The KNITSONIK System October - November 2020

I've been teaching face-to-face versions of this class since 2013 in yarn shops and at festivals, but mainly within a three to six hour window. These classes have always been well-attended, joyous, empowering and creative, but trying to do everything in one session obviously limits opportunities for attendees to really dig into a creative process. The KNITSONIK System is not a straightforward digital copy of the three or six hour classes I teach around the world each year; rather, it's going to be a rich, immersive course which brings the concepts from my books and classes to life, in the ideal context of online learning. This brings some considerable benefits:

• you can pace learning to your individual capacity/needs.
• you don't need to travel anywhere to learn.
• you can pause, slow down and replay video content as many times as you like, until the ideas make sense.
• a combination of video, audio and downloadable/printable worksheets mean ideas can be presented in much more depth and detail than is ever possible in a time-pressured live teaching situation.
• guided online classes can be spaced out, providing precious time between sessions to go for a walk, process ideas, and work on swatches.
• you have access to the content forever, for whenever you'd like a refresher course.

What does the price of the course include?

• several hours' worth of inspiring and informative pre-recorded content to which enrolled students will have lifelong access.
• downloadable/printable worksheets to accompany each section.
• access to supplementary live sessions delivered over Zoom (see dates and times below)
• a 10% discount code to put towards yarn purchases made at J&S (Jamieson & Smith / The Shetland Woolbrokers) for this course.

What will I make on this course?

Creative swatching lies at the heart of The KNITSONIK System. This course will lead you through my tried and tested method of beginning with an inspiration source taken from daily life, and exploring palettes, patterns and shading schemes through the production of a completed swatch featuring glorious stranded colourwork of your own design.

in this course you will use these ideas to produce a beautiful and instructive swatch containing stranded colourwork ideas of your own design. This beautiful piece of work will be part of your journey in understanding your design context and its translation into stranded colourwork.

In the last module, you will have the option to adapt an accessory pattern which will be supplied with blank chart templates so that, if you wish, you may knit an accessory which incorporates the best ideas from your swatch, as a memento of your adventures and your learning.

To get the most out of this course, you'll need a bespoke palette of approximately 8 - 16 shades with which to play and experiment. It's no secret that J&S 2ply Jumper Weight Yarn is my number 1 favourite yarn for stranded colourwork and sharing this brilliant yarn with other knitters is one of my favourite aspects of running my classes in-person. I love the people running this company in Lerwick; I love the sheep from whose fleeces it is spun; and I am grateful for how J&S have supported me over the years - shout out to my friends at The Woolbrokers.

At in-person workshops attendees always find it funny that I have memorised all the yarn shade numbers, and I'm frequently asked to sing my J&S Yarn Shades Song. All of which to say that, though you may use any yarn from stash for this course (see the FAQs below) it is J&S 2ply Jumper Weight with which I feel most confident teaching my methods and ideas.

J&S have extended a 10% discount on their 2ply Jumper Weight Yarns which will be shared with course attendees wishing to buy direct from them and they can ship yarn to anywhere in the world. Attendees who enroll on the course will be sent a discount code with which you can pick all the yarn you need for knitting from your inspiration source.

To get the most out of the online course, you will need to curate a special palette of yarn based on your chosen inspiration source. I recommend between 8 - 16 shades for swatching, but you can use fewer shades - or more - if you desire.

About the Zoom sessions

Please note, these times are all UK local time and, just to confuse matters, there is a daylight savings change in times here at the end of October so please double check/cross-reference these times and dates with your local times here.

It's taken considerable planning to produce a sustainable schedule for calls which can cover a multitudes of time-zones and I am not able to change the times offered. The sessions will be recorded and uploaded into Teachable for everybody's benefit, so you will be able to watch them after the fact, even if you are unable to attend. However, if you have no availabilty at the time of the live calls, and if attending the Zoom sessions is vitally important to you, please consider waiting for a new round of The KNITSONIK System before enrolling. Thank You!

Zoom call dates and times designed for attendees in the Northern Hemisphere

1. Wednesday 7th October, 7-8.30pm, BST (British Summer Time: UTC +1)
2. Wednesday 14th October, 7-8.30pm, BST (British Summer Time: UTC +1)
3. Wednesday 21st October, 7-8.30pm, BST (British Summer Time: UTC +1)
4. Wednesday 28th October, 7-8.30pm, GMT (UTC +0)

Zoom call dates and times designed for attendees in the Southern Hemisphere

1. Friday 23rd October, 11pm - 12.30am, BST (British Summer Time: UTC +1)
2. Friday 30th October, 11pm - 12.30am, GMT (UTC +0)
3. Friday 6th November, 11pm - 12.30am, GMT (UTC +0)
4. Friday 13th November, 11pm - 12.30am, GMT (UTC +0)

Shetland Amenity Trust

Normally when I teach at Shetland Wool Week, the Shetland Amenity Trust receive a percentage of ticket sales through the box office. Sadly, due to COVID-19, Shetland Wool Week has had to be cancelled this year. I deeply value the amazing work that Shetland Amenity Trust do to annually celebrate and promote the textile heritage of Shetland.

I would not be doing the work I do with stranded colourwork were it not for the inspiration I found in Shetland, and the warmth, encouragement and friendship I am lucky to have found there. For this special edition of The KNITSONIK System - launching on what would have been the last day of the now sadly cancelled Shetland Wool Week 2020 - 10% of my ticket sales for this course will be paid forward to the Shetland Amenity Trust via their donation page here.