Teachers

Franklin Habit

Writer, illustrator, and photographer Franklin Habit is the author of It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons (Interweave Press, 2008) and proprietor of The Panopticon, one of the most popular knitting blogs on Internet.  On an average day, upwards of 2,500 readers worldwide drop in for a mix of essays, cartoons, and the continuing adventures of Dolores the Sheep. Franklin’s other publishing experience in the fiber world includes contributions to Yarn Market News, Interweave Knits, Interweave Crochet, PieceWork, Cast On: A Podcast for Knitters, Twist Collective, and a regular column on historic knitting patterns for Knitty.  These days, Franklin knits and spins in Chicago, Illinois, sharing a small city apartment with an Ashford spinning wheel and colony of sock yarn that multiplies alarmingly whenever his back is turned.

Classes

Garter Jacquard: Garter Stitch Gone Wild

Poor, plain garter stitch.  So often confined to the edge of the party, so seldom seen in anything but the same old blocks or stripes.  But not today.  Today, garter stitch breaks out into fully-fledged stranded color patterns, courtesy of an intriguing but little-known technique called garter jacquard.  We’ll work charted garter jacquard patterns both flat and in the round, look at possible applications for it in sock knitting, and chart our own patterns to play with.

Class Level:Intermediate
Class Skills:Fluency in the basic techniques of sock knitting. Previous experience of stranded (jacquard colorwork) may be helpful but is not essential.
Cost:$75
Class Length:3 Hours

Knitted Tessellation: Playful and Powerful Patterns in Practice

A hands-on introduction to the creation of tessellations: motifs that interlock without gaps or overlaps.  Tessellations are as old and pervasive as design itself; they can be found in some of the most ancient examples of human craft, and were famously used in the modern era by the artist M.C. Escher.  In this class, we will discuss the theories behind tessellating, and put into practice the basic techniques for creating tessellated patterns in hand-knitted fabrics.

Class Level:Intermediate
Class Skills:Fluency in the basics of sock knitting in the round. Students are offered the choice of working in knit/purl texture patterns or in two-color (stranded) knitting; so those choosing the latter should be adept at it. A sense of humor, a taste for adventure, and a reasonable ability to concentrate are strongly advised.
Cost:$75
Class Length:3 Hours

Photographing your Fiber

Bring your own camera and a project or two, and learn the basics of lighting, depth of field, styling and common fiber-photography problems, like capturing true color, capturing stitch definition, and–in this edition, specially prepared for Sock Summit–the challenges involved in photographing… socks.  We will also learn how to make a light tent at home, cheap!  You don’t need fancy equipment to make good photographs–the emphasis will be on getting the best possible images using your camera.

Class Level:All Levels
Class Skills:No prior knowledge of photography is necessary. Just have a camera and a sense of adventure.
Cost:$75
Class Length:3 Hours
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