Sound the retreat! Part deux
My fourth and last class over the weekend at the Fiber Retreat was a three-hour class on Sunday morning with the lovely and talented Melissa Leapman,
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entitled Full-Fashioned and Fabulous. Although purportedly a class about fully-fashioned decreases and how to use them in your knitting, this workshop was really all about design and how to make your knitting fit and flatter. As such, I found it very inspiring.
We got to see several of Melissa’s beautiful sweaters up close and personal, like this one from Hot Knits,
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one of my favorite knitting pattern books. I have actually made two sweaters out of this book, largely as written, which is of course rare for me. One of those sweaters is the one pictured above, although I didn’t make it in the prescribed yarn, because (let’s face it) I never do.
We learned all about using matching decreases to shape sweaters, and how to place them in from the edge of the pieces to create flattering lines. Several of the sweaters she showed us had self-finishing necklines that utilized fully-fashioned decreases, and we knit several small swatches to practice this technique on different knit fabrics: cables, lace, and texture.
Melissa also showed us two sweaters that she had designed (including the red one above) that utilize fully-fashioned decreases and increases as a design element–moving cables or ribs around on the fabric to create flattering design lines.
Very inspiring and thought-provoking for a nascent designer like myself.
In all, I got some really great stuff out of this class, as well as the three spinning classes I took at the retreat.
Plus, I got to chat a bit with my friend Shelda.
                             Seen here wearing her beautiful cotton shoulder shawl (or is that a shawlette, Shelda?) with beaded fringe.
Anybody up for next year?
March 14th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
Sounds like a great class! Can’t wait to see how you use it to enhance your already awesome designs.
March 15th, 2007 at 9:53 am
How wonderful! I’m glad that you got to see Shelda, too!
March 15th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Sounds like alot of good information…especially the self-finishing necklines. That’s one I hadn’t heard about before. I would love to go next year, providing the stars align. >
March 16th, 2007 at 12:15 am
I’m so jealous! Not only did you get to go to a Fiber Retreat, but it was in MO. I really don’t have any knowledge of the rest of the state, but I do love St. Joe. Hmm, I wonder if we should consider moving there?
March 16th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
What a wonderful class! I wish we had a class like that nearby. It sounds like you learned a lot about how knitting works.
March 18th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Oh man, what gorgeous results with those techniques. And you and Shelda! Both looking beautiful! Hi, Shelda! ::waves madly, holding large ID sign over head saying “former MonicaPDX2 of AOL on the AK list”:: Sarah, I love that stitch pattern on your sweater; what is it, can you remember?
Glad you had fun at the Retreat, sounds like just what you needed.
March 19th, 2007 at 10:22 am
I love the word “shawlette” so I’ll go with that. Though shoulder shawl works well too. Btw, since I got an email asking, this shawl is from an old issue of Knitter’s Magazine. It’s the “More Than Circular” shawl by JoAnn Besold. I think the issue is out-of-print, but the shawl pattern has been reprinted in The Best of Knitter’s Shawls and Scarves, which is still available (XRX Press).
Hi, Monica!
March 27th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Hi. My name is Shelda, too. I am ten years old. I looked up my name and I have found your website. I am so happy to see that somebody else has the same name as me. Bye!
March 28th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Hi there, ten-year old Shelda! Nice to meet you (well sort of). I’ve not met anyone with my name before either. I tried to go to the website linked to your name, but got a server not found error. Maybe we’ll meet again here. And thanks to Ellen for alerting me to this comment.
April 19th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
[…]                                                  Elann’s Pakucho organic naturally-colored cotton. I think I have enough to make the sweater all in the sage green, although it might also be nifty with some stripes of the ecru. (Yes, this is the same yarn I used in this sweater, from a pattern in Melissa Leapman’s Hot Knits. Scroll down to the picture of Shelda and me.) […]