At the end of April next year, Åsa Söderman of Åsa Tricosa will be leading a two day Knitting Masterclass for us. We are very excited as this will be our first foray into Weekend Workshops and whilst a weekend away may not seem practical if it involves long haul travel, with a little help from us you might be able to integrate the workshop into a visit to Europe. And of course you would be welcome to use our B&B accommodation either side of the event to explore the amazing countryside around us and/or visit Bordeaux and the Atlantic coast.
We aim to limit the Weekend Workshops is to small groups of no more than eight so that workshop leaders ensure all participants gets the undivided attention they might need over this shorter period. Åsa's enthusiasm, technical skills and knowledge about all things knitted, together with her infectious joie de vivre, make her the perfect knitting "enabler" for this Knitting Masterclass. She will be demonstrating pockets, hems, waistshapings and wowza bust darts, as well as a variety of stitch patterns. This workshop is suitable for both competent and accomplished knitters.
Not many of us have time for the seriously beautiful art of Yarn Bombing, but with the Global Climate Conference in Paris just around the corner, here are some of Åsa's thoughts about how all enthusiastic knitters can make a little bit of a difference.*
"When I graduated from high school my parents held up a placard (as is the custom) with baby photos of me with two "facts":
1. Who bakes the best "bullar" (cinnamon rolls) in all of Bromma (a suburb of Stockholm)?
2. Who knits the same sweater three times?
Answer: Åsa!
"I've always reused and recycled yarn – at some times more successfully than others - wildly mixing
yarn weights and trying to force them into service because I like the colours or texture. Another way I use and recycle is, of course, the trading, destashing and restashing that takes place on websites like Ravelry. This can be fairly hit and miss, but the hits are definitely worth the effort. It's simply so satisfying making something, both pretty and pretty useful, from yarn that would otherwise be hidden or thrown away. The best example I have is a partly knitted skein of Sundara Silk I bought from a knitter in the USA. I frogged the shawl that was taking shape and knitted myself a splendid shawl using my own Serangoon pattern."
"Below is a photo of a sweater I made with someone else's pattern that I have found too long in the waist for my liking. My plan now is to unravel it and re-use the yarn to knit a design of my own. Obviously items like knitted bags, kids' pullovers and mitts - where the finished size isn't quite so important - lend themselves especially well for this kind of recycling. Of course, always remember to do your tension squares before commencing!"
Spring is a spectacular time of year down here at Les Soeurs Anglaises with some bulbs still in flower, trees already in leaf and peonies in bud; and if it's warm enough you might find yourself stitching on our magnificent studio terrace. We'd so love to have some yarn aficiandos here to help us celebrate our very first Weekend Workshop; if you have any questions about the workshop, venue or travel, that aren't answered on our website, please do contact us directly either by email or phone (T +33 553 91 38 40).
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