Teachers

Deb Barnhill

Deb Barnhill received a life-changing gift in 2001:  her first skein of sock yarn.  Hundreds of pairs later, she still keeps at least one sock project on the needles at all times.  She began designing in 2005, with sock patterns published in Knitty and the recent Interweave book Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarns (written by Carol Sulcoski).  In 2007, she completed the first 52 Pair Plunge in 6 months and 12 days.  Sock interests include toe-up, unique constructions and clean finishing techniques.  Deb is a wife, mother and pharmacist in Nova Scotia, where friends and coworkers enjoy raiding the “sock box” annually on their birthdays.

Classes

Keys to Self-Striping Success

For most sock knitters, that first ball of self-striping yarn was the gateway to a new world of obsession.  In this one hour wonder, you’ll pick up a few secrets and tips that will ensure you use the yarn to its full potential.  We will discuss strategies for creating matching (or purposely non-matching!) socks, creating smooth transitions between sock elements, and how the yarn itself can be used as a measuring tool.  This class would be a great excuse for a trip to the Sock Summit marketplace!

This class is a one hour wonder that repeats three times in each three hour block it is offered in.
Friday AM: 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00.
Saturday PM: 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30.

Class Level:Beginner
Class Skills:Familiarity with sock components (cuff, leg, heel flap, foot, toe, etc.) would be an asset but is not necessary.
Cost:$25
Class Length:1 hour wonder

Know Your Toes

Are you ready to bring some variety into your sock drawer?  Learn four unique and beautiful toe shapes to give your handknitted socks the wow factor.  Using worksheets and a tiny bit of arithmetic, you’ll learn how to calculate and adjust toe length and work some sample toes that you can refer back to later.  Still hooked on the effectiveness and simplicity of the wedge toe?  We’ll talk a bit about it too, namely how you can adjust its shape to fit your foot perfectly.

Class Level:Beginner
Class Skills:This class is appripriate for an advanced beginner. Students should be comfortable working in the round. Kitchener stitch would be an asset, and will be addressed as class time allows.
Cost:$75
Class Length:3 Hours

Toe-up Socks for the Stubborn

This class is geared for the current sock knitter who falls somewhere between mildly curious and moderately resistant to the notion of going toe-up.  Using the methods described during this workshop, the participant will leave with the tools necessary to knit a toe-up sock with the gussets and heel flap seen with traditional top-down construction.  Fill-in-the-blank worksheets will help the student easily crunch their personal numbers to customize the fit of their socks. As a special bonus, students will learn a grafted bindoff for 1x1 rib.  Previously offered as a separate class, this technique will provide a happy ending to your toe-up sock. Grafting the edge together without rearranging stitches onto multiple needles, you will gain a clean edge, a stretchy cuff, and the ability to wow your knitting friends. Totally tubular!

Class Level:Intermediate
Class Skills:Students should have worked socks before and should be familiar with a provisional cast-on. (Judy’s Magic Cast-On is ideal and can be learned from Judy at the Summit.)
Cost:$75
Class Length:3 hours
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