Get a Trial of Wildflower Knits’ New Course

Kennita Tully, the knitter behind Wildflower Knits is launching an e-course this fall and is giving interested people a free sneak peek at the offerings.

She says the course will focus on a particular knitting technique each month and will include tutorials, video instruction and a pattern using the technique. Participants will also receive coupons for the yarn of the month, have access to an online forum, get a free recipe and have the opportunity to take part in live (in-person at the shop in Manhattan, Kan., or via Skype) meetups each month.

No word on how much the classes will cost yet, but if you sign up to her newsletter now you can get a look and will get a discount on the price when it is available. (I signed up for the updates so I can give you the scoop once more information is available.)

It sounds like a fun way to build your knitting skills and a virtual knitting community at the same time.

[Photo by Wildflower Knits.]

Sometimes when I’m scrolling through Ravelry a pattern will catch my eye as much because of the name as the look of the design (which is a little hard to see in those little thumbnails sometimes, anyway).

So it was with the Stellify shawl by Paola Albergamo. Stellify means to turn into a star, and the name and the story behind the shawl come from the story of Ariadne. The better known part of her story is that she helped Theseus escape from the Minotaur, but he then abandoned her. What comes after in many stories is that Dionysus found her, fell in love with her and later married her.

When he threw her jeweled crown into the sky, the Corona Borealis constellation was formed.

What does all this have to do with shawl knitting?

The shawl itself looks like it has a scattering of stars on it, as if it, too, has been stellified. The shawl begins with an I-cord tap and is shaped into a triangular shawl with both lateral and central increases. I-cord edging is incorporated into the sides, and the colorwork is done with mosaic knitting, which means this shawl is easier than it looks.

Mosaic knitting has you working with just one color per row, slipping stitches that appear in the other color to make the colorwork visible. Even better for people new to this kind of colorwork, the pattern includes written and charted instructions throughout so it should be easy to follow along.

The pattern comes in two sizes (the larger one is shown here) and calls for two colors of fingering weight yarn. It looks great in black and yellow, but don’t miss the other projects on Ravelry to see other fun and beautiful color options.

You can find the pattern in English and Italian on Ravelry.

[Photo: Paola Albergamo]

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