I teach many different techniques that you can use in any of your knitting projects not just top down knitting. Knitting sweaters from the top down is ideal to make a sweater that truly will fit the wearer because you can try it on as you progress. We put so much time and effort into a knitted garment and to find out that it does not quite fit at the end or it's not quite what you had in mind is disappointing. When you are knitting a sweater and following a pattern even if you followed every instruction to the letter it's really a gamble weather it's going to fit or not. The first time you can actually try on a sweater knit in pieces is when all the pieces are done and you are able to pin it together and try it on. Well by that time it's too late to make adjustments, but with a top down technique you can try on the sweater as you go along and make any adjustment you feel are needed. I love knitting from the top down.
My friend Ellen is also a big fan of top down knitting check out her blog entry about it.
Last week I was doing "short rows". I found that there was 5 different ways to do short rows? Who knew? I tried them all and have come up with my own "hybrid" of doing short rows and I call it "the banana short row". (well what else would I call it) I have never seen it done this way in any books or on the web, I'm sure somebody must be using it because there is nothing new in knitting but I've never seen it done quite this way. It's a combination of a yarn over and Japanese short row but no pins are involved, no yarn overs or wrapping either. The result is pretty neat and hides the "turn" really well. I am working on some pages on my web site with pictures to describe it and help teach it. bananaknits.com
Updating and designing the web site has been a challenge and a lot of work, if you check it out send me an eMail and let me know what you think. And of course it's a work in progress, I'm adding things as I find them and as time permits etc......
We added another session:
The Knitting from the Top Down class was a great success, we had 11 people sign up and a waiting list of 4 so we added another session in November to accommodate the waiting list and some others who wanted to take the class.
Design Your Own Top Down Sweater
The response to this class was pretty amazing. Not only did it fill up, but we had a waiting list for the next class! So by popular demand, Ana Petrova is returning in November to teach another session of this wildly popular class. Ana will show you how to design your own sweater knit from the top down using any yarn at any gauge. She also gives you lots of awesome new skills you can use in all your knitting projects! Students taking this class must know how to knit & purl, cast on, bind off and should have a basic understanding of knitting from patterns. Also there is homework between classes that you are expected to complete before the next scheduled class.
Dates: Thursdays, November 6, 13 & 20 with a followup class to be determined.
Time: 6pm-8pm
Cost: $65 + materials
A Mano Yarn Center
12808 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
310.397.7170
