Different stitches in knitting produce different textures and patterns, but also affect the way the fabric pulls up, pulls in, makes it thicker or thinner, and therefore can be a great design tool for shaping your designs from within the structure. Explore how you can use this in your knitting.
Skill level: all
Tutor: Alison Ellen
Description
Different stitches in knitting produce different textures and patterns, but also affect the way the fabric pulls up, pulls in, makes it thicker or thinner, and therefore can be a great design tool for shaping your designs from within the structure.
We will experiment with some basic stitches used to create shaping, which could also be used to shape modular (domino) knitting, which is usually seen in garter stitch, and entrelac stitch (usually stocking stitch), so even these ways of knitting in building blocks can be shaped to make more fitted garments.
A handout will be supplied to give clear structure to the workshop, with exercises to start people off, and to take away as reference and to continue in their own time.
Skills required
This workshop is accessible for all levels of knitting.
Preparation
You will need yarns for sampling, plain not textured (so we can see the stitches), and needles in suitable sizes for your yarn. A crochet hook may be useful, scissors and a notebook.
About the speaker
Alison has run a small business designing, producing and selling hand knits since the 1980s with the help of knitters in the UK, dyeing her own yarns to produce a rich range of colours.
Having trained in textiles, she approaches knitting as a way of making a fabric and building a seamless garment. She enjoys the challenge of creating pieces that will be a joy for every body to wear (we are all different!), an important aspect highlighted by interactions with customers at craft fairs.
She shares her ideas in the UK and abroad through exhibitions, lectures, teaching and her books, encouraging people to experiment with knitting and have confidence in exploring and designing.
Workshop notes
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