More adventures in knitting

Today was the first day of the fall session of Knit Wits at Ally's school. I have a maximum limit of 7 kids but for one reason or another half of them didn't show. The remaining kids had a lot of fun though. One 7-year old kept saying "oh! this is so much fun! so much fun!".

Today was kool aid dyed yarn and making our own needles. I found these little 1/4" axle caps for the end of the dowels so the dowel can be inserted into the end cap. With a little wood glue it ends up being more secure. We took time to paint the ends and the girls made little prints like polka dots and flowers. At the end I showed them how to finger knit and they all picked it up quickly. Each of them wanted to take the yarn home while still on their fingers to finish up their skinny scarves.

Knit Wits are knitting!

The after school class is moving along. It is just so cool to see the kids excited about knitting. I don't give them homework yet several of the kids come to class with something they made over the weekend. This week the students continued to knit on their garter stitch swatch, then they learned to bind off and we felted the swatches. Next week we'll add a whipstitched border and maybe a tassel to make a felted bookmark. They will also learn to cast on and the kids that mastered the knit stitch will learn to purl.
3 finger knit scarves braided together

Stockinette swatch

Garter swatch

photos by A.J. Holetz

Classes

Welcome to Little Stitches Studio an after school enrichment program dedicated to helping young people develop their creative and practical skills through fiber arts.

2007 - 2008 Class Schedule

What: Knit Wits

Who: 2^nd to 6^th grades. No knitting experience needed.

Class Dates and Time: September 26, October 3, 10, and 17; 1:45 – 3:15

Class FEE $56 (includes supplies to take home)

Details: Students will begin the course by dyeing their own yarn and making their own knitting needles. In the following classes, they will use their own handmade supplies to learn the basics of knitting while completing a beginner level project.

What: Feltwork

Who: 2^nd to 6^th grades. No experience needed.

Class Dates and Time: January, 2007 (dates to be confirmed) 1:45 – 3:00

Class FEE $56 (includes supplies to take home)

Details: Felting, or fulling, happens when you take wool and agitate it in hot, soapy water. In this class, students will learn the basics of hand felting, by making bead jewelry with unspun wool, treasure boxes using the resist felt technique, and recycled felt monster toys using old woolen sweaters. Students should come prepared to get wet.

What: Handwork

Who: K – 2^nd Grade. No experience needed.

Class Dates and Time: February (dates to be confirmed) 1:45 – 3:00

Class FEE $52 (includes supplies to take home)

Details: This class is geared towards exposing younger children to the basics of traditional crafts. Students will learn finger knitting, basic sewing, and needlework techniques all while being creative and having fun.

What: Crochet

Who: 2^nd – 6^th grades. NO experience needed.

Class Dates and Time: March (dates to be confirmed) 1:45 – 3:15

Class FEE $56 (includes supplies to take home)

What: Embroidery

Who: 2^nd – 6^th grades. No experience needed.

Class Dates and Time: April (dates to be confirmed) 1:45 – 3:15

Class FEE $56 (includes supplies to take home)
Details: Students will learn the basics of embroidery and cross stitch. Projects include a stitch sampler