5 Lucy Neatby classes in a row was total information overload! I thought I knew a lot, and then along came her DVD series. Then I thought I learned all there was to know from those, but the classes were even a step beyond that.

Hello Cinderella: An Introduction to Intarsia
This lesson definitely gave me food for thought. I can now weave my tails in as I go, perfectly disguising them and preventing me from having to do all of them at the end. The most interesting use of this technique involves needing to carry a yarn across a large number of stitches, and weaving the float in with each stitch until you get to the place where the strand originated. Intarsia was never something that excited me before, but I will definitely be adding it to my project list some time soon.

Short Row Wizardry
I had done tons of short row shaping before but I have now perfected my technique. Small things that never occurred to me before now seem so obvious. Japanese short rows seemed to be the class favorite, but I am a fan of the wrap-and-turn now that I know how to do it properly. Not only is there a right and wrong way to knit the wraps, slipping the first stitch of the new row makes the extra rows totally invisible.

Cool Socks - Part A
I am proud to say I can now do the Channel Island cast-on without any trouble at all. I love it for so many reasons, not the least of which is that it looks best when done tightly yet it still has amazing stretch. I am also newly intrigued by the garter stitch short row heel. The different skill levels of our students in this class didn't throw Lucy's game off at all; she came prepared with a side-project for those who had finished the main assignment.

The Contented Stitch: Self-Sufficiency for Knitters
My only complaint is that we should have scheduled this class first. It really dealt with the physical characteristics of knitted fabric that help you understand why certain things happen and how to correct them. I had heard of the mysterious "alternative purling" but I didn't realize how much it would help me. The good news is I have an arsenal of tips to improve my knitting; the bad news is that I now plan a total re-do of my completed TKGA master knitter swatches.

Hallelujah Grafting
I cheated a bit and learned most of this stuff from the DVD's, but it was still very exciting to be able to make a seamless cabled wristband. She gave us a great tip about shoulder tops: Bind off one edge but not the other. That way you can do a perfect graft that will connect the pattern, and the 1 bound off edge creates stability without adding the extra bulk of 2.

Lucy introducing us to the contented stitch:

Displaying a double-knit scarf:

Short-row shawl:

Me, Lucy, and my pink streaks (that I may end up keeping):

Preparations are complete! I now have both pink and purple streaks in my hair and all my swatches knitted for Lucy Neatby's workshops this week. Starting tomorrow, I will be working at her 5 classes held at the Woolie Ewe. If you're coming, say hi to me. I'll be hard to miss.

Before putting in the fluorescent Manic Panic dye, I had to bleach the streaks out to a yellowy blonde, and my husband immediately quipped "You look like Amanda Overmyer." Now that I have the pink in, my threat level has been downgraded to a respectable, "You're too old for this."

(Thursday afternoon as soon as the classes are over, we are leaving to drive to Houston to meet with our home builder and the inspector. Hopefully they don't take one look at me and back out of the deal.)