Embroider Your Knitting – a workshop with Franklin Habit

Hand embroidery is the perfect compliment to hand knitting. With a little help from your tapestry needle, simple projects become splendid; and the beauties of complex work are enhanced and revealed in new and exciting ways. In this introductory-level class, students will learn basic (but lovely) line, fill, knot, and motif stitches, and how to vary and combine them for different effects. We will also discuss the selection of materials, planning designs, transferring patterns, and the care of finished work.

Skills needed:

No prior embroidery experience is necessary–if you can work with two needles, you can work with one! Fluency in the basic techniques of knitting; completion of a simple homework assignment prior to class.

Homework assignment:

Use a smooth, strong, worsted or sport weight yarn (i.e., Berroco Pure Wool, Stonehedge Shepherd’s Wool or Ella Rae Baby Cashmerino) in a white or a light solid or semi-solid color. Make one swatch as follows. With needles that will give you a gauge of about 5 (with worsted) to 6 (with sport) sts to the inch in stockinette st, CO 56  sts. Rows 1-6: knit. Row 7 (WS): K4, p 48, k4. Rep rows 6-7 25x. Rows 58-63: Knit. Bind off. If time permits, block swatch.

Materials:

• Completed homework assignment (see above).
• At least two balls (partial balls are fine) of smooth, strong, worsted or sport weight yarn (i.e., Berroco Pure Wool, Stonehedge Shepherd’s Wool or Ella Rae Baby Cashmerino) in solid or semi-solid colors that contrast strongly with the yarn used to complete the homework assignment.
• Tapestry needle.
• Scissors.

About Franklin Habit

Designer, teacher, author, and illustrator Franklin Habit is the author of It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons (Interweave Press, 2008) and I Dream of Yarn: A Knit and Crochet Coloring Book (Soho Publishing, June 2016).

He travels constantly to teach knitters at shops and guilds across the country and internationally; and has been a popular member of the faculties of such festivals as Vogue Knitting Live!, XRX/Stitches events, the DFW Fiber Fest, the Squam Arts Workshops, and the Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat.

Franklin’s varied experience in the fiber world includes contributions of writing and design to Vogue Knitting, Yarn Market News, Interweave Knits, Interweave Crochet, PieceWork, Twist Collective; and regular columns and cartoons for Mason-Dixon Knitting, Knitty.com, PLY Magazine, Lion Brand Yarns, and Skacel Collection/Makers’ Mercantile. Many of his independently published designs are available via Ravelry.com.