Amazing
I am still, twenty four hours after the fact, amazed, dazzled and overwhelmed by everything I experienced, saw and learned at Stitches MidWest! I am so glad that I went! It was definitely not a waste of money or time! I had to take the last twenty four hours to mull over in my overly packed head (more with air than brain tissue at times) what exactly I learned and saw. Of course - being a mom and a wife - I had to deal with those everyday tasks while doing this. Maybe that is why it took 24 hours? No - reality is - things go slower as you get older!!!!!
For me, (and I know others started on Thursday Evening and I am highly envious of those who got eve a few more prescious hours in the knitting guru camps....), Stitches started bright and early on Friday morning after very little sleep. I was highly charged and wide awake with an eager to learn that made me highly nervous to be around so many accomplished knitters. I quickly learned that even the most accomlished sock, lace, sweater and alike knitters were very open, friendly and accepting of us novice knitters.
My first class was "Shockin Stockins." It was taught by the incredibly accomplished by Joan Schrouder. I learned the Toe Up Method and several different ways to customize the sock to meet anyone's foot size. The great thing about these??? If you do not know you have enough yarn, knitting toe up will save you the frustration of not making it to the toe. Just bind off the cuff when needed. I learned a GREAT provisional cast on. I also learned how to shape the right toe and left toe. This was a light but tantalizing first class.
After I bound off my lil sample sock I rushed down to the Market Place and made a BEE LINE here to get this! I picked up four skeins which two of will goto a friend I was shopping for (honest hubby - I am an enabler - all four are not for me!) I loved their booth and also picked up some patterns to use the yarn on. If I had unlimited resources of money I could have gone hog wild in that lil booth. I then stumbled across this quaint store while text messaging my friends (that I would later meet up with) that I was now BROKE. This store had the cutest skirt kit and couldn't help but put that in my purchase bag as well. I have two girls you know..... How could I resist. It was a steal for the price of the kit including all the yarn! They also had THIS and I bought enough to make a hat, entralac scarf and cable fingerless gloves!!!!
I might have been less restrained if my dear friends from my knit night didn't come to my rescue. Meeting up with them curbed by yarn fondling and purchasing. Heading off to my second class I was invigorated by all the fiber and knit enabling at the market place. My class was with the highly talented Debbie New. I will be honest, I did not know who she was. The class was full as everyone else apparently did know who she was. I learned SO MUCH my head hurt when I walked out. I learned how to do a three needle bind off with ONLY TWO NEEDLES. I don't want to learn the three needle bind off now. This way was too cool. I also learned how to cast on and play with the yarn direction to create different cast ons. I learned an easy Kirschner stitch that I will use in place of for all my sock needs in the future. I learned two great bind off techniques that will loosen my bind off and also leave loops if I want to pick up stitches later. I learned a most awesome way to make a sock without knitting in the round using all the techniques that she taught us. The most important thing that happened in the class was the spark to make me knit without a pattern. The spark to be creative. How awesome is that!
I met another knitter, Barbara from Indiana, who was nice enough to help me learn these new techniques and encourage me to keep growing in my knitting. She was a most warm and inviting person I can see why see why she teaches kniting at her favorite yarn shop in Indiana!
Friday was a filled and packed day that ended in a lovely dinner and the hot tub with my friends while we knitted and talked. There were so many people in the hotel and restaurants knitting it was so funny. I think the waiters were freaking out. Donna - I still want to see that wool bikini you promised to wear in the hot tub. I am holding you to it!!!!!!
Now I would love to show you pictures of my yarn stash addition BUT I would have to kill you after. My hubby - bless his heart for letting me go away this weekend) hasn't even seen it yet! I would also love to show you pictures of the weekend - but I apparently would have been killed if I took them. (Understandably so - there were alot of cool sweaters and scarves and items to knit on display. I however and NOT that talented!!!)
Later - more on Saturday and Sunday... I now must pack up the kiddies for their big train trip to Michigan for a few weeks with the grandparents. I will definitely be knitting away while they are gone to fulfill that empty nest syndrome.
For me, (and I know others started on Thursday Evening and I am highly envious of those who got eve a few more prescious hours in the knitting guru camps....), Stitches started bright and early on Friday morning after very little sleep. I was highly charged and wide awake with an eager to learn that made me highly nervous to be around so many accomplished knitters. I quickly learned that even the most accomlished sock, lace, sweater and alike knitters were very open, friendly and accepting of us novice knitters.
My first class was "Shockin Stockins." It was taught by the incredibly accomplished by Joan Schrouder. I learned the Toe Up Method and several different ways to customize the sock to meet anyone's foot size. The great thing about these??? If you do not know you have enough yarn, knitting toe up will save you the frustration of not making it to the toe. Just bind off the cuff when needed. I learned a GREAT provisional cast on. I also learned how to shape the right toe and left toe. This was a light but tantalizing first class.
After I bound off my lil sample sock I rushed down to the Market Place and made a BEE LINE here to get this! I picked up four skeins which two of will goto a friend I was shopping for (honest hubby - I am an enabler - all four are not for me!) I loved their booth and also picked up some patterns to use the yarn on. If I had unlimited resources of money I could have gone hog wild in that lil booth. I then stumbled across this quaint store while text messaging my friends (that I would later meet up with) that I was now BROKE. This store had the cutest skirt kit and couldn't help but put that in my purchase bag as well. I have two girls you know..... How could I resist. It was a steal for the price of the kit including all the yarn! They also had THIS and I bought enough to make a hat, entralac scarf and cable fingerless gloves!!!!
I might have been less restrained if my dear friends from my knit night didn't come to my rescue. Meeting up with them curbed by yarn fondling and purchasing. Heading off to my second class I was invigorated by all the fiber and knit enabling at the market place. My class was with the highly talented Debbie New. I will be honest, I did not know who she was. The class was full as everyone else apparently did know who she was. I learned SO MUCH my head hurt when I walked out. I learned how to do a three needle bind off with ONLY TWO NEEDLES. I don't want to learn the three needle bind off now. This way was too cool. I also learned how to cast on and play with the yarn direction to create different cast ons. I learned an easy Kirschner stitch that I will use in place of for all my sock needs in the future. I learned two great bind off techniques that will loosen my bind off and also leave loops if I want to pick up stitches later. I learned a most awesome way to make a sock without knitting in the round using all the techniques that she taught us. The most important thing that happened in the class was the spark to make me knit without a pattern. The spark to be creative. How awesome is that!
I met another knitter, Barbara from Indiana, who was nice enough to help me learn these new techniques and encourage me to keep growing in my knitting. She was a most warm and inviting person I can see why see why she teaches kniting at her favorite yarn shop in Indiana!
Friday was a filled and packed day that ended in a lovely dinner and the hot tub with my friends while we knitted and talked. There were so many people in the hotel and restaurants knitting it was so funny. I think the waiters were freaking out. Donna - I still want to see that wool bikini you promised to wear in the hot tub. I am holding you to it!!!!!!
Now I would love to show you pictures of my yarn stash addition BUT I would have to kill you after. My hubby - bless his heart for letting me go away this weekend) hasn't even seen it yet! I would also love to show you pictures of the weekend - but I apparently would have been killed if I took them. (Understandably so - there were alot of cool sweaters and scarves and items to knit on display. I however and NOT that talented!!!)
Later - more on Saturday and Sunday... I now must pack up the kiddies for their big train trip to Michigan for a few weeks with the grandparents. I will definitely be knitting away while they are gone to fulfill that empty nest syndrome.
Happy knitting!!!!!
posted by B at 8/14/2006 06:12:00 AM
1 Comments:
Hi: Sounds like a wonderful time. Would appreciate any details for another year when a few of us from Minnesota would love to attend. What's this new kirschner stitch???? Can you share. Thanks!!! Sally (mainelysal@aol.com)
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