If someone had told me two years ago that I would be teaching a class on style, I would have laughed at them outright. What did I know about style? I’d just graduated from college, was working for my college’s theater department and spent nearly every day in a t-shirt and jeans, and most of them had glue, paint or bleach stains on them. I was happy having my knitting and crochet just being a hobby rather than a career, and I thought more about comfort than fashion.
Style was something I couldn’t be bothered following. It was something that happened on runways, and only peripherally affected me. But after a flurry of changes that resulted in me moving to Washington, DC to follow my boyfriend, I found part time employment teaching knit and crochet, and for the first time in my life, it occurred to me that what I loved doing might actually be able to be my career. As I explored this potential career I began thinking about what I could offer to my students, and what expertise I could use to set myself apart. I attended a women’s wellness retreat in Becket, MA, as part of a process of defining where I wanted to take my burgeoning teaching career. While there, I attended some classes by Julie Foley, Style Consultant from the Boston area. I wasn’t sure exactly what I could get out of it, but if nothing else felt that I might be able to learn something about presenting myself in job interviews.
This class was a revelation. For the first time, Julie enlightened me to the fact that style wasn’t this undefinable concept and rather a diverse theory of different types and categories. It wasn’t only what people on runways were doing, style was the choices I made everyday when I picked out clothing. I was already working my own type of style, it was just very different than the types of styles I saw in the media. She helped her students understand how we fit in those categories, and how one could mix up their styles through the course of a week, so long as you keep in mind what you are dressing for – and why.
I left the class with a new understanding of both the theory of style, as well as my own renewed sense of it, and in the following weeks I realized that these categories could be applied to knitters and crocheters as well. This information could help the crafter choose the right pattern for their own sense of style, so one doesn’t end up with something that doesn’t make them happy. I began working closely with Julie Foley, creating a series of classes that utilized the style and fit information she taught in her classes. I feel it’s important when a person is working on something that it be what they want, and I want to help people get there.
In the Stitching and Style class at the Tangled Skein, I’ll be taking may of these concepts and giving students the tools to integrate crafting with their own wardrobe. The class features a lesson on style, and working style into knit and crochet. It then moves on to the practical aspects of making a sweater, from yarn choice, to fit, to adjusting the pattern so it fits the wearer uniquely. We will learn about how our measurements affect how a garment fits, and how to use knit and crochet techniques to make the garment look just perfect.
