Learning From A Master

Dinner with Beth Brown-Reinsel was a relaxed joy.   Beth was in town to teach for two local guilds and a few of us took her to dinner on Friday evening.  The conversation flowed and circled around and through lots of topics.  Her three European teaching trips over the summer provided all manner of query and response.  The just released program for Stitches West brought another lively topic.

Then, there was the sourcing of yarn for twined knitting and a lovely discussion of S-ply vs. Z ply and Europe vs. America vs. the world.  Beth is quite handy with the facts and rationale for all manner of yarn manufacture.  Beth also told us (OK - shameless plug for her shameless plug for the event) about her next teaching cruise in 2012 up to Alaska.  The details are not yet posted but you'll want to drool over at the Craft Cruises website.

Saturday brought a full day of classes with this dynamic teacher.  We studied  various cast on methods and how to incorporate more than one color into the start of a project.  The whole afternoon was devoted to exploring traditional motifs and techniques by completing  Latvian Wristers.  

Completing - might be too strong of a word.  Working toward completion is a better description.  This is my first wrister.  The knitting is done; there is much post-production work on the horizon!  I am thinking that the best course is to complete the mate and then deal with the weaving and hemming in one sitting.  This work has me so excited that I do not wish to go to the dark side of second wrister syndrome and never finish the mate.  

Never did I think of my self as loving fiddly color work much less gaining proficiency at twined work.   I am hooked - not in a crochet way, rather in smitten with these techniques.  Just look at that loveliness.  Once those ends are woven to close up the color change holes and the picot hem is turned inside this will be a work of art and inspiration.  Already the skills learned in this few inches are banging around in the knit vision and all manner of possible incorporation into next projects is coalescing in my little brain. 

Thank you Beth!  Another student is addicted to this style - especially that herringbone braid.