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Archive for the 'Knitting' Category

Liane Weber, our new Knitting Teacher

Friday, January 29th, 2010

We are very happy to have Liane Weber join our teaching staff here at Laura’s Sewing School & More.  We may offer many sewing classes, but our goal is to be able to give you the opportunity to learn how to work with fibers in many ways.  Sewing, first, Knitting, then crochet or felting or whatever you want, we will try to provide.

Liane has a huge amount of experience in knitting and has a strong background in teaching.  She was on staff at Wolcott in Harvard Square.  Unfortunately, they closed this past year, but that has been good for us, because, Liane is now available to share her knowledge with us.  Would you like to learn how to knit a Mobius Hat?  How about a shawl, mittens, a stuffed animal?  Maybe, a sweater or some other great project?  Whether it is learning from square one with 2 sticks and a string, or expanding your skills into knitting with color or texture, Liane can help you.

To start, we will be offering one Adult Knitting class on Tuesday evenings.  It will begin on February 23rd, meet for 2.5 hours from 6:30-9pm.  The cost is $195 plus materials.  Limit of 6 students per class.

For Kids, we will be holding an after school class on Wednesday afternoons.  It will begin on February 24th and meet for 2 hours from 3-5pm.  The cost is $175 plus materials.  Limit of 6 students per class.

We have a great living room space at the front of the Sewing School, which will make a comfortable space for you to learn your craft.  We look forward to having you join us.  If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact us by phone or email.

Knitting in my family

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

Though I have been taking the role of Sewing Teacher here, I do have a long history of knitting.
I learned from my Grandmother, Stella Karki. And, my skill was reinforced my an older lady, Emily Fouts, who attended our church. My grandmother used to make us mittens and hats. She would trace around our hands for the mittens, then make them and send them to us. She also made many slippers over the years. Doilies, wash cloths, afghans, etc. She dabbled in all sorts of crafts. I loved going to her house. I don’t remember ever being bored.

Slippers knit by GrandmaI am including a picture of some children’s sized slippers I found in some of Grandma’s things, my mother gave to me. Grandma had a Swedish background. She was born in the town of Biwabik, MN and lived there all her life. She called the slippers “tussu’s.” I don’t know how to spell it, but she pronounced it Tuh’ soo. She also used to tease us and say, “You better watch out or you’re going to get a full “tupin.” (two pin) When you are a kid, you just get what it means, so I never asked for its translation.

I knit many scarves, mittens, sweaters, shawls, bags, and I can’t remember all. Most of the items I made for other people.

Icelandic Cardigan knit by Laura Wirkkala But, I did keep this sweater. It is knit of Icelandic Lopi, which is a one ply, fat strand of wool yarn. If you are not careful with the way you knit, you can end up untwisting the yarn and having it break. It is very warm. This sweater is knit sideways. Most are knit from the bottom up, and some are made from the top down. But, this one was unusual in that it was knit from one cuff to the other. The sleeves are done circularly, so there is no seam. The front and back are knit flat and woven together at the side seams. The neck is picked up and knit and the front and bottom are crocheted.

I hope you come and enjoy the art of knitting with us. I am thinking of taking it up again in the evenings. I hope it can be a diet aid. Maybe if my hands are kept busy by the needles, I won’t be as tempted to munch after dinner. If it works, it would be a whole new method of weight loss!