Craftsy: Foundations in Double Knitting with Lucy Neatby

Earlier this year, I was knitting many washcloths for a charity, and as I looked for patterns, I came across the Inflammable Hotpad which looked fun to make. A problem: I've never used the double knitting technique before. This technique allows you to knit the front and back of a piece at the same time. If you use one color yarn, you'll end up with a tube. Using two colors opens up a range of patterns where motifs pop due to contrasting colors.

Cell Phone Cozy
Pattern by Lucy Neatby

Since I wasn't confident trying a project with the free instructions and videos I found online, I signed up with Craftsy to take Foundations of Double Knitting with Lucy Neatby. She provided clear instructions and helpful explanations, and after watching a few lessons, I knit one of the patterns that came with the course: the cell phone cozy. Having had such great preparation, I found completing this project was fun and easy. I still need to finish some of the lessons, though, and I haven't worked on the other projects because they just aren't to my taste.

When I purchased my Craftsy course, the site was running a sale, so I also enrolled in Adventures in Double Knitting. I am excited about this since Alasdair Post-Quinn seems to use many innovative techniques with interesting designs. I love cowls created with the double knitting technique, but I am hesitant to tackle double knitting in the round.

Craftsy classes don't expire, so in several months, if I need a refresher, I can return to the courses to review a technique. The classes I've previewed have had excellent production values with valuable material presented in an organized and intuitive sequence. Many of the topics are not usually covered by classes offered at local knitting stores, and they are ideal for people who are visual learners.

If you are a knitter or crocheter on Ravelry, you can join the Craftsy group to share projects and reviews of classes.