Description: It is one thing to decide to respect the body you have (instead of the body you wish you had); it is another thing to know how to create clothes that actually fit it. Part math, part self-love journey, this body-affirming class will teach you the skills to approach knitting as a practice of acknowledging, honoring, and clothing your unique body.
Required skills:
- Knit, purl, increase/decrease using k2tog and ssk
- Recommended but not required: experience knitting at least one sweater from a pattern from start to finish
What you'll learn:
- How to recognize underlying fit issues that make you feel un/comfortable in clothes and find solutions
- How to apply a body neutral perspective to questions of “comfort”
- How to read a gauge swatch and understand what those numbers actually mean for sizing/fit
- How to identify the most common types of sweater construction and the unique fit issues for each type
- How to select the best size for your body/comfort in a knitting pattern
- When and how to use some of the most common adjustments in knitting, such as different kinds of bust darts, waist/belly shaping, and shoulder/bicep adjustments
Teacher bio: Jacqueline Cieslak (they/them) empowers makers of a wide range of sizes and abilities to create their own clothes as a practice of honoring their bodies. As an independent knitting and sewing designer, they are known for creating patterns with detailed, accessible instructions and innovative customization options for fit and style. They approach their work through a critical fat-positive lens, with over a decade’s experience teaching in college classrooms and yarn shops around the country. Jacqui is queer and non-binary, and lives in Oakland with their two tiny dogs.