Over the last few years, I have attended quite a lot of knitting classes in Canada and the U.S. When I used to be in university, I loved studying and I could have been an eternal student if the realities of having to earn a living had not interfered with my plans.
I have transferred this love of learning to knitting classes, hence my assiduous attendance to a whole range of class settings, be it huge venues like Stitches, tiny ones like Gone Stitchin' and medium ones, like the Knitter's Frolic classes. I have of course progressed and my taste became more refined and demanding over the years, but of all types of settings, Madrona is the one I like best. It's small enough that you don't feel too lost in a crowd, but it's large enough that it attracts the heavy-weights in the knitting kingdom. I'm talking Cat Bordhi, Lucy Neatby, Nancy Bush, Evelyn Clark, and the like. The hotel, on top of that, is really comfortable and quiet (at least, it has been for me so far).
This is my second year in Madrona. Of course, as a total unknown, I don't expect a lot of recognition from any of the instructors, even if sometimes, this is the third or fourth class I have taken with them. After all, they see hundreds of students every year, so why would they remember me? I don't like to go up to them, saying "I took a class from you 6 months ago", and get this blank stare from them, and their polite response of "Oh, that's nice". I did once, silly me, and I felt like a right fool when the instructor in question looked at me, with slight alarm in her eyes, and tried to get away as fast as possible from me. Yeah, I might be a stalker after all... you never know.
I like taking classes with instructors to see their teaching style, especially the ones people rave about, to see exactly what it is people are raving about. I took a class with Lucy Neatby for that purpose last year, and boy, I was not disappointed; she is vivacious, energetic, charming, a bundle of energy full of knowledge. Go to her classes if you have the opportunity, people, you will not waste your time and your money. Sometimes, I will even take a class although I already know the technique, such as Vivian Hoxbro's Domino Knitting class. I have read the book, heck I even knitted an entire sweater in mitered squares using her technique :
But I wanted to hear "de vive voix" the expert talking about it, and sure enough, I did learn some very valuable tips and finer points about the technique. She saw I already understood the method and she very generously gave me something else to experiment on, which I truly appreciated, even though I was perfectly prepared to follow the class she taught. She is an entertaining person and she had a ton of garments we all ended up trying on and modelling (sorry, photos are on my little Sony camera and I am very smart because I forgot to bring the cable connecting it to my laptop, so they will have to wait until next time).
Betsy Hershberg (Bead Knitting on the Edge) is another one I wanted to see. She was definitely not at the top of her form (and I guess the fact she called in sick today may indicate why), she had an unfortunate group of students that was way too mixed -- some of which could not read the handout in front of them. "How many stitches do I cast on?" "23 stitches". "And I am supposed to do garter stitch?" "No, it's in stockinette, read your handout". "But am I supposed to string the beads first?" "Yes, it's on your handout, read it". "And now, what do I do?" "Follow the instructions on your handout". And so on. I was ready, about 20 minutes into the class (and this was an all-day class) to jump over the table and personally strangle the small bunch of people who were reading-instructions-challenged. Her written instructions were fine, but there were a few copy-and-past mistakes towards the end that messed up the people who were ahead (yes, I was part of them, and yes, I know I am supposed to wait but I had no other knitting to do and help me cope, so I went ahead), and she had very, very few samples to show. Now, any good instructor brings a ton of stuff with them. Even Vivian Hoxbro and Ruth Sorensen, who had to travel from far-away lands to teach here had a LOT of samples with them, so the distance to be travelled and the constriction of luggage limits are obviously not a deterrent to them. While it was an okay class, and I did learn useful techniques, I found the day very slow.
Ruth Sorensen was another deal altogether. I probably came to the class with false expectations (the class is called "Designing with Self-Striping Yarns"), as I thought she would talk about tricks and tips regarding the process itself. In fact, we were to choose a motif to knit with Kauni yarn and knit a sample with it. It was more of a knitting get-together than a structured class. I found the little aside she did with some of us on using Microsoft Excel to do charts the most useful part of the day. She is a charming person and I really like her, but I did not really get much instruction. But then again, it may just have been false expectations on my part. Still, when you are paying around $120 U.S. for a class, you do expect to be taught something for the largest part of the day, not sit around and chat.
I have photos on all these classes that I will post upon my return -- tomorrow, I take a class with Cat Bordhi. She is a well-known quantity, as I spent 3 days with her in June at Camp Stitches, learning everything I ever wanted to know about Hybrid Sock Architecture. She is a lovely person and I have learnt a lot from her in every class I have taken.
Here are some photos of Cat Bordhi's talk in this word-heavy post:
She sollicited Tina (Blue Moon Fiber Arts) and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's help in a very silly sketch:
It was actually quite funny, in her interpretation of the origins of knitting:
Yes, Stephanie is indeed eating wool and finding not very tasty (which is why, according to Cat, it got used for knitting and clothing instead):
I did not go to the banquet, I wanted a quiet evening tonight. But look what was waiting for me in my hotel room when I got back from class today:
Isn't that lovely? Colin was supposed to join me in Madrona on Thursday evening, but because of our moody 16-year old daughter in full existential crisis and for reasons too long to mention, he had to cancel his plans at the last minute and stayed in Toronto. So he had these three cute (and delicious) chocolates delivered to my room today. I have been with him nearly 25 years and he still manages to surprise me (in a good way!)