KNitopia milwaukee

YOU BELONG HERE!

with Melissa Leapman

  Every great adventure has a beginning, and this is ours. 

Settle in, cast on, and soak up the magic of being surrounded by your people. 

Our opening night welcome session is casual, joyful, and the perfect way to kick off what is going to be an absolutely unforgettable weekend!

READY, SET, RAINBOW 

with Stephanie Lotven

We all have a skein of self-striping yarn hiding in our stash. 

Self-striping yarn is undeniably incredibly fun to knit, but too often those beautiful skeins are hidden away because knitters aren’t sure what to knit with their self-striping yarn. Join Stephanie for this fun, confidence-boosting class. It’s your rainbow rescue plan! Learn how to “read” your yarn before you cast on and how to use a simple swatching method to plan successful non-sock projects. 

You’ll also discover how to combine your stripes beautifully with solids and speckles, and even cheat the stripes when you need to. Hats, cowls, shawls, mittens, sweaters—let’s get those gorgeous skeins out of hiding and into the world!

TOP DOWN SHAWL DESIGN 

with Julie Dubreux  

One starting point, infinite possibilities! 

In this inspiring class, Julie demystifies top-down shawl construction—from triangles to semi-circles to crescents—and shares design secrets that will change the way you think about shawls forever. 

Learn the geometry behind beautifully shaped, ergonomic shawls, discover how to optimize your yarn usage, and walk away ready to design your very own one-of-a-kind creation. 

Your knit-spiration is waiting!

 KNIT 2 SOCKS IN 1  

with Safiyyah Talley

Meet your new favorite way to knit socks. 

Knit 2 Socks in 1 takes the mystery (and the math!) out of sock knitting with a method so clever you'll wonder why you didn't try it sooner.

 Knit one long sock, insert lifelines as you go for total peace of mind, then cut it in half to reveal a perfectly matched pair. The peasant heel keeps things beautifully simple by doubling as the toe, making the whole process as approachable as it is satisfying. 

Two socks. One brilliant technique. Endless possibilities.

SHOWERED IN RAINBOWS 

with Stephanie Lotven

Do you have a little rainbow in your life?

 Let’s turn one special yarn skein into a rainbow-filled sweater for your little sweetie! 

Join Stephanie and knit the Showered in Rainbows baby sweater—a clever, one-skein project designed to make self-striping yarn absolutely sing. With its unique construction and shorter rows, your stripes take center stage. Along the way, you’ll learn how to thoughtfully place your stripes for maximum impact, confidently pick up stitches as part of the sweater’s innovative construction, and fully enjoy the simple delight of knitting a tiny garment in glorious rainbow color.

BRIOCHE CRASH COURSE with Julie Dubreux

Brioche has a reputation for being intimidating. Julie is here to change that.

 In this fun, fast-moving three-hour workshop, you'll go from brioche basics to beautiful two-color motifs, with increases, decreases, and mistake-fixing tips along the way. 

By the time you leave, brioche won't just make sense, it will be your new obsession!

DESIGN YOUR OWN COWLETTE with Safiyyah Talley  

Meet the cowlette and prepare to fall completely in love! 

Part cowl, part shawl, and entirely one of a kind, cowlettes are mini shawls worked in the round that combine the snug wearability of a cowl with the gorgeous drape and shaping of a shawl. One size fits all, which makes them the most brilliant gift you can knit. 

In this class inspired by Safiyyah’s book Knitting Cowlettes, you'll learn to design your very own with no swatching, no stress, just pure creative joy. (Think of it as painting with yarn.) 

Optional kits will be available very soon.

MEET VESPERTINE 

with Melissa Leapman  

Say hello to Vespertine: our mystery group project, our muse, and our best-kept secret for KNITopia Milwaukee. 

Imagine a semi-circular shawl with German short rows and colorwork so beautiful it deserves its own dramatic entrance. So that's exactly what we're giving her. 

The full reveal happens live, together, in the room, with needles flying. You are not going to want to miss this. 

Optional kits will be available soon.

UNICORNS OR DRAGONS (A Surprising In-Person Knit-A-Long)

with Stephanie Lotven  

Get ready for the most delightfully unpredictable knitting class you’ve ever taken! 

In this workshop, you’ll create a one-of-a-kind project using a pattern that changes based on how you answer a series of silly, lighthearted questions. Are you more “unicorn” or “dragon”? Do you knit like a woodland creature or a space explorer? Your choices will guide your stitches—shaping your colors, textures, and techniques in unexpected ways. 

This class blends creativity, whimsy, and skill-building as we turn your quirky answers into a personalized pattern that’s uniquely yours. No two knitters will make the same thing, and that’s exactly the fun of it! Along the way, you’ll practice decision-driven knitting, explore playful design variations, and embrace a spirit of spontaneity in your craft.

 If you’re ready to laugh, experiment, and surprise yourself with a project that unfolds, this class is your invitation to knit outside the box—one silly question at a time.

SWEATER CHEAT SHEET

 with Safiyyah Talley  

  Forget the pattern. 

In this liberating class, Safiyyah hands you her legendary quick and dirty cheat sheet and walks you step by step through knitting the sweater you've always imagined, entirely on your own terms. 

Covering three essential construction methods—circular yoke, raglan, and an improved drop shoulder—you'll leave with the knowledge, the tools, and the confidence to cast on your dream sweater on the flight home. 

No pattern required. Just you, your yarn, and Safiyyah's genius.

BON VOYAGE 

MILWAUKEE BOAT CRUISE 

with Melissa Leapman

Because the only proper way to say goodbye to KNITopia is from the deck of a boat! 

We're chartering our very own vessel for a fun, gorgeous cruise along the Milwaukee River and out onto Lake Michigan: just us, the water, the skyline, and the warm glow of a weekend we never want to end. 

Grab your project bag, find your spot on deck, and soak in every last magical moment. Our Milwaukee weekend may be ending, but the friendships—and the WIPs—are just getting started!

This tour is included in your registration. You will receive a link to be able to register a plus one for this tour.