I Had Rather Be Smocking

First of all, I would like to remind you that Sunday, January 31st is the LAST day to take advantage of the Anniversary Sale! The response has been awesome, and I hope everyone enjoys their new patterns!

While you are here, I'll share a story........ I have never tried to knit, have always been fascinated by it, as in, "Wow! You knit!" and thought I would give it a try. As a teacher, it is always good to be learning something new, and is a great exercise in humility. So, around Thanksgiving I bought a "Teach Yourself to Knit" kit at Hobby Lobby. First of all, I have never been able to teach myself to do ANYTHING! I always need to see it live and in person. But, with a sense of adventure I took my new knitting supplies to my daughter's house ( who also doesn't knit) and we learned how to cast on together. She then confiscated half of my supplies, and asked for a Hobby Lobby gift card for Christmas.

Off and on, when I talked to her during the Holidays she mentioned that she was knitting and several times got me unstuck over the phone, or referred me to a website with videos.

Six weeks later, when she came for my Birthday, I proudly showed her the scarf I'm working on. I have mastered Knit 1-Purl 1, and although I still feel awkward holding the needles, I have enjoyed it and am quite pleased with the results! She bragged on the choice of color and yarn quality and said that the tension was great. And then it happened....

She handed her brother the cap that she had knitted him for his Birthday! I still laugh every time I see his cap and think of how far she came as a beginner in six weeks! Wouldn't the world be a boring place, if we were all good at the same thing! I think that I will let her "shine" at knitting and I will stick to smocking.

I will be absent from the blogging world for the next week while I am busy teaching at Martha Pullen's School of Art and Fashion. I have already packed the camera, so I am looking forward to sharing pictures with you when I get back!