I have had the opportunity over the years to meet some really fabulous people. Many of them have become my friends. Three of them started to gang up on me a little last year. All of them are awesome knitters and they are the kinds of knitters who design stuff! Greg Cotton doesn’t design stuff for anyone but himself as far as I know. Marilyn Van Keppel is the queen of Faroese and Icelandic style shawls. Janine Bajus does colorwork and Fair Isle like nobody’s business.
The designing is a puzzlement to me. I’ve never had the confidence to really do it. I’ve made one sweater and one shawl with no pattern. It was hard but I want to get better.
Here’s the honest truth. When these three would come to my place to spin with me I was quite fine. I felt like I could hang. When they wanted me to go to camp with them, I was hesitant. It was out of my comfort zone. My knitting skills are adequate when following a pattern but spending 4 days next to these three plus more than 30 others, who I was convinced were all professionals, was quite intimidating.
The peer pressure was too much and so I gave in. It’s one of the few times I’m happy I did that.
Also, Meg Swansen is a very beautiful woman. It was hard to not just admire her. She’s so elegant. And kind. And she knows knitting!
We went to the session that they always go to which is retreat session 2.75. It was completely different than I expected. I was thinking it would be sitting in class the whole time. It was nothing like any class I have ever been in. There was so much discussion and sharing of ideas and techniques. The whole class was filled with teachers, people willing to share what they know. Plus, all of those Elizabeth Zimmerman techniques that I couldn’t figure out by reading were coming to life and I had plenty of aha moments.
Look at the samples that were there for us to touch and study.
I now have lots of new things I want to make and try. I need to find more places to fly to so I have more knitting time! If you’ve been thinking about going to camp and you haven’t ever gone, don’t wait any longer!
Now, for just a tiny advertisement. There is still room in our Happy Camper Fiber Retreat in September. We have added some single rooms too so if sharing a room was what was holding you back, we’ve helped you out with that obstacle. Rita has one of the broadest color palettes in her dyeing and she wants to show you how she does it. Jillian’s class is awesome. The description doesn’t do justice to all of the things you will learn from her. And me, well, I love hand cards and I will show you how to use them, and how to use them for blending, and how to feel happy with your carding, and how to get the reproduceable colors you want if dyeing just isn’t your thing. Sign up! It’s going to be fun! Plus door prizes! Plus the most awesome goody bags you’ve ever seen.
