A Beautiful Day for Beautiful Blue

Somewhere along the way I lost track of how many indigo workshops I've conducted at the Charleston Museum. Today I counted and the one we just held on Saturday, October 4 was number six! I feel in some ways as though I've never NOT been conducting indigo workshops, and at the same time, as though I'll never learn all there is to know about this magical blue dyestuff.

The weather on Saturday was one of those pristine autumn days that make you fall in love with Charleston all over again. It was cool and dry with a light breeze that kept any of our famous Lowcountry mosquitoes away, so we set up just outside the Museum's courtyard breezeway and began prepping the vats for dyeing.

Many of our attendees this time had dyed before or were involved with yarn or fabric on a regular basis. It always pleases me to find a varied group of students with different motivations and perspectives. Everyone who comes to one of my workshops (or knitting classes!) brings so much for me to learn as well. I love my job!

Jan Heister, Curator of Textiles at the Museum showed off items from the collection and gave an entertaining look at the history of indigo in both South Carolina and beyond.

Then it was time to dye! This time we focused on fabric--a canvas bag and a cotton scarf were our playthings and we got some gorgeous results. Each student was encouraged to bring an item from home as well and my favorite was a purple sweatshirt that overdyed to a magnificent blue.

Yes, it was a beautiful day and, as usual, I can't wait to do it all again!

Simple Knitting Tips: Finding your tribe

I recently had a message from a sweet gal who used to knit with us before the military relocated her family.  She was missing her knitting groups here and lamenting the slowness of finding a good one there (and she has moved to an area where there are lots of knitters).

My response to her started me thinking about the importance of finding your knitting tribe.

Sorry you haven’t been able to find your tribe there. Sometimes those things take time because you need the right sort of people to truly be your tribe, ya know? And it’s lonely getting there, but when it happens, you’ll know it was worth the wait and the effort.

As a knitter, you will be able to find things in common with any group of knitters. Finding your tribe goes a bit deeper than that. 

Finding your tribe is not about:

1) Agreeing on all things. Some of the most interesting groups that I fit into are comprised of people from many different walks of life with a variety of different viewpoints about culture, politics and religion.

2) Competing. The best groups are never about unhealthy competition. Egging each other on to finish something or try that hard technique one more time is good and helpful. Trying to be the best of the group is not.

3) Exclusion. Sadly, I have another friend who has had difficulty finding a good knitting group due to the cliques that have formed in our area. If you try a knitting group a couple of times and no one includes you in the conversation, then this is not your tribe.

4) Survivor. Maybe this is just a summary of the other points, but if alliances are being made and folks are getting voted off the island, this won't be a place of sanctuary where you can knit and bond and relax with others.

How to find your tribe:

Now that you know what not to look for, here are some tips on making the most of each visit to a knitting group as you seek out your tribe.

1) Be open. You're meeting new people, right? Expect new things. Suspend judgement and remember what Mama always said about book covers not always revealing the entire plot of the novel.

2) Smile. I shouldn't even have to say this, but I realize that if you're nervous, you may forget that smiling is your passport to the land of friendship. I tried an experiment once where I smiled at the drivers of other cars as I drove through a shopping/residential area (NOT the interstate! Safety first!). I found that not only did most of the drivers return the smile, I felt like I had won the lottery.

3) Introduce yourself. Don't be like me and give a speech about all your qualifications as a knitter and bore people. Just a simple, "Hello, my name is ____ and this is my first (or second) time here," will suffice. Bonus points for asking the person next to you to introduce you to anyone else he/she knows in the group.

4) Ask questions. People love to chat about themselves. Get them talking about what they're knitting, where they're from, what their favorite knitting yarns/needles/techniques/blogs/podcasts/etc. are and you may find that you've made a friend in record time.  They will think YOU are fascinating!

5) Be patient. You may have to try several groups, several times before you find your tribe. Like I told my friend, it's worth the wait. Sometimes, you may even decide that starting your knitting group is a solution to the search for a tribe. Starting a group won't guarantee that the folks who come will all want to be in your tribe, but it's an excellent way to meet new people.

Once you find your tribe, promise me you'll be on the lookout for other knitters seeking a tribe of their own.  A tribe is not a clique, closed with room for no more.  A tribe has room to grow and expand and welcome. You'll need new members because some will move away and some will have life happen that interferes with knitting group times. You'll need new members because you were once seeking that tribe and you remember that feeling of loneliness that comes from being tribe-less.

In knitting, as in life, it's always about the friendships that you make along the way...

Two members of my tribe who have moved out of state and whom I miss bunches! So glad we had the chance to knit together while you lived in Charleston.

Hey, Baby, it's Free Pattern Friday! (and a sale!)

So have you seen this?

It's my new Framed Nine-Patch Baby Bib and the pattern is FREE in my Ravelry store! In honor of this new pattern, I am having a sale in my Ravelry store this weekend (10/3-10/5). You can save 20% off any pattern (except the FREE ones, cuz, well, that makes no sense to me) by using the coupon code "bib" at checkout.

Enjoy!

Simple Knitting Tips: The Paperclip

In thinking about organizing stitch markers and using non-traditional knitting tools, I remembered a time, years ago, when I was eagerly beginning my second attempt at Fair Isle stranded knitting. Somehow, my usual Girl-Scout-Always-Prepared ability was not functioning one day, and I made it out of the house without my bag of knitting gadgets. When I realized I REALLY needed a stitch marker to figure out where in the pattern I was without having to count and re-count every time I looked up from the chart to know where the chart repeats were, I began the hunt. There was no way I was going to miss out on car knitting time for the lack of a stitch marker!

--Gadget bag? Nope.
--Emergency yarn cutter I usually carry in my purse so I can cut a piece of yarn to use as a stitch marker? Nope. Changed purses on the way out the door; neglected to transfer the yarn cutter.
--Stray pair of scissors anywhere in the vehicle? Nope.
--Set of keys not currently in use to employ in cutting of yarn? Nope. (House keys are great for this--if you have them on you. It seemed a bit much to ask my hubby to pull over and turn off the car just so I could use his house key to cut a piece of yarn, although that possibility loomed large...)
--Pocket knife being carried by any male member of the family (since they always have pocket knives with them)? Nope.
--Stray piece of yarn that doesn't need cutting before being put to use as stitch marker? Nope.

And then I found it: a paperclip in one of the 4563 assorted storage areas in the KnitMobile. Bingo!!

Saving the day...

Since that time, I have used paperclips many times when stitch markers were in short supply. Also, safety pins, hair pins (which make good cable needles when you get desperate, which I have), and a pencil. Somehow I always want to think I am more organized than this, but apparently not. On the plus side, if I'm knitting somewhere and need a paperclip, I've totally got it covered!