Four Short Rows for Four Shapes

Week 21 = In-depth Class Reviews
Day 1 = May 21, 2014
 
     Well I DID have the best on intentions, to go to bed early last night... but I ended up cleaning, unpacking and various other things. So I did not get to bed until 11:30pm.    :(
 
    This week I want to give you an in-depth view of both Mom's and my classes and what we learned. I have asked Mom (aka Carol Savery-Frederick) to write a short paragraph about her classes.
 

Mom's Class

Annie Modesitt – Love Your Lace!

 

My first class and a great start to my first Interweave Lab knitting intensive.  I have so much to learn and Annie has been the perfect instructor for a newby like me.  I’ve knit just 2 lace projects and knew there was room for improvement.  Wish I had learned some of the secrets Annie taught us before I’d knitted my Cold Mountain wrap.  It would have saved me several moments of frustration as I taught myself how to knit lace.  Thank you, Annie, for giving me the knowledge to do a better job with my next lace project, but even more so, for helping me learn to say ‘Thank you’ and nothing more (about my mistakes) when someone compliments my work.

 

Victoria's Class

     The Class: Four Short Rows for Four Shapes
     The Instructor: Candace Eisner Strick
     Class Size: 7
     Rating (1 Unhappy - 10 Ecstatic): 6
     Best thing about the class: The extra 5th method and the personal 1-on-1 when necessary.
     Needs improvement: There was not really any discussion on what the 5 different types can be used for except, using miters as a blanket edging. Since we seemed to coast through the class so quickly I would have liked to take some time and get some ideas of what each type of short row can be used for and is best suited for.
     The Review: This class gave me more than I expected. The title says Four methods yet Candace taught us five, so from the get go I was happy. Here are the samples that I made in the order we were taught.

Miters; Wraps; No Hides

     I already had experience with Miters. Remember my Ten Stitch Blanket? That is the perfect example of a good use for the Mitered corner.

Diagonal; Pins

     It was very interesting to see and hear about the Diagonal; Pins. Once the basics were done there were 7 stitch markers (they must open and close) spaced every 2 stitches hanging off the wrong side for this example.

Traditional Wrap and Turn

     I already had experience with the Traditional Wrap and Turn. So this class was a good reminder. It was also nice to see how the instructor presented the information to a class. I have a new design that I finished earlier this year and I used this method to create some needed shaping.

Garter St Petals; YO's

     Garter Stich Petals are very interesting. If you notice there are 4 tails in the picture. The middle 2 tails that are in the bottom right corner of the scallop edge are the original 2 tails from the long tail cast on. The tail in the middle of the bottom is where the short rows start. The tail in the top right corner is the bind off tail.

 

Wedge for Circle Sections Using YO's

     I like this one the best. This method is great for hats, balls or anything that has a dome shape. Pictured are 2 triangle sections. The edge on the far left is the cast on edge. What looks like a seam in the middle where the direction of the stitches changes is the end of triangle 1 and the beginning of triangle 2. So in turn, that means that the row on the needle is the last row of the 2nd triangle and the next row that I knit will be the first row of the 3rd triangle. 

 
     I am very pleased with the amount of material that I learned and feel comfortable enough to complete these on my own. The small class size of 7 made for a very personalized experience and amply time to cover all the material in depth. Candace also had an ELMO (type of projector) that enabled her to easily show what she was knitting on a big projector screen, so she did not have to spend extra time showing each student every step individually I would love one of those). The handouts were clear and precise and the materials required for the class were correct and complete.
 

Knitting question of the day

Which of the 5 short row methods are you familiar with?

 
Knitting Short Rows,
 
Victoria