Knot Knecessarily Known Knitting

There's nothing like a deadline to create motivation. I'm teaching virtually at Fiberworld this weekend. My class numbers, alas, aren't great. Perhaps many of us are tired of being online? I hope we will continue to have a mix of in-person and virtual events. I like in-person events, but it is also nice to take a class without the hassle and expense of travel. For some people — especially if you are a caregiver or live in a rural area — virtual gatherings are the only option. The three classes I'm teaching this weekend are " Easy Reversible Cables ," " Essentials of Versa Lace ," and " Illusions in Shadows ." The shadow knitting class is the most recent addition to my repertoire. As is my habit, I debuted it at South Carolina Knit Inn 2020. As is also my habit, I try to have a well-researched class. When I design a handout, it is meant to be ongoing reference. Sometimes I keep my own handouts in my knitting bag...

Humans are excellent at using tools in creative ways, often in ways beyond the original design. Today I was shopping at Publix. I was in the tool section and discovered this little round box: As you can see from the label, this is a bamboo salt box. It is meant for storing salt. The lid swings open. There is a magnet to hold the lid closed. Of course, I immediately saw it could serve another purpose — stitch marker storage! This would be a lovely way to store other small notions. Or it might be handy as a place to put little things that will get lost if left sitting on the table.

One of my most popular classes is Brioche Rosetta Stone . As far as I know, I'm one of the few instructors who shows how to work brioche stitches using the yarn over & slip method as well as the knitting into the stitch below method. I was chatting with other instructors at a STITCHES event . One said she doesn't teach brioche because she can't fix it. For the most part, I can't fix it, either. In class, I tell students to knit a few rows and then pick back up and carry on. Mistakes are common when learning brioche. If you spend all your time trying to fix them, you won't learn the maneuvers. Fixing brioche is one of the most difficult things you can do in knitting. I would rather fix double-knitting than fix brioche. But a number of students have requested video showing how to do it. I had a swatch of brioche on my needles after a virtual presentation for South Carolina Knitting Guild . It seemed like a good time to shoot some video....