Sunday was beautiful. We managed to sleep in a bit and have a lazy breakfast on the back deck. The sun was shining and the boats were tacking back and forth in front of our house. What a marvelous day to be on the water or sitting in an Adirondack chair, sipping iced tea and watching the action. It certainly is a wonderful life!
I had a beginner class scheduled for 1:00 and arrived at 12:30 to meet a couple of gals who needed to pick out patterns and wool. I usually insist the students be organized for the day of the class so we can concentrate on technique and practice, but you can't always follow your own rules. We were a little late getting started but no one seemed to mind. I'm quick so we put colours together for different projects, not every bit of wool is needed to work on the piece for class, but enough to get them started. Once again I hit the jackpot with talented first timers, although two had a bit of experience, just wanted some tweaking. There is something magical about a group of women, friends or strangers, that sit together and share a common passion.
Anne with an e, chose a colour palette similar to the lovely summer dress she was wearing and also bought an aqua hook as well. Easy colour planning there! I lamented how I'd been cheated with a simple Ann for a middle name and she said, well add the e! I never thought of it but it makes perfect sense! Why the heck not! So from now on I am Christine Anne Little. Gosh darn it feels right! Ever since I read Anne of Green Gables at twelve, I longed for the more interesting moniker, felt sort of ordinary without that e. Amazing how one little vowel can make a difference! Most Ann's of note have the e. I think my mother considered the length of my birth name, Christine Ann Veinotte, knowing that at some point she would have to teach me to print all those letters and figured one less couldn't hurt!
The day was too warm to use the teaching studio upstairs so we sat in air conditioned comfort in the shop, gathered around my great grandmother's Mahone Bay Drop Leaf pine table, (defined by the finish of hand painted feathering), sipping coffee and spinning yarns as I hovered over them making sure they were forming good habits right out of the start gate.
Two of the students chose my new pattern Starfish Tango and liked the same colours so that was easy and there was talk of adding mystery fibers and possibly beads as highlights along the arms. Barb, chose my new See Seahorse design and we colour planned it funky with brights. Lori worked on a mermaid's mop of hair and Lenore brought her own kit of a fanciful sheep.
The class went an hour longer than planned but they were all so delightful I didn't notice. It also gave them a chance to hook a bit longer so they would have more for show and tell when they arrived home.
There is something extremely rewarding about teaching, especially with an enthusiastic group who take instruction well. It is interesting to watch their projects evolve, see them breathe life into a design with every loop they pull.
I had a beginner class scheduled for 1:00 and arrived at 12:30 to meet a couple of gals who needed to pick out patterns and wool. I usually insist the students be organized for the day of the class so we can concentrate on technique and practice, but you can't always follow your own rules. We were a little late getting started but no one seemed to mind. I'm quick so we put colours together for different projects, not every bit of wool is needed to work on the piece for class, but enough to get them started. Once again I hit the jackpot with talented first timers, although two had a bit of experience, just wanted some tweaking. There is something magical about a group of women, friends or strangers, that sit together and share a common passion.
Anne with an e, chose a colour palette similar to the lovely summer dress she was wearing and also bought an aqua hook as well. Easy colour planning there! I lamented how I'd been cheated with a simple Ann for a middle name and she said, well add the e! I never thought of it but it makes perfect sense! Why the heck not! So from now on I am Christine Anne Little. Gosh darn it feels right! Ever since I read Anne of Green Gables at twelve, I longed for the more interesting moniker, felt sort of ordinary without that e. Amazing how one little vowel can make a difference! Most Ann's of note have the e. I think my mother considered the length of my birth name, Christine Ann Veinotte, knowing that at some point she would have to teach me to print all those letters and figured one less couldn't hurt!
The day was too warm to use the teaching studio upstairs so we sat in air conditioned comfort in the shop, gathered around my great grandmother's Mahone Bay Drop Leaf pine table, (defined by the finish of hand painted feathering), sipping coffee and spinning yarns as I hovered over them making sure they were forming good habits right out of the start gate.
Two of the students chose my new pattern Starfish Tango and liked the same colours so that was easy and there was talk of adding mystery fibers and possibly beads as highlights along the arms. Barb, chose my new See Seahorse design and we colour planned it funky with brights. Lori worked on a mermaid's mop of hair and Lenore brought her own kit of a fanciful sheep.
The class went an hour longer than planned but they were all so delightful I didn't notice. It also gave them a chance to hook a bit longer so they would have more for show and tell when they arrived home.
There is something extremely rewarding about teaching, especially with an enthusiastic group who take instruction well. It is interesting to watch their projects evolve, see them breathe life into a design with every loop they pull.
 I'm terrible with names and I couldn't read the name tag of the woman on the left although I think it was Sharon. I can't wait to see what she does with her star fish. On the right, a very photogenic Anne with and e.  Lenore and Barb hard at work. Lenore had done a small bit of hooking in the past but Barb was a complete novice. |
What ewe hookin Lori? She's working on colour placement for her mermaid hair. Working with several shades and textures of yellow she is making sure each lock stands out.
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