READY, SET, RAINBOW!
knitting with self-striping yarn
All Knitting Levels
We all have a skein of self-striping yarn hiding in our stash. Self-Striping yarn is undeniably, incredibly fun to knit, but too often those beautiful skeins are hidden away because knitters aren’t sure what to knit with their self-striping yarn. If you want to start knitting cowls, hats, mittens, shawls, and sweaters with your self-striping yarn, this class will help you confidently plan non-sock projects using your self-striping yarn.
Knitters will learn how to assess self-striping yarn, how to swatch for success, how to combine other colors with self-striping skeins, and how to cheat your stripes when your yarn isn’t the perfect fit for a project.
In this class, we will assess those lovely self-striping skeins. Every skein of self-striping yarn comes with its own opportunities and limitations. Let’s talk about what your yarn was dyed to do, and how you can make the most it. In the beginning of this class, we will discuss how yarn weight, stripe length, yardage, number of stripes, and your skein enthusiasm will affect the planning process. Let me show you how to unlock the secrets of your yarn before it has even been wound into a cake.
Next, we’ll plan for a self-striping project by using a simple, specialized method of swatching. I developed a simple, effective method for testing my self-striping yarn BEFORE I start a project. This method will help you determine if the pattern you want to knit works well with the yarn you have in your knitting bag.
We’ll practice combining colors with your self-striping yarn. In many non-sock projects, you may be called on to combine a self-striping yarn with another color. In this portion of our class, I will teach you my favorite methods for combining rainbow skeins with solids, tonals, and even speckles, so that you can create bright, happy, dramatic knits.
And finally, we’ll learn how to cheat the stripes. Sometimes your project just doesn’t seem to fit your beautiful rainbow yarn! Not to worry! To finish off this class, we will look at ways that you can cheat your stripes. Let me show you how to make the stripes in your yarn appear longer for larger circumference knitting using my favorite (uncomplicated) methods.
- Supplies Required: Knitting needles appropriate for a bit of swatching, pencil
- Homework: None
- Required Skills: Able to knit, purl, cast on
- Optional: If you have a skein of self-striping yarn from your stash that you would like help pairing with a project, bring it to class.
NEXT LEVEL GARTER STITCH
Level: Intermediate
Join Stephanie Lotven of Tellybean Knits to learn your new favorite cast on and edging techniques!
Garter stitch is one of the most relaxing and beautiful stitch patterns in knitting–but did you know that there is a way to make garter EVEN BETTER? With just a few simple tricks, you can create garter-stitch projects that are tidier, stretchier, and more polished.
In this class, we’ll make a miniature shawl that just might transform the way you knit. Stephanie will explain the benefits of rolled edging, demonstrate the Rolled Edge Garter Tab Cast-On (developed by Stephanie), and help you determine how and when to use this method in future projects. If you love little knitting tricks with big impact, you’ll love this class!
In this class, we will make a little triangle shawl and we will learn the following:
- Master a new style of Garter Tab Cast-On. Discover a unique garter tab cast-on that creates a clean, tidy edge perfectly matched to rolled edging used in shawls and cowls.
- Understand the benefits of rolled edging. Learn how to work a rolled edge that makes your garter-stitch projects neater and stretchier.
- Adapt rolled edging to suit any project. Explore ways to customize your edging, including smooth color transitions and options for adding even more stretch where it’s needed most.
- Transition rolled edging into a polished
bind-off. Learn how to finish your project with a clean, seamless bind-off that flows naturally from the rolled edge.
Supplies Required: ~20 grams of DK or worsted weight yarn (please bring skein wound & ready to knit), knitting needles appropriate for your yarn, pencil and paper for notes.
Homework: None
UNICORNS OR DRAGONS: A SURPRISING IN-PERSON KNIT-ALONG
Level: Intermediate Knitters; Beginning colorwork knitters
Get ready for the most delightfully unpredictable knitting class you’ve ever taken! In this workshop, you’ll create a one-of-a-kind project using a pattern that changes based on how you answer a series of silly, lighthearted questions. Are you more “unicorn” or “dragon”? Do you knit like a woodland creature or a space explorer? Your choices will guide your stitches—shaping your colors, textures, and techniques in unexpected ways.
This class blends creativity, whimsy, and skill-building as we turn your quirky answers into a personalized pattern that’s uniquely yours. No two knitters will make the same thing, and that’s exactly the fun of it! Along the way, you’ll practice decision-driven knitting, explore playful design variations, and embrace a spirit of spontaneity in your craft.
If you’re ready to laugh, experiment, and surprise yourself with the project that unfolds, this class is your invitation to knit outside the box—one silly question at a time.
In this class, we will experiment with:
- Decision-Based Knitting. Learn how to let prompts and choices guide stitch patterns, shaping, and color changes.
- Adapting Patterns on the Fly. Practice modifying written instructions in real time while maintaining consistency and flow in your project.
- Combining Textures & Techniques.
Explore mixing stitch patterns—like lace, garter, ribbing, or slip stitches,
based on your answers to silly questions. - Building Confidence in Creative Knitting. Gain comfort experimenting, improvising, and trusting your instincts instead of following a rigid pattern.
- Personalizing a Project. Discover how small design decisions can produce a fully unique, highly customized knitted piece.
Supplies Required: ~50 grams of DK/Worsted Weight yarn in 3 colors, knitting needles appropriate for your yarn (gauge is not critical for this project), a tapestry needle, 6 stitch markers.
Homework: None