Tutors: Heather Hofmeyr and Pat Banyard-Smith
Craft: Machine Knitting
Experience: Basic to Intermediate
Summary: You will have a chance to view the various base and weaving yarns available, learn about the advantages and disadvantages of knitweave, and see by means of garments, swatches, etc. what the possibilities are. You will then knit a cowl or small bag trying out various yarns and patterns.
Description
In this workshop you will have a chance to view the various base and weaving yarns available.
You will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of this technique and will see, by means of garments, swatches, etc., what the possibilities are.
You will then knit a cowl or small bag trying out various yarns and patterns. And have fun!
The Clutch Bag: The aim is to knit a rectangle approximately 40cm by 30cm, with a straight edge on one side and some shaping on the other by means of increasing and decreasing. You will do bands of weaving using using a number of different yarns and stitch patterns. These bands will be of different widths and separated by rows of stocking stitch. The weaving will use hand selection of needles, punchcards and hand manipulation of yarn to form different patterns. Some bands will have long floats on the surface, and knitters will be able to employ different methods to deal with them like latching up, bundling together or cutting floats. The tutors will demonstrate an edging for the bag.
The Cowl: This is knitted sideways with fine yarn and a fringe.
About the tutors
Heather Hofmeyer
Heather grew up in South Africa and has always been a hand knitter and crocheter and
then discovered machine knitting and has never looked back. At the start of her knitting journey, back in the 1980s, s was lucky enough to attend a workshop run by Audrey Palmer who was a leader in the technique of knitweave at the time. It was a revelation and although Heather does use other patterns and stitches on the machine, knitweave has remained her favourite.
When she relocated to the UK, Heather was able to attend a City and Guilds course run by Sybil Kenton which was another eye-opener and expanded her horizons. Textured light-weight knitwear is a passion for Heather and she would love to share it.
Pat Baynard-Smith
Pat bought her first knitting machine when she was expecting her son, who will be 50
later this year! Later, she had a knitwear business for 12 years before returning to being a primary
school teacher. Pat is a founder member and Chairman of Long Buckby Machine Knitters and enjoys
trying out new techniques for their meetings, especially knitweave, plating and felting. She was actively
involved in the Guild of Machine Knitters, organising and attending various shows. Pat also enjoys
crochet, dressmaking and hand-knitting. She runs the Northamptonshire branch of KCG in her local
village.
Skills required
Basic to intermediate skills are required. You must be able to cast on, and should be aware of how the punchcards enable patterning.
Preparation
No preparation is required.
What to bring
- Knitting machines (Brother and at least one Knitmaster) will be provided. If you want to bring your own machine, please let us know when you book.
- Details of yarn requirements from your stash – if any – will be sent when booking is confirmed.
Additional material
Knitting machines will be available for you to use to practice the technique.
