… an absolutely perfect day in the mountains … on a 227+ acre farm … with knitterly friends … teaching them the ins and outs and wherefores of knitting with cashmere.

We were a small group — only four students — but LOTS of time for one-on-one and ensuring that all understood the intricacies of knitting lace: the YOs, ssk, k2tog, sl1k2togpsso, etc. We also talked about WHY you should always wind a center-pull skein (especially when using luxury or pure animal-fiber yarn), how (and WHY) reading charts (and your knitting) is so much better than following row-by-row directions, and how best to “dress” or “block” your finished knitting.

We had lots of time for knitting-and-nattering and had a great time getting to know my students. Fascinating life stories … hilarious knitting catastrophes … and just great fellowship. The workshop project … shown on the table in front of one of the participants … was a 100% cashmere scarf. The design I worked up for them was a fairly straight-forward lace design:

This design could then be made into the students’ choice of accessory: a long, skinny infinity scarf; a close-to-the-neck cowl; or a 6×48 scarf. Any of these items could be made with the 1oz skein of cashmere which they received as part of the workshop cost. I will be posting the pattern (later this week) on my Craftsy site and in my Ravelry store.
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Definitely wonderful to be back in the “knitting classroom” and teaching others to be as fiber-fanatic as I am! BTW, this was the 5th workshop I’ve done down at Spring Gate, and our 4th year of doing them in the Fall. I think next year’s will have to be extra special for our “Fifth Annual”, don’t you?