Actually, I borrowed that title (Smitten with Mittens) from the front cover of Vogue Knitting, Fall 2008 issue, which featured Jared Flood's designer mittens.
Today's mitten class with Jared was awesome! I arrived at On the Lamb about a half hour before the class began at noon--plenty of time to pick a good seat by the bright sunny window--a perfect spot for some Friday afternoon knitting.
It wasn't long before Jared was there introducing himself and greeting everyone as they came in. He was an amazing instructor and so personable and eager to show everyone up close exactly how the stitches should look.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor for the majority of class and moving from group to group, he taught us how to cast on without having to knot the thread, how to cable without using cable needles, how to repair a broken thread by felting it in your hands, and how to SYTK--Slip, Yank, Twist, Knit.
This was my first time using 5 double pointed needles! In fact, Sarah found a YouTube video before I left the house, and I was able to take a 8-minute crash course on how to work with them. I think I need a lot more practice!
Here's our class below. You can see Jared checking out one of the ladies' felted pocketbooks just before we started casting on. I was privileged to sit beside two knitters who helped correct my mistakes throughout the afternoon. Thank you, Karen and Sara!
Here's a picture taken from my chair with Jared right in front of me showing us how to cable without cable needles.
The young man on the left drove down fom Northern Virginia for the class and was an expert knitter who finished tons of rows while I was still figuring out how to hold the wobbly needles!
Smitten with Mittens? Actually, I'm not so sure that I'm smitten with tediously working with these double pointed needles in order to knit mittens! My sister needs to visit me this summer and help me finish knitting them!
But it was a wonderful afternoon, and I enjoyed meeting Jared and being in a room full of knitters who were crazy about knitting!
~Deb
I want to know more about this SYTK--what do you use that for?
And I want to knit those mittens! they are gorgeous. Are yours going to be that same color of green? Pretty!
Posted by: Bet | Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 06:28 AM
What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon! If I lived near you, I would have wanted to attend...then lunch out, too! :o) Post of picture of those mittens when you finish them!
Posted by: Dorothy | Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 09:31 AM
Bet, Jared told us to google SYTK to learn more so here's a link that tells you more about SYTK:
http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2007/09/new-method-for-left-leaning-decreases.html
Dorothy, don't hold your breath on a pic of my finished mittens. They were a little out of my league. I'm a plain ol' knitting dishcloth and scarf girl! Just imagine those on the cover of the book as the way mine will look one day! :)
Posted by: Deb | Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 09:41 AM
:o)
Posted by: Dorothy | Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 03:44 PM
Just being there in the room with all that positive knitting energy would have been awesome :D Here am I just learning to be a beginner and you're learning about using these more delicate types of needles...I suppose the challenges continue and the learning continues for the new and for the experienced.
Posted by: Connie W | Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 09:06 AM
That looks like a fun class!
The more you knit with DPN's the easier it gets! Pretty soon you'll forget that you ever had trouble with them! :)
Posted by: Tammy | Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 11:09 AM