Sunday we had such a great time!!  The birthday party was full of smiles and laughs and finished projects!

The students in this class are learning so much!  They choose a project and a fiber art and then we work together to make it come to fruition.

WHEW!!  Such a busy, fun day in class!

I'm always saying this, but I can't believe how much fun we have in knitting class!  For class this week, this student brought an embroidery kit that she had at home and asked for help.  Well...of course!!  All forms of fiber arts are supported here in class.

This really is a sewing class.  No, really!

Check out that ribbon trim!

Yes, it's still a sewing class, but we have taken a bit of a turn for to do some weaving.  Making cloth - not just sewing cloth :o)

As always, we start out our knitting class with...well...our knitting!

Then we have a small break for another yarn related activity.

Game time - these student LOVE game time!

Just another fun day at knitting class!

A little while ago, I led a Girl Scout Sewing Workshop that was tons of fun!  I had to come up with an idea that they could complete in one session so I created the Lined Book Bag (click on the link to go to the tutorial).  There were 12 girls who came to our workshop - only one of those knew how to sew.The first order of business was to show the girls how to use the machines.  Then they practiced on scrap pieces of fabric until they got the hang of sewing a straight line.  This usually only takes about 20 minutes.

After picking their fabric for the bags, they got started right away.  Then they were off an running!

The girls also learned to use an iron safely - a very important skill to have!

All 12 girls went home with finished book bags!  What a great group they are!

I am continually amazed at what our students can do - and WANT to do.  I am so lucky to be able to teach to students who truly are engaged and excited about their art.  We do so much knitting and crochet (that is what this class is all about!), but we also do so many other things.

Making a small wallet.

Learning to read patterns with notations like:  K2tog and kfb - not an easy task!

It takes a long time to make a scarf.

I was inspired by an art teacher named Cassis Stephens.  She taught this circle weaving class to her students. It looked like so much fun that I decided to bring it to our students.

Aren't the bases for our circle weaving beautiful!  Just wait until they add the details and then some weaving to them.

These students really love to play hopscotch.  It appears that this is an "old time" game because while they knew some of the basics, they really didn't know how to play.  I happily taught them the rules and away they went.

Sometimes, they are having so much fun, it is hard to get them to stop playing and come back to knit or crochet.

We don't always knit with knitting needles.  This student brought her knitting loom to class to work on.

Spool knitting continues to be a huge hit.

I made these weaving boards for noon art and held back a few for knitting class.  They make perfect bookmarks after being taken off the board!  The best part?  These boards can be used over and over again and are made with recycled (cereal boxes) cardboard.

REALLY?  A 10 year old knitting on circular needles?!  Yes!

I can't wait until the bases are finished so that they can start the warping and weaving!

I am so excited about what has been going on in the sewing studio lately!!  We have had many finishes:

These shirts are quite complicated.  They are not "kid" patterns, they are real patterns.  The front of the bodice is totally lined and has interfacing in it.  There are pleats - both front and back and it is sewn on knit fabric.  Job Well Done!

This little puppy is done completely by hand!  Isn't he cute?!

He wove this scarf for his mom!

These blouses are coming out so lovely.  Lots of hard work and lots of time go into these.  Great work!

This bag posed it's own set of difficulties for this student.  She chose some gorgeous fabric, but it is a very fluffy fleece and is very hard to sew on.  But she persevered and it turned out beautifully!

Celebrating her blouse finish.

Another weaver!

They were taking a little break and I was able to capture them - such a happy crowd.

Just a quick update about our classes last week.

We are continuing to have so much fun and create so many great items in class!

The beginning of class is such a fun time.  The students set out their projects and talk with one another about what they are working on.

Everyone is making such great progress on their projects!

This pom-pom was not quite complete, but was named "Cyclops".  Isn't that the cutest?  It was finished - another smiley face pom-pom and then gifted to one of the teachers at our school.

One of the things that naturally occurs in our classes is an overall sense of helpfulness.  Here it is being demonstrated by one student helping another with her crochet.

At break time we played a game with a balloon.

Once they had accomplished keeping the one balloon in the air, we added a second balloon!!

This student went home last week and made herself a tote bag!  With help from her mom, she sewed this up - gotta LOVE it when these creative students have such supportive parents!!

Check out that cute fabric and the little pocket.

When knitting class is over, it is time for sewing class to begin.  Or is it???  We have two more new weavers in the sewing class!  I am so excited for these students to be able to learn so many fiber skills.

I was a little reluctant to let this student weave with ribbon yarn.  Not because it's difficult, but because it is really "fiddly".  Meaning it's a little time consuming to get all the ribbon bits to come out the front of the warp threads.  I shouldn't have worried on bit!!  The fiddly bits do not seem to bother this student at all!  And it looks simply fabulous!

These shirts that the kids are making are not all that easy.  These are real patterns with many steps.  The bodice of this shirt is fully lined.  All that is left on it is the arms and the hems!  Great job!

Last week we mixed things up a bit in knitting.  I find that sometimes, especially on warm, sunny days, the kids get restless about half way through class and need a bit of a break.  Knitting for an hour and a half is hard work!

Sorry for the blurry photo.  Sometimes it's hard to photograph someone's finished project as it is waved in front of the camera - the kids are just so excited about their creations, they can't hold still!  This student made a pom-pom last week and turned it into a smiley pom-pom this week, which promptly retained the name of "Mr. Smiley".  So cute!

About half way through class time, the students were getting a little bit restless so we took a small break and played "The Marble Game".

First, I  hand each student a paper towel tube that has been cut in half.  Then I show them a marble and explain the rules of the game.  The object of this game is to work together and keep the marble rolling from person to person without dropping it.

Once the marble has passed from your tube to the next person's tube, you run from the start of the line to the end and get ready to catch the marble again.  These students had a great time and managed the all-time record of four rounds!

Then it was back to their knitting!

Sewing was a BLAST!  We saw a huge Spot Dog come to completion.

Isn't he cute?!

Sewing classes are in full swing and going really well!  Lots of new starts and some projects that are ALMOST done!

I never know what the students are going to work on in class.  They have their ongoing projects and work on those very diligently, but sometimes they want to do something different to take a break.

Some students decide to pull out their spool knitters, others move from one project to another.

This student is very intent on finishing her project!  Look how much knitting she has done already!

A new project for this knitter.

No matter what they decide to work on, they have a lot of fun!

I wanted to share a few of our student's finishes that have not previously made it to the blog.  These finishes represent a LOT of hard work an a LOT of learning in order to complete them.

This dachshund stuffie is such a cute toy.  It is done completely by hand - no machine sewing at all.

It is made completely out of felt.

Check out all those small even stitches!!  There are hundreds of them!

He can stand alone because of all the gusset pieces.  This student did a fantastic job!!

This is another creation that is done completely by hand.  This coin purse comes complete with a zipper.

This student took our Costume Workshop.  She wanted to be one of the My Little Pony characters.  She made pants and a crossover shirt in just a few sessions!  Boy did she work hard!

She made her wings out of fabric and created her tail and mane out of curling ribbon - sooo creative!

Isn't this a fabulous costume?!

I used to love spool knitting and just knew that my student would as well.  So I made a whole bunch of them!

Supplies and instructions over at Connie's Creations.

We are having a great time in sewing!  Each week our students work on their different projects - either starting something new, working on an ongoing project, or finishing up something.  What we have now added is weaving for those that are interested!

This student is a very accomplished sewer.  He has been sewing with Let's Go Crafting for quite awhile now - he also sews at home.  What he really wanted to learn was weaving - so we brought out one of our student looms and got him set up to make a scarf.  Now he is weaving like a champ!  I can't wait to show you the finished scarf - he has chosen such bright, fun yarn that I know this scarf is going to be lovely.

This student came to class this week with the idea to make an infinity scarf.  She thought it out, designed it and made it all in one class!  Beautiful!

Two students working on different projects, but together.

One of the things that I LOVE about our classes is that they foster friendship and camaraderie.  The kids are all very supportive and helpful to each other - they share their thoughts, their ups and their downs.  The atmosphere created here is wonderful for their social and emotional growth.

Please also note the hat she is wearing.  She knit that hat in the round.  The fit is perfect and keeps her warm on these chilly mornings.

Let's see what the kids have in store for us next week!

Knitting classes continue to be a source of fun and entertainment for our students!  We do so many things in addition to knitting in this class.

First up though is a pair of VERY cute slippers!!

We also made pom-poms and although they can be made by one person alone, it is much more fun to make them with a friend.

Pom-pom made using only her fingers and yarn :o)

The student who made these learned them in one lesson.

She decided she wanted to make another one.  Isn't this lovely, the stitches and tension are all so even - I couldn't have done any better.

Pom-poms were the order of the day!

As you can see, even though this is a knitting class, we learn so much more during our time together - crochet, finger weaving, spool knitting, pom-pom making - really anything yarn related.  The kids really have so much fun!