2018 is about sharing the love (originally published 12 February 2018)

When I first started out I realized quickly I'd need to have some other wire working skills if I was going to turn my knitted wire into wearable jewelry. Wire knitting is not as common as other wire working or jewelry techniques so  I spent a fair bit of time hunting down information and resources. It was challenging because as a beginner, I had no idea what I really needed and ended up buying tools, materials, books and tutorials I really didn't need. 

One of my goals for The Purple Raven Boutique is to create opportunities to share my passion for wire knitting.  Reflecting back on my own experiences, I decided I'd build a suite of resources to help wire knitting beginners get off to a strong start and to hopefully save them a little money and time along the way.

Recognizing that not everyone learns the same way or has the same flexibility in schedule, I'm focusing on several types of resources:

• In person mini-class - These 1 - 2 hour sessions teach a basic wire working skill and help you make a piece of jewelry using that skill.  (The picture shows the results of my first mini class!) 
• Regular in-person workshop - Since some skills just take more time to learn.  I'll be offering longer workshops ranging from intensive day-long events to more leisurely paced sessions spread over several weeks. 
• The well-illustrated written tutorial - These are for those short on time or who prefer to learn on their own.  Learning is easier when you have detailed descriptions combined with close-up shots showing the maker's perspective of each step. 
• Skill building mini-videos - Prefer to watch instead of read?  Pour up a coffee, and watch a skill building video of ten minutes or less, showing the maker's perspective of each step. To check out one of these mini-videos click here!

I'll be making some of these available free of charge as my way of giving back to my craft community.  Others will be offered for sale of course as this is my business, but my goal is to offer my students good value by sharing my years of experience as a wire knitter.

I look forward to sharing my passion with you!