The Power of Knitting

When a busy woman needs to learn to knit, she will find a way.

With long and late hours dedicated to helping troubled families and challenged children, this lady needed to schedule a private lesson.  She had knitted in the past, but had never purled, cast on or cast off.  She walked in with a coffee ...and a bad headache ...and told me about the history of migraines in her family, the tension that she holds in her shoulders and some of the challenges of her job.

I was concerned.  She was stressed.

We talked and we focussed on her knitting.  She wanted to understand.  She asked questions, took notes, and made sure that she got the process and the results.  An hour and a half later, she left with her goal of working on a 10-stitch strip of wonkiness to explore combinations of knits and purls and the resulting fabrics.  Time to play.  She left without a headache.

Yesterday was a good day.

A Visit to Koigu Wool Designs

I love a long weekend ...even if it is only one hour longer!  It means that today I will likely try to cram in at least 3 extra hours of fun. 

• I started the morning off by creating a new, improved techniques list for my Basics and Beyond class this week.  Hope they like it.
• Next, I think I'll tell you about our trip north to visit Koigu Wool. 
• Then, it will be on to the newsletter, and then Matt and I will settle in for some NFL, knitting and spinning (Matt will not likely be knitting and spinning ...but you never know!) 
• Maybe I'll get some bulbs planted in our new garden. 
• Oh, and then we'll take a walk in the beautiful sunshine, wearing some cosy knits and pretending it's winter!
• It's amazing what you can do in an hour, isn't it?

As promised:

On Hallowe'en, Matt and I took a drive north in search of beauty.  I think we found some!

Our visit to the gorgeous location of Koigu Wool Designs was so private and beautiful, that I felt like I would be trespassing to take pictures.  So you'll just have to imagine the beautiful pond, pastures, buildings and trees.  Breathtaking.

And then we went inside to choose "a few" colours.  Although we ended up with many bags, we were also able to choose from a display of single skeins.  I think that my biggest smile of the day came from watching Maie Landra, the founder of the company.  After I had chosen a dozen or so colours, Maie's hands gently reached out to move one skein next to a different skein.  And then she moved a few more.   In a few moments, they were all arranged in beautiful groups, with subtle changes from one to the next.  Obviously, this is an artist who loves her work.