Get Your Knit On

By Olivia Leigh in News on Jan 12, 2007 3:15PM

We were pleased to see that so many of you liked the piece we did last week on the “tree cozies” in Lakeview (and, as we later learned, Logan Square). Rather than just admire the fine works of seasoned knitters, why not get out there and learn how to do it yourself?

As part of the city's Winter Delights programming, a Stitching Salon (held at 72 E. Randolph) will offer weekly knitting workshops on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. until February 28. The free workshops (you may need to purchase materials) will introduce knitter wannabes to knitting basics and also offer seasoned pros some new tips and tricks. If you’re a beginner and didn’t catch the first class on Wednesday, a Knitting Basics class with Kathy Kelly from Arcadia Knitting will be held on January 30, with complimentary materials provided. Other intriguing classes include Introduction to Lace with Nina Rubin, and Fit and Finish with Bonne Marie Burns, a class designed to help you perfect those knitted garments.

If you’re busy on Wednesday evenings or just too lazy to get your booty out the door in the chilly evening, a number of other centers around the city also offer regular knitting classes at a variety of times. The Windy City Knitting Guild offers a list of workshops and classes coming up in the city, and also has a number of other resources for the knitting-inclinded. Arcadia (1613 W. Lawrence) has a number of beginner classes coming up in the latter half of the month, many on weekends. Knit 1 (3823 N. Lincoln) has beginning, crocheting and open classes throughout the week. Bucktown outpost The Needle Shop (2054 W. Charleston) has a number of yarn-based courses, as does the lovely Wicker Park shop nina (1655 W. Division).

We first tried knitting when we were in Ireland, and ended up making one rather sad-looking scarf after four months and a six-hour bus ride spent trying to untangle a yarn ball. That said, we found the activity to be relaxing and were left feeling accomplished after completing our project. Here's to hoping one of these workshops will help us — and maybe you — get back on the road to knitting glory.

Image from Patrick Q.