Kathryn Alexander

I took a three hour workshop with Kathryn Alexander at SOAR on Knit Surface with Entrelac’s Shapes. I have to say, 3 hours is not enough. Even though it was the last session of the retreat, Kathryn was still able to energize and fascinate us.

We learned to purl back from the knit side (according to Kathryn, commonly misnamed “knitting backwards”). We learned to knit back on the purl side. We played with short rows. We played with triangles. We played with squares. We learned to increase in entrelac. We played with 3-dimensional squares (peaks). We learned to weave in ends with very little yarn waste.

I consider the sample we made in class as the swatch for this:

Yes, I bought one of Kathryn’s sweater kits. I had been seeing Kathryn’s sweaters, vests, and hats throughout the week, and I had to have one. They were intriguing on so many aspects. The shapes. the colors. Yum.

Armed with her insights and my swatch, I am ready to go.

Except I’m not.

I currently have 3 sweaters on the needles: Anne Bolelyn, Anarchy Sweater, and Tangled Yoke. I need to finish some of these projects before I will allow myself to cast on for yet another sweater.

So, here’s the challenge. I will finish Anarchy Sweater and Tangled Yoke before I cast on for the KA kit. (I’ve always considered Anne to be a long term commitment, so it isn’t part of this challenge.) And I really, really want to have the KA sweater finished by Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat in February. So, obviously, I have a lot of knitting to do.

Wait, do I hear a Bohus sweater calling my name?