A weekend of classes with Kristin Nicholas (part 3)

This was a weekend of "firsts" for me: embroidery, steeking, and felting! I knitted the Sunflower Pillow top in the round as homework then Kristin showed us how to machine-sew over the steek stitches and I cut my first steek. I added some mitered edges but still need to embroider the pillow top and add fabric backing. In any case, Fair isle cardigans in the round, here I come!

I also knitted and crocheted some leaves and flowers following Kristin's pattern before the weekend. We felted all our flowers in one big wash load over the weekend, I am pleased with mine and plan on using them for brooches or to embellish some knitted hats.

Kristin was such a great teacher, energetic, patient, and organized. I can't believe how much she covered in just a weekend! If you have the opportunity to take classes with her, whether it's a one day class at the farm, a whole weekend, or a few hours at Vogue Knitting Live, sign up right away -- you won't regret it!

A weekend of classes with Kristin Nicholas (part 2)

We first examined the flowers and decomposed the colors that appeared in them using many colors of Julia yarn (and sometimes artistic license in adding another color)

Lesson 1 for color-impaired people like me: take color combinations from nature

Lesson 2: look closely! there are more colors than at first glance

We then used these color combinations when embellishing our swatch with french knots, daisy stitch, chain stitch, and other embroidery stitches. We also learned to knit mitered edges and add bobbles. I am so glad that I tried embroidery! It's one of these things that looks finicky and hard but now that I practiced on knitted fabric, I am confident that I'll be using it on both knitted and woven fabric. Kristin showed us the projects from Colorful Stitchery and now that I know how to sew, I will be able to embroider napkins, placemats, and pillows.

A weekend of classes with Kristin Nicholas (part 1)

Last January I lamented that I wasn't able to take as many classes at Vogue Knitting Live as I would have wanted. A knitting fairy (in this case, Melissa Morgan-Oakes) commented on this blog that not all was lost and that Kristin Nicholas was offering classes at her farm during the summer and fall. Fast forward to early September and there I was at the Leyden Glen Farm, a mere two hours away from Boston, ready to learn about colors, flowers, and many other things.

Kristin already blogged about the weekend so I'll add my pictures as a participant. I purposefully omitted pictures of the sumptuous food that Kristin, Cathy, and Cynthia fed us throughout the weekend (better not to be reminded of one's gluttony...). Saturday morning we started with a tour of the house soaking in the colors, textures, and details that make this "Kristin's world". We then picked flowers from the garden for inspiration and our color exercises.

The studio where classes took place

Pictures from our Saturday afternoon hayride: sheep and sunset