Want to knit The Big Easy Gansey with Beth? Ask your LYS to host a Knitting Traditions Gansey distance-learning Knitalong course!

The lovely Pam McAssey models The Big Easy gansey sweater.

Please note that the students don't need to be master knitters to knit a gansey, by any means. But as prerequisites to this distance-learning Knitalong course, they should be able to cast on, knit and purl flat and in the round, create garter stitch and stockinette stitch fabric, and bind off.

This course will teach knitters the process of knitting Beth Brown-Reinsel's gansey pattern, The Big Easy, in the traditional manner by casting on at the bottom of the sweater and knitting in the round in knit/purl and cable motifs to the armholes. An optional gusset may be added into the body and sleeve, if a more slender silhouette is desired.

The second half of the body is knitted back and forth, shaping the neck with decreases. The shoulders are joined using the Three-Needle Bind-Off. The sleeves are picked up around the armhole and knitted in the round to the cuff. The neckband is then completed in the round. Sewing in the ends and washing and blocking will be covered as well.

Here's how participation in the Knitalong works:

1. Your favorite local yarn shop purchases one DVD for the class and one "The Big Easy" pattern apiece for each student from Up North Fiber Art Supply. Your LYS will receive several ancillary papers, such as a swatching page, measurements page, cable splay handout, optional underarm gusset directions and optional rolled collar directions.
2. Once your shop owner receives the DVD, patterns and other materials, he or she can schedule classes for the participants to watch pertinent episodes on the DVD, following along with Beth's instructions. There are 10 classes total, but Beth suggests adding one week leeway between the ninth and tenth classes for any students who may need extra time to complete the work. Beth also schedules a Skype session midway through the Knitalong, so she can answer any questions or facilitate discussion on the project in real time.
3. For one of the last classes, Beth will again conduct a Skype session. At the end of the class, each of the students should be the proud creator of his or her own Big Easy Gansey! 

Other Knitalongs are being developed for the following garments: Grace's Cardigan, Classic Gansey Cardigan, Diamonds and Triangles, At Sea and Gansey Mitts (a four-week Knitalong!).