Want to learn something new?

Happy New Year to all my lovely readers. I hope you all had a lovely and relaxing Christmas and New Year break. We had a great family time this year. I'll tell you more about it later this week. I spent most of my time knitting on a secret deadline and a couple of new self-published designs. But more about that later.

I'll do a review of 2011 later this week too. But today I want to tell you about my workshop programme at Spin A Yarn in Devon. Spin A Yarn is a gorgeous shop in Bovey Tracey and is well worth a visit. I've had knitters on my workshops there who come from places quite a long way away incl South East England, Salisbury, Bristol, Cheltenham, South Wales, Cornwall & lots of places I've forgotten. 

The workshop timetable at Spin A Yarn is fantastic. There is a big choice of knitting, crochet, felting, basket weaving, jewellery making & spinning. I'm teaching a record 10 workshops between February and July with several new workshops and some old favourites.

My sock knitting workshops (choose from basic socks or toe up socks) and lace knitting (easy lace and lace improvers) are always popular. And to add to those popular work shops I'm teaching Design your own socks and Design your own lace shawl this year. So if you're getting bored with knitting from other peoples patterns and would like the challenge of designing your own, this workshop is for you. You don't need to have ambitions to become a professional designer to do these workshops, although if that's your dream that's fine too. These workshops are perfect if you'd like a new challenge.

Are your hands cold? Have you seen lots of gorgeous mittens and gloves you'd love to knit but not sure how difficult they may be? I'm teaching a Mittens and Gloves class in February. We'll cover everything you need to knit fingerless handwarmers, mittens and gloves and yes, you can knit those fingers. They're not as difficult as they look, just a bit fiddly. This is the perfect class to learn how to knit in the round on double pointed needles too.

Another new class is the Grace Scarf class. You'll learn all the crochet stitches used in this pretty scarf and get some practice crocheting with beaded yarn too. You could go home with a finished (or nearly finished) scarf. Details of the workshop are here. Suitable for all abilities.

The Daisy Shawl Class was great fun last term and we're doing it again in May. The Daisy Shawl is my most popular pattern and you'll learn how to knit this fun shawl in great company. 

And ofcourse there is also the very popular Continental knitting class. You'll learn how to knit continental style with Norwegian purl. With Norwegian purl you keep the yarn at the back for purling and with continental knitting you hold the yarn in your left hand. This is a much quicker way of knitting.

To book any of these workshops you need to contact Spin A Yarn. They re-open after their Christmas break on 3 January. The workshops can book up very quickly, so don't waste any time, get on the phone now.

I'm teaching workshops at other shops too. I've got an Easy Lace Class booked at Purlescence in March and Fun & Fabulous Cables at Hulu Crafts in Modbury, Devon in February.

Don't live close enough to attend any of these workshops? Why not get your local yarn shop or knitting group to book me for a workshop. I'm happy to travel anywhere in the UK & will consider workshops in Europe and North America too. Contact me.

Later this week, I'll be publishing a new mitten/fingerless mitts pattern 

and a new crochet scarf, Paloma, which is still only £2 if you pre-order the pattern. I'm hoping to publish this pattern tomorrow.