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Hello Friends!
I am so grateful to you, my subscribers and students, for the spirit of creativity that you bring to our Working Hands Fibre Arts Studio community. Thank you for your continued support for my studio classes. 2026 marks my 30th year of teaching fibre arts classes throughout the Lower Mainland, in several yarn stores, at BC fibre festivals, in studios on Granville Island and in Fort Langley, and now in my home studio. I live an incredibly creative life, teaching Intensive Fine Arts as a full-time Grade One teacher; and in my studio where my hands are working every waking minute, when I’m not at school.
I have just returned from an inspiring solo traveling experience throughout Norway and Denmark. I can’t wait to share my stories with you. If you would like a taste of the beauty and inspiration I experienced there, I recorded reels for each day of my adventures on my instagram page. I look forward to creating new projects with you soon.
The following classes will continue during the fall and winter 2026/27
Textured Knitting
Knit The Texture Vest
designed by Helga Isager
This beautiful textured fabric brings a little extra to a plain wool vest. Worked from charts, this is good learning if you are new to building texture with knit/purl combinations. Loops and toggles instead of buttonholes add a rustic but still a classy touch.
Fair Isle Knitting
Knit The Keris Vest
designed by Marie Wallin
Are you craving some all-over colourwork? This vest (aka sleeveless – yay!) might be the answer for you. Some slow knitting – we’ll spread it out over several months – knitting with two colours at a time. Maybe you’ll be wearing a beautiful new vest for the winter!
Crochet
The Increscent Jacket
designed by Janica York Carter for Expression Fiber Arts
Working rows of the Granny Stitch, this garment is created by folding large hexagons into body shapes. Yoriko Oki’s variegated yarns alternating with a base solid all the way through, create a gorgeous cohesive colour palette.
One new program is scheduled for the fall – more to come soon
Knitting Cables
Fisherman Knit
designed by Skall Studio
Perfect for layering, this cropped fisherman style cabled pullover can be a great addition for chilly summer mornings and evenings, paired with a long skirt, and over-sized shirt. Crops not your style? No problem. This sweater can also be knit longer.
Here are the program details:
Textured Knitting
Texture Vest
by Helga Isager
Class #3 Saturday, November 14, from 1 to 4 pm
image from ravelry
The vest is worked back and forth from the bottom up.
When the body is long enough the fronts and back are divided and worked separately. The shoulders and the back are finished with rib. Short rows are worked at the shoulder area to shape them to fit.
Stitches are picked up around the armholes to work a ribbed edge that is finished off with a sewn bind-off.
Venessa’s swatch
The Learning:
– my favourite cast-on for 1 x 1 rib
– knitting textured fabric using a chart
– working short rows to create shaping
– crocheted button loops for toggles
– my pick-up technique for tidy edgings
– sewn bind-off
The Fisherman Sweater
designed by Skall Studio
5 Saturdays from 1 to 4 pm, approximately one class per month
Class #1 Saturday, October 17, from 1 to 4 pm
image from ravelry
Knit at a chunky weight gauge, the weight of this fabric adds boldness and definition to the stitch patterns. This design is intended to be oversized, and is knit in the round to the armholes, from the bottom up, beginning with a wide rib.
image from Skall website
The Learning:
– knitting cables and braids
– short rows to shape the shoulders
– knitting sleeves from the top down, in the round
– my preferred cast-on method for 1 x 1 rib
– sewn bind-off
If you are interested in this class please email for the registration details. Start dates can be changed, so please let me know in the email, if the date doesn’t work for you. I try to accommodate everyone’s schedules as much as I can. There are two spots left in this program.
Crocheting a Garment
Increscent
designed by Janica York Carter
for Expression Fiber Arts
Class #2 Saturday, November 7, from 1 to 4
image from ravelry
A beginner friendly crocheted jacket that requires zero sewing! It is constructed from two hexagons worked in granny stitch which are joined at the centre back. Once the hexagons are joined the sleeves and lower body can be lengthened to fit by working granny stitch.
Yoriko’s sample using her own yarns
The Learning:
– for crocheters comfortable with basic stitches and are ready to make a garment
– joining rounds
– optional single crochet decreases
– optional double crochet post stitches
Keris Vest designed by Marie Wallin
converted from knitting flat to knitting in the round
Class #2: Saturday, October 31, from 1 to 4
Originally featured in Marie’s book Cumbria, this design is now available as a separate PDF download. Knit bottom up in all over colour work, we will be working this vest in the round instead, with optional steeks at the armholes for those who choose to.
Designed to use Marie’s own British Breeds yarn, I will provide a list of colours for shetland yarns to make this a more affordable project. Marie’s yarns are gorgeous, for sure, but are also pricey. I’ll do the research and provide an alternative collection of colours in shetland wool yarn that will match as closely as possible to the pattern suggestions.
Suitable for advanced beginners and up. You’ll receive all the support you need to knit this garment to fit you using strong, practiced, skills that will make great fabric. We’ll knit this over several months, at a comfortable pace that you determine, to be ready for winter weather.
This garment would be a great introduction for knitters who want to build on their colour work skills, but also an interesting new knit for experienced knitters.
For advanced knitters who wish to, I’ll provide instructions for steeking the armholes.
Marie Wallin’s photo from ravelry
