Friday, September 28, 2007

A Weekend With Annie


It's always so much fun when a well-known knitting teacher and designer comes to town! Last weekend, the Sacramento Knitting Guild -- aka the Stockin'ettes -- played host to Annie Modesitt. Annie taught 4 classes over two days: Embellishments & Beading on Saturday, and Cables & Lace on Sunday.

I think my favorite was the embellishments portion, but I definitely picked up *a lot* of useful tips from all the sessions. In my opinion, no matter how good a knitter you are or how long you've been knitting, there are always wonderful new and different things to learn.


For instance, it is truly mind-boggling how many different cast-on and cast-off methods there are. My mom knit for 60+ years and always used the same methods. Those were the ones she used when she first learned to knit, and they were the same ones she was using when she put down her needles for the last time. (And here's a really sad thing: other than me, Mom never had another friend who knit. Pretty incredible thought today, huh?) I definitely credit the Internet for spreading new ideas, inspiring and publicizing new books, forming knitterly communities and helping new designers, teachers, and authors gain market traction. Look at the explosion of knitting/fiber-related shows and conferences. And the yarn! Well, the wild proliferation of yarns and patterns available to today's knitters just couldn't have happened without Internet buzz.


What do you think?


Anyway, Annie was a lot of fun. Her teaching method is very personable and she has lots of knitting-related stories and jokes to tell. We all had a good time and laughed while we learned.
This is Annie & me joking around with the pictures in her new book, Romantic Knits. Annie donated a full set of her books to the guild library. Thanks, Annie! We look forward to your next visit!

1 comment:

Beth said...

I took a class with Annie last year and it was so much fun! It really whetted my appetite for more. :)