The Secret to Sweater Success

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I absolutely love sweaters. I’ve made several over the years and every single one was not quite right. A little too big here, a bit small there, or the fabric was too stiff or too drapey. They looked very similar to the pattern, but they weren’t perfect even though I was on gauge and followed the directions. I didn’t quite understand the reasons why all of these were wrong until…I took Anne’s Sweater Fitness class.

It was a few years ago, when we both happened to be in Dallas for business. Being a fan girl, I flew in early knowing Anne was teaching at a yarn shop in the area. I heard from other ravelers that this class would change your knitting life.

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Well, they were right. Anne’s class isn’t about creating the perfect sweater pattern for yourself. It’s not about reinventing the wheel. It’s taking all the popular patterns in your queue, understanding how the pattern is written, understanding your own body type and measurements and making the patterns work for you. You work with Knitspot sweater patterns in class (of course, because Anne knows them backwards and forwards)

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but with the knowledge you learn, you can take all those tidbits and apply them to any pattern. Brilliant, huh?

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And why is this class unlike any sweater class you’ve ever taken? It’s both lecture and workshop. There is individual time with Anne discussing your measurements, the pattern you love, sleeve caps, how you will never again have too short or too long sleeves, etc. You leave the class with TONS of notes on the schematics, ready to cast on in your hotel room. Trust me, I know.

Anne has a lot of life experiences that she brings into this class and her design work. She used to work in the fashion industry and custom design garments – for men and women – and she’s a lifelong knitter.

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When both of those collide, you have an amazing perspective and skill set on how knit garments should fit. And the entire time she’s teaching, she interjects little stories about how her designs came to be. And she also explains why the majority of her sweaters are knit in pieces and then seamed.

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She absolutely loves finishing, and just like a seamstress, you work with individual pieces that you can customize to get the perfect fit.

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Makes sense, doesn’t it?

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I have applied so much of what I’ve learned from Anne into my knitting. After each class I take from Anne, I feel like I have a little more in my toolbox. I’ve now taken Sweater Fitness twice (and even sat in on a few here and there while I’m working events for her) and I still learn new things. Anne has so much to offer the knitting community. I know that many knitters reading this post will feel the same way. Over and over, I read messages on ravlery or in my email about how customers have never knit a successful sweater until they took Anne’s class.

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In the words of Kat, regarding her Sprössling above, “thank you Anne for bringing me back to sweaters!!!!!” 

For all these reasons, you should make the trek to Kingston, New York in October for Rhinebeck After Party. Shop the Bare Naked Wools popup store, hang out with people that have a passion for knitting, and have your eyes opened by Anne Hanson’s Sweater Fitness class. There are currently openings in all of Anne’s Rhinebeck After Party workshops. Come explore color techniques with us, and jump head first into the Yarn Voyage II workshop.  Your mind will be blown. I’ve taken Yarn Voyage I a couple times, and that paired with Sweater Fitness will absolutely change your mind on how you plan projects and execute them. It makes the knitting process more enjoyable and the finished product…well, it’s phenomenal. And you knit it. It’s something you can admire and be proud of.

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Thanks to the guidance of Anne Hanson, my knitting is beautiful. She made me realize that I can take on projects without fear because I had the skills in my back pocket. I didn’t have this total realization until I tried, and lo and behold made lots of beautiful things. I’ve knit items that had amazing fabric, fit perfectly (yes, even the gifts!), and wore beautifully.

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I started a Whitfield Shorty when I was pregnant, planned to make it large so Padraig could grow into it, and never finished it. With how much his body changed, I realize it won’t fit. He’s no longer a thick, chubby baby. He’s a lean toddler (who will be TWO tomorrow!). Upon this realization, the old me would have abandoned that project forever. But Anne also taught me the necessity of ripping out a project that isn’t quite right.

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Heck, we all know even she does it sometimes. And when you pick that project back up with a fresh start, it’s no longer the dreaded sweater that might not fit. You put the trial and error into it and now it’s a happy experience. And it always goes faster the second time around because your brain and fingers remember the pattern.

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I’m off to unravel a wee sweater and I’m seriously looking forward to sitting in on Sweater Fitness in October. Every time, Anne gives a little more insight on her vast knowledge of knitwear and design. I’m hopeful I can get this wee sweater done so Padraig can wear it to the picnic at Rhinebeck.

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Last year was my first time attending the annual picnic and it was so fun meeting knitters from Anne’s ravelry groups. They felt like family all these years. I just never met them. Please join us this year, details here. We also have a SUPER FUN event the night before New York State Sheep and Wool starts.

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Indie Untangled is hosting a trunk show event with lots of fun vendors and Bare Naked Wools will be there! Stop on by. It’s just minutes from the Knitspot host hotel. Details here. Let the countdown begin!

18 thoughts on “The Secret to Sweater Success

  1. Sorry I won’t be in the NY area to take advantage of this workshop. I would love to take it.

  2. I, too, would love to take this class, and think it every time you gals blog about it. I actually learned to knit so I could knit sweaters to fit the me that is neither model thin nor model tall. Alas, I mostly knit things that don’t have to ‘fit’. Sadly, no Rhinebeck for me this year, but I’d love to hear that Anne has schedule it in CO sometime. (hint, hint)

  3. Aaaauuuurgh! I thought you were announcing the DVD of this class. Any chance I can help you organize a class in the Kalamazoo/Vicksburg area? Sorry I missed you at the Allegan Fiber Fest.

  4. I thought maybe a Craftsy Class was coming….please come to Illinois, I would love to take the Sweater Fitness Class. Or maybe again at Yarn in the Barn next year, although, I am not sure I can wait that long!!

  5. Happy Birthday to your little guy (I know, he’s growing up fast). Hope to catch him in his new sweater at Rhinebeck. Always such a busy time.

    Yes, Anne’s sweater fitness class is a definite must do if you ever have the opportunity and – do it again if you get the chance. Lots of information and plenty of light bulbs coming on.

  6. I totally agree. Anne’s sweater fitness class is the best. Happy Birthday to Padriag. Looking forward to Rhinebeck.

  7. First–happy birthday Padraig! Wow–it’s hard to believe he’s already two!

    This class sounds wonderful. I took her sock design class at Sock Summit and recognized how unique Anne is in her approach to knitting instruction. sweater Fitness sounds like exactly what I need. Sadly, Rhinebeck is not in the cards this year, but I am going to keep myself posted on her upcoming whereabouts.

    I love that you feel,so good about what’s coming off your needles!

  8. Happy Birthday Padraig!
    I too haven’t taken Anne’s sweater fitness class twice…it’s that awesome!

  9. I so hope that Anne teaches this class when she is at Fibre East next year. I have so many knitspot sweaters on my knitting list! Hope Padraig has a very happy birthday too!

  10. Loved this posting….I can definitely identify with it. Unfortunately, won’t be able to attend in October. Just recently moved to North Carolina – have to stick around here and get the house set up. Maybe next year! Hope a workshop in North Carolina is somewhere in the near future.

    Happy 2nd birthday to beautiful Padraig!

  11. Wow, he looks so big! Crazy the face (and body changes) that happen with the big 2. I know at 1 year I remember thinking there were a lot of changes from birth day to 1st birthday, but I really think there is a huge difference between those 1st and 2nd birthday portraits. Emma never had very chubby legs or arms. She still has a bit of belly at 26 m, so 24 m seems to fit better than 2T clothes, although it can be a harder size to find. Hope you had a great weekend! (sjn821)

  12. I made Aztec Mazes with some handspun Merino yarn. I knew the wool would be soft and drapey, but I wanted a little something else in my pattern.
    The pattern was well written, easy to follow, and I only made one teeny little mistake in the cable. As usual, I am the only one that knows where that is.
    I always, always have difficulty with shoulders and sleeves. I have small shoulders (in proportion to the other parts) and one shoulder slopes from an old injury. When it came time to start the armhole, I was very puzzled. It was made differently than any other that I have knitted. I told myself to trust the pattern-it had been right so far. When I put the sweater on, the sleeve was perfect. There was the best fit under the arm, which sometimes bunches because of the sloping shoulder. I studied it and thought something was familiar. Then it dawned on me that it was made like sewing an armhole and sleeve. It was later I learned of Ann’s history and it made sense. She is genius in my mind.

  13. Hi Erica, hope to take this class sometime to boost my sweater knitting confidence. I have successfully knit kid sweaters but am still waiting to start my own. Happy birthday to your little man! And you look beautiful!

  14. Hi Erica, If Anne ever comes near Kalamazoo PLEASE let me know. I’d love to take her sweater class. I am absolutely hooked on Anne Hanson after doing her Craftsy class on finishes. I have learned so much and I’m not done with the class yet. I cannot believe Padraig is 2 already. Jane

  15. Oh how I wish I could attend the sweater class in NY but sadly I live too far away. I would love one day to hear that she’s produced a CD of the class for those of us who never seem to be able to attend a class of Anne’s near us.

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