Registration Opens June 22 at 10am

2015 Maiwa Textile Symposium

Workshop Colour Study for Knitters

Alison Ellen

$125 includes 10 lab fee

September 11,  - Class Limit 14

Maiwa Loft: Above the Net Loft, Granville Is. Vancouver BC

We love colour, but where to begin in designing? First, we will work from source material — objects or images that students find visually exciting. After looking at the proportions of different colours and making a wool winding, we will try different methods of knitting with colours to translate into a design that can be developed further.

Starting from very simple stitches using one colour at a time to produce mixed colours, we will look at other methods such as “fairisle” and “intarsia.” The aim is to become more aware of colour and of the possibilities of using, mixing, and building colour more creatively in knitting, whether using basic stitches or more advanced techniques.

  

Students will have several swatches by the end of the workshop as well as ideas for designs to be continued on their own time.

The course is suitable for people with basic as well as more advanced knitting skills. Forget knitting patterns; all that’s needed is to be prepared to experiment . . .  with help!

Alison Ellen joins us from the UK.

Instructor Bio

Alison Ellen designs and makes hand-knitted clothing. Training in woven textiles sparked an interest in constructing textiles and a life-long love of knitting. Since the 1980s, she has lectured and run short courses, leading to the publication of three books on exploring knitting technique and design, with a fourth to be published in 2015. 

In 2014 Alison Ellen participated in a group exhibition of Art Inspired by Gardens at Bury Court near Farnham. She is presently working toward a 2016 exhibition with textile artists Deirdre Wood and Ann Richards, both weavers with a similar philosophy in creating controlled shaping.