Let's Talk Knitting Camp 2017

Before I took off this summer I talked about my excitement to be taking in my first ever Schoolhouse Press Knitting Camp.  Should you have forgotten what I wrote then it can be found here.

There were a few who questioned what on earth one might do from July 6-10 that related purely to knitting.  I do empathize with that skepticism, it is hard to imagine spending that many hours talking about knitting, unless you yourself  knit.  (I might ask how someone might spend much of Sunday, as well as Monday and Thursday evenings watching football for instance.  Or what about the fishing experts who come to talk for a couple of days.  Or the book clubs members who in addition to reading want to meet the authors.  Unless you love it, you don't get it.)  Those few days in camp were inspiring, energizing, educational and fun all wrapped up together.  On July 6 there was only an organized dinner in the evening, but by 4 pm when Susan and I arrived lots of knitters had already found their way to the Conference Center and sat talking and knitting to fill the time before dinner.

There were full days on July 7, 8 and 9.  Instruction took place in the mornings by either Meg Swansen (Elizabeth Zimmermann's daughter) or Amy Detjen.  I had seen Meg Swansen before at Yarnover in 2016 and wrote about that encounter here.  Meg is so unpretentious and easy-going I knew learning from her would be fun.  Amy, on the other hand, was new to me, but boy am I glad I met her.  Amy has a comedic sense of timing and humour with neither getting in the way of her teaching you all she knows about good knitting.

Afternoons were a time of bring and brag.  With 46 participants there was so much good knitting to show and talk about I walked away fully inspired with lists of new ideas and patterns to seek out each day.  I brought Waiting for Rain as my bring and brag project.  With its unique construction of short rows, lace and simple garter stitch it was a hit.  Even Meg wanted to see it close up.

Evenings were a time when one could get help from Amy and others on projects that had tripped the knitter up.  Plus there was plenty of time to bond with other knitters.  I met knitters who designed and knit from the seat of their pants, to those who so preciously followed a pattern their work perfectly replicated the designer's, to those who were so skilled they too could have been teaching.  One woman spent her free time trying to recruit others to take the Master Hand Knitter program from The Knitting Guild of America (something I have thought about doing for some time).

Oh, and there was also time to peruse all the books, yarns and patterns for sale by Schoolhouse Press as well.  Most notable is their collection of all the colours of Jameison yarns; Schoolhouse Press is one of a very few distributors of all the colours in the U.S.

There was so much to take in.  As Susan and I discussed our recollections, it seemed as if we might have attended different events, but we didn't.  I did thoroughly enjoy my time at camp; attending it was on my bucket list.  However, I don't feel the need to return soon to the first-timer camp like some who seem to come back year after year.  Again, don't get me wrong, I loved it, but there are other things burning on my bucket list like a trip to Shetland, Fair Isle, or Iceland.

Here's a few of my photographic memories of Knitting Camp 2017

A view of the classroom with Meg teaching up front.

Another view of the classroom with all the Jameison yarn in rings on the left of the photo 

Part of the Marketplace that seemed to need restocking daily.

Meg Swansen graciously posing with me for a photo.

The ever playful Amy Detjen insisting I sit on her lap if I wanted a photo with her.