Description
Suitable for complete beginners or those looking to refresh their skills, this workshop will give you a firm understanding of the basics in machine knitting and an opportunity to practise & experiment with the skills you learn. With a focus on experimentation and play, I will show you how to use simple techniques & different combinations of yarns to create a range of textures & patterns.
During this workshop you will learn a variety of techniques such as;
- casting on/off
- colour changing (striping)
- lace holes & ladders
- manual tucks for texture
- punchcards for pattern- fairisle, weaving, tuck, slip
- tucking
- increasing & decreasing
- combining different yarns
- You will also learn how to solve and avoid common problems, useful tips for steaming & making tension squares.
At the end of the day you will leave with a variety of swatches (samples) demonstrating different techniques & a broad understanding of the many different possibilities machine knitting has, as well as written notes with everything you have learnt.
There is an option to add on the digital videos from my online workshops, which you get to keep forever for an additional £35. These are brilliant to reference back to. To add this on please select the + digital files in the drop down menu. You can also decide to add this on during the workshop, I will have a card reader.
This workshop runs from my studio at the Bristol Textile Quarter (see pictures) in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and is limited to 4 people, to ensure plenty of one-on-one attention. I have a large range of samples & will have some garments on display & will talk through how some of them were made, as well as other examples of fashion knitwear.
All yarn and materials are provided. Running time 10am-4.00pm
Saturday 29th- Sunday 3oth April
£250.00 (this includes £125 deposit).
Deposits are non-refundable but may be transferable if another suitable date can be found. Please see terms here.
Once your order is received you will be sent an email with all the relevant information about location, what to bring etc. In the meantime, if you have any questions please drop me an email at studio@amberhards.co.uk
I reserve the right to cancel should not enough people sign up.
If you would like to discuss one-to-one workshops with me then please email for more information
Tamsin Toefy (verified owner) –
I joined Amber’s Machine Knitting Course for beginners in Oct 2022. The course was well structured and took a beginner through all the different aspects of machine knitting, from setting up the machine, casting on, casting off, picking up dropped stitches, creating different ‘fabric’ with the wool, lace holes and ladders and using different colours. We also covered punchcard knitting. It was a lot to get through in the two days but I thought the pace was perfect and the structure of the course well thought out. Amber is an excellent teacher; patient and clear, and she did a good job of helping everyone to feel relaxed about the process of learning to machine knit. A bonus was Amber’s design flair and creativity – she certainly opened our eyes as to what was possible. After the course Amber provides links to guidance (images and notes) of all the techniques covered in the course. You certainly need this because we covered a lot and even though I got a knitting machine fairly soon after having done the course, I found there were things I had forgotten. When it comes to machine knitting, there is a lot to learn and I still haven’t figured out how to knit a jumper which was my goal but this course gave me the helpful start I needed. I also think that with something as mechanical as machine knitting, an in person course where you get to feel carriage moving over the needles (or not, it gets stuck), watch Amber pick up your dropped stitches and the like, makes for a far more effective learning experience. As a comparison, I had found it easy to learn to sew from you tube content creators but there is a very physical element to machine knitting. Thank you Amber for getting me started on my machine knitting journey.