I’ve seen some monthly curricula proposed online, but I knew I’d need more time to work through a deep dive into the subject matter. This fall/winter season, I want to work out an idea I have for knitters and crocheters who like making garments. I also want to get my writing groove back.
My personal curriculum has two tracks:
- Garment Making—my goal is to learn how to use dressmaker/tailor’s tools and techniques in creating knitwear.
- Writing—my goal is to get back to a disciplined writing habit.
Goals
By following this curriculum, I aim to transform my concepts into knitwear and writing projects, completing them between October 1, 2025, and January 31, 2026.
Garment Making Curriculum
I’m starting from Mary Thomas’s Knitting Book. MTKB is an old-timey knitting manual originally published in 1938. My edition is from the 1972 re-release. MTKB confirmed my idea that knitters and crocheters should look to sewing for tools for garment construction.
I was taken with the notion of applying flat pattern drafting to knitting and crochet garments. Dressmakers and Tailors create a master pattern for each wearer called a sloper. For women, a sloper is a basic bodice, sleeve, and skirt pattern used to create garments in every style. The cool part is that the maker has worked out 90% of the fit issues in the sloper. They’re not starting from scratch with every new pattern. This is the approach to knitting patterns Mary Thomas takes.
My sewing books include The Great British Sewing Bee (GBSB) Pattern Drafting and The Great British Sewing Bee Made to Measure.
GBSB Pattern Drafting offers instructions for customizing a basic sloper to the sewist’s body and transforming the silhouette of the sloper. GBSB Made to Measure is all about crafting custom garments from measurements.
GBSB Pattern Drafting did not contain instructions for drafting a sloper from scratch. Metric Pattern Cutting for Women’s Wear, by Winifred Abernathy, will be my source book for the process of drafting my sloper. I’ll ultimately use the sloper to build my fall/winter knit garments off.
Once I felt like I had a handle on my Garment Maker’s Reading List, I was ready to turn my attention to writing resources.
Writing Curriculum
I chose On Writing Well and Writing the Natural Way as the basis of my writing practice. Writing the Natural Way is essentially a practice book of exercises that promote more fluid writing. On Writing Well is more of a set of writing principles. On Writing Well isn’t the be-all-end-all of good writing; it’s just a jumping-off point that I’ll use to help me knock the rust off my writing muscle.
Giving myself a few months to work through my books and create the projects will cement the learning and (I hope) improve the look and fit of my hand knits.
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