Reading your Knitting

This week in the newsletter, I encourage you to take the Reading Your Knitting class this weekend.  It is so empowering to truly understand not only what happens to your fabric, but why.  I am big into the why of things.  As a little girl, I always hated that ubiquitous adult rejoinder, "Because I said so!"  As if I wasn't smart enough for the reason.  If a kid is smart enough to argue with you, she is smart enough to deserve an honest explanation.  Most knitting patterns don't have room to explain the why of every direction, but assume a certain level of confidence.  As a new knitter, I followed patterns exactly as they were written - I didn't know any better.  Good patterns helped develop my arsenal of effective techniques, and poor patterns showed me what not to do - after it was too late, of course.  What a painful and frustrating way to learn!  How I wish there had been a resource like Sally Melville's The Knit Stitch and The Purl Stitch when I was learning.  I love Sally's approach to knitting - she always tells you why!  Her books are a perfect marriage of pattern, teaching, and resource.  She gives you a terrific pattern, shows you all the techniques you'll need to follow it, and explains how each thing you're doing affects the outcome.

In our classes we use the same approach.  We focus on teaching you the skills you need, but also on why certain things are done certain ways.  This approach allows you to extrapolate and apply what you learn to a variety of situations.  We want to give you the confidence to decide that "Because I said so,"  is simply not a good enough reason, and the power to choose the path you like for the results you want.

Sound intriguing?  Here are the details about the class in La Plata and Leonardtown.  Hope to see you there.