Getting Started Any design project must begin with a clear purpose. The purpose of the Getting Started Forum is as follows: ● To familiarize you with the DAL 6 onboarding steps ● Show you how and where to access reference material ● Empower you with the skills and support you need We are so glad you've reached this first milestone. We can’t wait to see the brilliant design pieces you create. We will be uploading short tutorials of how to submit, navigate the new member's lounge.

We have posted the patterns to the resources page. It will be updated with the accompanying charts soon.

It’s good to have you here. Thanks for being a part of the growing community. Feel free to start discussions and share what's on your mind. In this forum you can also add photos, videos, hashtags and more to your posts. Enjoy using the forum!

In this post, Shirley provides technical details on how to incorporate pockets in your garments . There are endless varieties of pockets and it is always important to select a pocket that is a good match for the style and stitch pattern of your garment. For this double breasted and heavily cabled Pea Coat my recommendation would be an Inset Side Seam pocket. That type of pocket will not interrupt the beautiful cabled patterns. These types of pockets can be worked at the same time as the garment by knitting to the position where the pocket will begin, making a turning ridge or fold line (slip the turning stitch purlwise on RSRs and purl the slipped st on WSRs) and working the pocket linings to the correct depth as you work the garment. You would do this on both sides of the back and fronts, then sew the linings together during the finishing process. The linings would hang free inside. These types of side edge pockets could also be added after the garment is completed and for this project I recommend working them once the knitting is finished. They can be picked up and worked on the side edges as a part of the finishing process or even added after you have seamed your sides if you do not feel that you want pockets now, but later decide to add them. In that case, you could just open the seam to the correct length and work the linings. Working the Inset Side Seam Pocket Linings You only need to pick up the required number of stitches along the side rows of the front and back on each side, and knit the pocket linings to the desired depth, then sew them together. You will want to make the pocket linings in stockinette because this fabric will lie flat. You will also want to work the linings in a firm tension which will mean going down a needle size or two so the pockets will not become baggy or stretch out of shape. Also, based on the way the hand enters the pocket in a downward direction, you will want a more angled shape for this type of side edge pocket. To construct your pockets in that manner you can work as follows: Begin with the right side seam back edge and pick up the number of stitches needed along that side edge based on your hand measurements and gauge (see Pocket Planning below). Add a selvedge stitch. Working in stockinette stitch, on every 4th RSR begin with a make 1 increase (knit on the running yarn between the selvedge and the first stitch) after the beg selvedge, then end the row with a K2tog before the ending selvedge. When the pocket lining measures the correct length for your hand, based on your measurements, bind off all sts. Work the front pocket lining in the same way. Sew the pocket linings together. Then, work the pocket linings on the left side seam in reverse. References For picking up sts see Knitwear Design Workshop (KDW) pages 264-266. For seaming the back and front pocket linings together, I recommend using the backstitch seaming method (see KDW page 267). Note: Since pockets are small, you can make a swatch and baste it on the garment to ensure that it will be the correct size. Pocket Planning (Measurements and Placement) For a pocket to be useful, you will want to make sure that your hand will fit comfortably inside. This means that it needs to be the correct width and length with sufficient ease. An easy way to measure your hand and make a schematic is to simply place it palm down on a piece of paper with your fingers together and trace around it beginning and ending at the wrist. For the width, measure across on the paper, from the outside of the thumb joint to the outside of the joint below the little finger on the opposite side and draw your width line, then write the measurement there. For length, measure from the wrist to the tip of the longest finger. Draw your length line and write the measurement there. Also, measure the length from your shoulder to your wrist. The wrist length is usually where you will want the Inset Side Seam Pocket to end on your garment. The top opening will be about 2“ below your waist. The width of the pocket should have 1" - 2” of ease based on your hand measurement. The depth of the pocket will be at least 1” longer than the measurement from your wrist to the end of your longest finger. Happy Knitting!

Shirley will facilitate free classes exclusively to DAL 6 participants. So far, this includes 3 master design classes. Each class will be hosted via a Zoom call, which will take place twice to cater to both time zone groups. More to come on this soon- for now check out the events schedule

The DAL 6 curriculum is consistently reviewed for improvements to the learning experience, content, and outcomes. It's our goal to provide a world-class learning environment to help budding designers build their confidence and skills and prepare for the world of publishing. If you need tech/ IT support with one of our platforms, or you want to provide feedback on something curriculum-related, you can send us a message and we will respond in 48 - 72 hours.

I went into my stash for yarn for my sweater. I decided not to compete and make something for myself. I have a merino dk, a cashmere 4 ply that can be doubled to make a sport/ light dk weight and a 50/50 cotton silk blend in dk weight. I just can't decide which one to choose. Any one else with that problem? How did you decide?

Greetings Everyone Here’s an important update from Shirley: “Since a number of people are receiving their yarn a little late, both Domestic and International participants, we can extend the time for everyone from February 18th to February 23rd. For those who are finished by the 18th, they can begin the submissions. We sent a worksheet example for everyone on February 12, 2022, that walks you through all the steps for preparing both types of schematic layouts (Working and Formal).“

Shirley provides some great information on knitting the Pea Coat in this post. Please remember that the Pea Coat is composed of a series of cabled panels using the twist stitch method. That twisted method of patterning is very prevalent in Alpine knitting. It is a bit different from the high relief cabling method that is the hallmark of Aran patterning. There are a maximum of 4 sts involved in the cable crossings. Most crossings are 2 sts. The challenge is that the patterns are being built on both sides = RSRs and WSRs with no plain purl or plain knit rows in between. The key is that the sts are being knit through the back loops. I used panels vs. an all over pattern because each panel stands alone. Therefore, you can swatch each panel separately until you feel comfortable and can memorize the movements. The number of sts in each panel and the number of rows are small. It is actually a good learning exercise that can be accomplished in small segments. As the outside fabric that will surround the panels I used the single twist stockinette pattern. That involves knitting through the back loops of the stitches only on Right Side Rows. The purl rows are worked as usual. That pattern was used to add a bit of texture to the stockinette. For the knitters who actually completed the coat over the last 10 years, I only heard from a few of them with very specific questions once or twice. From the very beginning, back in 2010, I had the line by line instructions for the panels posted on my website. I would refer everyone there who had any questions. They all found the posted guide very helpful. Now, I have had those instructions updated to include the charts from the book, and placed them in the Resources section specifically for the KAL participants. You can knit directly from those instructions. For support as you knit the project, you will be able to check with the Ravelry Forum to ask questions as often as you like. You will also have the twice monthly zoom meetings where the moderators and KAL participants will be able to speak face to face. We are looking forward to it being lots of fun and to everyone feeling a sense of accomplishment as they work on this project together. As for completion time, there is no time limit. We will be there to support you for 4 months. At that point I think everyone who has not finished will feel comfortable navigating the waters confidently alone. Shirley

Thank you Mari Tobita for spelling out how to make this stitch which is in one of the charts Here it is for others who might need it: smock stitch: K1tbl, p2, k1tbl, slip these 4 sts to cn, wrap yarn twice counter clockwise around these sts, slip sts back to RH needle.