in her class in the photos below. All of those fabrics were recycled from tees from the op shop. Sophie has also made a bunch of them for her small boys which you can find on her blog.

Not the best photo - but fabulous garments!

I LOVE the fact that it looks wonderful with a combination of fabrics all thrown together which means that you can use small bits and pieces (I would call them scraps if I wasn't writing at ridiculous o'clock after being out with girlfriends for a glass of wine....my apologies!)

I did the same thing on the horse tee below. I took a tee that had holes in the arm, that belonged to my partner, and used the existing pattern for the front of the small boys tee. Can I tell you how happy he was that he got a new T-shirt out of a T-shirt that used to be his dad's? This is a winner all round.

Over the years, I have learnt to wherever possible make the front of the tee a dark colour. The grubbiness of small kids when eating and playing has meant the end to many a light coloured garment. By making the front piece dark I think I get an extra six months out of them before they become too feral to wear.

While I love the girls shape I often tone it down a little to make it less flappy and more practical. A version of this can be seen below in yellow - still flappy but not so much. I know literally nothing about pattern adjustment. I just wing it and redraw lines. It often works out. In the yellow version I just redrew the wings to make them less wingy. I then smoothed the curve on the bottom. It is a little wonky but she is happy. I was attempting to do the half up and half down thing inspired by Brienne but I accidentally cut off the back bit....ridiculous but true.

I have included photos of this last pink T-shirt to show you the joy of winging it and the use of the lovely Banyan neckline finish. I found this tee a month ago. Cut out and half made. I have no idea why I abandoned it - it may have been because I wasn't sure what to do with the back. I couldn't look it up because I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the pattern is. It definitely isn't a Banyan. Once I figured out that it would go over her head even if there wasn't an opening, I attached the Banyan neckline finish, then I literally just sewed the two pieces together. Dodgy but such a sweet top. Dodgy can equal joy!

Have you used the Banyan? Or is your go-to something else. I would love to hear.

Have a great long weekend.

Felicia x

*I have tried the Flashback Skinny Tee by Made by Rae - which I really like but hasn't become my basic. Again - I liked it but it hasn't become my basic tee.

** When the pattern was first released it came with some pants. So some of the pictures on that pinterest search are the pants.

***She is back teaching this year!!

Getting bottom up sweaters to fit beautifully

March 4, 2014 thecraftsessions

So I'm away on a bit of a road trip. About 9000k in the last three weeks - so fun. And the super lucky thing about it is that I have got to share the driving, which means a fair whack of knitting time each and every day. Obviously the parenting malarkey has got in the way a little bit of the quiet-uninterupted-knitting-time-on-a-road-trip you may be imagining. But I have been productive none the less.

And so - I've finished Lila. The lovely Lila as she is known in our household. And lovely she is.

All details of my version can be found on Ravelry.

I really think Lila is the perfect pattern - and Carrie Bostick Hoge it's designer, is a genius. Genius!

What I love about the pattern is it's all round cosiness and comfort - while still retaining an elegant shape. Elegant isn't a word I use too often about something in my wardrobe but in this case it is appropriate. Lila may just be the perfect sweater for autumn, winter and spring. I see myself wearing it over a frock and tights, or maybe a Wiksten Tank dress and jeans. And over my pyjamas - totally perfect for that.

That said - while I love the result - my (first) version is a fairly major stuff up. I am trying to channel my mistakes are how you learn post and forget that I wrote a blog post about how to choose the perfect sweater pattern to enable you to make the sweater you really want.

I wanted ease - for the cosiness factor. The lovely woman with the curls in the photos has a few inches of ease and it looked great. What could go wrong?

Well friends, I chose the wrong size. See the critical bit with any oversized jumper, in my opinion, is that it fits you really well around the shoulders. This doesn't. It is sloppy and the arms are too big. I recovered it slightly after blocking by committing a cardinal knitting sin, and throwing it in the dryer. And it did pop back into size a little.

This shows too big sleeves and underarms...and probably the body too...

This shows the extra fabric around the underarm.

So how much ease is too much? I am have a 35" bust and I chose a 38" size in the pattern and ended up with a 38". And for me that is too big. And the lesson here is that for me I need a pattern that has little to no ease at the bust when the actual sweater is oversized.

But after saying all that I love it, and it was fun to knit and so am very happy to do it again. I see myself with other colours and will be knitting this again. Perhaps in lovely soft grey like the sample. Yum.

Anyway there was a point to this post and it was to tell you about how I knit my bottom up sweaters to give them a better chance of fitting. Knitting a sweater from the bottom up means that you can't try it on as you go. And trying it on as you go (like you are able to do when you knit top down) can make it much easier to get the fit right.

Getting bottom up sweaters to fit beautifully.

The order you knit a bottom up sweater is the critical bit. Normally you knit the sleeves and body up to the underarm, before joining them and knitting the yoke. The issue with this is that you don't know the length of the yoke (as it hasn't yet been knit) so your body or sleeve length might not finish where you want them too.

Huh? How does that work? Well the pattern might state a yoke length BUT your row gauge might be very different from the pattern, and therefore the length of your actual yoke could be anything from 1 to even 3 inches different to the pattern. What this means in reality is that a pattern that is supposed to fit right under your undearms doesn't, and instead ends up about 2 inches away from your underarm. This means that your sleeves will be two inches longer than the pattern states.

I hope that makes sense? Row gauge is the key and these days it isn't always stated AND I personally have never been able to get the same row gauge a pattern states. It seems to be a tricky thing to achieve - to get the same row and stitch gauge as someone else.

The difference of an inch or two of sleeve length can be really annoying. Say you like a sweater that you can pull down over your hands in winter, an inch or two shorter than necessary results in futile pulling. Or conversely you may be the kind of person who hates sleeves around your wrists. That extra inch or two could drive you nuts.

Love this sleeve length for a cosy winter jumper.

And once the body and sleeves have been knitted it is very difficult to fix without totally pulling out the yoke or some other crazy long-winded work around.

So what to do? How to get the sleeve and the body to the right length?

This is tricky but I have a super simple answer! The most common issue is sleeve length so initially I am going to deal with that but I apply the same thing to body length* at the bottom.

Step 1:

Choose the right size - Ha!
And swatch and wash your swatch. Blocking your sweater can drastically change the fit of your garment. The more you know about how your yarn will behave at a given gauge the better. So if you know that your swatch grows in length by about 10% then you need to knit your sleeves 10% shorter than your desired length!!

Step 2:

Knit the body up to the underarms. See below for clarification *.

Step 3:

Don't knit the sleeves!!

Step 4:

Read the pattern and look for the stitch count for when you knit to the top of the sleeve - so just before you join the body and the sleeves. Provisionally cast on that number of stitches using waste yarn.

There are hundreds of tutuorials for a provisional cast on. I am lazy and just cast on the right number of stitches, then purl one row. I then cut it off with scissors.....lazy lazy but I can never seem to remember provisional cast-ons without my friend youtube on hand and that is just a hassle.

Step 5:

Join the body and the sleeves as the pattern suggests BUT rather than joining actual sleeves join your provionally cast on sleeve stitches to the actual body.

Step 6:

Knit the yoke as described.

Step 7:

Undo the provional cast on (cut it off in my case) and knit the sleeves top-down. This ensures you get the sleeves to fit because you can try it on and modify the decreases as appropriate to your arms. AND you can ensure you get the sleeves the right length. Yihaa!

So - a simple answer that you can use on any bottom up in the round pattern, to help you get a great fit.

Wishing you a lovely week!

Felicia x

* This trick also works with the body length and fit if want more control over those. In that case you would just do a provisional cast on for the sleeve and the body. Join them together using the working yarn and then knit your yoke. Then knit your body and your sleeves top down. Best of both worlds. Bottom up yoke and top down sleeves and body.