No products in the cart.
Next Level Knitting Conference
Schedule and Class Descriptions
We’re thrilled to announce the teachers and classes for the Next Level Knitting Conference 2025. Here you can find the full listing of classes, teachers, and timing . Here is a quick one pager with the schedule, so you can plan what you will watch live. And here is the link for the full list of classes, descriptions and homework.
Confused on timezones? We all are. Here is a website that will help you translate UTC timezone to your personal timezone.
Friday April 4, 2025
Arenda, Christina, and Linda kick off the conference with announcements and some prizes. (Do not need to be present to win any of the prizes. All registrants are entered to win.)
Ladderback Jacquard for Stranded Knitting – Amy Snell (Pre-recorded)
Once you add this technique to your knitting toolbox, you may never want to go back to any other method of carrying floats. The ladderback jacquard technique will improve the tension of your stranded knitting while allowing you to span much larger areas between stitches. This knitting method adds stretch to the floats while preventing the alternate color from peeking through, and can be applied to nearly any form of stranded knitting. If you’re interested in tweaking patterns or developing your own colorwork designs, incorporating this technique means you can design without limits on the space between alternating motifs. This class was presented last year and we are including it so that if you missed it last year, you can see it before the Advanced Class.
Mad for Plaid – Cheryl
Plaids are classic patterns that never go out of style, but they are a fashion trend right right now! Explore multiple methods for creating knitted plaid, without juggling multiple balls of yarn or dealing with fiddly bobbins. Think of all the ways you can incorporate plaid into your garments and home décor.
Planning a Fair Isle Sweater – Cherie Cornick
Starting a Fair Isle sweater can seem daunting, whether it is using a pattern, modifying one, or an original design. This session will present some of the things that need to be considered and checked like gauge, fit, motif balance, and modifications to sleeves, neckline, length, and design. Changing a pattern from a cardigan to pull over or pullover to cardigan or a sweater to a vest, presents unique issues. Details for finishing, like shoulders, edgings, and buttonholes, will also be discussed. Beginning a Fair Isle sweater without thinking about these things can result in an expensive sweater size swatch.
Submitting Designs to Brands – Safiyyah Talley
Submitting your knitting designs to yarn companies and magazines can be daunting, but that is why I am here to help! After designing for brands like Knit Picks, the Fibre Company, and Knit Crate, I’ve come up with a submission formula that shows off your design in a compact, easy to digest, yet beautiful way, using only free and accessible programs.
Fantastic Finishes: Seaming – Arenda Holladay
Stuck in a seamless sweater rut? This class will give you the confidence to tackle that seamed sweater and produce professional-looking seams.
Knitting Chart Know How – Tonia Lyons
Are you mystified by knitting charts? This workshop covers everything you need to know to understand and read a knitting chart. You’ll learn how to decipher basic charts for flat knitting and knitting in the round, look at a variety of charts featuring various stitch patterns including cables, lace, Intarsia, Fair Isle, and Mosaic patterns. You’ll even have time to demonstrate your chart reading skills by working a practice swatch.
Vertical Stripes with Knit 1 Below – Harry Wells
Knitting in the Stitch below can produce a variety of effects, including creating stunning vertical stripes with a thick, soft, supple fabric while knitting with only one color per row or round. In this class, we will cover and practice the K1B technique to create the column stitch with both flat knitting and knitting in the round. The column stitch becomes vertical stripes when using two colors. Experimentation with variegated colors and textured yarns can add further interest and pizzazz. An excellent cast-on and three bind-offs for this soft, expanded fabric with be taught, as well as tips for attractive edges.
Tumbling Stripes – Nancy Lekx
I learned this technique many years ago from an article in “Knitter’s” magazine, and I have been playing with stripes ever since. The strategy involves controlling the variables of color, stitch pattern and stripe width to create rhythmic, tumbling stripes that are more interesting than regular stripes and more ordered than random stripes. To make tumbling stripes, one variable is kept constant, another is worked with an odd number of components and the third is worked with an even number of components. The odds and evens shift or tumble in their repetitions, creating an interesting rhythm in the striping sequence.
Lace Theory – Mary Beth Jacobs (Pre-recorded)
Why is it so difficult to take a lace fabric and chart it? Conversely, why do I see a lace chart and have no concept of what the finished fabric will look like? When designing an original lace chart, I found that figuring out how to translate the idea in my head to a chart was a tedious trial and error blundering through basic lace theory. This class aims to look at the unique interplay of how spacing, placement, and grouping of yarn overs and decreases in lace translates into fabric. Not just for motif designers, but for anyone who wants to better interpret how charted lace will look in the finished fabric.
How to Install Zippers – Celia Cahill (Pre-recorded)
Does installing a zipper sound complicated? Learn how to do it like a pro. This class was first held last year but brought back by popular request.
MHK Focus on Success Level 3: Cast On and Bind Offs – Cathy Berry and Edna Jenkins
MHK Level 3 explores moving beyond the long tail cast on and the basic bind off to find techniques you can use that complement the fabric you are working with. As you work on Level 3 you will be working tubular cast ons and bind offs with ribbing, an invisible cast on and bind off for double knitting, and a circular cast on for a lace doily. The discussion will include what to consider and what to avoid when choosing the cast ons and bind offs for Swatches 2-6 and 10, as well as providing some helpful hints for writing directions for cast ons and bind offs without the use of visual aids.
Level Up Your Knitting with Ravelry – Deborah Wolf
Ravelry.com is one of the greatest tools a knitter has, second only to their yarn and needles. Are you utilizing this powerful tool to its greatest potential? In this class, learn how to optimize Ravelry’s powerful search feature, how to organize your projects and yarn stash digitally (beyond the basics), how to sort pattern photos to figure out how a potential garment will look on your body, how to find projects perfect for the yarn you already own, how to find and buy yarn in the specific dye lot you need to finish a project you ran out of yarn for, and much more. If you were a Ravelry power user before, you’re sure to learn a new trick or two, and if you were not actively using the site, you will be amazed by its powerful features. This class is suitable for even the tech-averse!
Twisted Stitch Knitting – Debbie West
Twisted stitches are used to create beautiful and detailed cabled patterns. With a few extra skills, the techniques are easy to master and the results are stunning. Maria Erlbacher is the mother of twisted-stitch knitting. Learn how to read her charts and convert them into standard charts. Learn to work twisted and traveling stitches on both the right and wrong side of the work. Knitters will be able to complete the swatch on their own for an approximately 7 X 7 inch trivet.
Two Color Brioche – Kavitha Raman
This class focuses on 2-color brioche, knit flat. We will start the class by knitting a small swatch. While we are at it, we will be learning:
- Reading brioche patterns and getting familiar with brioche abbreviations and terminology.
- How to execute basic brioche stitches – Sl1yo, brk, brp.
- Reading your brioche knitting – To understand the anatomy of brioche fabric and stitches, understanding selvedge stitches, counting stitches and rows, knowing your place in the project.
- Fixing the most common brioche mistakes – Same row tinking, dropped yarnovers in previous rows.
Fully Fashioned Shoulder Shaping – Leslie Gonzalez– Pre-recorded
Fully Fashioned Shoulder Shaping is a couture method for creating comfortable, flattering sloped shoulders. The seam sits behind the shoulder to work in harmony with the shoulder’s anatomy. In this class we will discuss the method, its benefits, and design particulars. As you work a miniature version of the shoulders, you’ll become comfortable with the method and practice the cable decreases characteristic to this look. You will leave with the tools to design or modify a pattern to use this method. And if you don’t want to design or modify a pattern, you will have the skills and confidence to be successful following a published pattern. This class was first taught last year and brought back by popular request.
Darning for Hand Knits – Heather Storta
Have you ever found holes in your knitting? Worn out a sock heel or toe? Don’t throw your knitting out – darn it!! Darning is a valuable skill (and not just for knits.) Darning can seamlessly mask a hole, or it can take center stage and decorate your knit fabric. We’ll begin with the essential step: learning to stabilize the fabric before darning. Then we’ll see two ways to darn fabrics – the Swiss method (also known as duplicate stitch, because it duplicates the stitches) and the Scotch method (a woven darn). Both have their uses!
We will post Swatch videos and MHK resource videos throughout the day. We have everything from how to put together your notebook, what triggers a resubmission, where to find resources, and in-depth looks at each swatch.
We’ll celebrate the end of our Knit Along. We’ll share our finished sweaters with prizes and fun.
Saturday April 5, 2025
We’ll give any updates, answer frequently asked tech questions and give away prizes (don’t have to be present to win).
Short Row Magic – Harry Wells
Inserting short rows can create angles and curves, making amazing shaped knitted shawls, angles on garments, and additional shaped ease in areas like busts. In this class, you will learn and practice three popular methods of short rows: Wrap and Turn, Japanese, and German in stockinette stitch. Instructor will also discuss how to adapt short rows for garter stitch.
Advanced Ladderback – Amy Snell – Pre-recorded
Once you’ve begun using Ladderback Jacquard as the solution for long stranding, you’ll find you want to incorporate it into even more of your knitting. In this class, we’ll explore more advanced use cases for Ladderback Jacquard, including single-row ladders, moving ladders, and working with three or more colors. We’ll also dive into charting your own ideas, exploring best practices for placement and options for Whether you’re tweaking existing patterns or developing your own colorwork designs, these special techniques open up even more possibilities for colorwork designs you thought you couldn’t knit before. Students should already be comfortable working basic ladderback jacquard. Students who have taken my Ladderback Jacquard class in the past will be well-prepared for this class. (And you can do the intro on Friday!)
Optical Blending with Mohair – Yoriko Oki
There are many beautiful knitwear designs that use fingering or other weight of straight yarn and mohair yarn. This class explores the possibilities of mixing colors using mohair. Most people choose very similar colors for both time of yarn, but by intentionally choosing a different color of mohair yarn, you could shift the colors of straight yarn. The class will be a lecture with many slides of samples.
Designing with Lace – Heather Storta
Interested in designing with lace? Join us for this presentation-style class where we discuss the ins and outs of taking a lace stitch pattern and designing with it. We’ll cover shaping in pattern, combining multiple lace stitch patterns, fitting the lace in with other stitch patterns, and more!
Maker Anatomy – Andrea Lui
Have you ever wondered why certain parts of your body ache with making? Or what to even do about it? Come join Andrea Lui, PT, DPT, OCS for a class on maker anatomy. We will cover a basic overview of posture and ergonomics, specifically related to making posture (knitting, crochet, weaving, spinning). Then a novice-friendly anatomy lesson on what muscles control which motions, and how to exercise and strengthen them to improve your posture and strength. You will leave this class with a deeper understanding of your body, and improved awareness of how to decrease any aches or pains. This class is also great if you are seeking to avoid any repetitive stress injuries. Andrea will demonstrate an exercise program to help strengthen and stretch your entire body, and a YouTube link to all exercises demonstrated will be available for class participants after.
Introduction to Fission Knitting – Mary Martin
Fission Knitting is a reversible colourwork technique where the fabric is worked with two yarns held in a marl. The design elements are slipped stitches placed on both sides of the fabric. The marl is broken apart to work these stitches. The resultant fabric has a marled middle layer and an overlaid design on each side. Creating a different cabled design on each side of the fabric is possible. In class, you will work a small Fission Knit swatch to learn the most used stitches and cables. The emphasis will be on reading your knitting and applying the 3 Rules of Fission Knitting. You will learn the properties of Fission Knit fabric, why the technique works, how to manage your yarn and choosing suitable yarn/projects.
Using Beads to Add Color and Texture – Cindy Dell
Learn how to add a special touch to your knitting by adding beads! Knitters will learn several ways to incorporate beads into knitting projects. We will work on one or two swatches during the class to help you learn the technique. The first swatch will be a simple one-color swatch knit flat following a chart to add beads. The second swatch is colorwork worked in the round, also following a chart to work in a second color and beads. Choose one swatch, or work on both. Join me for this fun and simple technique.
Sock Heels – Heather Storta – Pre-recorded
Did you know there are a TON of sock heel options out there? There are so many heels to choose from! Join us as we explore several different types of heels and analyze their pros and cons. We will cover cuff-down and toe-up options, so there will be a heel for every type of sock knitter! This class was first shown last year and brought back by popular request.
All’s Well that Ends Well: Duplicate Stitch and End Weaving – Celia Cahill – – Pre-recorded
Get out your tapestry needle and get ready to make your knitting shine! Learn how to add easy colorwork detail to the front of your work via duplicate stitch, and how to invisibly weave in your yarn ends. TKGA-certified Master Hand Knitter Celia McAdam Cahill will show you how to correctly execute these techniques in a variety of situations to add polish to your work.
MHK Level 1 Understanding Knitted Fabric – Leslie Gonzalez
In the Master Hand Knitting program, it’s essential to understand the key elements that shape fabric for specific purposes. In this class, we’ll explore four core factors that influence fabric—drape, gauge, tension, and texture—and how they affect structure and function, with a focus on applying these principles to basic fabrics in Level 1. Mastering these fundamentals will prepare you to confidently apply them to more advanced fabrics as you progress to higher levels.
Not every situation is perfect, and sometimes compromise is necessary. We’ll learn how to use swatches to achieve the correct drape and how to reconcile the results with ball band recommendations and the requirements of a published pattern.
Inside Out – Casting on in the Center – Laura Barker
Some projects are worked best from the inside out, and we’ll look at several ways to cast on in the middle of your work. The Pinhole Cast-on, worked into a slip knot, is perfect for when just a few stitches are needed at the very center of a project. The provisional cord cast-on (PCCO), creates stitches, directly onto your needle(s), for working in both directions. Judy’s Magic Cast-on is truly magic, and may often replace the PCCO and other cast-ons. The crochet cast-on is very versatile; it mirrors a standard bind-off for a polished edge, it is easily added mid project where a long-tail cast-on is not an option, and when worked with waste yarn unzips later to reveal provisional stitches. We will cover the crochet cast-on for lefties and righties. Class will involve a small amount of knitting in the round, but it is not necessary to learn cast-ons.
Looping Back – Jolie Elder
Making a loop, knitting with part of it, and then tightening it is a peculiar technique that lends itself to some unusual applications. Work complex intarsia in smaller modules, rather than working across a large piece with many, many bobbins. Work textured entrelac reversibly. Add side-to-side edgings in a way that is seamless and elegant. These are all applications of Rick Mondragon’s brilliant sliding loop/modular intarsia technique.
Unlocking Color: Demystifying Variegated Yarns – Tonia Lyons
Discover newfound confidence in your knitting abilities as you understand how to best use variegated yarns, unlocking the door to your stash and turning every skein into a masterpiece. Students will learn the basics of hand-dyed yarns, the terminology of variegated yarns, and the important things to consider when choosing knitting patterns that will best highlight the beautiful colors in their skeins of variegated yarn.
Signing your Knits – Dawn, the Stitching Coach
Painters create calling cards, quilters sew on labels, embroiderers stitch their initials in their work and sewists have garment tags, but knitters often don’t “sign” their work. Let Dawn, the Stitching Coach help you learn how to knit your initials and date your projects. Class will cover three methods for signing your knits – custom charts, duplicate stitching, and pattern modifications that can be used in steeks, folded hems/cuffs, and existing pieces. These methods eliminate the need for scratchy labels that can also fall off. Participants will have time to practice concepts in class.
Join Dr. Jennifer Daley on a journey through the textile history and color of Shetland wool and Fair Isle knitting. Jennifer will discuss Shetland sheep and wool, and she will unveil the evolution of Fair Isle knitting. Her presentation will be illustrated with historic Fair Isle garments, and she will discuss Fair Isle motifs, patterns, and color. This fun and informative presentation will integrate traditional Fair Isle knitted fisherman’s keps. Long associated with Fair Isle, fisherman’s keps are hats of conical shape and colorful design. Historically a necessity for survival at sea for fishermen and sailors, keps are today considered an entertaining and interesting way to display a knitter’s skill for design and color. Please join us for this special presentation of Fair Isle knitting in the Shetland Islands!
Sunday April 6, 2025
Woolly World of Westknits– Stephen West – Live
Join Stephen as he welcomes you into his colorful woolly world of Westknits. Stephen will discuss how he chooses his color palettes and share secrets for how to make your palettes pop.
This live presentation hosted on Zoom will be a visual feast for the eyes while Stephen gives you an up-close look at many of his most popular design samples. We will discuss how to create successful color palettes for Marled knitting, Faded knitting, and graphic stripes and slip stitches. You will learn a few of Stephen’s color-changing tricks and color planning strategies to gain more confidence with your own knitting projects.
And yes there will be prizes at the end.
Taming Tension – Binka Schwan – pre-recorded
Struggling with uneven stitches, rowing out, wonky edge stitches? Binka is our resident expert on diagnosing and fixing your tension issues.
Introduction to Distitch – Assia Brill
Distitch is an innovative knitting principle. It gives structure, warmth and strength, while making your knitting strikingly beautiful. In the theoretical part, you’ll learn the main features of the Distitch (DS) and its structure. In the practical part you’ll learn how: to work basic knit DS and purl DS; to convert any conventional stitches to Distitches; to work basic Distitch crochet chain.
Charting Tools for Color & Texture– Cherie Cornick
Excel and Google Spreadsheets, Stitch Fiddle, Chart Minder, Stitch Maps, and Stitch Mastery are tools that might be used for designing Fair Isle, Norwegian, cables or other knitting designs. The strengths and weaknesses of these programs will be discussed as well as factors that might influence your decision to choose one for your next design or modification project. There will be examples of finished charts and creating charts with each application but this is not a tutorial on using any of the tools.
Better Fitting Knits – Amy Snell – Pre-recorded
What do the knitting pros know that you don’t about sweater size and fit? In this class we’ll get into the knitty-gritty of why your sweaters so often don’t fit, and provide the knowledge and tools that will allow you to make sweaters that fit every time. We’ll work step-by-step through the planning stages of sweater knitting, from yarn choice, better body measurement, and choosing the right size, to how and where to make adjustments for differences in gauge or differences in sizing and shaping. You’ll learn how to analyze the size of a pattern when it doesn’t give schematics, how different arm/shoulder constructions affect fit, and how to change just about anything that’s not working for you in a pattern.
From Gauge Swatch to Garment – Tips for Better Blocking – Jennifer Kent
In this lecture style class, we will discuss blocking methods for gauge swatches as well as garments and discover tips to achieve professional results.
Knitting 911 – Knitting Emergencies Do Happen – Binka Schwan – pre-recorded
This class will demonstrate how to fix basic knitting mistakes in garter, stockinette, and seed stitch. Some advanced techniques will also be presented. We will start with basic stitch anatomy as mistakes cannot be fixed unless this is understood. Dropped stitches, dropped selvedge stitches, split stitches, twisted stitches, holes, and other knitting mistakes will be shown and how to fix the mistakes will be demonstrated.
Legible Double Knitting – Jolie Elder
Two-color double-knitting is nice enough, but what if you want to move beyond positive-negative blankets? In this class you will learn how to knit letters that read properly from both sides of the fabric. Additionally, we will look at two different ways to produce double-faced double-knitting (two-sided fabric with sides that are not mirror images).
Making Fair Isle Fun – Mary Beth Jacobs – pre-recorded
Love Fair Isle but find parts of it overwhelming or tedious? This class aims to address some ideas to sail through… with great results. Spit and Splice techniques that result in razor sharp color transitions, ideas for dealing with charts, methods for commanding yarn dominance so that your fastest hand can knit the background stitches while still keeping the motif dominant, and other ideas!
Tailored Raglans: Mastering Custom Fit, Top Down – Lisa Toppin
In this class, you’ll learn how to transform standard patterns into custom garments fitted to your body and your tastes.
- Understanding Raglan Construction:
- Removing Excess Sleeve Fabric:
- Creating Waist Shaping:
- Adjusting for Bust and Belly Room:
Picking Up Perfectly – Arenda Holladay
Picking up stitches for edges can make or break your garment. Learn how to ace this skill. This class requires several swatches for homework. All swatches should be knit using a LIGHT, solid-colored, worsted weight wool and appropriately sized needles. Do not use novelty, heathered, tweed or overly fuzzy yarns. Block all swatches, taking care to flatten the selvedge stitches.
MHK Focus on Success Level 2: Buttonholes – Joyce Jones and Dorothy Waite
Come join us as we explore buttonholes for Level 2. We will discuss vertical, horizontal and eyelet buttonholes on single rib, double rib, and seed stitch. We will also discuss how to evenly space buttonholes on a band. You can choose to work along with the videos and lecture, or practice on your own.
We’ll close out with time for questions, announcements, thanks, and prizes.