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Donna Druchunas, author, escaped a corporate cubicle to honour her passions for knitting, world travel, research, and writing. She is the author of several knitting books including Arctic Lace: Knitted Projects and Stories Inspired by Alaska's Native Knitters; Ethnic Knitting Discovery: The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and The Andes; and Kitty Knits: Projects for Cats and Their People. Check out her website at www.sheeptoshawl.com
Classes with Donna will be taking place in the Stirling Management Centre
Amish Oval Rug
Rugs provide a stress-free way to learn to knit. Even if you only know how to cast on and do the knit stitch, you can create stylish and functional rugs for your home. Since rugs are simple shapes, there are no armholes or necklines to shape, no buttonholes to remember, and no constant measuring to ensure proper fit. You can use your precious knitting to slow down and let your hands memorize the motions. Knitted rugs also provide a perfect palette for exploring creativity, experimenting with new types of yarns, and creating pieces of knitted art. If you’re looking for a challenge, you can create truly beautiful works-of-art while learning new skills.
In this class, we will learn to make an oval knitted rug inspired by Early American braided rugs. Made from old rags, these early rugs represent frugality and parsimony, but their flamboyant colours speak of a love for beauty. This rug, made entirely of garter stitch strips, gives you the chance to bring the classic braided look into your own home.
The workshop will cover the following topics:
- Materials and supplies needed for rug knitting
- Selecting and arranging colours
- Designing and knitting the rug centre
- Designing and knitting the rug strips
- Seaming techniques
- Edging options
Please bring with you:
- 6.5mm (size 10½ US) straight or double-pointed needles
- 5 skeins of Brown Sheep's Burly Spun yarn, 1 skein colour A, 2 skeins colour B, 3 skeins colour C or 650 yards of equivalent super-bulky yarn that knits up at about 10 sts per 4"/10 cm (you may combine multiple strands of thinner yarns instead if you would like).
When: Tuesday, 9.30 - 12.30
Level: Beginner plus
Class Skills: Comfortable with basic knit stitches, casting on and off, made 2 or 3 small projects
Cost: £36
Class Length: 3 hours
Minimum number of students: 9 Maximum number of students: 25
Arctic lace: Lace knitting 1-2-3
For years I tried to learn how to knit lace, and was frustrated as I failed each time. I finally gave up because I wanted to have fun knitting and enjoy my hobby. I was able to knit cables, fair isle, intarsia, and even entrelac with no problems, but lace stymied me over and over again. I thought I would never be able to knit lace, until I stumbled onto Dorothy Reade's simple techniques, used by the Native Alaskan knitters in the Oomingak Co-operative.
Working from charts, understanding decreases, and knitting with worsted-weight yarn and larger needles gave me the confidence and practice I needed to ease into lace knitting. If I learned how to knit lace after years of frustration and failure, I know other knitters can, too!
In this workshop we will discuss the tools and yarns used to knit lace, learn how to follow lace charts, and make one swatch in worsted-weight yarn and one in sport-weight yarn. Students will then be ready to knit a lace-weight swatch on their own, and move on to making a simple project such as a lace scarf or hat.
When: Tuesday, 2.00pm - 5.00pm
Level: Advanced Beginner - Intermediate
Class Skills: Students should know how to cast on, bind off, knit, and purl, and should have completed several projects.
Please bring with you:
- Size 5 and 3 straight needles
- Approx 50 yards of worsted-weight and sport-weight yarn in any animal fibre, light colours are best
- Stitch markers
- Sticky notes (recommended) or row counter
- Basic knitting tools
Cost: £40
Class Length: 3 hours
Minimum number of students: 9 Maximum number of students: 25
Big Needle Lace
Love lace but not into knitting with thread-like yarn on tiny needles? Then this class is for you! We will explore different lace knitting stitches, all using fat yarns and needles size 13 and above. I first tried this technique to knit a Victorian lace border pattern that was designed to be made with crochet cotton and sewn onto a dainty handkerchief. At a luncheon during a knitting conference, a friend challenged me to make a project using that stitch in one afternoon. I bought some Rowan Big Wool and size 19 needles, and made a capelet before dinner.
In this workshop, we will work swatches and then cast on and begin knitting a big lace neck warmer, using the lace pattern stitch of your choice.
Level: Advanced Beginner +.
Class Skills: Students should know how to cast on, bind off, knit, and purl, and should have completed several projects.
What you’ll learn:
- Tools and materials for knitting big lace
- Stitches used in lace
- Reading charts
- What’s special about knitting lace on big needles?
- Casting on and binding off with bulky yarns
- Blocking
Bring with you:
- 9, 10, or 15mm (sizes 13, 15 or 19 US) straight needles
- Approx 200 meters of smooth, solid super bulky yarn in any animal fiber (such as Brown Sheep Burly Spun, Rowan Big Wool, or Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky)
- Extra-large stitch markers
- Sticky notes
Basic knitting tools
Cost: £39
Class Length: 3 hours
Minimum number of students: 9 Maximum number of students: 25
  
Explore Japanese Knitting 1
Japanese knitting books are hot right now. Although the patterns are written entirely in Japanese, they are not impossible for English-speaking audiences to read. Very light on text and very heavy on charts and schematics, with a cheat sheet of translations, any adventurous knitter can enter the world of Japanese knitting. Handout will include a Japanese pattern, chart and text translation key, and several charted stitch patterns.
Participants need to know basic knitting skills, and be familiar with reading English-language patterns, charts and garment schematics. For the intermediate to advanced knitter.
We will learn how to read Japanese patterns, focusing on understanding the schematics.
When: Thursday, 9.30 - 12.30
Level: Advanced
Class Skills: An advanced knitter who has completed lots of projects.
Please bring with you:
- Tape measure
- Calculator (optional)
- Paper and pencil
Cost: £40
Class Length: 3 hours
Minimum number of students: 9 Maximum number of students: 25
Explore Japanese Knitting 2
In this workshop we will learn how to read Japanese charts, and we will swatch several interesting Japanese stitches using techniques that can add an extra level of finesse to any project. We will also study how Japanese charts combine several simple elements together to create the elaborate pattern stitches for which Japanese designers are famous. This class is a follow on from the morning class and while attending the morning class is not mandatory, it is highly recommended.
When: Thursday, 2.00 - 5.00pm
Level: Advanced
Class Skills: An advanced knitter who has completed lots of projects.
Please bring with you:
Materials
- About 50 metres of worsted or sport weight yarn
- 3.75 or 4.5 mm (size 7 or 5 US) needles for swatching
Cost: £40
Class Length: 3 hours
Minimum number of students: 9 Maximum number of students: 25
Knitting Lace borders
Do you love lace borders? Then learn how to knit them in several different ways. In this class we'll go over the details of sewn-on borders, knitted on borders, and borders that are picked up along the edge of a piece. We'll also discuss how borders can be used on sweaters, shawls, and home decor items.
In this class we will learn how to work sewn on borders, knitted on borders, and borders that are picked up and knit out from the edge of a piece.
When: Friday, 9.30 - 12.30
Level: Intermediate plus
Class skills: Some experience knitting lace and reading charts.
Please bring with you:
- 3.75mm (size 5 US) straight needles
- 50-100 meters of smooth, solid sport-weight yarn in any animal fiber (light colors are best)
- Stitch markers
- Basic knitting tools
Cost: £40
Class Length: 3 hours
Minimum number of students: 9 Maximum number of students: 25
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