It all started a few weeks ago when I realized I was missing the feel of fabric and the whir of the sewing machine. I was longing to quilt but knew that, as a travel RN, it is next to impossible for me to drag my sewing machine with me. Perhaps one day Santa or the Tooth Fairy or some such individual will gift me with a nice light-weight portable machine that is capable of quilting but for now, my machine is old and heavy and impossible to move every 13 week contract.
For a few days I moped around feeling sorry for my creative self. Sorry that I wasn't in the same location as my machine. Sorry that I wanted to be handling fabric or doing something that was not strictly word related. (Don't get me wrong, words are still my passion and I love to read and write but there is another side of me that has to FEEL the process in a tangible sort of way sometimes.) Then, that small inner voice that sometimes goes unnoticed started whispering in my ear. She reminded me that a friend (and sister Story Circle member) had once said that I could probably find a knitting shop and classes here in the Johnson City TN area. Armed with a new plan for tactile creative fulfillment, I did a wee bit of research and found Yarntiques ( http://yarntiques.com/) and the rest is history!
Owner Candace Powell Baldwin is a patient soul who knows just the right way to fix a mistake or bolster a sagging knitter confidence level. The shop is a warm and welcoming old Victorian home in downtown Johnson City. Just stepping in the front door is a treat! Spending time with Candace and the women who frequent the shop is an incomparable delight!!
I recently told that same Story Circle friend who had suggested the knitting classes before that being in the Yarntiques shop with those women is akin to writing in the writing circle. There is a bond that forms easily and naturally. There are common experiences and interests and there are unique qualities but all blend together with ease. In two short weeks I have come to feel like part of the group instead of an outsider or a newcomer. It's a comfortable feeling. And it was just what I needed to whisk away those frustrations over not being able to quilt or do something otherwise creative with my hands. And what great (and cheap) therapy a session around the knit table can be!!
A self-taught knitter who never ventured outside the very safe realm of scarves and baby blankets (no shaping or fancy stitches required) I really didn't know if I had it in me to make anything more than those straight edged items. But in the past two weeks, Candace has proven to me that I can and will be able to do anything I choose! My first project is a light-weight sleeveless sweater that I will likely finish this week and can still wear this season. The second project - a sweater coat of sorts - is underway and will come in handy in a short while when the cool autumn breezes blow through here. I drool over the yummy yarn we (Candace and I) have chosen for it. 
So now when I don't get back to the blog for days or weeks on end, it may be because of a work schedule that doesn't allow much time for such things as writing. But more likely it is because some new knitting project has grabbed me and just won't let go!
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