Category: Knitting Classes

Changes

Hello, knitters! I’m excited to tell you that I recently took a full-time, Monday-to-Friday job working (as well as teaching knitting classes) at Maker Savvy in Kanata.

For those of you who don’t know, Maker Savvy is a happy space full of rainbows. My job? It’s to sort rainbows all day.

Did I become a unicorn? No, not really. I’m just a happy knitting teacher working in a gorgeous modern quilting and knitting shop. I’m learning about fabric and sewing, sorting and squeezing yarn, and planning my upcoming classes there. I also get to help people find the perfect colours and styles of fabric to suit their visions for their quilts and projects. I love colours and colour theory, so I’m a very happy unicorn.

This new schedule means that I need to make a few changes to my life, so I can see my family and experience things like “weekends.” I’ve had such an unconventional schedule for so many years, teaching classes all over the city on some days, and working from my home studio on others. It’s weird and surprisingly wonderful to have a daytime job with a regular paycheck instead of an evenings-and-weekends-and-whenever job.

But I am sad about these changes, too. I love my knitting students, and we’ve been getting together on Sunday afternoons and Tuesday mornings for YEARS. We knit together every week. These are my people.

I didn’t want to change my class schedule at all, but I’m a few weeks in now, and I can see that this pace isn’t sustainable. I’m going to have to make some adjustments.

So, here’s the bottom line: I won’t be teaching on Sundays anymore, starting in December. And I’m going to relocate my Tuesday-morning class to Maker Savvy, also starting in December. I’ll maintain it there as an ongoing “Knit Your Own Project” class, as it’s always been. You’ll be able to sign up for it online, at www.makersavvy.ca, and the price will remain the same ($30 per two-hour class).

I hope to be able to offer a semi-regular weekend Knit Your Own Project class there as well, for those of you who also work during the week; it will likely be one Saturday a month, but we’re still working out those details. I’ll keep you posted.

Maker Savvy also hosts free weekly Social Knitworking groups on Thursdays, from 12:30-3pm and from 6-8pm. Everyone is welcome, and the groups are lively and friendly. I get to sit in (and actually knit!) and hang out during the afternoon sessions (and some evenings, when Wendy and I trade places), and I’d love to see you there!

If you have any larger problems that need 15-30 minutes of one-on-one help, you’ll be able to book a mini-class with me most weekdays at the store. Call ahead to arrange it.

I really hope I’ll see you there! It’s such a beautiful place, and I’m excited to share it with you.

p.s. Stay tuned (and sign up for Maker Savvy’s newsletter) for details on my upcoming project classes there, like the quick & quirky ornaments class in November / December.

p.p.s. I have an art show coming up this weekend in Kemptville at the W.B. George Centre, so if you’re looking for a special and original Christmas gift, we North Grenville Arts Guild members will have lots for you to choose from at the Wonderfall Art Show & Sale from 11am – 4pm on November 16th and 17th. (My schedule is insane this week! But I’ll be there will bells on and coffee in hand.)

Fall Knitting Classes 2024

What are your knitting goals this autumn? If you’ve been thinking of signing up for fall knitting classes, I’d love to help you with your projects.

I’ll be teaching in Ottawa, Kanata, and Spencerville this fall. And I have a new knitting pattern coming out in September that’s giving me all the cozy autumn vibes. I can’t wait to share it with you!

Knit Your Own Project Classes

I host these classes on Sunday afternoons and Tuesday mornings, and anything goes! This is the class for you if you have your own projects on the go and need flexible knitting help.

Here, you can learn a new technique, get help fixing a knitting problem, and ask for tips and tricks on any knitting topic. Bring in your messes, your time-outs, or your next knitting challenge.

Located in Ottawa, at Rideau Park United Church on Alta Vista.

Vineyard Mystery Knitalong

Vineyard Murder Mystery Knitalong Class

We’re hosting six weeks of mystery knitting with a side of whodunnit at Maker Savvy in Kanata! Our kick-off event is at KIN Vineyards in Carp, with wine tasting, gourmet pizza, and … murder. (No yarn shop employees will be harmed in the making of this event.)

Wendy of Maker Savvy is writing the murder mystery story, and I’ve designed a shawl pattern with six clues to accompany it.

We’ll reveal a new clue each week, starting Wednesday, September 4th at KIN and then every following Tuesday, until the murder mystery is solved and the knitting mystery is cast off.

Join us for fun, knitting, and a finished project of a mysteriously cozy, perfect-for-fall shawl.

Sign up through Maker Savvy. Spaces are limited.

Vineyard Mystery Knitalong

Vineyard Mystery Knitalong

If you can’t join us for the in-person knitalong, you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry and knit with us from anywhere in the world.

Buy the pattern any time, and you’ll receive one clue each Wednesday, starting September 4, 2024, as an automatic pattern update in your Ravelry library.

This my first mystery knitalong (MKAL), and I’d be so excited if you joined us! I’ve designed a cozy shawl that’s all about colours and texture. (Oops. I’ve said too much already.)

It features techniques that are appropriate for adventurous beginners and beyond, and detailed instructions to support all skill levels.

There are lots of colours but no complicated colourwork techniques. One yarn at a time! And only two ends to sew in when you’re done. I have some tricks to show you. 🙂

Introduction to Knitting Class

Learn to knit with this foundational 6-week class. Beginning knitters will learn all the important basics and then some. At the end of these weeks, you’ll be familiar with

  • knitting’s basic stitches
  • combining stitches to make common patterns
  • troubleshooting common knitting mistakes
  • reading knitting patterns
  • sewing knitted pieces together

This knitting class is in Spencerville, ON, at Spencer Street Muse Gallery, September 25th – October 30th, 2024.

Art Workshop: Acrylic Techniques for Achieving Realism

This two-session workshop will be my first art class! I’m so excited.

Expect to learn the methods I’ve collected so far for blending and layering acrylic paints to achieve different effects. If your paints don’t always do what you want them to do, this is the class for you.

In Spencerville, ON, at the Spencer Street Muse Gallery. Sign up via their website. October 5th & 19th, 2024.

Beautiful Brioche Knitting Class

Learn the basics of two-colour brioche knitting in this 3-hour workshop.

You’ll learn how to make the brioche knit and purl stitches, how to read brioche knitting patterns, and how to fix mistakes in brioche knitting. If we have time, we’ll also cover common brioche increases and decreases.

November 2, 2024 at Spencer Street Muse Gallery in Spencerville, ON.

Virtual Knitting Classes

Last but not least, I’ve been thinking of adding an online knitting class over Zoom back into my schedule. Or offering it as an option for a one-on-one help session if you can’t make it to an in-person class.

I ran these in 2020-2021 during the stuck-at-home times, and they worked surprisingly well.

What do you think? Would you be interested in a weekly or monthly virtual knitting class? Or the chance to schedule a private session from anywhere?

If there’s enough interest, I’ll start something up.

Stay tuned for more class announcements coming up in my schedule. There are more things in the works all the time.

Until next time!

Happy knitting,

Amanda