Our fibre friend, Stephen West will be visiting us for a day of classes and a special book singing event for the release of his new book:
West Knits Best Knits 3: Shawl Evolution
We will be happy to host you at my cafe, L'OisiveThé for the book singing on Saturday September 28th from 7-9pm. Come and meet Stephen and have a look at his new shawls from his new book, Shawl Evolution. You will be able to purchase the book at the café and have it signed for you by Stephen himself.
On Sunday, September 29th Stephen will be teaching two classes one in the morning and one in the afternoon:
Shapify - *This class is in English*
Class description for Shapify:
Date and Time: September 29, 2019 from 09:30-12:30 - Cost 75 euros.
Explore clever ways to shape knitted fabric with Stephen West. In this class we will play with short rows, different methods of increases and decreases, binding offs, and cast ons to create unique shapes. Westknits designs are all about using simple techniques in different ways to achieve delightful architectural forms. You will get an inside look into Stephen’s design process and walk away with your own shape exploration that may inspire your next shawl or sweater project.
Materials: Please bring US 6 or 7 / 4 or 4.5mm circular needles and at least two colors of DK weight yarn to use during the workshop. Fingering weight yarn and US 5 / 3.75mm needles may also be used if you prefer knitting with a finger weight, but DK weight yarn will help grow the shapes quicker.
Skill Level: Adventurous beginner - Advanced
You must know how to knit and purl and work basic increases and decreases. Stephen will guide you through the rest of the playful techniques.
Date and Time: September 29, 2019 from 15:30-18:30 - Cost 75 euros.
In this workshop you will explore Stephen West’s shawl world as he demonstrates several of his top-down shawl construction methods. You will be given a handout in class filled with Stephen’s favorite techniques, stitch patterns, and shaping ideas. Stephen will help you mix your favorite elements together into your very own shawl mashup. You will be guided to either use a simple shawl shape to fill with texture and color if you prefer to follow a pattern as a guideline or you can also create your very own knitted shape if you like to improvise and experiment. Emphasis will be focused on experimenting with elements like colorful stripes, Westknits shortcut rows, and yarn overs. Prepare to be inspired!
Materials: Please bring a collection of 5 – 10 colors of fingering weight yarn to that inspire you to create a new project. You can work with standard fingering weight yarns and US 4 – 6 needles. Do not be afraid of bringing fun textures like fluffy alpaca or mohair. More is more and less is a bore with Westknits workshops! Your project may grow into a finished shawl masterpiece or you can use your project as a sample to explore new shapes and techniques.
Skill Level: Adventurous Beginner - Advanced
Please note, we will email your the address of the class location after your purchase. The book singing will be at L'OIsiveThé and the classes will be at a gallery near La Bien Aimée.
Photos by Darren Smith
