I usually don’t write about retreat experiences because my mind goes to such a peaceful and relaxing place that a small blog post doesn’t ever seem to do it justice. But there were a few things this weekend that I need to share. First up: the fair isle class.
Thank goodness this was the first class on the schedule because it took a lot of brain power. I knew I was going to be knitting with two yarns, but hadn’t really thought about the how: with two hands…at the same time…picking and throwing. I have never knit the English/American way before!
The teacher was great. She showed us how to do it and somehow we all did—just like that. Following a chart helped keep my mind off of Oh My God I’m Knitting With Two Hands and it just clicked. Once I got the tension in both yarns correct, it was smooth sailing.
My mind is already racing with design ideas. Plus, there’s a whole new world of patterns that are now possible. First on the list is a new fall hat for Bella using the chart we used in class. I can’t wait!
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4 Responses to retreat recap: fair isle
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Julie is a freelance designer and writer. She has a passion for finding new uses for old, loved things, and will sew anything: sweaters, shirts, jeans. Nothing is safe if it fits under her presser foot!subscribe
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What a great class! I’ve tried fair isle a few times and always end up frogging because I can’t keep the tension constant on the picked yarn. Someday I’ll figure it out, but I’m not sure when I’ll have any quiet knitting time in the next several years…
Knitting retreats are so much fun! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
That sounds wonderful – I’ve always found the idea of Fair Isle very intimidating!
[...] admit it. My first real fair isle project after my retreat last year probably shouldn’t have been using kitchen cotton doubled stranded. The first attempt was [...]