2022 YEAR LONG KNIT-A-LONG:

MASTERING BRIOCHE!

This year we are doing a deep-dive into one of our most-requested class topics: BRIOCHE! More than just a delicious variety of bread, brioche stitches create a luxurious, squishy fabric with lots of opportunity for design and colorplay. We will begin our journey learning the basics by making swatches, then work our way through two patterns:

Vintage Prim by Andrea Mowry is a reversible, slouchy hat which utilizes increases and decreases in the brioche fabric to form what looks like classic staghorn cables. The hat is knit in two colors of fingering weight yarn.

Broadleaf by Wool & Pine is a cozy, easy-to-wear sweater with lots of positive ease, a boatneck, and dropped sleeves. Using two colors of fingering weight yarn (one of which is paired with a mohair/silk or suri alpaca/silk lace weight), the sweater is knit flat in two pieces which are seamed together at the sides and shoulders, with sleeves picked up and knitted in the round. There are some customization options in the pattern as well!

Skills you will learn:

• Brioche stitch: one color flat, two color flat, two color in the round, increases & decreases, fixing mistakes, inserting lifelines

• Chart reading

• Sweater sizing & calculating positive ease

• Swatching & calculating gauge

• Blocking

• Seaming (vertically & horizontally)

Skills you need to have already

• Cast on & bind off

• Knit & purl

• Yarn overs

• Reading a pattern

• Knitting in the round

• Basic ability to “read” stitches (ie, tell the difference between stockinette and garter stitch)

• Desire to learn & add new skills to your “knitter’s toolbox”

NEW FORMAT FOR 2022!

Our 2022 Yearlong KAL consists of a series of support sessions, designed to walk you through the patterns in manageable chunks over the year, without completely monopolizing your crafting time! This year our support sessions will be recorded and hosted on Teachable. You will be able to watch these videos as many times as you like, at your own pace! A week after each support session video becomes available to watch we will host a live Q&A where Erin will answer any questions you may still have. (Q&A sessions can be attended in-person at the shop or virtually via Zoom.) Participants will receive exclusive email newsletters at least once a month with KAL information & reminders, additional tips & links to helpful videos, and fun extras!

COST

The cost to participate in our 2022 Yearlong KAL is $50. This represents a 50% savings over the price of the master class beginning in 2023, after the KAL concludes.

If you would like to participate in the KAL you can sign up & pay the participation fee here through January 29:
https://www.danceswithwoolrva.com/shop/2022-Yearlong-KAL/p/2022-Yearlong-KAL-Participation-Fee-ONLY-x61133174.htm

KITS

Kit pre-orders have now closed. Yarn is currently being dyed to order by Little Fox Yarns and will be ready for pickup/shipping by February 25. 

Participants will also need to purchase the two patterns separately via Ravelry.

Other supplies needed:

• US 4 needles

• For hat - 16” circular + preferred smaller diameter method (DPNs, magic loop, etc)

• For sweater - 24” or 32” circular

• US 5 needles

• Smaller diameter preference for knitting sleeves (DPNs, magic loop, 12” circular, etc)

• Stitch markers

• Darning needle

• Thin, smooth yarn for lifelines

• Worsted weight yarn in two high contrast colors for making swatches (leftovers are great)

• US 7 or 8 needles for swatches (style doesn’t matter - straights, circulars, DPNs, etc)

TIMELINE

January 

Jan 4-29 -- Sign ups open

Jan 4-15 -- Kits available for preorder

February

Feb 25 -- Support Session 1 (basic swatches: one color and two color flat, fixing mistakes)

March

Mar 6 -- Live Q&A

Mar 11 -- Support Session 2 (cast on hat, work brim, inserting lifelines)

Mar 20 -- Live Q&A

April

Apr 1 -- Support Session 3 (begin chart/chart reading, increases & decreases)

Apr 9 -- Live Q&A

Apr 22 -- Support Session 4 (finish hat, blocking)

May

May 1 -- Live Q&A

May 27 -- Support Session 5 (sweater sizing & swatching)

June

Jun 5 -- Live Q&A

Jun 10 -- Support Session 6 (cast on sweater front, brioche patterning, managing mohair)

Jun 18 -- Live Q&A

July

Jul 16 -- Check in newsletter (continue knitting sweater front)

August

Aug 5 -- Support Session 7 (bind off front, blocking)

Aug 14 -- Live Q&A 

Aug 19 -- Support Session 8 (cast on sweater back, alternate back option)

Aug 28 -- Live Q&A

September

Sep 16 -- Check in newsletter (continue knitting sweater back)

October

Oct 7 -- Support Session 8 (seaming)

Oct 16 -- Live Q&A

Oct 21 -- Support Session 9 (picking up sleeve stitches, sleeve knitting tips)

Oct 30 -- Live Q&A

November

Nov 18 -- Check in newsletter (continue knitting sleeves)

December

Dec 2 - Support Session 11 (blocking sleeves, finishing sweater)

Dec 11 -- Live Q&A

We will have a celebration fashion show in January 2023!