Saturday, December 4, 2010

Workshop & lunch: 10 am – 5 pm (Registration required. $150 including lunch.

Register online or by calling 703-664-0344.

Book signing: 1 pm – 2 pm (No registration required. Reserve a book by calling 703-664-0344)

Design Studio

Learn to custom design your own sweaters in our 6 hour workshop with designer Shirley Paden.

10 am – 1 pm: session one

1 pm – 2 pm: lunch and book signing

2 pm – 5 pm: session two

In this class students will learn to custom-make their own sweater patterns.  They will work through organizing the components involved in constructing two different types of pullovers, one with a round neckline and one with a V neckline.  The first is the Classic Body silhouette that is based on the bust measurements.  It is worked straight to the armholes, then, the armholes and neckline are shaped.  The second is the Double Tapered Body silhouette.  This sweater type is shaped along the natural curves of the body to the armholes, then, the armholes and neckline are shaped. Both pullover types will be planned with set-in sleeves.  Students will work through planning a tapered sleeve with a set-in cap.  They will also be walked through accurately measuring a swatch, taking body measurements, writing a pattern, and calculating yarn amounts.  Measuring a garment will also be reviewed.

Prerequisites

Ability to knit and purl, increase and decrease. Previous experience knitting sweaters.

Homework

Select the sweater silhouette and sketch the garment.  Next, select the stitch pattern and the yarn.  When that is done, knit one or two swatches.

Note: Swatches should be approximately 8″x 8″ in order to achieve a more accurate garment knitting gauge.

Prep for yarn calculations: First, block and measure both the width and length of the swatch.  *Next, measure the number of yards of remaining yarn left on the ball. Check the ball band for the total yardage in the ball.  Subtract the remaining yarn amount from the amount written on the ball band to determine the amount of yarn used in the swatch.  These numbers will be necessary to determine how much yardage of the swatched yarn will be needed for the project.  The number of balls of that particular yarn needed for the garment can then be determined based on the number of yards in each ball.

Bring to Class: Tape Measure, 2 Pencils with erasers, Writing Paper, Calculator, Sketch of Sweater, Swatch, Swatch Calculations, ball bands.

About Shirley Paden

Shirley is the owner and founder of Shirley Paden Custom Knits in New York City where she designs an exclusive line of custom knit clothing. She has taught and lectured on various knitting and crochet techniques for the past 18 years. Her designs have been published in Interweave Knits, Vogue Knitting, and Knitter’s magazines, and she recently published Knitwear Design Workshop, a Comprehensive Guide to Handknits.