Only six days to go until the launch of Craftucation! My kits are all put together and I’m really proud of them; pure wool yarn from Wales and Yorkshire, bamboo knitting needles, metal stitch markers and tapestry needles, ribbon, cotton project bags and notions pouches and, for the kit with stuffing, either pure wool stuffing or synthetic stuffing made from recycled plastic bottles. Some of them are going to Ewe Felty Thing which is the home of Craftucation and some of them will be listed here on my website (from Monday 15th) if people want to buy them directly from me. These kits contain almost everything you need to complete the course projects (apart from a pen to make notes and something to pin your knitting out onto for course 2). They aren’t an essential purchase if you are taking the course, but they do supply you with quality materials.
I’m going to tell you a little more about my courses and what they contain today. All of the online courses on Craftucation are yours for life once you have purchased them, to work through and return to at your own pace. There will be message boards for fellow students to share their progress and tips and tutors will be able to use these message boards to answer students’ questions.
So if you have ever wanted to learn to knit, but never had the opportunity or someone to teach you, now is your chance!
Knitting for Beginners 1 is a course for complete beginners to knitting, showing you how to cast on, knit, purl, cast off, seam and stuff your knitting to make a gorgeous little knitted creature in a choice of two sizes, along with many tips on solving common problems for new knitters. There are over 100 minutes of detailed videos along with downloadable pdfs that contain the text and many still images from the videos along with the pattern for future use.
Knitting for Beginners 2 builds on Knitting for Beginners 1. You will learn a second cast-on technique (did you know there are well over twenty-five?), how to knit two stitches together, make yarn overs, use stitch markers and use knit and purl stitches to create wonderful varied textures in your fabric. You will also learn how to follow knitting patterns and be introduced to the concept of charts. You will create knitted bunting triangles and two different textured mats. This course contains over two and a half hours of detailed videos and associated pdfs!
From Monday 15th February there will be links to each of these courses on my website that will take you directly to them. If you know anyone who would like to learn to knit – young or old – please point them this way!
I had a really interesting conversation last week with some of the other Craftucation tutors and the range of skills people have to share with you is amazing – I can see there will be some new crafts I will want to learn myself! I’d better get a bit better with the spinning wheel first though – speaking of which, aren’t these colours stunning? This fibre is merino d’Arles and is dyed by Anne Murray.
Well, it’s starting to snow again, so I’m going to gaze out of the window for a little while. I’m still busy with lots of designing things and I’ve nearly finished the final hat size for the Heart in My Hands collection. And I did make that sourdough starter – it’s two days old and seems happy so far!!
Stay warm and keep safe, K x