Recently I’ve found myself studying again. Only thins time it’s not one of my MBA subjects, but Knitting.
Actually this blog post has been triggered by a guest who came home today. She asked me what I did all day, and I told her I knit, I design knitwear (actually, that was stretching the truth) and I teach knitting. Her immediate response was “so, you’re basically free the whole day! You don’t really have any work.” I was honestly taken aback. My family and friends are testimony to the fact that when I start knitting, I don’t have time for anything else, including housework! 😉 And suddenly I was hearing a comment that kind of shook me with this perception. After a lot of discussion (read: monologue) she finally arrived at a happy conclusion: “You cook!” That apparently was acceptable “work”.
So I’ve been taking stock the whole day as to where I am with knitting. And I found that if it was possible, fiber arts could be a full-time formal education course! There is just so much to learn in fiber arts. Not just knitting, but crochet, weaving, even cross-stitch and embroidery! Anyway I don’t really have much talent (or time) for the others, so I’ll stick to knitting.
So i started jotting down what I would teach, if I was offering a formal course in Knitting 101:
- Understanding Yarn: thickness, types. There’s so much to learn today in terms of blends, what can be blended, what cannot
- This would also include what can be dyed, what cannot
- Knitting needles – the sizes of needles, types
- Knitting accessories
- Starting to knit -This alone has so many sections!
- different types of cast-ons
- Knit, purl basics
- increases and decreases
- types of Bind-offs
- Understanding gauge/tension
- Knitting textures: knit-purl designs
- Knitting textures: lace and cables basics
- Knitting textures: twisted stitches, bobble
- Knitting Textures: Edgings and beading
- Garment structure
- Garment basic design
This is something that has been on my mind for some time. I’m just hoping I manage to make it come true! Of course, with all the “practicals” interspersed with each of the sections, it probably would take close to 3-4 months for 1 course! 🙂
Next I’ll come to what I want to learn: Garment Design. This also includes writing my own designs. And there’s so much to learn!!!
Starting from being able to design the garment of choice, to the patterns that I would use. And then comes writing it all down. This alone is a huge section. Earlier today I came across this website called Stitch Maps that looks at design is a very visual way. That’s such a different way of looking at design! I’ve always thought Knitting charts to be very linear, while crochet charts to be free-form. Now this site has managed to make knitting charts in free-form style!
After all this comes editing the said designing. I hadn’t heard about knitting requiring technical editing before. Tech Edit was something that techies did for their design documents. But, Knitting?! The answer is yes! Apparently there is a lot going into tech editing a knit design. Most design publications have their own teams of tech editors! Wow! That seems to be a whole new world!
The of course comes the selling, promotions and publication of designs. Whew!
What I haven’t covered are advance knitting skills such as Intarsia, Entrelac, knitting small circular items such as socks and mittens, Double Knitting, knitting with color, Fair Isle knitting, pockets… the list goes on.
I’m not really sure if I could possibly try everything on this list. But I’ll try at least one item in each. here’s to wishing me luck! 🙂
