I elected to spend this week doing a knit workshop, during which we were taught how to set up and use a knitting machine. We then learned some basic techniques such as plain knitting, honeycomb knit, orange peel, lacing and how to change colours. We were first shown demonstrations of these techniques, which I found very helpful as the tutor explained each step clearly. Admittedly, in the first session of the workshop I really struggled as my machine kept getting stuck and I wasn’t sure why; but by the last session, I understood how to overcome these problems and knit more smoothly. Having more of a grip on using the machines, I really enjoyed the last session, in which I developed my knitting skills by incorporating strips of fabric as well as yarn to create some bigger samples, each combining a range of the techniques we had learned over the course of the week. At the end of all the sessions we laid them all out and gave each other feedback; to improve my samples, a few people said that I could have been a bit more experimental with the way I incorporated fabrics into my samples rather than just in straight lines. I would definitely like to try using the knitting machines again to gain more confidence using them and to try more varied techniques.
an.andycaptures 