Cal Patch

Cal Patch has been a maker since she was a Girl Scout in the seventies.  She sews, crochets, spins, embroiders, knits, prints, makes patterns, dyes… hence the name of her label: hodge podge.  Cal has taught all of these subjects for the past twelve years, and loves showing people new skills.  Her goal is to wear only handmade clothes from head to toe, but she refuses to wear her growing collection of hand-knit and crocheted socks due to an irrational fear of wearing out the toes and heels.  After seventeen years of being a New York City-dweller, Cal recently relocated to the rural Catskills where she is becoming a crafty farmer.  Her first book, Design-It-Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified, is out now from Potter Craft.  You can see what she’s up to at her virtual home, hodge podge farm.

Embroidery is not just for hankies any more!  Socks are a fun item to embellish with some delicate or playful stitchery, and bits of leftover sock yarn are perfect for embroidering with.  Use your skills to spruce up a sad sock or camouflage repairs (or goofs).  We will cover ten good stretchy stitches that work well on knits, and explore applique techniques using felt and jersey fabrics, or recycled sweaters.

Whether you’ve knit, crocheted, or (GASP!) bought your socks from a store, any sock can benefit from a crochet edge!  Crochet is incredibly versatile, and has so many great qualities that make it a natural complement to knitted pieces.  It can be refined and delicate, or freeform and wild, open and meshy, or dense and ornate, and it’s so easy to add on to a finished piece that just needs a little pizzazz or polish.  We will learn three simple edgings and three fancier ones, focusing on stitch patterns with plenty of stretch.