Grey Heron Spring Knit Fest: A Splendid Time, with lunch!

Last Saturday morning, I hit the road with Glenna C. to head up to teach at Grey Heron's annual Knit Fest mini-retreat in Collingwood.

It was an early start, and we prepped for it in the traditional manner:

Although the staff at the Tim Horton's on the outskirts of Barrie seemed a bit flummoxed by my request for an espresso, they did figure out how to make me one with their newfangled coffee machine, and they even managed to find a little cup to put it in!  It wasn't an espresso, precisely, but it was reasonably tasty and entirely drinkable.  

Glenna and I both taught two classes, in a charming country hall.

I taught Entrelac to a group of adventurous knitters, including the fabulous Doreen who told me that mastering the technique was on her bucket list. I think by the end of the day she had it crossed off!

And in the afternoon I taught my "Expert Tips" class, which is always fun. The goal is to address as many questions as I can, to tackle all the things that knitters wonder about as they work, to dispel a few common myths and misconceptions, and to provide a few tips and some of my trademark "filthy cheats" to make knitting easier and more fun.

I think I changed a few lives by converting some knitters from the knit to the cable cast-on, I entertained with my "decreases as interpretive dance" routine, and blew a few minds with my M1Z and demonstrations of the magic of mattress stitch.

A splendid day indeed.

There are nice summaries of the day on Karen's blog and on Brenda's blog. Thanks to both of them, and all my new friends in Collingwood, for such a wonderful day. And a bonus thank you to Karen's husband Jim, who provided a generous and delicious home-cooked lunch.