May Masterclass for Loom Knitters: Using Needle Knit Patterns on your Knitting Loom, Part One

 

This month's masterclass for loom knitters is a popular subject: Using Needle Knit Patterns on you Knitting Loom, Part One.

This will be a two part class, but each can be taken individually. Part one, on May 22, 2021 at 9 am PST, 12 pm EST, will cover the basics of evaluating a needle knit pattern for use on a knitting loom. The one hour live zoom class will include written class materials with everything covered in the class, a class recording, and my Triple Z pattern. Registration is $10 in my etsy store. 

Part two will be presented June 19, 2021, and will be a workshop on using needle patterns. This class will include the materials from class one, the class recording and my Teatime Washcloth pattern.

I hope you can join me for one or both of these classes! If you missed any of my earlier classes, you can still purchase the recordings and all the class materials in my etsy shop. 

Mosaic Colorwork for Loom Knitters Class

 

My April Masterclass for the Cindwood Looms Zoomin' and Loomin' monthly series is all about Mosaic Colorwork for loom knitters. This is a great topic, and I hope you will be able to join me for an hour on Saturday, April 24th. If you are unable to come to the live zoom class, you can still register and get the class recording, materials and my Honeybear Cowl pattern.  

Registration is $10 in my etsy shop. All the details are there. The May and June classes are also open for registration: Using Needle Patterns on your Loom!  In the first part, I present the basics for evaluating a needle knit pattern to see if it will transfer well to a knitting loom, and then explain how to make that transfer. The extensive class written materials (a "booklet" of how-to for later reference) are included with this workshop, along with a class recording and my Teatime Washcloth pattern. (Another pattern may be substituted if you already have this one.)

In the second part, we will workshop our attempts to transfer patterns, and in particular look at the two patterns that come with the classes. The Triple Z is a transfer from a needle pattern, and the Teatime Washcloth uses knits, purls and nupps - a classic pattern to transfer from needles. In addition, if you have a pattern you've been puzzling over, you can send me a few lines ahead of time, and I’ll be happy to evaluate it for you as part of the workshop.

 

New class, new patterns, new loom-a-long!

 

March will be a busy month, and I hope you can join me for the third of the CinDwood Zoomin' and Loomin' master classes. The subject this time is Swatching and Blocking. The $10 registration includes the live zoom class on March 13, 2021, a recording of the class, class written materials (a little how-to book for you to have on hand) and my Simple Lace Wrap pattern. If you already have this pattern, I will substitute a different pattern for you. Register in my etsy shop. Hope to see you there! If you cannot attend the live class, you can still receive the recording and other materials, and send me your questions ahead of time. 

I am delighted to announce my newest pattern collection is available. "More Kitty Mitts" is a three pattern collection based on the original "Kitten's Lost Mittens" collection, my most popular patterns. The mitts have three different designs, a smocked mitt, lace mitt, and striped mosaic. You may choose your thumb, the shorter and longer magical kitty thumbs, as well as customize your finger and wrist cuffs. 

Tigger Mitts

Buddy Bear Mitts

Mr. Milo Mitts

The More Kitty Mitts e-book collection is available in my etsy shop, my payhip shop and on ravelry for $9.00. 

Remember to use caution linking to ravelry due to recent changes that can cause dizziness, seizures, headaches and visual discomfort.

Last, but certainly not least, the March and April loom-a-long project in the Ravelry Loom-a-long group is my Winter Sky Love pattern from the Little Scarves, Too collection. This sweet scarf features a simple 4 row textured lace repeat (with the lace worked in only one of the four rows) and an optional beaded edge. Everyone is having a great time choosing beads and yarn for this one! I hope you are able to join us. 

And speaking of beading, the February class I taught on Beading for Loom Knitters is now available for purchase. You will get the class recording, class materials, and my Moondance pattern. A little extra bonus pattern is included, too. The class is available for purchase in my etsy shop for $10.00. 

The April class will be all about Mosaic colorwork. Hope to see you there!

February Beading Class for Loom Knitters

 

Happy February! I'm delighted to share that I will be continuing to present live Zoom classes for loom knitters with CinDWood Looms Zoomin' and Loomin' for the rest of this year. The next class will be held on February 27, 2021. It will include the one hour class, link to a recording of the class, class materials and my Moondance pattern. The registration fee is $10.00. You can register via my etsy shop using this link. 

The last two classes on Lace and How to read a pattern were a lot of fun, and I hope you will join me to learn all about beading for loom knitters. If you are unable to attend the live class you may still register and receive a link to the recording, as well as the materials and pattern. You can also send me your questions ahead of the class for the Q and A session.

Looking forward to seeing you at the beading class! 

Register for the class via my etsy shop.  $10.00 US

Class: Everything you need to know to read a pattern!

 

I'm happy to share that I'll be teaching another Zoomin' and Loomin' live class for CinDWood Looms on January 16, 2021. The topic this time is "Everything you need to know to read a pattern!". This will be a one hour live zoom presentation and includes a link to the class recording, pdf of class presentation materials, question and answer session, and a coupon for my patterns at CinDWood Looms. 

The registration fee is $5.00 and you can register by emailing: classes@cindwoodlooms.com

Class times are: 9 am PST, 10 am Mountain, 11 am Central and 12 pm EST.

I hope to see many of you there. We started the classes in December on a rather low-key basis to get our feet wet, and they have really been enjoyable. Please let me or CinDWood Looms know if there are more topics you would like to see taught.

Fasten Off Yarn-a-long 2020

 

The Fasten Off Yarn-a-long 2020 begins today, and I am delighted to be a participating designer. This is a new event, and I hope you will join in. 

What is FO2020? It is a designer and crafter event. The designers will all be offering patterns at a 25% discount starting today, November 25, 2020 through December 5, 2020. Use the code FO2020 to get the discount. Over 90 designers and 2000 patterns are part of the event. This is an accessible event, which means all of the patterns are available off of ravelry. All the patterns and e-books in my etsy shop are part of the event. 

Once you have a pattern and project, join in the fun! You can play games, yarn-a-long, and interact with the FO community all through December, 2020. Not able to buy a pattern right now? No problem. You can work from a pattern you already own from a participating designer. 

All the details are found here:

https://linktr.ee/FastenOffYAL

My patterns are listed here: 

http://www.wipinsanity.com/indy-event/script.cgi?TYPE=profile&VALUE=Renee%20Van%20Hoy%20Designs

I'm also running my annual Turkey Time 20 % off sale on ravelry, but the FO2020 is a better discount. 

Did I mention games and prizes? Have fun!

I am very excited to announce that because of help from a wonderful knitting designer, Nicky Jensen, the Accessible Patterns Index is a reality!

http://accessiblepatternsindex.com

We are building it now, but you can already find links to 65 designers who have written patterns to be accessible for the blind and print challenged. What does that mean? 

Large font, a minimum of 22 - 24 point; sans serif font. All black text, no italics, and best of all - all of the directions are fully written out. If there is a chart, the pattern must be able to be made without reference to the chart. In addition, many of the patterns have been specially written for screen readers. They have fewer abbreviations and have been tested for clarity. We have about 600 knitting, crochet and loom knitting patterns that we will be adding individually. We are also indexing books from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Bookshare, and other sources in press braille, digital braille and digital audio. These books have not been specially formatted in the way the patterns are, but are transcriptions of the original print books.

The index relies on donations to pay for the host site, so if you like the idea please consider making a small donation .

If you are interested in learning to write accessible patterns, all proceeds from sales of my course on Writing Accessible Patterns for the Blind and Print Challenged support the index. The course includes a 45 minute recording of a live class, course materials and checklists, and a free pattern review.