Taught by:

Offered:

Monday June 7th
Tuesday June 8th

Experience level: All Levels

It is one thing to decide to respect the body you have (instead of the body you wish you had); it is another thing to know how to create clothes that actually fit. Part math, part self-love journey, this body-affirming class will teach you the skills to approach knitting as a practice of acknowledging, honoring, and clothing your unique body.

The most important thing to know coming into this class is this: all bodies are good bodies, and people of all sizes and abilities deserve clothes that make them feel comfortable and cherished. We will begin by setting intentions and boundaries to create a safe space for participants, which means a bit of body positivity 101!

Some topics we will address as a group:
– What’s up with the word “fat” and what is fatphobia?
– What does the political project of body positivity and the individual pursuit of self-love, and what does it have to do with knitting?
– How does body size intersect with other marginalizations and why does it matter?

Having established clear body positive values, the remainder of the class will be focused on skill-building. How do you determine what kinds of patterns and modifications you need to make clothes that fit your body in the ways you want? And second, what skills do you need to be able to modify patterns for your particular needs?

Students in this class will receive a pre-release copy of an exclusive sweater pattern in collaboration with La Bien Aimée! This exciting pattern has been designed specifically for teaching fit issues. The exercises work with the pattern to allow students to practice modifying a pattern for their specific fit needs.

Some skills we will work on in this class:
– How to recognize underlying fit issues that make you feel un/comfortable in clothes and find solutions
– How to apply a body positive perspective to questions of “comfort”
– How to create an accurate gauge swatch and know what those numbers actually mean in terms of sizing/fit
– How to select the best size for your body/comfort in a knitting pattern
– When and how to use some of the most common adjustments in knitting, such as different kinds of bust darts, waist/belly shaping, and shoulder/bicep adjustments

Students will work through several different adjustments based on their own measurements and fit needs. Each student will leave the workshop with a customized step-by-step guide for modifying any given pattern to fit their body and invaluable body positive affirmations from a community of like-minded knitters.

Kit fee: 20 USD

Materials:

CLICK HERE for downloadable Materials PDF.