Westknits Webinars

Thanks to COVID, I’m trying all kinds of new things, especially with crafts.  As more and more events go virtual, there are a lot of learning opportunities that you can take advantage from while at home.  One such opportunity was some webinars that Stephen West – aka Westknits – put on a month or so ago.   

If you haven’t seen Stephen West in person, you must know from social media that he is very entertaining.  And he was very fun to listen to on Zoom.  I’m so glad I was able to do these webinars!  Let me tell you more…

Shawl Shapes

I love knitting shawls so when I saw that Westknits was doing a webinar on shawl shapes, I had to tune in.  Stephen comes up with some of the most innovatively shaped shawls in the knitting world so it was fascinating to listen to his design process.  

But the best part was how much information he shared – and design tips.  Stephen basically gave you all the information you need to design your own shawls at home, including diagrams and increases/decreases information.  He also gives you permission to just play and invent something new.  I know that sounds weird but I’m a very OCD by-the-rules person, even in knitting, so the idea of creating a new technique is not something that I’d let myself easily do.  If it’s not a standard thing, it must be “wrong.”  

Stephen loves inventing new shapes and techniques and we all benefit from his design process!

Colorplay

The second Westknits webinar I watched had to do with color.  Stephen loves color.  And he loves colors and color combinations that I usually balk at – fluorescents and brights.  Seeing how he puts together color in a shawl or a sweater was fascinating.  

Stephen also talked about different ways to play with color in your knitting – marling, fading, stripes, brioche…  There are so many ways to play with color and Stephen gives you the information to do it yourself – more comfortably.  

That’s particularly nice if you have a more conservative color palette, like myself!!

Conclusion

If you get a chance to take a class from Stephen – or watch a webinar – definitely do it!  You will learn a lot and be instantly inspired by this designer’s energy, positivity, and innovativeness.  

These webinars were not free but they only cost about $20, which is well worth it.  Stephen donates part of the fee to a good charity, which is very nice.  

The annual Westknits MKAL began yesterday and I cannot wait to see what shape Stephen has in store for us this year!