- Charisa ~ you are one dynamic, charismatic, fearless leader! It's amazing what you and your knitting group have accomplished in the last year. To take your passion for knitting and form the community that you have in such a short time was amazing to observe. You are the epitome of the guild's theme this year. Thank you so much for inviting us to come and speak to you all. And on a personal note, I still can't believe how quickly you pegged me as a type A personality, oh kindred spirit!
- The Guild ~ you were wonderful! We were so nervous ~ some more than others...we had visions of seizures, fainting spells, tears, hysterical laughter....you name it, we were worried it was going to happen to one of us! You all couldn't have been more welcoming and enthusiastic about a bunch of strangers coming to talk to you about a craft that many of you have probably had more experience at than the sum of all our combined years of knitting. Thank you so much for making us feel at home from the minute we walked in the door!
- National vs Local ~ within 10 minutes I decided that my TKGA membership will be a thing of the past (at least for the time being) when it expires in February and I'm going to join the Snohomish Guild. I can't wait to get locally involved and hopefully be put to work in some form or fashion to help this fantastic group of people grow and support each other in their fiber craft passions. I'm a workhorse and love to help where I can, so hopefully once I settle in I'll be able to contribute in some way.
- Waltz Building ~ I'm not sure where the guild used to meet but the new digs are fantastic! I looked it up on 'the Google' this week and learned that it was built in 1938 as the music building for the high school. I love the sense of history you get when you walk in the door, with old black and white class photos on the walls everywhere you look. What better place to practice a craft that has such a rich history of it's own. My only regret is that the lighting was not the best for photo taking and of the many photos I took after our presentation, I only had a few that were barely salvageable.
- Feedback ~ we were hoping for some (anything, really, please tell us your thoughts from the night!) and I'm not sure what the other knitwits have heard but I'll share my moment of glory. I got a wonderful note on Ravelry from luv4wool simply titled 'Inspiration' in which she shared that she has been knitting since a young age and that we inspired her to take a class and wanted to know where to start. I've already thanked her and shared some thoughts on choosing a shop and a lesson but I'd like to thank her again here since her simple note made any of the prepresentation emotional trauma I went through totally worth it! I'm so glad that you shared with me! And I've also noticed that we have a few new followers on the blog ~ welcome! We're glad that you were interested enough to find us online and leave us messages ~ warms my heart. Also, the invites that I got to 4 knitgroups ~ thanks to everyone that approached me with an offer of a local weekly group ~ I hope to get to hang out with some if not all of you soon! I'm excited!
- On a personal note ~ I'll wrap it up by saying that I appreciated having the forum to publicly tell my fellow knitwits how I feel about them and all that they mean to me. We send emails all the time but I don't think we've actually told each other out loud how much our friendships mean and how special we know our relationships with each other are. What a great night! I'm so proud that I let my arm be twisted into taking this opportunity and overcoming all my fears. For someone that didn't think they could fill 5 minutes with anything but idle chatter, I think I may have taken up more than my allotted time and I still had things I wanted to say! It was so empowering to be surrounded by so many creative, encouraging fellow crafters. I feel like I've found a home ;)
I'll share just one photo with everyone ~ hopefully Kelli has a bunch that she can post but this was my money shot from the evening. Kelli getting to share her first pattern with a guild member:
It was a truly inspiring evening. I get up and do my presentation every month, and everyone tells me they never see the nerves, but they are always there. The guild board persuaded me to take the Knit New(s) position at the start and I have reveled in the joy of sharing everything that I find interesting. I applaud you for overcoming your hesitation and nerves and sharing so much with us. Every little push out of our natural comfort zone is a good push, as long as it isn't too big of a push at once (I think). It was truly a pleasure hearing how this marvelous craft can bridge a gap and bring 4 people even closer together. Thank you, your sister-in-laws and mother-in-law for sharing. It was wonderful to hear how your different personalities and skill levels still give you a constant thread that ties you all together. I hope to run into you at some of the meetups or guild meetings in the future.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad we had the opportunity to do this together! Thanks for sharing your heart Mel! Love you knitwits!
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful to read this post. I've gotten lots of feedback about the KnitWits visit -- all very very positive. We've had some wonderful programs in the past year, but I think my favorite was hearing from you all.
ReplyDeleteYou really embody and articulate the "why" so many of us have taken fiber-in-hand in the first place.
We wish we were close enough for everyone to join --and know that you will always be welcome whenever you are in the area. We are thrilled to have Melissa join the guild.
Thank you again for such a great program!