Day Two
Debbie Stoller and the
Tangled Balls
I started off my morning with the super cool Debbie Stoller
and her “Knitting on the Double” class. If you thought I was excited to see
Ysolda Teague the night before, you have no idea the level of excitement I had
for getting to learn techniques first-hand from Debbie Stoller. Years ago, I learned how
to knit with her very first Stitch n’ Bitch book. I was in between jobs and
watching a morning show one day when there she was talking about her book and
showcasing some of her projects. I thought to myself, “I can do that!” The
rest, as they say, is history.
I have to admit, I’m not a big fan of project classes. I really prefer technique classes. This class,
unbeknownst to me, was project focused. We worked on her Uncle Argyle scarf the
entire time. She showed us how to hold the yarn for the double knitting
technique, then went around the room to check on people. We progressed through
some rows of the pattern and then called it a day. I, like many others, left
about 30 minutes early. It was an interesting technique to learn, the pattern
is great, and Debbie Stoller is an awesome teacher, but project classes just
aren’t my cup of tea.
During the class, the older woman sitting next to me (I'd guesstimate her to be in her 80s), was having a hard time mastering the two-strand technique more so than the
rest of us. I felt so bad for her. She kept saying that she was losing the
feeling in her hands, and you could see they were slightly curled with arthritis. At one point she was ready to give up, but Debbie
encouraged her to stay and practice the strand-holding technique. The woman
commented that it was hard when her yarn kept getting tangled up, and Debbie
said “well of course, your balls are tangled! You can’t knit when your balls
are tangled.” The woman blushed a little and we all kind of chuckled like 12-year-olds as Debbie stood there and untangled the
woman’s yarn for her.
Throughout the class Debbie used what some might consider “salty” language. Being married to a police officer, I’m pretty used to it, so it didn’t faze me. I think she accidentally
let the f-word slip once, which I'll admit isn't exactly appropriate for this setting, but other than that it was pretty tame. Apparently
she got dinged in the class feedback sheets for using inappropriate language.
Debbie Does Lace
In the afternoon I took another Debbie Stoller class called “The
Amazing Lace.” She taught us how to make lace patterns, figure out what works, what
doesn’t work, she used people to demonstrate stitches, and we practiced techniques throughout. The class
really helped me to understand why designers create lace patterns the way they do
and the difference that yarn over placement makes. Afterwards, she signed my first
Stitch n’ Bitch book for me. I felt kind of like a dork for asking, but other
people were doing it too.
Marketplace Day Two
During my downtime between classes, I thought I’d give the
marketplace another try, and I’m glad I did because I got to meet Vickie Howell
(not just stare at her from afar like the day before). One of the Kollabora
booth peeps pulled me in and encouraged me to meet Vickie. I walked
around the booth, chatted with Vickie a bit, purchased some yarn and had her sign
her new book for me. The best moment came when she reached out for my crocheted cowl and complimented
it. Vickie Howell liked my cowl! (rhyming completely unintentional) That seriously made my
whole day. Well that and getting to meet Debbie Stoller.
That's a Wrap
Overall, VKL Chicago was a great experience. I went there with the
intention of taking some good classes and getting to meet some cool designers, and I succeeded. I wasn’t overstimulated by too much yarn the way I
am with Stitches, and that’s just fine by me. Would I go if it comes to
Chicago again? That’s a definite maybe. Depends on the classes I suppose. Let’s just
hope the parking prices don’t jump up again!
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