3-Day Workshop in Berkeley

Many people have asked me if I would be offering my 3-day Design Your Own Fair Isle Sweater workshop in California. I can finally answer YES!

When: January 15-17, 2010. 6+ hours each day.

Where: My home in Berkeley; limited to 6 students.

Workshop Description:

You can design a Fair Isle sweater that reflects your own personality—traditional, contemporary, subdued, extroverted—a garment that incorporates patterns that have meaning to you, colors that make your heart sing, a design that fits and flatters. Designing your own garment can seem daunting—but taken step by step, you can do it.

 

We will spend the first day playing with a collection of over 200 colors of Shetland yarn. We will begin by discussing the use of color in Fair Isle knitting, color theory, and helpful resources. We will start with an exercize in value recognition and then we will plunge into the actual process of identifying colors in our sources of inspiration. Then we will choose colors and start speed swatching to see how they work together.

 

Day two will be spent charting motifs and swatching with your colors. You can choose from among the hundreds of traditional, ethnic, and modern charts in my collection or bring a sweater pattern you already have that you’d like to re-color with your own palette.

 

Day three will focus on construction and fit issues specific to Fair Isle-type garments: steeks, corrugated ribbing, purl-when-you-can borders, and adding bands. I provide a basic, customizable pullover pattern and I will share some simple ways to calculate armhole and neckline curves.

 

By the end of the workshop you will be well on your way to finalizing a unique Fair Isle garment pattern and you will have the skills to complete it!

 

Please contact me for more information if you are interested! janine DOT bajus AT sbcglobal DOT net

Comments

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=573959186]

Oh, those swatches look lovely. Can I run away to California? I'll be waiting when the bell rings for Madrona registration to get that class you're teaching there.

[Katie K]

If only you were to teach your course here in NYC as well, now that would be fabulous.

[Mickey]

The commute from Chicago makes the class out of reach. Your swatches are wonderful. Had to click and enlarge and decide which was my favorite. If I could figure out why I so prefer one over the other I am sure I would be happier with my knitting. (No sweaters yet in fair isle, just hats and mittens) Just got Alice Starmore's book. Thank goodness for Dover. Thanks for the "design a day" idea. I might try that with a color graph a day of a fair isle pattern. Maybe if I tried different color combinations I might understand the why of my preferences.

[Sylvia]

Sounds like heaven to me. Took a similar class, one long day, from Alice Starmore -- her first class in the US a *long* time ago, down at Straw Into Gold. I've never looked at a peerie the same since.

[Gretchen]

Boo hoo! I'll be out of town Jan 9 through 16, otherwise I'd be emailing you right now. Keep us advised of future offerings, please!

[heidi]

had I lived anywhere near you, I would have been the first one to sign up:)

[Freyalyn]

What a pity that I really can't justify the commute from the UK!

[stefaneener]

Well, I'm interested in the Berkeley class. Information? I'm local, so that would be a relief.

[Lorenzo Kampel]

Hello, I live in Berkeley and would really appreciate being able to take this class. My friend, Nina Elsohn tells me that the class is full. Is it possible to add me to the waiting list ? My 60th birthday is on the 14th....it would really make by day!

[Lorenzo Kampel]

Hi, It's me, Lorenzo, again. I'll be out of country from 12/10-01/02 so I might not be able to respond to any email unless you reach me before.
Thanks