The Rest of the Retreat

So to wrap up the Knit for Fun Retreat- my class schedule included a session with Ann Budd and she helped me with a couple projects I wasn't sure I should frog or I would be able to make some adjustments and save myself some re-knitting.  She complimented me on my finishing, and gave some pointers for making my seaming a bit tidier.  Ann is a great retreat hostess!  The photo I have of the two of us was a great one of her great, but me- not so much!

 One of the other classes I took was Meghan Fernandes' Warm Weather Knits.  Meghan co-runs Pom-Pom Magazine.  I can't wait to get this year's summer issue-we got a sneak peak during class.  Meghan asked everyone in the class to introduce themselves and say why they were taking the class. Attendees either lived in a warm climate and they wanted to be able to wear hand knits year round, or ladies that  lived in cold climates there were some with their own "internal heating" system, and wanted suggestions on yarn and garments that didn't use wool, so they could have year around knits as well.   Some of the things I learned in class was the importance of choosing the right fiber or fiber combination.  Plant fibers wick heat moisture away from the body, but you have to be careful about heavy/saggy fabrics.  She recommended blends of wool and cotton, silk, linen etc as this offsets the in-elasticity of the plant fibers. Also, as with the Boxy sweater drape is such a big factor in WWKs. Close fitting garments do not allow air to circulate between the body and the garment which is what causes us to overheat.  Also, the best summer patterns are those that do not require an under-layer cause you're hot already why add to it!  I really want to knit warm weather garments that are not sleeveless, or all over lace so I can wear them to work. 

We did a bit of yarn tasting and this was one of the best parts of the class.  Some of the yarns Meghan brought were one's I've used in the past like Shibui linen and rain, but there were some other new to me yarns like Berroco Corsica, Wool and the Gang Shiny Happy Cotton [whoa-this is a good one!] it's a cotton yarn that is bulky so it'd be great for a pullover or cardigan but at the same time soooo soft and light weight.  I fell in love with Quince and Company's Willet that I want to give it a try-so drapey.  She also emphasized the importance of using the right needles with the right yarn to alleviate the  frustration of having stitches slip off the needles or trying to deal with splitty yarn.  Unlike substituting wool yarns there is a bit more work involved if a pattern calls for wool and you want to substitute for a warm weather type yarn.  This is another time when a large gauge swatch is warranted, and maybe even a little math is what will make or break a project

The other class i took, sorry no photos, was Sivia Harding's on decorative mending.  We used duplicate stitching to cover up mistakes, blanket stitch and creating an armature to fill a hole.  We also learned how to make a knitted patch.  She provided an overview of textiles over the centuries and how people extended the life of clothing and other items.   There is a lot more that this class could cover, and she plans to do a second part but I'm not sure how that's going to be facilitated.  The bottom line of this class was that if it's an item you really love you can sorta mend it however you want.   Of course, you have to put some thought into making sure the repair you decide will be appropriate, but at the end of the day it's totally up to you.  While I won't be able to attend the Spring KFF Retreat next year since it will be in Maine, I hope to be able to do something like this again.  Our knitting guild is hosting Nicky Epstein in October, and Stitches South is supposed to be coming to Atlanta again in 2019, so  maybe  . .  .