Sweater class in September

Yes, It will get cold again.  Already, some morning you can feel a bit chill.  Are you ready?  Do you have your sweaters planned for the Fall?  We have a class starting September 8 where you can knit your first sweater or make another great sweater with expert assistance.  I will be teaching this class and sharing all my designer tips and pointers.  I've been digging through raverly for patterns to share with my students.  Here are a few that I recommend for class.  You can sign up here.

Here are the choices: 

Over four weeks, we will learn about gauge, fit, customizing, seaming, pattern reading, fixing mistakes and so much more!

See you in class!  If you have any questions, just email me at marie@marieconnolly.com.  And yes, you can use your groupon for this class.  If you have a 201 groupon that you'd like to use before it expires in September.  Email me and I'll let you use it for this class.  Same price so great deal!

FREE PATTERN: Crazy 8 Cabled Cowl

This is a new pattern that we developed at the store for our Knitting 201 class.  Just wanted to share with everyone....

Materials:

Us 8 needle
200 yards of worsted weight yarn
Cable needle
Darning needle
Crochet hook


Abbreviations
C8F: slip 4 stitches onto cable needle hold in Front; k1, p1, k1, p1 from left hand needle; K1, p1, k1, p1 from cable needle.

C8B: slip 4 stitches onto cable needle hold in Back; k1, p1, k1, p1 from left hand needle; K1, p1, k1, p1 from cable needle

With waste yarn and crochet hook, provisionally cast on 32 stitches.

With main color, work as follows:

Row1: * k1, p1 repeat from * to end.

Row2: same as 1

Row3: same as 1

Row 4: C8F, [k1, p1]4x, C8B [k1,p1]4x

Rows 5,6,7: same as 1

Row 8: [k1, p1]4x, C8B [k1,p1]4x C8f


Repeat from row 1 until cowl measures 36 inches.
Work rows 1 and two again.
Leave on needles. Undo cast on and using three needle bind off to join two ends.

Pattern designed by Stitch DC
Published March 2011

More Classes at Stitch DC

As you may have noticed, Stitch DC is featured on Groupon today.  Learn to knit in our beginner class or improve your knitting techniques in our new knitting 201 class. 

The completed class schedule is here.  I'm adding more classes today as there appears to be a bit of demand.  If you have any questions, just email me at marie@marieconnolly.com. 

Thanks!

Learn Intarsia at Stitch DC

I've been looking for new and interesting patterns to highlight in classes.  How about this for our Intarsia/Colorwork Class...

This is a two day class (2/5 and 2/13 from 1:30 to 3:00pm and costs $45 plus materials. 

Some of the techniques involved will be color changing in the same row, short rows, wrapping and turning and reading a pattern.  It is designed for anyone who knows how to knit and purl.  So if you just graduated from our learn to knit classes, this is a great next step and you'll have a pretty new purse!

You can REGISTER  for the class here. 

Or if you are just interested in making it yourself, here is the link for the pattern

Lacy Leaf Scarf Sample and Class Announcement

Knitted with the Spud and Chloe Outer in a fall color, this is the sample for the upcoming CRASH COURSE class.  Learn to Knit a simple lace leaf motif in this crash course. If you know how to knit and purl, this class is for you. All you need is about 120 yards of Superchunky yarn and big needles (all available at the store with a 10% class discount!) and you'll be half way thru the scarf by the end of class.

December 1 / 6:30 to 8:00 / $40 /
Register online  or Gift the class with or with out materials to a friend: 

Gift the class

Class only $40.00 Class plus yarn $68.00 Class plus yarn and needles $80.00

What knit items do you have on your list for FALL/WINTER?

My list includes finishing a cashmere vest I started last summer, a few store samples (that I can wear too!), a sweater and mittens for each of the kids, a pair of handwarmers Alan when he is riding his bike around town.

Looking for some inspiration? We have so many classes this season. The classes are designed for anyone who know how to knit and purl. So if you just graduated from Stitch DC learn to knit classes, you can take these classes and feel confident. Or if you are an experienced knitter looking for tips on various techniques try the more advanced projects in our handwarmer or sweater classes.

Looking just for more fiber knowledge? Then try our yarn tastings. We have just a couple seats left in tomorrow night's Tilli Tomas affair. This is a ticket only event where guests will sample Tilli Tomas yarns and learn how to get the best BLING for your buck when using luxury yarns while we snack and enjoy some cocktails and cupcakes! As well as receive a 15% discount off all purchases during the yarn tasting. All guests get a goody bag too! Want to register, go here

KNITTING Hand Warmers
Knit some handwarmers for the winter or just holiday gifts. Patterns for all levels means that even if you just graduated from our Learn to Knit Classes you can still take this class.

Depending on which pattern you choose you will learn to knit in the round, read patterns, try some lace, twist a cable, or try some colorwork. .
CLASS: October 30, November 6, and 13 from 11:30 to 1 pm / $55 plus materials / REGISTER

This class is designed for anyone who knows how to knit and purl. The rest is what we go over in class! We meet Thursdays 11/4, 11, 18 and December 2 from 6:30 to 8:00 to learn new techniques, to encourage, to motivate, to inspire and of course to make a new sweater for WINTER 2010.   $70 plus materials (10% discount on all class materials) / REGISTER

Mega Cabled Scarf

Learn to Knit Cables in this crash course using one of Stitch DC most popular scarf projects. If you know how to knit and purl, this class is for you. The scarf is one long cable anchored with big pompoms. All you need is about 120 yards of Superchunky yarn and size 15/17 needles (all available at the store with a 10% class discount!) and you'll be half way thru the scarf by the end of class. October 26 / 6:30 to 8:00 / $40  / REGISTER

NEW CLASS: WARM HAND = KNIT HANDWARMERS

Knit some handwarmers for the winter or just holiday gifts. Patterns for all levels means that even if you just graduated from our Learn to Knit Classes you can still take this class.




I've chosen three patterns that range from easy easy to fair isle. Depending on which pattern you choose you will learn to knit in the round, read patterns, try some lace, twist a cable, or try some colorwork. Can't choose? Try two. The class is over three weeks so you have enough time to start a couple projects!



BEGINNER: (I know how to knit and purl and this may or may not be my first non-scarf project)
CABLED MITTS

INTERMEDIATE ( I know how to knit and purl and kinda know how to increase and decrease but want to improve my skills) VEYLA from YSOLDA

ADVANCED (I'm a confident knitter who wants to challenge and build my skills and pick up tips along the way)
ENDPAPER MITTS by Eunny Jang

CLASS: October 30, November 6, and 13 from 11:30 to 1 pm / $55 plus materials (materials are discounted 10%)  REGISTER ONLINE

Tilli Tomas Yarn Tasting at Stitch DC

Join Stitch DC as we celebrate one of our favorite yarns. Come and taste some special yarns from Tilli Tomas and enjoy treats from Hello Cupcake and sparkly Cocktails too!


You will have the opportunity to knit with various beaded yarns and speciality fibres from Tilli Tomas. This is an educational workshop where we explore fibers and project ideas for each of the yarns we "taste."  And receive a 15% discount off all purchases during the yarn tasting.

This is a great workshop and open to any level of knitter. If you are just starting out and looking for beautiful holiday gift ideas or an experienced crafter who wants to touch and feel a bit of luxury.  Enjoy a little luxury and company with Stitch DC.

October 22  / 6:30 to 8:00 pm / $60

Limited seating available.... Register now

SEWING 101: BABY /TODDLER COSTUMES

This is why I love crafting.  Holidays!.  Halloween is a perfect holiday to pull out the stops and endulge your crafty side.  Learn basic sewing and make a fun and unforgettable costume for your little monsters!  Details about the class. 

photo credit:  Martha Online

Sweater progress

Today home with kids.  Working on some secret projects and store samples.  I really, really want to make the Stormsvale sweater for sweater class but I found this pretty magrite in my stash and decided I'd work on the Vine Yolk Cardigan.  I'm almost at the sleeves (just 2 days of intermittent knitting).  We are expecting more Imperial Ranch yarn that I think will be perfect for the Fair Isle Sweater so I might make two sweaters this season just for me. 

Interested in the class?  check out the details here

plotting my sweater for sweater class

ordering more yarns for the fall... and planning my class sweater.  thinking my sweater will be black with cream, light blue, and maybe purple for the fair isle sections.  I'm going to swatch today. 

Interested in making joining our Sweater class... check out the patterns and details here

Learn to Knit in September

Learn to Knit in September and make some unique holidays gifts for friends and family.  I currently have two open classes in September.  I keep adding classes to keep up with your desire to learn.  So sign up quickly to ensure you get into a class in September.

• Learn to Knit (you can use your groupon certificate to register for this class)  starting September 12th at 1:30 pm.  Register online

• Learn to knit your first hat (this is an absolute beginner class.  learn the knit and purl stitches, how to read a pattern, cast on and bind off) and make a fashionable hat.  Class starts September 11th.  Register online

Sweater Mondays In September

How about a new class.... Monday Sweaters.   I've chosen three different patterns.  One Easy for first time sweater knitters, one intermediate and one challenging.  This class is designed for anyone who knows how to knit and purl.  The rest is what we go over in class!  We meet mondays in September (except Labor Day) from 6:30 to 8:00 to learn new techniques, to encourage, to motivate, to inspire and of course to make a new sweater for FALL 2010. 

Here are my choices...

EASY EASY:  TEA LEAVES CARDIGAN by Madelinetosh

INTERMEDIATE: VINE YOLK CARDIGAN from Ysolda

Advanced:  Stormsvale from Twist Collective 2008

I love each of these sweaters.  They are timeless additions to one's wardrobe.  If you are interested in taking the class and maybe these sweaters don't appeal in the same way to you.  Let me know and perhaps we can find a sweater that you are anxious to make that we can make together in class!  email me

Fee is $70 (plus materials) You get a class discount of 10% off all materials for the class. 
REGISTER ONLINE

photos thanks to ravelry, madelinetosh, twist collective and ysolda.com

New Beginner Class

Learn to Knit With Stitch DC....

A shorter class that makes a smaller project. Designed for busy Washingtonians, this class is two 1.5 hours classes. You'll learn to knit, purl, cast on, and bind off.

The project is a fashionable hat with a pretty bow made with chunky yarn and bigger needles. $50 /plus materials.
September 11 and 18th from 2:15 pm to 3:45 pm / Register
October 17 and 24 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm / Register
November 7 and 14 from 2 to 3:30 pm / Register

Please note this is not a groupon class. If you have a groupon coupon, please take the three session classes or email me for more info.

Getting Ready for September's Cable Knit Along Class

Getting ready to start my class sample.  I think I might use some of the new Cascade220 that arrived on Friday.  4 skeins should do it for the shawl.  Now to decide which color... 

This workshop will be Sundays in September from 3-5 / Class fee: $50 plus materials / Register. 

4 Hour Project

This is the lace chunky cowl that we'll be knitting in class this weekend.  I knit the sample in 4 hours today.

If you are interested in taking the class, you can register here.  and if you can't attend, here is the pattern so you can make your own 4 hour chunky lace cowl. 

I used only 1 skein of the Karabella Supercashmere and size 11 knitting needles. 

Take a Class at Stitch DC in August

Come take a class this August at Stitch DC.

August is a fun time in the knit shop. Each day it seems like we get new fall arrivals that inspire us to make all sorts of winter woolens.

I have a full calendar of beginner knit classes and advanced technique classes to inspire you.

Here is a sampling of the classes. The full schedule is available here. We've made it easy to sign up online by going to the calendar. Or call us, to register and talk to someone.

Where to Start? Try one of our beginner or crash course classes.

Beginner Knitting

This is where we start. Also a great refresher course. Three sessions total. Learn to knit, purl, stockinette stitch, seed stitch, cast on, bind off. $80/plus materials.

August 14, 21, 28 / 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Learn to Crochet (crash course):
Learn to make a granny square, double crochets and chain all in about an hour! You'll be on your way to making gifts and blankets all in time for cooler weather
August 22 / 11:30 to 12:30 pm / $15

Want to explore more techniques and projects? This is the knitting world beyond scarves. You know how to knit and purl. Now you can try to knit with two colors, make cables, improve your finishing, or just enjoy good company and fun patterns. These classes are just the ticket.

Cabled Hat Class: So let's twist now! Learn to make cables, read patterns, read charts and make a hat for Fall.

Two 1.5 hour session / $55 plus materials / August 19 and 26 / 6:30 to 8:00 pm

Learn to Knit lace: This is an easy entry into lace knitting. Learn to knit a chunky knit cowl in the round. Easier than a Hat but just as fashionable. Learn to read charts, perfect the yos, ssk, k2tog, etc!
August 15 and 22nd from 2-4 pm / $55



Superb Seams Learn how to seam your garments. We'll explore the mattress stitch, grafting, three needle bind off and other finishing details. August 12 / 6:30 to 8:00 pm

Joy of Steeks: Do you know how to knit and purl? Ever wonder how to knit two colors to make hearts, snowflakes, reindeers, etc in your knitting? This class will show you how to read a color chart, offer tips to holding and knitting with multiple threads of yarn, and how to make a steek that you can then cut (yes, cut) your work to make a pretty fair isle coffee cozy. 8/31 and 9/7 / 6:30 to 8:00 pm / $55

Please note, class fees do not include materials. We offer a 10% discount on all class materials.

Make Your Own Gees Bend Inspired Quilt -- Class and a History Lesson

Crafts are often more than crafts.  And the Gees Bend Quilt story is a piece of American History.  Did you know... "

• Martin Luther King Jr. visited and spoke in Gee's Bend on the eve of the Selma march in 1965; later, mules from Gee's Bend pulled his casket.

• Traditionally, quilts were hung on clotheslines to "air out" during the spring. Many quilters used this once-a-year public display as an opportunity to discover new ideas for their compositions.

• Gee’s Benders have coined their own terms for common quilt patterns. They call the square-in-a-square Log Cabin pattern by the name "Housetop"; the Courthouse Steps variation is known locally as "Bricklayer." The Roman Stripes or Fence Rail pattern is, in Gee’s Bend, a "Crazy" quilt (no relation to the Crazy quilts made with irregular scraps).

• In 1937 and '38, the federal government commissioned two series of photographs of Gee's Bend. The images have since become some of the most famous images of Depression-era American life.

• In earlier years, one of the primary influences on the Gee's Bend quilt aesthetic was the newspaper- and magazine-collages used for insulation on the inside walls of homes in the rural American South.

 More from the Gee Bend Website....
Gee’s Bend is a small rural community nestled into a curve in the Alabama River southwest of Selma, Alabama. Founded in antebellum times, it was the site of cotton plantations, primarily the lands of Joseph Gee and his relative Mark Pettway, who bought the Gee estate in 1850. After the Civil War, the freed slaves took the name Pettway, became tenant farmers for the Pettway family, and founded an all-black community nearly isolated from the surrounding world. During the Great Depression, the federal government stepped in to purchase land and homes for the community, bringing strange renown — as an "Alabama Africa" — to this sleepy hamlet.
The town’s women developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style based on traditional American (and African American) quilts, but with a geometric simplicity reminiscent of Amish quilts and modern art. The women of Gee’s Bend passed their skills and aesthetic down through at least six generations to the present

Tonight starts Stitch DC's Gees Bend Inspired Quilt Class.  Be inspired by the stories of quilters who " transformed a necessity into a work of art — but their innovative and often minimalist approach to design is unique."  Come and by inspired to make your own "work of art".  Students should be have working knowledge of the sewing machine.  Materials are not included in the class but you get a 10% discount of all materials. 
SUMMER SESSION: 7/22,29 8/5 from 6-8:30 / $120 plus materials  register
FALL SESSION: October 9, 22 and November 6 / 1:30 to 3:00 pm / $120 plus materials / register online


PHOTOS thanks to GEE BEND WEBSITE and flickr Gee Bend pool

More Classes added

Learn to dye, knit cables, knit lace and knit with two colors at Stitch DC.  This is just a few of the classes we offer.  Check out the calendar here.  We've made it super easy to sign up and register on line too! 

Thanks! 

Learn to knit with your Groupon Coupon

The phones and interwebs are crazy today.  I'm answering as much as possible but I thought I'd put a quick how to register here too.

• Step 1:  Check out the calendar... I just added classes in September and October. 
• Step 2:  Click on your desired class date. 
• Step 3:  Complete the online registration.  I just added a place to put the groupon certificate number so that may relieve some of the confusion.  NOTE:  once you go thru the registration process you are registered for that class.  Please don't register for multiple classes unless you have multiple certificates. 
• Step 4:  Relax.  I will be sending out email confirmations to everyone who has signed up in the next day or so. 

Any questions, just email me or call me at 202.487.4337