Aloha, Baton Rouge!

Fiber artist, designer and knitting instructor Lisa Louie of Maui, Hawaii (who is also my dear friend and occasional guest-blogger) will be on the mainland during the last week in April with featured work in the “Art Healing Lives” art exhibition at the Minnesota Textile Center, and during the first week of May, teaching classes at the Knitting Asylum here in Baton Rouge.

When Lisa is not teaching knitting and creating fiber art, she teaches at an educational support center on Maui for kids struggling with learning disabilities and for adults working on getting their GED.

She will be making a stop in Baton Rouge for a few days to visit and teach classes at the Knitting Asylum.

Classes to be offered are:

Gauge Games: Unveiling The Mysteries of Gauge

Gauge Games will be taught informally on Thursday, May 6 at the regular Knit Night activities from 6:30 till 8:30 at the Knitting Asylum. There is no set fee for this class. Instead, Lisa requests that attendees make a donation in the most generous amount they can afford (be it $5 or $500) for the Battered Women’s Program. There will be an alternate location if too many people sign up to fit comfortably in the shop. “Gauge Games” is a fun, highly interactive class. Bring yarn and appropriate-sized needles, and a notepad and pen. Details for a small “homework” swatch to bring to the class will follow soon.

Hot Stuff: Knitwear for Steamy Climates --
10:30 - 2:30 Saturday, May 8

Ever laugh your head off (or look enviously at) the long-sleeved cotton “summer sweaters” designed for people who live in climates where it actually cools off in the evening? We Southerners all know that the only real use for a worsted cotton garment in our beastly summer climate is on the back of your desk chair in an overly refrigerated office. Lisa will teach you to substitute cotton, soy, bamboo, linen and other warm-weather fibers to their best advantage for your own spring and summer designs, and to adapt or modify existing patterns for realistic use in our beastly summers -- for example, a worsted cotton cardigan modeled on a beach in Maine can be converted to a highly wearable shell top for office or casual wear. Bring a pattern or two that you’d like to adapt for hot-weather wear, and a pen and notebook. Class fee will probably be $25. A yarn sample pack for swatching will be available for under $10.

Art Knitting: How to get Art in your Craft --
2:00 - 4:00 Saturday, May 8.

Lisa will guide students through creative exercises designed to infuse your own designs with your unique style. Class description details and fee will follow. Fee will probably be $25.
Expanded class description and materials description will follow soon.

Please sign up by replying to this post with your name and the name of the class that you are interested in.

This post will be edited periodically to provide additional details as soon as they are known.

I hope you all consider participating in this unique opportunity!