There are classes offered at White Barn Farm, too, in a range of skill levels. Among the classes suitable for beginners are ones on learning to crochet, making a wet-felted Christmas stocking (or other vessel), needle-felting a holiday ornament and Sewing 101, to learn the basics. For those with some knowledge already, there are classes on crocheting a hat, weaving a tote basket (perfect for carrying all your yarn around), sewing a knitting bag and (this is a lot of fun) crocheting on the edge of a tee-shirt to up-cycle it into an entirely new garment.
Advanced fiber folks can take classes here to extend their skills. If you’ve wanted to knit a sweater, but are intimidated by the fitting of it and the seaming involved (most sweaters are knit in pieces and then sewn together at the seams), a four-session workshop, “Design Your Own Top-Down Seamless Sweater,” will show you how to shape a neckline on circular needles, divide for sleeves and knit the torso from the top down to end up with a perfectly fitting garment. The instructor is Heather Dixon of Army of Knitters. For this class and others, Kucera offers a 50 percent discount on yarn purchased for it from her shop.
After you’re done knitting from the top down, try knitting from the toes up in a sock-making class that reverses the usual procedure (where you start with the cuff and work your way down to the toe). The advantage of knitting from the toe up is being able to try the sock on for fit as you go, and there’s no need for sometimes-challenging Kitchener stitching (to graft together the toes) at the end of the process.
The classes at White Barn Farm are taught by knowledgeable instructors active in the Hudson Valley fiber/artisan world. The cost ranges from $40 to $60 for a single-day class to $240 for the four-session “top-down” sweater workshop. A full schedule of classes offered can be found on the website www.whitebarnsheepandwool.com. Kucera is beginning “knitting on demand” classes this year, too, scheduling classes by customer request. The drop-in Knit Local Café sessions are free, held every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. and on Fridays from 9 to 11 a.m. No reservations are necessary to enjoy the camaraderie.
White Barn Farm Sheep & Wool is located at 815 Albany Post Road in Gardiner. Shop hours are Wednesday through Friday from 1 to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12 noon to 5 p.m. Knit Local Café gatherings are held in the shop every Wednesday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. and on Friday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m. No reservation is necessary; bring projects to work on and enjoy the camaraderie. A complete listing of classes is available on the website. For more information or to register for classes, call (914) 456-6040; e-mail [email protected]; or visit www.whitebarnsheepandwool.com.
