IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE!!!! I am downright delighted to announce the launch of my first Craftsy class, Fair Isle Fundamentals!
The first time I knit Fair Isle, my knitting world completely changed. Suddenly I had multiple strands of yarn in my hands, more than one color, tension became a bit trickier to manage and those floats? I wasn’t sure I was doing correctly at all, but it was love at first sight and to this day I get grabby hands when I’m about to start a new Fair Isle pattern. I teach Fair Isle more than any other class or workshop and watching people who crave that technique but are scared/worried/intimidated by it leave after our time together not only doing it, but also doing it well are my favorite moments as a teacher.
Since I can’t travel the world spreading Fair Isle addiction, Craftsy is the perfect platform to teach students worldwide. You can toggle between chapters, speed up, slow down, and ask questions that I’ll be able to see and answer and discuss with your fellow students. You can post your progress immediately to share with other students, watch the tutorials anytime (I love this feature because I like to watch Craftsy classes late at night when the house is quiet), take a class from the comfort of your own home at your own pace (no judgment if you're watching in your pajamas!), watch anywhere and once your download the class, it's yours forever.
There’s so much more to this technique than an extra strand of differently colored yarn. In my class you’ll learn basic color theory and color psychology, choosing ideal color combinations to really show off your gorgeous work, how lighting and texture can affect your fiber choice, which fibers work best for this type of work, how to properly hold your yarns English, Continental and Combination style (yup, all 3 ways!), how to trap those floats 3 different ways to find the way that works best for you, jogless stripes, learn the difference between intarsia vs. fair isle vs. mosaic knitting, steeking (NOT as scary as you think!), duplicate stitching, chart reading, dealing with repeats and the very important yet often untaught difference between dominant and non-dominant colors. Dying to knit that Fair Isle yoke sweater with 53 colors you've been lusting after? You'll be able to do it after watching this class!
Everything you learn above will then be put into practice for the class project, the Copenhagen Hat. Inspired by a floor in an ancient museum seen on my recent trip to Scandinavia, the Copenhagen Hat covers my favorite cast on, the German Twisted, reading charts and working repeats, corrugated ribbing, paying special attention to dominant vs. non-dominant, Fair Isle, float trapping, keeping even tension, decreasing in Fair Isle, working on circs and DPNs, hat finishing and blocking techniques. This is a unisex hat that looks good on everyone and is jam-packed with technique!
I’m certain you’ll finish this class feeling like a confident Fair Isle pro! We didn't have a LYS nearby growing up, there was no YouTube, no Craftsy, no Ravelry and most of what I learned was from a helpful neighbor or just good old-fashioned flying by the seat of my pants. This is the class I wish I had available when I was first learning and I curated what I wanted to teach with great care. Watch the class preview here:
http://www.craftsy.com/video/course?courseId=11240
Working with Craftsy was a wonderful experience – the crew was professional and super nerdy like me, we had all done our homework and the filming experience was a smooth and exciting one. I felt like I was with my people there and already being a big fan of Craftsy, their stellar list of classes and wide array of talented teachers, teaching a class for them was something I always hoped to do. I’ve taken many Craftsy classes over the years and what I like about them is I can go in and watch them again as many times as I’d like. I want this class to be inspiring and give you the instruction and confidence you need to knit anything Fair Isle.
Download Fair Isle Fundamentals here and check out a few pictures from the set below. :)
