This was just too cool not to share! Every month in 2010, graphic designer Haik’s mother is going to take an old knit garment, and reknit it into a new one! This month, she’s making scarves. You simply send an old sweater to his mom; and for $30 she then unravels it and reknits it into a new, one-of-a-kind scarf. So cool! I hope we get to see a gallery of refashioned clothing and accessories each month!

I can’t wait to see what else she tackles. Gloves, socks, sweater to sweater conversion? The possibilities are endless!

Hi everyone,

Fall is here and it’s a great time to get back into sewing and knitting!  Check out my fall class listings…

-Knitting I, 2 weeks, Monday 7:00-9:00 pm, 10/5 & 10/12, $50

Age 15 and up.  Learn the basics of knitting in two classes by making a scarf.  Left-handed knitting will be taught to left-handed class members.  Materials included.

-Knitting II, 3 weeks, Monday 7:00-9:00 pm, 10/19-11/2, $65

For students age 15 and up; prerequisite Knitting I (or equivalent).  Make a hat or dog sweater and learn intermediate knitting techniques such as increasing, decreasing, and using double-pointed and circular needles.  The studio provides basic patterns; students provide their own yarn and needles.

-Sewing I, 4 weeks, Tuesday 6:30-9:30 pm, 10/6-10/27, $135 + $10 materials

For beginners age 15 and up or those who haven’t sewn in quite a while.  Learn machine-sewing skills (or further develop your skills) by making a purse, tote bag, or messenger bag that expresses your style!  Patterns will be provided; materials fee gives you access to the Studio’s stock of fabric and supplies.

Intermediate Skill Workshops (prerequisite Sewing I or equivalent):

-Working with Bias Tape, 1 session, Saturday 10/17, 1:00-4:30 pm, $50

Bias binding is a neat and decorative way to finish raw edges, but creating it can be tricky!  In this workshop, students will learn how to calculate yardage, cut bias strips, join them, press them into binding, sew on binding by three different methods (topstitched, stitch-in-the-ditch, and by hand), and create mitered corners.  Students should bring 1 yard of cotton fabric and 3 flour sack dishtowels or plain, rectangular placemats to bind during class.  A bias tape maker is included in the cost of the class. For students age 15 and up.

-Zipper Workshop, 1 session, Saturday 11/7, 1:00-4:30 pm, $50

Learn three types of machine-sewn zipper installations: invisible, lapped, and faced.  Zippers and muslin will be provided, and each student will try all three methods during the workshop.  Fly zippers will not be covered in this class.  For students age 15 and up.

-Hand-stitching Workshop, 2 sessions, Wednesdays 12/2 & 12/9, 6:30-8:30 pm, $50

Learn functional hand stitches useful in sewing clothing during two sessions.  Students will make a stitch sampler to take home for reference.  We will cover the following stitches and their practical applications: slipstitch, catchstitch, prickstitch, herringbone stitch, blanket stitch, tailor’s tack, threadmark, basting stitch, and running stitch. For students age 15 and up.

Find more information at www.craftandsewstudio.com.

I hope to see you all in class

-Kristin G.

Last Saturday, Shannon from Life, Love and Yarn organized an awesome night out for Worldwide Knit in Public Day.

We met at Finn McCool’s in Virginia Beach and enjoyed the cool breezes out on their nice screened in deck area! There was a great turnout and fun was had by all. Knit Wits donated some great door prizes and we all had fun competing for them.

We played what is now officially called “Stupid Yarn Tricks” - games including 10 fingers and alphabet game.

Chocolate, yarn, some drinks, lots of laughs and awesome company. What more could you ask for?? Thanks Shannon for putting on such a fun event!

Last night a bunch of us braved the awful weather and headed out to the 7 Cities Crafters knitting workshop.

There were plenty of laughs, some crafting and some dessert. Sounds like a perfect rainy night to me!

Thanks so much to Kristin, Liz and Truly for helping out. I think our beginners got a really great start on things!

Look at Kathleen flying on those DPNs! She learned knitting on DPNs, how to do cables and how to knit continental. Girl is a machine!

Sloane’s socks are growing and growing! She’s doing these two at a time on a long circular needle using a technique called magic loop.

Yummy yarn. Speaking of yarn, don’t miss the Yarn Stash Swap this Saturday at Craft & Sew Studio! Details are on the events page.