I was super excited to see a granny square class being offered at Knits and Pieces even if it was all the way in Annapolis. We had visited the store last year and it took us about an hour to get home so it seemed doable.

It was two 90 minute classes, a week apart, working on squares out of A Modern Guide to Granny Squares in the store before it opened to customers.

I was a little nervous because the syllabus the instructor sent us said it was three classes, two weeks apart.

When we arrived she apologized for that and said she’d tweak it to work by dropping one of the squares.

I had ordered yarn for the class online to pick up at the class (we were required to buy our yarn from the store) and oddly they left two skeins out of my order but luckily I noticed before I left and they had them in stock. We were also supposed to buy the book from them but I already owned it and they said that was fine.

For the first class we started a plain granny square and got to about the third round (out of eight) when the class ended.

We were told to finish that square and complete a second, different solid square for homework.

While at the class, some of the attendees (who I realized in the second class were all friends and in a knitting guild with the instructor) suggested that instead of tapestry square the instructor picked out, we should do a similarly rated but more complex square instead that used several new techniques. I said that I was worried it would be too complicated since we hadn’t even finished the first simple square but was assured we could complete it during the next class.

This is the illustration of the more complex square from the book:

At the start of the next class I mentioned again that I thought the square was too complex for such a short class but was told we should have received an email telling us to also start the more complex square. I, along with another woman who was not in their guild did not receive an email. That was odd, especially since I had emailed with the instructor before class so I know she had my correct email, but we mostly caught up. I wondered if she had forgotten to send us the email after verbally telling her friends from her knitting guild but who knows?

The instructor mentioned in class how she was going to take a class herself to work on her teaching skills.

By the end of the class no one had moved on past the center lemon (or in my case, lime) section detail so it didn’t really matter who started at home. We were all very far from completing the square and the next sections included needing to know a lot of new skills.

At the end of the 90 minutes the instructor asked if we’d like to meet again for a third time and finish the square. We all thought it sounded good and re-shared our contact info. I bought more yarn to finish the square in coordinating colors since the colors I initially bought didn’t work well.

She also asked if we’d be interested in learning more of the squares in the book as a separate series of classes.

The next I got a text saying we would have a third class learn the skills to complete the square we started but we had to pay more money for it.

I was shocked. I thought she was offering the third class because we didn’t finish any square in class, didn’t learn any finishing techniques or learn tapestry like the syllabus said or intarsia like the complex pattern called for. We started two squares in class, finished neither and were required to teach ourselves a third square at home.

I can’t see paying more money to learn the skills I already paid for and was promised we’d learn.

I thought we were being understanding and they were being professional by offering to come in for a third unscheduled week to finish the class.

We all should have been able to finish at least one square in class and learn all of the skills we were told multiple times we would learn. This wasn’t a casual fiber arts meet up.

I think the time could have worked if we did a simpler square for the second square and the requirements on the site included knowing how to make a magic circle so we didn’t have to spend time learning that on the first class. Better time management on the part of the instructor would have helped as well.

Keeping that in mind, this next part is really weird.

When writing this up I noticed that the requirements for the class when I signed up were different than they are on the site now even though the class has ended. I screenshotted them for my reference back when I paid so I know I’m not imagining things!

When I signed up the requirements were this—-

Today the page looks like this—you are expected to know a lot more skills coming into the class. It is clearly not for a new session since it includes the dates of the class I took.

I wonder when and why that changed. How bizarre is it to change the requirements after the class was posted and occurred? I know I was the last person to sign up for the class because my husband wanted to attend too but there was only one slot left and we decided I’d take it.

Why change the requirements after the class was full and possibly over? That seems super sketchy.

I guess they thought no one would notice? I knew these skills coming in but no one else seemed to which why would, they? They weren’t required when they paid.

The three week syllabus honestly looked good and it’s a shame the class was not set up like that. I would have paid more for a three week class from the start but I’m not paying more money to learn skills I was told we’d learn but didn’t through no fault of my own.

I did learn how to fptrtr which was nice but we didn’t accomplish all of the stated goals of the listing, the syllabus or what was told to us the first day in class. This was super disappointing.

I do not know how to complete the new square at all. Now I have a square that is a quarter done and two basic squares I made on my own outside of the class.

It did give me an excuse to really sit down and try granny squares but I spent about $90 on yarn at Knits and Pieces and $70 on the class and am not much further along in my skills than I was before.

Update 6/18/24: The store responded to my Google review and said they were customer service oriented store and I should have reached out. I told them my concerns three times! A truly customer service oriented store would have reached out to us, apologized for the failures of the class and offered a free make up class. Not offer a third class and charge us for it.