I attended a Rowan workshop last week, the latest in a series. I haven't blogged about these, but will try to do a retrospective over the holidays. The subject for this one was a mini Christmas stocking, and the USP was that it would include lots of techniques, including fair isle, intarsia, beading and of course making a sock.
The tutor was Debbie Abrahams, who is a very energetic teacher. She has taught this class for two years, and is planning to put the kit of the project up on her website (not there yet).
Although the finished object is a sock, it is knitted flat, then sewn up at the end. As it's not designed for wearing, it's not really a problem to have a seam.
The stocking starts with some ribbing, followed by fairisle snowflakes. My problems started here. I managed to keep the floats nice and loose, but was very slow knitting this section. I was the only continental knitter there, and struggled to get a suitable hold. I tried to knit with two hands, but found having the dominant yarn in my right hand difficult to knit quickly and evenly. If I switched yarns, I couldn't easily weave the yarns. I think I need to do some internet reasearch to work out how to do this.
The next section was intarsia, which I had never tried. This was an ordeal of bobbins and ends, but everyone seemed to be in the same boat. Again, I couldn't really work out a standard way to hold the needles but just consciously twisted the yarns together at the edges. I'd recommend darning in and tidying ends as you go, and not making them too long. I'm fairly happy with the back of mine.
After that, it got easier. Beading is easy and fast, and I had done this at a previous workshop. The stripes and heel turn were easy, although it seemed a bit odd to do it in two sections.
I Swiss darned the tree trunks and decorations before I drew up the toe, just so I was working on a flat surface. It was tricky to secure all the ends without them showing through, but is worth the faff.
The class was six hours long, and I had to work on it at home to finish it, but I estimate that it took me no more than ten hours to complete. I think it's really cute, and would make another. I certainly wouldn't have tackled the pattern unaided, and that's the real value of the class.
6 comments:
Looks lovely! Are you planning to make another or have you got Second Stocking Syndrome?!
As regards the Fair Isle knitting it should be possible to swap the yarns around to suit your way of knitting - I found with my mittens that I could swap the colours to different hands depending on which I needed more of each row. I seem to remember you have to adjust the way you hold your fingers to suit, though, so that you can weave the yarns as required. Or perhaps you need one of those things that look like springs that you put on your finger and they have a guide for the two different colours..sorry can't remember the name right now but they are popular in northern Europe...
The stocking pattern is great! How can I get the pattern? If it is Debbie's website, could I get that? Thanks Shirley
Mary Beth said there was a pattern, where can I get a pattern it looks like a good pattern to practice changing colors - it is very pretty.
thank you mary ann
You said you were going to post the pattern... thought that meant directions?
What I see of the work is lovely.
Hi, this is the address for Debbie's site: http://www.da-handknits.demon.co.uk/
I've just emailed her to ask if she still plans to offer this for sale as a kit, but I guess it won't be for this Christmas now.
Since you took the class, you obviously have the Christmas stocking pattern, why can't you just publish it since you already told us it was free!
Shirl
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