As a Knitter, I’m fortunate to live in Metro Detroit where I have so many connections to other knitters, a wealth of local yarn shops, knitting and spinning guilds, classes, workshops and festivals. This is not your grandma’s knitting!

Even so, I’m glad I started at the knee of my Gram. Fascinated by her fingers flying with the yarn, and loving the “house shoes” she made for us, I begged her to show me how to knit. That first attempt was done on white plastic size 11 (US) needles with some turquoise acrylic worsted…held double! I’m not sure how I managed since my stitches were so tight, they hardly moved on that slick plastic. And yet, I prevailed, and eventually, I had produced a nice thick, warm pair of house shoes complete with fuzzy tassel toes.

Since that tenacious beginning, I have tackled projects on my own over the years. Until my latest knitting jag (started four years ago), I’d never had a knitting class. Too bad, as I missed out on a wealth of knowledge, help, and camaraderie! Now, I seek out classes and workshops to expand my horizons and connections with other fiber enthusiasts. I continue to dive right into projects and techniques I find appealing. If someone else has managed to make a project or create a technique, I’m pretty sure I can do it, too! After all, it’s just knitting. If I make a mistake, I can rip it out, or fix it. Yarn forgives most wrong turns, and I know plenty of people who can relate to my errors with grace, humor and helpful advice. Not everyone is so lucky.