Crochet 101

Our extended crochet program is for those who want to get a rock solid foundation in this lovely craft. In these 4 classes the basic stitch patterns will be practiced and perfected. Students can try out their skills on either a crocheted washcloth (very functional favorites) or a scarf project. Circular or 3D crochet forms will also be covered and applied to a basic hat pattern and a crocheted toy. Learn to follow a simple crochet pattern while you’re at it.

Materials: yarn and hook to match for scarf/ washcloth, aran yarn and 4/4.5mm for hat and toy

4 sessions, $96, materials not included

Wed April 3, 10, 17, 24
Wed May 1,8,15,22
Wed Sept 11, 18, 25, Oct 2

all 7-9pm

Knitting 101
A class for the knitting novice!  This is a 4-week course designed to instill basic knitting skills.  Graduates will then be able to take on a variety of knitting projects with confidence.  Learn the fundamentals: how to begin and end your projects, how to make knit and purl stitches and use then together to create different textures and patterns, how to read and interpret written knitting patterns and knit in the round to create circular or tubular knitting projects.  Expect to finish at least one scarf and your choice of hat and/or arm warmer project. 

Materials: yarn and needles to match for a scarf project and a set of 6mm double pointed needles, and one skein of either Misti Alpaca, or Manos del Uruguay for a hat.

4 session course, $96, materials not included

Sun Mar 17, 24, April 7, 14, 3-5pm

Fri May 3, 10, 17, 24
Wed June 5, 12, 19, 26
Thurs July 11, 18, 25, Aug 1
Thurs Sept 12, 19, 26, Oct 3
all 7-9pm

Knitter’s Crash Course (Scarf Workshop)
Another beginners’ knit class but this one built for speed.  You’ll be surprised what you can learn in just one night.  The essentials are the focus of this class, that is: how you begin and end a project and how to do the basic knit stitch.  Students will work on a scarf project in class.  Advice will be offered on how to design a simple scarf project without a pattern.

Materials: Your choice of yarn and needles to match for a scarf project.

Mon April 22
Mon May 27
Mon July 8

all 6:30-9pm

Crocheter’s Crash Course

Crochet is making a comeback!. From retro granny squares to delicate lacy finishes, crochet has a look all its own and is easy to learn. If you’ve never crocheted before, or if you learned years ago and want a quick refresher, this one-night course will get you started. Students will learn the basic stitches (chain stitch, single crochet, double crochet), how to read a pattern and will make a crochet coin purse or pouch.

Materials: crochet hook and yarn to match 

1 session, $35, materials not included

Thurs May 23
Thurs June 27

both 6:30-9pm

Introduction to Rug Hooking
You can make more then rugs when you learn to rug hook.  You can also make rugs and that is pretty neat!  Wall art, cushion covers, trivets and coasters are only some of the things that you can create with the rug hooking technique.  Rug hooking is excellent for using up scraps and has terrific potential for self-expression.  In this class you can choose any picture or pattern you should desire and make it into your very own rug-hooked design.

Materials: Students will need several colours of worsted weight yarn and a simple picture (something that can be traced) that they will transform into their rug hook design.

Mon June 3, 6:30-9pm

Needlepoint Workshop
The craft of old fashion needlepoint for wall art and cushion covers is having a resurgence. Examples are showing up everywhere- contemporary and beautiful!  You can learn how to create your own needlepoint masterpiece in this workshop.  In this introductory class students will learn how to transfer a simple design onto a needlepoint canvas, how to select materials and read needlepoint charts, and how to make needlepoint stitches with good tension and a clean finish.

1 session, $30, materials not included

Materials: please ask us for details on materials upon registration

Mon June 17, 6:30-9pm

Needle Felting Workshop
Create 3 dimensional felt forms in this workshop. Like sculpting with wool fleece forms are created organically and with immediacy. This workshop will demonstrate needle felting tools and
techniques. Students will work on their own felted miniatures, ready to be ornaments, sculptures, toys, or jewelry. They make fantastic Christmas decorations too!

1 session, $30, materials not included

Materials: several colours of wool fleece, felting needles in several sizes

Wed Aug 7, 6:30-9pm

Crochet Blanket Class
This blanket may be made of colourful little crocheted pieces but it is not your Granny’s blanket.  Each piece is actually a hexagon with a pretty flower motif in the middle.  Each hexagon is joined to the next with crochet only (no seaming).  This is a great way to work through all the bits and pieces of yarn that you may have lying about.  This class is a perfect way for newbies to learn crochet or those with some experience an avenue for building skill.

2 or 3 sessions (6 hours), $70, materials not included

Materials: 4mm crochet hook and several colours of worsted weight yarn

Sun March 10, 17, 12:30- 3:30
Sun April 28, May 5, 12:30- 3:30
Wed July 3,10,17, 7-9pm

Crochet Blanket Finishing Class
For graduates of the Crochet Blanket Class, this workshop shows the step by step to a blanket with smooth edges and a clean finished look.  The secret is making half hexagon shapes to fill in crevices and craters along the sides of your crocheted hexagon blanket.

1 session, $30 ($25 for those who have taken the Crochet Blanket Class at the Knit Cafe)

Materials: a part completed Hexagon Crochet Blanket with yarn and hook to match.

Sun Mar 24, 12:30- 3:00
Wed July 24, 6:30-9pm

Baby Blanket Workshop
This is a good follow class up to the Crash Course or a perfect class for those who can’t seem to get beyond the infamous “First Scarf Project”.  This baby blanket class will get you started reading knitting patterns, it will teach you how to purl (if you have not had the pleasure), and it will acquaint you with the different textural stitches needed to make our very adorable baby blanket project!

1 session, $30, materials not included

Materials: 4 skeins Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton, 5mm circular needles 60cm or longer.

Fri April 5
Mon May 13
Mon July 29
Wed Aug 21

all 6:30-9pm

Fingerless Mitt Workshop
Knitting in circles opens up a whole world of possibilities to a knitter. Leave scarves behind and start exploring this new tubular world with a fingerless mitten project. Students will learn to knit in rounds on double pointed needles following a simple knitting pattern. Shaping techniques will result in a beautiful gusset (ie. the place you put your thumb). Fingerless mittens are a wonderful accessory for the in between seasons like spring and fall.

2 sessions, $50, materials not included

Materials: 100 grams worsted, 4.5mm dpn

Mon April 29, May 6
Mon July 15, 22
7-9pm

Amigurumi Crochet Workshop

Crochet cute and cuddly creatures!  Amigurumi is a Japanese style of crocheting stuffed animals and anthropomorphic toys. Learn crochet shaping and modeling techniques and seaming to create 3D forms. Students will work on an owl project, but gain the chops to allow their imaginations to run amok and invent their own cuddly creatures.

Materials: 3mm crochet hook, and cotton yarn to match such as brown sheep cotton fleece. 

1 session, $30, materials not included

Wed March 27, 6:30-9pm
Sun June 23, 12:30-3:00

One Night Only Sweater Workshop
Learn all the techniques you need to make a classic top-down, raglan sweater. Make it teeny-tiny so you can knit through all the techniques in one class. Later you can apply what you have learned to a sweater of your choosing. Students will put their double pointed needles to work knitting in rounds, beginning at the neckline, shaping the yoke, adding on the sleeves, and before you know it you're done! There is no seaming in this type of sweater. Afterwards your tiny sweater can become a bottle cozy, an ornament, a doll coat, or a swatch for your next sweater.

1 session, $30, materials not included

Materials: 100 grams worsted weight wool, 4-5mm dpn

Thurs May 30, 6:30-9pm

Cabled Cowl
Those snakey patterns that decorate traditional Irish-knit sweaters are called cables.  They are a great favorite with knitters for their twisty decorative ways that make extra warm knits.  You can learn how to decipher cabled patterns both written and charted and how to create these corkscrewed stitches in this workshop.  Make a pretty gorgeous cowl while you are at it!

1 session, $30, materials not included

Mon June 10, 6:30-9pm

Project Class
What would you most like to knit but don't know how to yet? If you have something in mind but just can't make sense of the pattern or the process, bring it along to the "Project Class" In this class we will discuss how to pick a project that is right for you. Pattern reading will be practiced, and techniques specific to each project will be demonstrated. Learn to make well-fitted garments by learning about gauge, and finishing techniques. This class is open to knitters who know the basics but are looking to challenge themselves with something new.

4 sessions, $96, materials not included

Materials: yarn and needles to suit project

Sun Sept 8, 15, 22, 29, 1-3pm

Crocheting on the Edge
Do you have some pillow cases, some napkins, a skirt hem, that could use a little pick me up? In this workshop you will learn how to embellish with crocheted trims. Any hemmed fabric can become a little cuter with this hand-made touch. Learn how to prep your fabric and apply a decorative stitch. Several simple and beautiful stitches will be show cased in class. These same stitches are useful for brightening up a knitted or crocheted creation too.

1 session, $30, materials not included

Materials: Bring to class something to trim, any hemmed fabric will do. A sharp needle with a large eye. Cotton yarn, fingering weight or lighter, we recommend Garden Cotton, or Valdani Perle Cotton, and a crochet hook to suite yarn 2mm-3mm.

Wed May 29. 6:30-9pm

Crocheted Market Bag Workshop
Summertime is a fine chance to enjoy outdoor fruit and veg markets. This outing will be even sweeter with your very own hand-made crocheted market bag. Made with strong linen and with stretchy, open, stitching, this bag will tote a whole lot of produce. It makes an excellent gift too. Embellish your crochet skills learning to create the open stitch fabric, and building the bag with circular crocheting and shaping techniques. Following a simple crochet pattern will also be discussed.

2 sessions, $30, materials not included

Materials: 100 grams Euroflax Linen, 3.25/3.5mm hook

Wed Aug 28, Sept 4, 7-8pm

Crocheted Shawl
Expand your crochet skills while working this pretty crochet shawl. Reading the crochet pattern and learning how to create a triangular shape while maintaining a simple lace pattern will be the main aims of this class. Choose your favourite sock weight yarn for your perfect summer shawl.

1 session, $30, materials not included

Materials: 400 yds fingering and 3.5mm hook

Thurs Aug 8, 6:30-9pm

Crocheted Slipper Class
The good-old, cozy slipper is a classic crochet pattern. Crochet's sturdy stitches make so much sense for a durable foot warmer. This class will have you stitching your own versions. Students will practice their pattern reading skills on both a charted and a written pattern, and learn simple shaping and embellishment techniques. As an extra bonus the teacher will provide instruction on how to add on a leather bottom to prevent slipping. The slippers will be custom made to fit your tootsies, so be sure to tell us your shoe size when you register.

2 sessions, $50, materials not included

Materials: 1 ball Brown Sheep Bulky, 5.5mm and 3-3.5mm hook, leather sole available purchase in class.

Thurs May 9, 16, 7-9pm

Lace 101
Lace stitching is incredibly enticing and sadly often equally intimidating.  With a little guidance though, the process of deciphering lace can be pretty darn painless. In this class students will learn a variety of simple lace stitches.  Reading lace patterns that are both written and charted, some of the math involved with lace knitting, and tricks to preventing lace disasters will be discussed.  Students will try out their stitch-witchery on a lace scarf.

2 sessions, $50, materials not included  

Materials: DK/worsted weight + matching needles

Sat May 11, 18, 10:30-12:30

Sock Class
Socks!  You can’t have too many of them, and they make appreciated gifts too.  Also as a knitter, there is so much to learn from socks.  The sock pattern tends to be advanced decoding, and the sock heel a tricky bit of business to navigate on ones own, but once learned a sock is a satisfying and very portable project. Sock makers will also learn the skill of picking up stitches and shaping the instep and toe. Once one sock is made a sockaholic is in the making-good thing we have two feet!

Materials: 3mm or 4mm dpn, fingering or worsted

3 sessions, $72, materials not included

Wed March 6, 13, 20
Thurs Aug 15, 22, 29

all 7-9pm

Sock Master Class
Sockaholics this is your class! We are lucky to have a knitted-sock pro agree to teach this advanced class.  In this class socks will be knit from the toe up, with demonstrations of seamless cast-ons for perfect toes.  Sock will be knit on circular needles and both socks will be knit simultaneously! No more will socks differ even slightly in shape and size, watch them grow up together row by row.  Another fine advantage of toe-up socks is that knitters will no longer have to judge the finished length of their socks.  Just knit till the yarn runs out - nothing goes to waste!

3 sessions, $72, materials not included

Materials: 2.5mm, 100cm circular needle, 350 yards fingering yarn. Please bring a swatch knitted in the round to this class.

Thurs June 6, 13, 20, 7-9pm

Steeking Workshop
In times of yore, practical knitters found they could easily change a pullover into a cardigan or even add on sleeves once a body was fully completed. They accomplished this feat by fearlessly cutting up their hand knitting and adding these adjustments. Why is this madness desirable? It allows the knitter to knit a cardigan in the round, not bothering about sleeves, simultaneously keeping their colour work patterns strong and steady (colour patterns are much, much easier to do in rounds), and for an added bonus - you never need purl. They called this delightful maneuver "steeking". In this one-evening workshop you will build nerves of steel, and cut without apprehension. There are several roads to a perfect steek and they will be explained, demonstrated, and practiced in class. After you make the cut, selvedges will be reinforced to make beautiful edges, ready and waiting for buttons or zippers to finish them off. This is "next level" knitting - don't miss it!

1 session, $30, materials not included

Materials: Bring to class swatch knit in fair-isle pattern in rounds with worsted weight, 100% wool (not superwash). Cascade 220 is highly recommended. Find details on pattern for swatching on the Knit Cafe's blog.

Knitting needle used in swatch and crochet hook of same size or 1/2 smaller. At least 30 grams contrast colour yarn.

Thurs May 2, 6:30-9