Introduction To Lace Knitting

Have you ever felt intimidated by attempting to knit a lace shawl? You may be surprised to find that knitting lace is within your reach and that it can even make you a better knitter by letting you practice shaping stitches. While a garment may only have around 40 shaping stitches, lace can have more like 400! Since practice makes perfect, lace is a great opportunity to improve the look and tension of your shaping stitches when you’re not knitting lace. We will work on knitting a shawlette in worsted weight yarn over the course of 3 class sessions to practice the fundamentals of lace shawl construction. By the end of the class, you will be able to conquer the lace project of your dreams!

During this class we will cover:

• Techniques for increases and decreases
• Reading a lace chart
• Setting a lifeline
• Reading your knitting to prevent mistakes
• Troubleshooting and fixing mistakes in lace
• Blocking techniques for lace
• Selecting yarn for future lace projects

Skill Requirements – knit and purl, have knit shaping stitches like ssk and k2tog at least once before.

Materials List –

• Copy of Ashton Shawlette by Dee O’Keefe (free on Ravelry), Ashton Shawlette, Print at least the lace charts for class.
• Size US #8 (5.00 mm) 32” circular needle for main pattern, size US #10 (6.00 mm) needles of any kind for bind off. Metal needles with sharper tips work best.
• Worsted weight yarn, 375-400 yards in a solid lighter color, preferably wool. Ultra Alpaca from Berroco is a great option.
• Tapestry needle
• Solid ring stitch markers required / Safety pin style stitch markers optional but helpful
• Sticky note or highlighter tape for charts
• For session 3, blocking boards and T-pins (or other blocking pins that can pierce the blocking mat)
• For session 3, lace blocking wires OR a length of cotton yarn, at least 70 inches long.

Homework – Optional, but you can work the 3 setup rounds before class if you would like a head start.

Age minimum - Sixteen years of age
Class minimum - 1 students
If the class minimum is not met, students will be notified prior to the class start date and a full refund will be given.