Classes & Events

My in-person events are about making personal connections and helping to change women’s lives. People describe their workshop experiences as life-changing, as mind-blowing, as amazing and supportive empowerment sessions. They certainly change my own life, each and every time.

The basic Knit to Flatter workshop comes in three lengths (3-, 4-, or 6-hours), with varying levels of technical depth. They all cover these basic topics:

• Standard body shapes, modifying figure factors, and why your shape matters way more than your size
• How clothing changes the appearance of the body’s shape and the many ways we can manipulate this for our benefit
• Types of sweater patterns that look best on each figure type, driven into reality by lots and lots of trying on samples
• Personalized shape analysis and detailed measurements for every student, through photographs
• How to choose what size to knit, demystifying ease, and modifying existing patterns
• General sweater tips and techniques
• Student-brought questions and discussion topics

I also give lectures, yarn shop training, and teach classes on performing mindful modifications, finishing, and custom sweater design. Want to know when I’ll be in your area? Here are my upcoming appearances:

Interested in more detail on any particular class? Read on!

Knit to Flatter

Ever wonder why some sweaters make you look like a supermodel and others make you look more like a hobbit? Have you ever knit a sweater that looked stunning on the page only to be disappointed when you wore it for the first time? In this class, I’ll teach you the tools you need to produce sweaters perfect for your figure every time you pick up the needles. Topics covered in class include:

• Standard body shapes, modifying figure factors, and why your shape matters way more than your size
• How clothing changes the appearance of the body’s shape and the many ways we can manipulate this for our benefit
• Types of sweater patterns that look best on each figure type, driven into reality by lots and lots of trying on samples
• Personalized shape analysis and detailed measurements for every student
• How to choose what size to knit, demystifying ease, and modifying existing patterns
• General sweater tips and techniques
• Student-brought questions and discussion topics

We take pictures of everyone’s shape during class, so please come wearing or willing to change into a tight-fitting top and relatively fitted well-fitted pants/skirt. Please also bring along a measuring tape, sweaters you’ve knit, patterns you’re interested in, and your adventurous inner knitter!

Knit to Flatter Lectures

For those who are not interested in the personalized format of my typical classes, I also offer shorter (1 – 2 hour) lectures on shapes, the effect clothing has on our shape, and how to manipulate our sweaters to make us look fantastic.

Knit to Flatter Yarn Store training

For those interested in training their yarn shop staff to better help their customers, I offer a shorter class aimed at helping store employees steer knitters to the best choices. We talk about properly measuring and advising customers on pattern style and size, and the myriad of modifications they might recommend based on customer skill level.

Mastering Mindful Modifications

It’s one thing to look at a YouTube video on working short rows, and quite another to identify (a) when you need shaping, (b) what you’re trying to accomplish with your shaping, and (c) figure out the mechanics of carrying out a mod. In this class, we cover how to work, and when you need, all major modifications a knitter would make to a sweater. This includes:

• Bust darts of all kinds
• Frankensweatering: Front/back and top/bottom
• Body and sleeve lengthening/shortening
• Neckline modifications
• (For 4-hour sessions) Armhole, bicep, and sleeve cap mods

This class is aimed at intermediate knitters, or beginning knitters who are adventurous and not shy about using their calculator. Students should feel comfortable with knitting, purling, increasing, and decreasing. Basic familiarity with short rows is a plus but definitely not required. (I don’t recommend using them in most cases!)

Finishing

Over the years that I’ve been teaching, I’ve noticed a distinct and pervasive aversion to finishing. As a dedicated finishing geek, I find this very sad! Finishing may not be the sexiest thing in the world, but it is the single most important thing you can to do improve the quality of your FOs. This class covers the following crucial topics (total list depends on length of workshop):

• Cast ons and bind-offs
• Perfect seams
• Setting in sleeves
• Picking up stitches
• Buttonholes
• Zippers
• Faced hems

Exquisitely finished garments are soon to be yours!

Custom Sweater Design

Everyone wants a sweater that’s perfect for them. In this class, we make it happen. Students bring in a (large) swatch of the finished fabric they’d like for their sweater, their style preferences, and a filled-out measurement sheet (either from a Knit to Flatter workshop or one that they’ve filled out). We step through design choices and measuring the brought swatch and create a custom, perfectly-fitting, perfectly flattering sweater pattern for each student.

If you’re interested in having me teach, please either email me or click on my page for store owners and guilds. Thanks for your interest!