Ellen Mason brings industrious jewelry crochet to Slater Mill’s Knitting Weekend January 21

(Pawtucket, RI) As you might expect, a class at Slater Mill’s annual Knitting Weekend mini-conference is likely to deliver new skills for any knitter to build a repertoire of sweaters, scarves, throws, socks and other creations.

But had you considered jewelry?

Ellen Mason will travel from New Durham, New Hampshire for the fifth consecutive year to join the Knitting Weekend teacher roster on January 21. For the 2018 conference roster, Mason wanted to bring something practical, in keeping with recent DIY and maker trends. Her class, Simply Addictive Jewelry Crochet, offers a chance for others to learn her satisfying and efficient method of creating beaded fiber jewelry from a platform of basic crochet techniques.

“Aside from learning a cool-yet-professional new application for crochet, participants who are also retailers will learn a method for creating inventory for their festival booths and Etsy stores. DIY-ers who prefer to create and give quality hand-made gifts will also dig this class,” says Erika Davis, program director for Slater Mill. “Ellen predicts that most students will complete a piece during the session, potentially even two pieces if they get the knack of it quickly.”

Mason epitomizes the Renaissance fiber artist. She earned a degree in studio art, with an emphasis on weaving, and has worked as a trim designer, illustrator, children’s clothing designer, and dyer. She includes hand knitting, machine knitting, weaving, sewing, dyeing, silk screen, crochet and design among her practices. On her bucket list, she says, is to satisfy her curiosity for exploring every fiber process in the world.

Having been part of the Northeast textile scene for nearly two decades, Mason has been a favorite instructor at Slater Mill’s annual boutique knitting conference for much of that time. Her patterns are published in Berroco Portfolio Vol. 1, Slater Mill’s e-Book, Weekend Knitting from Knitting Weekend, as well as several other collections. She also offers her individual patterns on Ravelry.com.

For this class, Mason will provide an assortment of threads, and she encourages students to bring other types of strands or thin wires to use experimentally. Students are also asked to bring their own beads or findings, 2-5mm, that they would like to incorporate into their jewelry-- anything through which embroidery-type thread will pass.

In addition to her class, Mason will appear at Saturday’s Luncheon with the Artists event, a plated, sit-down meal and conversation with the teaching and exhibiting artists and other area guests. The luncheon takes place on January 20 in the historic second floor hall of the 1793 Old Slater Mill. Live jazz will be performed by the Steve DeConti Trio. Advanced registration is required.

To purchase tickets for Ellen Mason’s class, or any other Knitting Weekend events, visit brownpapertickets.com, keywords Knitting Weekend, or call 401-725-8638 x.108.

Knitting Weekend is presented with the support of R.I. State Council on the Arts, Berroco, Inc., Phyllis Kimball Johnstone Foundation, the City of Pawtucket, and the National Park Service.