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What’s New?
January 2007
Hmm... Did 2006 just whiz by? How did that happen? Well,
I can give an overview from where I left off, and maybe take
a look ahead as well!
June 2005 found me in Estonia for almost a month, with a
side trip to Sweden to rendezvous with my brother as well
as to visit my dear friend Anne Maj Ling who wrote Two End
Knitting, published by Schoolhouse Press. It was a fun year
of teaching and seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
 A
Russian Orthodox Church in Old Town in Tallinn, Estonia.
Some of the amazing mittens and gloves I saw
in Estonia!
2006 was so rewarding! After having a great time in Texas,
I taught at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina.
I am excited to be teaching there again in March 2007. This
time, we'll knit a bunch of different mittens.
 The
facility is wonderful (as you can see here, lots of light)
and the camaraderie and food were the best! If you ever have
a chance to treat yourself to a week there, I highly recommend
it! Check it out at www.folkschool.com.
Our roomy, well-lit classroom at the John C.
Campbell Folk School.
At Camp Stitches East in July, my eager students knitted
furiously on their Sanquhar
Gloves. Then at Stitches East, I was able to teach a 12
hour class for the first time! That opens up the possibilities
for other more in-depth classes at Stitches! YAY!
For the past three Octobers, I have gone up to Vermont,
my favorite state, to teach for Margaret Wilson of Mostly
Merino, and to fondle her most luscious yarns! The food and
the company can't be beat. Oh yeah, well, the wine too. Margaret's
website isn't finished yet, but when it is, go to www.mostlymerino.com
to view her sensitive and skillful dyeing. It is remarkable!
In November, I spent a delicious week with wonderful knitters
in Olema, California, teaching and luxuriating at the Olema
Inn. (Yes, it's where Prince Charles and Camilla went for
lunch on their Royal Tour in 2005. La-tee-da, dahling!) Check
out www.theolemainn.com to see what a fancy-schmancy place
it is-I felt all grown up being there! I am tentatively scheduled
to teach there this coming November for the fourth year in
a row. I can't wait!
I am happy to spend a month at home relaxing before I begin
my 2007 schedule, if only to reacquaint myself with my kids.
I hope to open some new horizons in the New Year. I am on
the fence about European travel this year, but I will get
that travel itch satisfied criss-crossing the US a few times.
May we all have a brighter, more peaceful world in 2007!
April 2005
 This
month, I visited a wonderful knitting group in Fairfield,
Iowa. Fairfield is a lovely town with a warm feel to it. It
is the home of Maharishi University of Management which offers
a consciousness-based education. While this may seem strange
to some of you, the open and caring environment I felt while
there could indeed be a result of the training, like Trancendental
Meditation, so many in the community have received at the
school.
 I
taught my two-day workshop on the Danish Skrå-trøje
and we all had a good time!
Photos by Julie Johnston
March 2005
This month I had some fun workshops! In addition to those,
I was able to take a short trip to Reykjavik, Iceland. What
a wild and wonderful land it is, so very primal, geologically.
I took some tours and saw magnificent things! Besides swimming
in the Blue Lagoon which was heavenly, I went to the area
where one can actually see where the North American tectonic
plate and the Eurasian plate are pulling away from each other
at a rate of 2 cm/year.
 The
photo does not give you the sense of the huge chasm created
by this movement.
 Then
I went to see some geysers and the whole area was bubbling,
boiling water gurgling everywhere! There is a person in the
upper left corner of the photo to give you a sense of scale.
It was amazing!
I loved the architecture there. I took this photo inside
a church at the head of Skólavör∂ustígur
Street. The outside was just as wondrous and sported a statue
of Leif Eriksson. Just remember, those Vikings beat Chris
Columbus to America by several hundred years!
 Next
I wandered down the street to Skólavör∂ustígur
19 and found the Handknitting Association. Don't miss this
shop if you are ever there! The modest entrance gives no clue
to the jumble of color and pattern awaiting you inside!
 Choose
from many yarns —lots of Lopi and plötulopi—
to gorgeous sweaters in any size and pattern imaginable! The
prices are so reasonable and everything here is handknitted
by Icelanders.
 I
spoke with one of the staff there, and she told me that the
Handknitting Association began in the 1970's. It is a place
where knitters can sell directly to the tourists, rather than
paying a middle man. Interestingly, she spoke about the Icelandic
sweaters with the circular yokes as being developed in the
1940's through the 1950's. It is believed that the Bohus sweaters
from Sweden were the original inspiration for them!
February, 2005
At Stitches West in February, I taught Twined Knitting
to a group of Japanese knitters, through an interpreter, Mariko
Nonaka, who lives in California. It was a wonderful experience
for me to work with such enthusiastic and warm people. Knitting
is international — it crosses language barriers everywhere!
 I
am demonstrating how to hold the yarns to a student while
Mr. Mitsuharu Hirose, Japan's leading knitwear designer, looks
on. Notice his beautiful green crocheted jacket.
 Some
of the students,
hard at work.
My class of
wonderful students!
Mariko Nonaka, who interpreted for me.
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