For those of you who weren’t aware, we were fortunate enough to have the AMAZING Anne Hanson of Knitspot fame Join us at the shop this past Sunday.  We partnered with our friends to the North at the Yarn Company in Manhattan to have a weekend of classes with Anne.  Meeting and spending time with Anne was a gift.  She is a smart and insightful teacher.

Our first class was yarn voyage.  I wasn’t entirely sure what I would learn from this class, but after going through the class, I realized how much there is to learn about fiber, how its spun, and how it behaves once spun into yarn.  I realized that substituting yarns is truly an art, and gained much insight as to what will happen to a finished piece based on what fiber and stitch pattern I use.  This class is a MUST for any knitter!

Next up was advanced lace.  For those of you that don’t know Anne, she is an exquisite lace knitter who has a myriad of unique and intricate lace patterns available.  I had no idea I had so many  knitspot “groupies”  on my customer list. Anne started out class with an explanation of lace motifs and chart reading.   Anne guided students through several techniques common in knitted lace patterns, such as provisional cast ons and knitted on edgings.  She gave us many insights as well as several tips to improve our lace knitting.  In the second part of class, students had a chance to test their new knowledge in a mini sample shawl that incorporated all the techniques Anne taught.

We LOVED Anne and she enjoyed  the shop!  I think she will be back sooner than you think.  In the meantime, if you are hungry to learn, OR if the advanced lace was too advanced, stay tuned!  On July 22, we will have Shirley Paden back in our shop for “A Taste of Lace” and “A Collection of Cast-Ons.”  Stay tuned!