How Time Flies and Things Change

August 8, 2011... A lot has changed in my life in the over two years since I last posted! In a nutshell, I graduated from library school, I got a job with Thomson Reuters as an attorney editor, and moved across the state to Rochester, New York.

Upon starting my new job, I was assigned a trainer. First thing I noticed upon entering her office, nestled amongst some of the most hideous looking books on tax law you might ever see, was a pair of blue knitting needles sitting on one of her bookshelves and this pretty ball of orange yarn with some blue and pink streaked through. I casually asked if she were a knitter, mentioning that I was one as well. Little did I know what I was starting.

Liz was not only a knitter. She is a dyer, handspinner, soap-maker... Not content with all of that, in the time since I first met her, she also learned how to weave, became a bee-keeper, and is now in the process of opening her own store, the Honeoye Craft Lab (www.honeoyecraftlab.com). She makes some of the prettiest yarn, has a real eye for color, and has some of the most fabulous soaps, lip balm, and candles you can find (you can find her wares at www.the-fuzzybunny.com).

It wasn't too long before Liz introduced me to the great fiber community here in the Finger Lakes. It began first with the Rochester Knitting Guild (http://www.rochesterknitting.org/). Then I got introduced to the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival (http://www.gvhg.org/fiber-fest). Next, largely due to the beautiful hand-spun yarns I fell in love with at the Fiber Festival, I became convinced that I absolutely must learn to spin my own yarn and bought my first wheel (an Ashford Traditional). Then I joined the Genesee Valley Handspinners Guild (http://www.gvhg.org/). I am now beginning to experiment a little with dyeing my own fiber. I have thrown myself fully and completely into learning and doing whatever I can where it comes to yarn.

My first wheel - an Ashford Traditional, dating between 1975 and 1982.

My knitting has expanded a lot. While before I was comfortable expanding into different techniques - cables, color stranding, fair isle, entrelac - I would only do these things with flat items, like scarves and blankets. I have now learned to have a healthy appreciation of double-pointed needles, and have expanded my projects to include hats, mittens, socks (I am, I must confess, slightly addicted to socks and sock yarn), and sweaters. I still have yet to tackle my first shawl, but am planning to get to that as soon as I finish everything currently on my plate.