Pattern Writing

Week 21 = In-depth Class Reviews
Day 6 = May 26, 2014

     To continue the in-depth view of both Mom's and my classes and what we learned, here is what I have for you today.

Mom's Class

Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark – U-Turns: Short Rows for Shaping & Pattern

Hooray – I’m finally beginning to understand what it means to knit short rows, but I didn’t know there were so many ways to do this. Wrapped Method, Japanese Method (the most involved), Yarnover Method, and Shadow-wrap Method are the ones we learned and practiced in class, but there are undoubtedly more. There was barely time to learn these 5 in our 3-hour class even though we spent the whole class knitting. 

Look closely at this swatch I knitted in class and you will see the different directions of the short rows, starting with the Yarnover Method / left and right slant, and moving on to the Japanese Method / left and right slant.

I first learned about short row knitting when my daughter taught me how to knit socks a few months ago, but it was fascinating to see how short rows can add interest and beauty to many other garments. Thank you, Mercedes, for opening my eyes and mind to the fun I can have using this knitting technique.  

Victoria's Class

     The Class: Pattern Writing

     The Instructor: Kate Atherley
     Class Size: 11
     Rating (1 Unhappy - 10 Ecstatic): 9
     Best thing about the class: Getting insider knowledge from a Managing Technical Editor.
     Needs improvement: There was no handout with the class. Kate did a Power Point presentation and I would have liked to been able to take notes on a companion handout instead of my notebook.
     The Review: This class was just as full of information as I expected. We spent a lot of time on the wording of things so that they are clear and leave no question. Here is an example:

• Example: K1, P1 to end of row and repeat 7 times.
• So does the above mean that you are supposed to do as the pattern says 7 times or 8 if you count the original row.
• Correct Way: K1, P1 to end of row and repeat 7 more times.

     As Kate would say, "Be sure to include an introduction that Informs! Intrigues! and Entices!" Tell the knitter what the skill level is and which is the RS and the WS. A lot of these are basics, but designers often just go for the good stuff... the directions.

     I am very happy with the amount of material that I learned. Plus, I will be comfortable using many of the items learned on my own. The class size of 11 students made for a very personal experience. There wasn't a handout and the materials required for the class were all there. 

Knitting question of the day

Have you ever run into a pattern with unclear directions? 

Pattern Knitting,

Victoria