Description ~ Knitting 101 - The Basics

Over the first series of sea days, Judy will teach her 5 class series: Knitting 101 - The Basics. The class will be taught hands on and you will be knitting during the very first class. By the end of the fifth class, you will be ready to practice on your own. And best of all, you won't be on your own after the 5th class.

During most sea days, Judy will be available for one on one coaching and assistance to help you gain confidence and learn how to solve the inevitable problems that crop up from time to time. You will be ready to tackle more advanced projects in no time. Below is the outline for the classes.

• Lesson 1: Getting Started. Learn how to hold the needles and hold the yarn and get introduced to some basic terms. Once you are comfortable with holding the needles and yarn, you will progress to learning the basic knit stitch. Judy will have already cast on your first row, so you can learn the basic technique more quickly. You will get started on your first project - a simple washcloth, and learn how to turn your knitting and change directions. The class wraps up with an introduction of the basic purl stitch.


• Lesson 2: Knit and Purl. Once you are familiar and comfortable with the basic knit stitch, this class will further explore the Purl stitch. Becoming comfortable with the knit and purl stitch are required to build the foundation for all future knitting techniques. Class 2 concludes with an introduction of how to start a new project - called the "Cast On"


• Lesson 3: Cast on and Bind Off . Getting the project started is called "Casting On" and finishing your project is called "Binding Off". Now that we are familiar with the basic stitches we can start to learn how to Cast On and Bind Off. These can be a little tricky at first, but this is why we didn't go into these until you are already comfortable with the basic stitches. Trying to learn the basic stitches while learning to Cast On or Bind Off makes everything a little more complicated than necessary when you are just learning the basics. At the end of Lesson 3 you will be comfortable with a basic "Cast On" and "Bind Off".


• Lesson 4: Increasing and Decreasing. In this lesson you will learn how to change the width of your project as you knit. Understanding how to perform an "Increase" or "Decrease" is fundamental when you start to knit anything more complicated than a scarf.


• Lesson 5: Combining Basic stitches. The final class will introduce you to a variety of different stitches that will be useful and you gain experience and want to tackle more complicated projects. These include: Garter Stitch, Stockinet Stitch and Basic Ribbing. You will not become proficient with these stitches after this class, but you will learn the basics and you will be able to practice on your own afterwards.

Materials Needed ~ Knitting 101 - The Basics

A supply list will be provided to each registered participant closer to departure.

Homework ~ Knitting 101 - The Basics

None