Article Pract - Knitting & Crochet Classes serving Oakland, Berkeley and environs

February / March Classes & Events

VALENTINE’S DAY (COCO)KNIT ALONG

Sunday February 7 ~ 12-2pm ~ $20
Your Host: Julie Hoff Weisenberger

Sick of the rain? Sick of the recession? Leave it all behind and come to the (first) annual Cocoknits Valentine's day knitalong! Bring a skein of red and a skein of white, cocoknits will provide the free patterns and the chocolate! With bulky yarn you can make a vase cozy, smitten, hot water bottle cozy or scarf (check patterns at www.cocoknits.com for yarn amounts). Or bring feltable worsted weight and make an ice cream pint cozy (not yet on the website). Or bring your own V-day project and join us to knit and nosh.

BEGINNING KNITTING

Saturdays February 6 & 13 ~ 1 - 3pm ~ $45
Instructor: Stéfan Christenberry

Learn how to cast on, cast off, knit, purl, and follow a pattern. This class is perfect for those who want to knit scarves, ponchos, hats, pillows, blankets—any of a variety of basic garments and items. Materials: 190 yards or more of worsted weight yarn (ex. 1 skein of Cascade 220 or Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted) & 24" circular US size 9 needles. Instructions and pattern will be provided. Registered students receive 15% off class materials.

SKILLS WORKSHOP

Thursday February 4 ~ 7 - 9pm ~ $15
Instructor: Julie Weisenberger

This workshop is an intensified, personalized help session. Bring your project or questions and get expert help, whether you'd like to learn how to read a pattern, or how to modify one, or how to finish a garment or fix mistakes. Julie is also well versed in Habu kits, so this is a great opportunity to knit those up with a helping hand. All levels welcome from advanced beginner to advanced knitters. This is not a beginning knitting class, you must already know the basics to attend. This workshop requires advanced sign up.

BEGINNING DROP SPINDLE

Wednesdays February 10 & 17 ~ 7-9pm ~ $40
Instructor: Michael Wade

Have you ever wanted to create your own yarn? Are you curious about where your fiber comes from? One ultra-portable way is with a suspended spindle (also called a drop spindle). Michael will guide you in using a top whorl drop spindle. In the intro class you’ll learn the parts of the spindle, fiber properties and how to create singles by pre-drafting, spinning and parking. We’ll also talk about different ways of managing the fiber and setting the twist. Materials Required: Top Whorl spindle (Schacht makes great, affordable student spindles). I’d suggest a medium whorl (approximately 1.5 to 2.0 oz). 2 oz of wool such as Corriedale, Blue Faced Leicester or any other medium length wool. Most other fibers are NOT good when you’re first starting (i.e. cotton, silk, linen, etc.) Registered students receive 15% off class materials.

BEGINNING CROCHET

Saturdays February 13 & 20 ~ 3:30-5:30pm ~ $45
Instructor: Peter Franzi

Learn to crochet—by the end of this class you'll be hooked! Materials: please bring to class one skein of worsted weight yarn (light and solid colored) and a crochet hook size H or I. Registered students receive 15% off class materials.

BEGINNING KNITTING - LEVEL II

Sundays February 21 & 28 ~ 1-3pm ~ $45
Instructor: Jesse Loesberg

You've mastered the basics and now it's time to move on and feel more confident. You'll learn increasing, decreasing, stitch identification, deciphering charts, making buttonholes and i-cord, and how to fix mistakes. Please bring 100 yards worsted weight wool or cotton blend yarn, US size 8 or 9 needles, and a yarn needle to class. Advanced Beginner Level: you must already know how to cast on and off, knit and purl.

ONE BALL EASY LACE SCARF

Tuesday February 23 ~ 6:30 - 8:30pm ~ $20
Instructor: Song Palmese

Learn several new methods of yarn over, and a new cast on while making a simple lace scarf for yourself or as a gift. The scarf might seem tricky at first, but it's easily memorized and very forgiving. Materials: 1 ball laceweight yarn, like Kidsilk Haze or another laceweight mohair. Also good in cottons and thin anything. (We've used sock yarn with excellent effect.) Needles: for the laceweight yarn US 10, circulars recommended, at least 24"; for the sock weight, try size 11 or 13, also 24". To view the scarf come by the shop to see a sample in person. Registered students receive 15% off class materials.

BEGINNING KNITTING—March

Saturdays March 6 & 13 ~ 1 - 3pm ~ $45

Instructor: Stéfan Christenberry

Learn how to cast on, cast off, knit, purl, and follow a pattern. This class is perfect for those who want to knit scarves, ponchos, hats, pillows, blankets—any of a variety of basic garments and items. Materials: 190 yards or more of worsted weight yarn (ex. 1 skein of Cascade 220 or Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted) & 24" circular US size 9 needles. Instructions and pattern will be provided. Registered students receive 15% off class materials.

SKILLS WORKSHOP—March

Thursday March 4 ~ 7 - 9pm ~ $15
Instructor: Julie Weisenberger

This workshop is an intensified, personalized help session. Bring your project or questions and get expert help, whether you'd like to learn how to read a pattern, or how to modify one, or how to finish a garment or fix mistakes. Julie is also well versed in Habu kits, so this is a great opportunity to knit those up with a helping hand. All levels welcome from advanced beginner to advanced knitters. This is not a beginning knitting class, you must already know the basics to attend. This workshop requires advanced sign up.

CROCHET LEVEL II—advanced beginner

Saturdays March 6 & 13 ~ 3:30-5:30pm ~ $40
Instructor: Peter Franzi

Intermediate Crochet. Introduction to post stitches and popcorns, clusters and other combination stitches. Learn the chainless foundation stitch and finishing techniques. Pre-requisite: Beginning Crochet - or - knowledge of basic crochet stitches (sc, hdc, dc, tr, ch st, and sl st)and crocheting in the round. Materials: H or I hook; Pale, solid-colored worsted weight yarn; Yarn (tapestry) needle; Scissors. Registered students receive 15% off class materials.

TOP DOWN in the ROUND

Sundays March 7 & 14 ~ 12:30-3pm ~ $50
Instructor: Kira Dulaney

Make a baby sized sweater and learn everything you need to know to make a sweater for any sized person. Bring to class 200 yards worsted weight yarn (to achieve a gauge of 4 stitches per inch. Please do your gauge swatch prior to class!) plus the appropriate sized needles in 16” circular and double points. Skill level—you should know how to cast on and off, knit and purl, increase, decrease and read a basic pattern. Registered students receive 15% off project materials. This is a perfect “first sweater” class!

INTERMEDIATE DROP SPINDLE

Wednesday March 10 ~ 7-9pm ~ $25
Instructor: Michael Wade

Now that you know how to spin a single, you should ply them to make a stronger more interesting yarn. We’ll review good technique for drafting and holding your fiber supply, but we’ll also cover shoe box plying, center-pull ball/nostepinne plying and felt ball plying. We’ll talk about the difference between woolen and worsted techniques and how to achieve them with your drop spindle. I’ll even show a few tricks about dealing with very long lengths of fiber before you need to wind on. The pre-requisites are: be able to spin a continuous single (not perfect but with structural integrity). Bring in three small balls of singles that have either been wound into a center pull ball or transferred to plying
rods (or knitting needles).

SPINNING WITH SILK

Wednesday March 17 ~ 7-9pm ~ $25 (includes a custom dyed Curious Creek Fibers Silk Hankie!)
Instructor: Michael Wade

Silk hankies are such a unique beast; it's fun to spin them up because you don't *really* draft and they look marvelous when you're done. Join Mike as he teaches the ins and outs of working with this gorgeous fiber. Pre-requisite: you must have taken Beginning Drop Spindle. Please bring your spindle to class; you will receive a one-of-a-kind, Curious Creek Fibers Hand Dyed silk hankie in the first class for you to work with and keep when you’re done!

HANDS ON HELP

Every Tuesday and Friday 4 - 6pm ~ **FREE**
Instructor: Song Palmese

Stuck? Need help reading a pattern? Forget how to cast-on or off? Help is at hand.
**All Article Pract customers are welcome, please restrict the projects you bring in to projects made with yarn purchased at our store. 15 minute sessions, no appointment neccessary, and free.

Hands-On Help is not a substitute for knitting lessons or individual instruction. If you require more help,
we have a list of private knitting instructors available, or you may want to consider taking our Level II class or attending our Skills Workshop.
We respectfully request that attendees not take advantage of this free service.

Enroll early as class size is limited. Although we anticipate full registration for all classes, we reserve the right to cancel a class due to poor enrollment. In this circumstance your fee will be refunded in full. If you aren�t able to make your class, we will need 24 hours notice for full refund. Fewer than 24 hours notice or No Show = no refund. Please bring basic accessories to all classes: scissors, stitch markers, yarn needles, etc.