German Short Rows (Adelphia Bag) / Oct. 4 & 18 & Nov. 1

Fridays, October 4, 3 to 5 p.m., October 18, 3 to 4 p.m. & November 1, 2 to 5 p.m.

A beautiful, quick knit that looks far more complicated than it is, this advanced-beginner-friendly project is sure to impress--and be fun to make in the process! The finished Adelphia Bag has ample room for two sock projects or a hat or a child's sweater project. It is also the perfect size for a tablet or to use as a purse, so it can make a great gift for a knitworthy person in your life!

In the Yarn It! portion of the workshop, participants will learn the knitting techniques, and then in partnership with Embellish, the class will learn to sew the creation together. The pattern and all instruction is included in the workshop fee, as are all the sewing supplies (see full details below). Continue reading for other materials you will need.

Part 1: Knit

You will learn:

• the German short row technique, to create clever blocks of colour
• an easy way to weave-in ends as you go
• how to recover if your cat walks across your instructions (aka finding yourself after losing your place)
• how to fix a dropped stitch (so you don’t find yourself ripping out)

Part 2: Finishing 

Bring your first nearly finished panel into Yarn It!, ready to bind-off. You will learn:

• the Icelandic bind-off (to make a cast-off edge that is a perfect match to the cast-on edge)
• how to block once your two panels are finished

Part 3: Sew it together at Embellish

No hand-sewing! You will meet at the Embellish classroom to learn how to use fusible batting to stabilize your knitted panels; make a lining for your bag (with fabric of your choice!); and insert a zipper with a decorative zipper pull (that also functions as a stitch marker holder). If you need to use one of their sewing machines, just email them in advance to reserve it. 

Included in the sewing package are the following supplies:

• zipper by the metre (your colour choice)
• ring zipper pull (can be used as a stitch marker holder)
• fusible Fleece (batting style interfacing to give the project structure)
• thread (your colour choice)
• 100% cotton lining fabric (your colour choice)

What you need for the knitting class:

• two contrasting colours of sport yarn that are very close in thickness and fibre content (Catherine’s store sample used Nua and Arroyo)
• 10 markers plus 1 locking stitch marker
• needles in a size that you achieve gauge (designer calls for 3.5 mm)