Mixed Tape Tour with Stephen and Steven

Last weekend I was excited to participate in the Stephen and Steven Tour at The Knitter's Edge in Behlehem, Pa. OMG their enthusiasm and passion is endless! Stephen West (Westknits) and StevenBe love color, knitting, and fashion. They approach knitting with different perspectives using shapes and color to create amazing shawls, accessories, and garments. They blew my mind!

Thursday Evening was the Shawl and Accessory Extravaganza

They challenged us to cut a shap with a few angles. Get out yarn and needles; knit the shape. StvenBe discussed his class on knitting from a sewing pattern. He has the students pick a pattern and knit the pieces; then sew it together. When we knit we are creating fabric. A simple thought and truth. But it is a perspective we do not usually have while knitting. He discussed the use of colors and shapes to create the fabric and garments. Steven is a fan of "knit it in a minute." A number of his patterns and projects use two or more yarns knitted at once and using larger needles.  He prefers to use needles two sizes larger than recommended for the yarn.

Stephen West uses color and shapes to create beautiful shawls and amazing garments. His safety cowl began as a triangle, he then switched to another shape. Using color, shapes and various stitches, he created an amazing piece. 

COLOR POP words we heard a lot! Pick a bright and vibrant color to edge or accent your piece. If using bright colors choose a neutral as your color pop.

I gained a new perspective for knitting. So many ideas, so little time!

Friday night was Steph(v)en at the Hotel Bethlehem. I went with my sister-in-law Beth. We were treated to an A/V presentation from the boys. They recapped their 2014 Tour, pics from this year's tour, and pics from their travels. They put on a fashion show and there was time to meet them, by yarn, and get a close look at their creations.

Saturday I was only able to get into one of the two classes, Top Down Shawls.

Stephen West discussed basic shawl development and shaping of triangle shawls. We knitted the start of an triangle shawl and began to add increases to elongate the shawl. He discussed a number of design elements to incorporate into the shawl. 

The second half of the class he helped us choose colors, patterns, and assisted us in getting started. He helped me choose colors for his Dotted Rays Shawl. He was so nice and helpful in getting me started with this pattern!

"Eat glitter for breakfast. It makes your whole day sparkle!" - Steven Be

Nancy