Scotland 2009

What a wonderful week. The hotel at Luss was fantastic, the external views were stunning, especially with the snow.

The internal views were just as good, roaring fires, squashy sofas, fantastic meals and amongst the paintings adorning the walls was this gem

if anyone can give me the name of the artist I would be grateful.

The show in Glasgow remains my favourite show. There may only be a few knitting stands but what there is is a great sense of a knitting community. I love the fact that there were sometimes 3 generations of family visiting together, each exploring different aspects of our crafts.

I also enjoyed the fact that I got to meet up with Juliet, Pat, Nancy, Bob + Nell, Christeen, Agnes, Margaret, Purple Jen and others but was sorry to miss the Gourock group - I promise I'll try to do all 4 days next year!

There's none of the cynicism of some of the larger shows with everyone wanting the latest "fad" yarn or gadget. There's more of an emphasis on creating beautifully constructed wearable art in quality materials; on learning new techniques; on improving skills and sharing knowledge with others.

I love teaching beginners but got a real kick from working with some of the disabled visitors and helping them experience the joy of playing with yarn, some for the first time. Members of Nancy's craft group visited one day and it was lovely to meet them in person having heard Nancy's stories of their adventures over the years.

I think the happiest moment of the show for me was when a gentleman returned to the stand late in the day asking me for details of where to buy the crochet hooks I'd encouraged his wife to try - he said she hadn't stopped talking about them and smiling - it was the most excited he had seen her since her stroke.

Whilst I was in Scotland I heard about this project Stitches on the Bridge and thought it might appeal to some of you, I've never been to Skye but it is on my "wishlist".

ps I know that link isn't working but can't work out why - very exasperating- just click on their suggested link (which is exactly what I typed) and it works

Posted by Yvonne at March 9, 2009 03:19 PM