A peek into Amy’s classes at VK Live this September!

Amy here. This week, 5 really cool people are blogging about the upcoming Vogue Knitting Live event, to be held in Los Angeles this September. I feel privileged to be the 6th.
No, that is NOT ME on the cover of the book. I promise.

Did you know I teach knitting classes? I do. I started teaching when No Sheep for You was published, to help spread the non-wool knitting knowledge as far as I could. What I learned in those early classes is how much I love the lightbulb moments — when something you say as a teacher hits straight home with a student, and the lightbulb moves away from your head and over theirs.

That’s a bit dramatic, but hopefully you know what I mean. Sharing what I’ve learned, making knitting less stressful and more fun, is why I keep teaching. I champion the joys of mindless [think relaxing] knitting, helping knitters to create beautiful things without tearing their hair out. If you like classes with lots of math, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Instead, I love to find elegant shortcuts; easier, more efficient ways to do things; and always to end up with a fabulous result at the end of the project.

So, what am I teaching at VK Live? Two of my favorite classes!

First, the Autopilot Sock, my favorite toe-up sock recipe. Maybe you’ve heard about this pattern — I think it’s pretty nifty, and the top-down sock knitters who I’ve shared it with have, to my great pleasure and surprise, become almost instant toe-up converts. Tweeted Jennie: “Fantastic pattern. One pair done, two more on the needles. 1 in car, 1 in purse, covers emergency sock knitting needs.”

The Autopilot Sock, this one knit in wool

Which is exactly the point. This pattern may become your go-to sock pattern as it has mine, or it might be the sock you start when you have no other pattern in mind and just need to KNIT SOCKS.

The Autopilot Sock is my super-easy toe-up sock recipe which I designed specifically to work with the characteristics of non-wool sock yarns. As a bonus, it works well with woolly sock yarns too! It is my definition of happy, mindless sock kniting, and the socks that result are super-comfortable and great fitting. The key here is my combination of the goiter gussetâ„¢ and heel flap. The sock off the foot looks a little weird, which is half the fun. Most importantly, everyone who tries it on loves the fit. I’ll teach you landmarks to watch for on your foot, rather than math-based calculations. And once you’ve knit one sock of the pair, you may very well have the recipe memorized.
this is Connie M's shawl finished after taking the Plug+Play class with me

The second class I’m teaching is Plug+Play Shawl Design. This class is all about feeling clever. I provide a handy, comprehensive manual and a selection of easy-but-pretty lace patterns. Put them together as you please with fingering or sportweight yarn, and the result is uniquely your own! Finally a chance for you to explore designing, without brain strain, and with absolute pride in your creative ability!

We’ll talk about how to put lace patterns together, how to build different shapes of shawls, what kind of things you can do to lace patterns to make them more enjoyable to knit and lots more. After class, you’ll have the tools you need to go on designing your own lace projects.

I hope I’ll get to meet some of you at my classes at VK Live in LA this September. Registration info is here.

The folks at VK Live have very generously offered to give one of you readers a free class at the show! To win, just leave a comment to this post and make sure there is contact info available either in your comment or via your Blogger profile. Leave your comment by midnight eastern time, Friday, July 8th, and I’ll post the lucky winner next week.

Don’t forget to visit the rest of my blog tour compadres — it’s nice to get to know them and the classes they teach this way!

4 July — http://goknitinyourhat.blogspot.com — Go Knit in Your Hat (Carol Sulcoski)
5 July — http://www.knitgrrl.com — Knitgrrl (Shannon Okey)
6 July — http://lornaslaces.blogspot.com – Lorna’s Laces blog (Beth Casey)
8 July — http://www.indigirl.com — Indigirl (Amy Swenson)
9 July — http://www.bricoleurknits.com — Bricoleur Knits (Cirilia Rose)

(189 Posts)

44 thoughts on “A peek into Amy’s classes at VK Live this September!”

  1. Suzanne

    I remember your segment on Knitty Gritty and how amazed I was at how much you knew about non-wool fibers. The folks who get to take your classes are indeed fortunate.

  3. Karen

    VK Live LA looks like a great event. Can’t wait to attend. Thanks for this opportunity to win a class with you.

  6. Merna

    Los Angeles can be pretty hot in September — don’t want to be knitting wool socks then!

  7. KarenJ

    Unfortunately, getting to L.A. is not an option as I live about 7000 miles away. I would like to find out more about the auto pilot sock though. My two attempts at toe-up socks both ended in top-down socks! Is the pattern available anywhere? Thank you.

  10. Sarah

    I want to know how to knit a pretty lace shawl without it killing me… But LA is sort of on the other side of the globe-ish…

  11. Diana H.

    I suffer from the dreaded second sock syndrome. A chance to to be cured? Wonderful. And at VKLive!!!

  12. Renee

    ok, I’ll bite. LA is just a hop skip and a jump and getting a class would be just the impetus to get down there!

  13. Jani

    I would love to win a class – your autopilot sock sounds perfect! Thanks for the opportunity . . . I’m peepsmom on Ravelry.

  15. Beverly

    I won’t be making it to LA so don’t include me in your drawing, but I will be in NY in January and I hope you will be there as well.

  16. Leticia Hernandez

    Yay! I’m registered for VK Live. Looking forward to meeting you and taking your class. Sooo excited!

    Pick me! Pick me.

  18. Suzie

    Autopilot socks, surely the way socks should be knit, sometimes. I would love to win a class at VKL.

  20. Alex

    I’ve always wanted to take a knitting class, and that would be the perfect time to start! I’m in! 🙂

  21. Ruby

    I would love to attend a class at VKLive, the Plug and Play shawl design. Oh my, I would be a light bulb exploding in that class, but LA is a far piece from Texas, but I think it would be a great opportunity. Come to Texas. Soon.

    Ruby
    (Rav: MzCruse)

  22. Kai Ellis

    I am so excited about this event. It is right down the street from where I work! I will see you then!

  32. Heather N

    I’ve given up toe up socks recently because I just cannot figure out when is the right time to start the gusset increases… the sock class would be so helpful.

    *fingers crossed*

  33. Narda

    I’ve made 3 pairs of socks and my toes have left something to be desired, that is my knitted toes, that is the toe of the sock. Knitting the toe first might solve my problem. – Narda

  34. Rebecca

    Hey, your Autopilot Sock class sounds ideal! I’ve knitted a couple of pairs of socks and found them rather fiddly. It was one of my knitting resolutions for the New Year to get good at knitting socks, so I have a ways to go yet!

  35. Jamie in So Cal

    I’ve already signed up for VK Live, and would totally love to take your sock class while I’m there! Thanks so much!! 😀

  37. AudreyGS

    Now that I’ve finally mastered magic loop after years of DPN sock knitting, it’s time to go the toe-up route. May help me w/the “differently-sized second sock” syndrome, which just happened with my last pair. I live in L.A. and will be there, still trying to pick classes! It’s “AudreyGS” on Rav, too…Thanks!

  40. Seanna Lea

    I really want to try the plug and play shawl. I’ve done stoles that way, but very rarely do I use more than one stitch pattern. It would be nice to see how to incorporate more than one without it looking like an overenthused 5 year old designed it.

  41. April R.

    I would love an opportunity to take a class at VK Live. It will be the first knitting “convention” on this scale that I have attended!

  42. Karen

    I would love a copy of the auto-pilot pattern too as I live in Australia and will never have the chance to attend a class. Have you published it, or have plans to do so?

  43. Tish

    I’m taking your shawl class and really excited about it since shawls are what I love to knit the best!

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