The Classy Lady Report

A few weeks ago I took a great class with Deb-- gloves & knucks (fingerless gloves). I went for the knucks option, and managed to complete an entire single knuck over the course of the four hours. (And no, sadly, I have not yet done the second one but I will!)

Every time I take a class, I get the pleasure of visiting both familiar and unfamiliar territory.

The familiar:

*That very good feeling I get, when I plop down in a chair and turn off my cell phone, knowing that the next several hours will be fully dedicated to knitting.

*The teacher: The different classes I've taken have been taught by different teachers, but I always know it'll be someone I am very comfortable working with and tossing a thousand questions at.

*Good company. For the glove & knucks class we had nearly a dozen knitters in that garage classroom. I love being around a group of knitters.

The unfamiliar:

*Whatever technique we're learning. In this case, I already knew how to make socks and mittens, so I had a general idea of how the beginning of the project would go. But I needed help with fingers, which I figured would be very hard. (Of course, under the guidance of Deb, it turned out they weren't hard at all, just took a bit of concentration.)

*New faces: I get to meet HCW regulars I haven't met before.

*Conversation topics. Okay, I give away no secrets here that I heard in that class. But I will say every class provides a lot of very fun off-topic talk fodder.

There are lots of classes coming right up-- knitting, weaving, and needle felting. Here's a peek at some upcoming opportunities. If you're interested in signing up you can come by the store or call 512-707-7396 to reserve a spot.

KNIT 201

February 22/March 1

6:30 -8:30

Prerequisite - Knit 101 or experience with flat knitting

50.00

Gotten your first taste of knitting and want more? Or perhaps you need a refresher class to get back into knitting? We will help you take that next step into pattern reading in Knit 201. Get ready to put that knit and purl stitch to work! You may choose to make either a scarf or a needle case. In both projects you will learn various stitch patterns, basic pattern reading and swatching for gauge.

MATERIALS: Your choice of project. For scarf: 1ball of Araucania Azapa or equivalent. For needle case: 3 balls of GGH Aspen or 2 balls of Lamb's Pride Bulky (or equivalent) in main color plus (optional) 1 ball in contrast ing color. For both projects you will need: size 9 needles (straight or any length circulars), stitch markers, and a tapestry needle.

For the needle case you will also need size 9 double pointed needles.

ELDA'S CARRIER BASKET

February 23

6-9

Beginner (a little experience)

Fee: 36.00

Great basket for beginners and up. This is a handy basket that fits anywhere because of its swing handle. Beginning with a filled, woven base, we will learn plain

weave, twining and triple weave and finish with a non-traditional woven rim. Come ready to work

because we will take the whole time, but you will be so proud when you leave with your finished

basket!

NEEDLEFELTING IS A HOOT!! February 27 1-5 50.00 LEVEL: beginners Both 2 and 3 dimensional needlefelting will be taught in this 4 hour class. For the 2 dimensional aspect bring a plain colored wool sweater that has been washed and shrunk in the washing machine. We will needlefelt on it to give your felted woolies new life. You will find that the possibilities for creativity and upcycling are endless. In the latter part of the needlefelting class we will learn how to make the felted rolls, which we will join together to form 3 dimensional objects. I like to make trolls, but you can try whatever your heart desires. Please bring a plain colored wool sweater that has been washed and shrunk in the washing machine. If you have needlefelting supplies and wool fleece you may bring those as well or they can be purchased at HCW. none

CHARLOTTE'S WEB

February 27

1-5

50.00

5.00 pattern

Using 5 skeins of the stunning hand-dyed Koigu yarn, students will knit the popular Charlotte's Web shawl. Knitting this beautiful, but challenging work of art is a great way to practice chart reading as well as lace knitting.

In this class students will learn to knit a top-down triangular lace shawl, reading a lace chart, tips and tricks to help make knitting Charlotte a satifying experience, binding off for a flexible edging and blocking and caring for your shawl.

Prerequisites: Students must have participated in the Heirloom Lace or Sampler class or completed a few lace projects on their own.

Contact teacher if you have questions regarding the skill level required to be successful in this class.

Materials: 5 skeins of Koigu KPPPM, range of needles #5-7 to test gauge, stitch markers

MUST COME YARN READY!!

Instructor: Fran Gooch