Learn how to knit hats and garments that will keep you, your friends, or family warm in the winter months. Beginners can keep it simple by learning to crochet a Granny Square, the building block of colorful clothing and afghans.
Knitting & Crochet Classes
Explore The Studio
Wet Room in Davidson Hall
The perfect studio for those who like to get messy. It’s particularly good for classes whose students like to dye things, as it has big drains in the concrete floor we can just hose down (hence the name). There are banks of counters with ranges for dye pots. Spinning classes are often held here too since it provides such a nice, spacious area.
News & Stories: What's Happening in Knitting & Crochet
Posted:
December 10, 2024
Browse our 2025 classes digitally...
Posted:
November 26, 2024
Posted:
November 21, 2024
Posted:
November 18, 2024
Posted:
July 23, 2024
Browse our 2025 classes digitally...
Posted:
July 23, 2024
Granny Donaldson's great great great...
Posted:
June 28, 2024
Posted:
March 6, 2024
We are lucky to have TKGA Master Knitter Charles D. Gandy teach regularly at the Folk School. I sat down with him in the Wet Room Studio during a class where students were working on fantastic knitted pieces like vegetable gardens, jonquils, and Pop Art-esque Campbell’s soup cans. Charles learned to knit at the young age of four from his mother, a designer and shop owner. He designed his first sweater three years later and continues to create today. Let’s find out a little bit more about Charles D. Gandy.
Posted:
March 5, 2024
Posted:
February 26, 2024
Posted:
November 9, 2023
Posted:
July 24, 2023
Browse our August 2023–June 2024...
Posted:
July 24, 2023
Kate Clayton “Granny” Donaldson (1870–1960)...
Posted:
February 14, 2023
Posted:
August 29, 2022
Posted:
July 25, 2022
Building on your feedback, we're...
Posted:
July 22, 2022
Posted:
May 5, 2020
The days have pushed themselves along since the birth of our three brave lambs born to “Robin” on March 6th. When they arrived, I did not call them anything much. I just looked at them, noted their shape and health and desire to eat, and thought, Those three, they are the ones without names!
…
Posted:
May 23, 2014
Posted:
March 11, 2014
I stopped by the Yarn Circle on a Monday afternoon to speak with Martha Owen, our beloved longtime Resident Artist in Spinning, Knitting, Dyeing and Felt Making. We talked about many things including fiber arts, raising sheep, travel, artistic process, Fair Isle, her rich history with the Folk School, and more. Enjoy our interview!
…
Posted:
January 29, 2014
Margaret Radcliffe is teaching two Knitting classes next month at the Folk School: My First Sock (Feb. 28 – March 2 / Weekend) and the Easiest Sweaters in the World (March 2-8). Come learn new techniques to take your garment knitting to the next level (or the first level if you are new to socks and sweaters). I chatted with Margaret about Knitting, the Folk School, and what it is like to write about Knitting. Enjoy our interview!
…
Posted:
March 3, 2011
We recently had a very interesting first time instructor here, Christa Knidt Newhouse, who taught a weekend class of Bi-Color Brioche Knitting. She also brought with her some amazing double knitted garments that she had designed herself. One particularly impressive piece was a long, knit sweater with an intricate scene of Chicago, which took Christa five months to complete. Christa is a self-taught double knitter, who quickly picked up the process after seeing it in a book. Double knitting produces two layers and a reversible pattern using circular needles and two balls of yarn.
…
Posted:
March 29, 2010
What is Aran knitting anyway? Aran knitting, sometimes called fisherman style, comes from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. Knitters use one color of yarn to create textured patterns like cables, diamonds, and bobbles.
…
Resident Artist in Spinning, Knitting & Crochet, Feltmaking, Dyeing & Surface Design
Martha Owen
Martha began her adventure in spinning at this very school in 1978. Since then, her extended family has included sheep (mostly Corriedale/ Merino, Romney, Shetland and a little Blue-faced Leicester for fun) and French Angora rabbits. A banjo player known to tell a story or two, Martha’s interest in sheep and wool, music and dance, have carried her quite literally and joyfully around the world. Her children say she is a wool nerd, but her sheep say she is outstanding in her field! Martha became a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild in 1988, and was co-owner of the Yarn Circle in Murphy, NC, a store catering to fiber enthusiasts. She has been teaching spinning, natural dyeing and knitting design since 1984.
Images from the Studio
Interested in Attending?
You can find more information about the many aspects that make up the Folk School Experience using the menu below.
Housing & Meals
There’s nothing like staying on campus to fully immerse yourself in the Folk’s School experience.
A Typical Week or Weekend
A quick glance of what you can expect when you take a class as the Folk School.
General Information & Policies
Find our policies and procedures along with answers to commonly asked questions.