Kate Atherley on Mitten Math, Sock Structure, and Other Technical Talk

Meet Kate Atherley, Mitten Master and Sock Strategist. The designer, author, tech editor, and instructor has explained the whys and how’s of knitting techniques to rapt audiences for years. I recall being with her at a knitting retreat last year. It had been a long session in a rather stuffy room—and people were starting to drift away.

“How about I just answer your random knitting questions,” she told the audience.

Boom.

Animated, eager knitters immediately surrounded Kate and peppered her with a gazillion questions. Needless to say, she was able to answer them all.

Secrets of yarn substation revealed!

If you aren’t lucky enough to take a class with Kate in person, we have a bevy of video workshops to fit your technical needs. Knitting has a lot of numbers and calculations. Ever wonder how to substitute one yarn for another or how to figure out how much yarn is in that partial skein? Feel flummoxed by vague pattern language such as “Increase to x stitches by working increases evenly over y rows”? Then Math for Knitters is your first stop.

We’ve all had the heartbreak of knitting that awesome! perfect! sweater!—only to realize we look like holy hell because it doesn’t fit right. Avoid that crisis with Find Your Fit: Understanding & Altering Knitting Patterns. Learn what a pattern really says; read a schematic correctly; understand ease; and make adjustments to suit your frame and your fancy. Perhaps, most importantly, accept that you sometimes need to find a different pattern, period. Watch a trailer here.

Maybe you want to start designing your own patterns? Writing Knitting Patterns is a great place to begin. Learn how to turn a good pattern into a great one—from writing a pattern introduction (hint: pick a distinctive name and list your key selling points) to organizing your information, and from creating stitch-pattern instructions to handling charts and schematics.

How to write a good introduction:

All of Kate’s courses are available as streaming workshops that you can watch anywhere, anytime. Want a deal? Subscribe to Interweave’s online workshops and tackle new techniques without leaving the house. For $9.99 a month, you can binge-watch to your heart’s content. Whether it’s knitting, crocheting, spinning, or weaving—hone a craft or learn a new one. Watch videos from great instructors, and access and download plenty of supporting material such as charts, diagrams, and patterns. Interact with other students via our chat boards, and post your finished assignments to a shared gallery so that others can see your work.

Never stop learning,
Allison

Want to learn more? Check out these resources: