Weekend Workshops with
Cat Bordhi

May 22-23, 2010
Evanston Ecology Center, Evanston, IL

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Registration will be open to everyone. Members receive discount.

The Windy City Knitting Guild is pleased to offer a weekend with Cat Bordhi. She is author of a number of books on socks and mobius knitting. According to Stephanie Pearl McPhee, Cat’s mission “is to make you a more creative, free-thinking knitter who problem-solves and experiments with vigor and fearlessness. The best part? She can.” She teaches and inspires more than 1000 knitters a year in her classes and retreats. Her YouTube tutorials reach many 1000s more. Check out her web site at www.catbordhi.com.

 

 

Classes will be held at the Evanston Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd. in Evanston. Parking is available. If needed, please request directions. Please call Tina Stevens if you need to be picked up at the CTA.

Food and beverages will not be provided at the Workshop. There are no restaurants in the immediate area. You may bring your own food and beverages or go out.

Workshop Info

Class 1 –New Pathways for Sock Knitters
Saturday, May 22, 2010:  9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 6 hours
Intermediate or advanced knitters
Class Size is 24

This class takes you “backstage” to see and understand how the new sock architectures in her book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book One, work. In fact, the goal for this class is that you won’t need her book, unless you want to follow a particular pattern. So, if you want to create your own designs or add stitch patterns with confidence, this class will empower you to be a sock designer and a better all-around knitter. You’ll knit one very small sock to gain a fluent understanding of the elements underlying all the architectures. Then you’ll be ready to design within any of the architectures, even to create new ones! We’ll explore ways to integrate stitch patterns, texture, elasticity, durability, and color to help you create beautiful, well-fitted, and original sock designs. Our day together will be chock full of sock-knitting “ahah!” moments and deeper and deeper understanding of how to cover the foot with a continuous strand of yarn in charming and clever ways.

Supplies – The usual knitting supplies and excellent quality yarn (absolutely no acrylics please) in light colored sport to worsted weight for exploratory baby socks, with appropriate sized needles, and several choices of sock yarn for making full sized sock with appropriate needles. Needles may be dpns, 2 circs, or 1 long circ. Bring a variety of sizes so you can swatch to get a gauge that makes good sock fabric. Please watch Cat’s YouTube tutorials on wrapping and turning stitches, and then concealing the wraps, as well as her tutorial on Judy’s Magic Cast-On and practice the techniques before coming to class. Cat recommends Lorna’s Laces “Cat Bordhi Ahah” yarn developed with Beth Casey to make investigating and deeply understanding new techniques clear and easy - causing you to happily exclaim “Ahah! Now I get it.”

 

Class 2 –Engineering New Stitch Patterns
Sunday, May 23, 2010 – 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 6 hours
Confident intermediate to advanced knitters
Class Size is 24

Are you a stitch dictionary junkie? Can you imagine owning a book of entirely fresh, unknown stitches? If you’re an adventurous soul, join us to synergistically and individually birth new stitch patterns by recombining the basic structural elements of knitting by using images as inspiration for knitterly reinterpretation and by following generative pathways Cat will map out. We’ll also choose a few stitch patterns to turn into a family of related stitch patterns, perfect for combining on one garment. You’ll leave class knowing how to generate original stitches suitable for any kind of knitted garment or accessory. This class will keep your brain cells lively and bright and we will have a great deal of fun.

Supplies: Any kind of needles you like except for circular with unyielding cables; (she recommends Addi Turbo Lace). High quality yarn – absolutely no acrylics, please. Yarn should have excellent stitch definition, be a light or bright color so it can be seen well indoors, and in a weight (dk or heavier) that lets you see stitch pathways with ease (consider Lorna’s Laces “Cat Bordhi Ahah”). She recommends one multicolor and one single color or shaded solid colorway. Bring a variety of stitch markers, scissors, darning needle, graph paper, colored pencils, mechanical pencil, art-gum eraser, and a stitch dictionary you are fond of, as well as any or all of the following: a clear photo of an intriguing and mysterious stitch element on a knitted garment cut out of a magazine or catalog (See someone in a crowd with a great sweater? Pull out your camera phone and sneak up behind them to take a photo.). A knitted garment with an unfamiliar stitch pattern, clippings?/photos/sketches of beautiful patterns found in architecture, tile work, wallpaper, fences, anywhere you see something that might become a stitch pattern. If we reverse engineer stitches from garments you bring in, we will not copy them, rather use them as creative springboards. If you photograph stitches, if possible, also photograph the inside as this may give important clues. Please come well-rested and with a happy brain, ready for delightful adventures.
    

Workshop Location

Classes will be held at the Evanston Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd. in Evanston. Parking is available. If needed, please request directions. Please call Tina Stevens if you need to be picked up at the CTA.

Food and beverages will not be provided at the Workshop. There are no restaurants in the immediate area. You may bring your own food and beverages or go out.