No Metal Needles

This is not a manifesto against the use of metal knitting needles. I have many that I like, but when I was listening to a blog where someone was going on about being the only person on campus knitting at her school, I thought to myself, how things have changed.

When I went to college, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, each semester began the same way. Each professor would hand out his list of reading materials and his rules on how his class would be run. For my four years of undergraduate study, every lecture class had listed at the top of the sheet "NO METAL NEEDLES." What was meant was that all the students who were sitting in the lecture day after day and knitting, and let me say we were numerous, were warned against metal needles. Why? Because at least once every semester someone seated in the very top row of this large hall with at least 50 concrete steps to get there would, in the middle of the lecture, drop a needle when changing from knitting to purling. That needle would hit the floor "clang" and then slowly roll down the steps "clang, clang, clang..." until it reached the bottom. You could count on that very angry professor then picking it up and cllimbing all the way to the top not to return the offending noise maker to its owner but to take her knitting and ban her from bringing it to his class for the rest of the semester. If nothing else, this experience taught me a love for circular needles.

I do feel sorry that more knitters aren't knitting in lectures. Believe me; it got us sanely through many a very tedious class. I'd love to see the number of on campus knitters grow to the point that more professors would have to post the edict, "NO METAL NEEDLES."

Thank you Debbie Macomber

It is so nice when people not only like your work but let the world know that they like it. I just read the newest book in the Blossom Street series by Debbie Macomber called Back to Blossom Street. It involves characters that are old friends and new ones in the kind of story that Debbie write so well about the "family" of knitters whose lives are as intertwined as their knitting. Debbie chose to feature 10 designers or teachers by quoting them at the beginning of selected chapters. I was honored to be part of this group. So get the book and read a great story and find my quote.

I have made a delightful discovery that is helping me keep my sanity while knitting sweaters, designing, writing and marketing. That discovery is the world of the Knitting Podcast!!! What a delight I had when a friend, who had encouraged me to start a My Space page, list on her site a podcast interview. When I clicked to listen, I felt like Alice falling down the hole into Wonderland. There are wonderful podcasts out there that talk about knitting as well as tons of other subjects. Those who create these shows are relaxed and informative either interviewing experts or chatting about their latest project. All you have to do is download Itunes into your computer, type in knitting under podcasts and voila! A treasure of listening is yours. Knit Cast, Pointy Sticks and Stash and Burn are the ones I've been listening to as I crochet seam together or knit a sleeve, since these are all on knitting and I have so many more to explore.

The podcast that got me started takes all forms of crafts and interviews experts in each field as well as authors on these subjects. It is called Craftcast with Alison Lee. I am a knitter both by love and profession, but I am interested in all types of crafts (if only there were enough hours in the day). Alison brings us various crafters to talk about the why as well as the how behind their work and because of her own curiosity about each one, makes for an entertaining and informative show. Take some time and listen.

Knit Biz Bloggers

^{List |}

^{Previous |}

^{Next |}

^Random

^{Powered by RingSurf}