Colourwork: Theory, Technique & Design with Florence Spurling, Saturday 5th October 2024, 10am-1pm

Knit With Me is very honoured to have the wonderful Florence Spurling offer her Colourwork Theory Workshop here in Richmond. Florence is the designer behind famous knitting pattern designs such as the Scout Shawl and Jardin Sweater. Colour is often the first feature we notice in a design and although it is subjective, there are approaches to employ that lead to universally aesthetically pleasing outcomes. The perfect class for taking your knitting to th next level

To begin, Florence will look at the basics of colour theory in the context of knitwear, taking into account notions of tone and proportion in relation to fibres and yarns. Next, she will explore three methods of colourwork techniques within hand knitting, all of which allow for a huge amount of creative exploration. The instruction will introduce each category - Fair Isle/Stranded Knitting, Intarsia Knitting and Slip Stitch/Mosaic Knitting – showing knitted examples and explaining the fabric structure and how it is created. Each will be demonstrated and students will work from a simple chart to put this knowledge into practice. 

Materials to bring with you

A minimum of two contrasting coloured yarns in the same weight (sport/DK/worsted). Have additional yarns on hand if you want to explore, these can be different weights and textures. 

Circular or straight needles suited to your yarn weight, to practice Intarsia worked flat.

Double pointed needles or small circular needles suited to your yarn weight, to practice Fair Isle/Stranded Knitting and Slip Stitch/Mosaic Knitting in the round. If you choose to use small circular needles, please cast on before class: Cast on a multiple of 12 stitches in one colour. 

Prerequisites

Comfortable with basic knitting stitches, but no prior colourwork knowledge is required. 

Important information - The workshop takes place upstairs which is accessed via a spiral staircase. We need a minimum number of bookings for this course to go ahead. If we do not meet the minimum we will offer you an alternative date or a refund. FInally, due to the small numbers of spaces available please let us know as soon as possible if you book a space and can no longer attend as we can only offer a refund for a cancellation if we are able to fill your space. Letting us know as soon as possible gives us the best chance of filling your space. 

About Florence 

Florence Spurling is a textile designer who specializes in knitted, crocheted and embellished fabrications. Originally from Oxfordshire, England, she trained in London where she received a Masters in Textile Design from The Royal College of Art. Florence is passionate about creating unique, tactile and desirable fabrics that display her love of detail and craftsmanship. She creates designs for the contemporary hand knitter that mix colour, texture and pattern in distinctive ways. When not designing under her own name, Florence works on fashion knitwear development for clients such as Anthropologie, Chloe, Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors. Florence is the author of Designing Knitted Textiles: Machine Knitting for Fashion, Laurence King Publishing, 2021.