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Learning to See
Last time I was in St. Charles, just last weekend, I spent an afternoon teaching my Photography for Knitters class to a willing group of students at Wool and Company.
This is the only class I teach that doesn’t directly involve the actual knitting or crocheting of yarn, but even so, it’s one of the most satisfying in my portfolio. I like to say that this is a class about learning to see, more than about learning the technical steps behind a photograph.
And truly, it’s a class of using eyes and ideas to document the beautiful work we all do.
The lovely gal in the photo at the left is Kate. She works at Wool and Company and was ‘voluntold’ to help us out by modeling for a half hour or so, and what a lovely model she made. Being able to work with Kate gave a lot of excitement to the class, but I’ve taught this one so many other ways as well; inside, outside, with models, without models, and with every kind of project and subject matter on hand to use as inspiration.
Part of what I love about teaching photography for knitters is being able to work with the students’ finished objects, works in progress, and stash, and to be delighted by what they’ve created. Many budding (and established) designers end up in my classes as well, to learn how to better market the work they do.
I’ve had a busy fall. I honestly don’t know where it went. The LA trip, Santa Barbara, visiting mom at the end of September, Stephanie and Mel’s visit to Toronto in October, going back to St. Charles at the beginning of this month, and getting ready to go back there for Thanksgiving this coming weekend.
In a way, it’s a really great thing that time has been passing like this.
Mom’s having her fourth chemo treatment next Monday the 28th. After that, they’re going to assess how she’s doing and make the decision to either continue chemo or go for an autologous bone marrow transplant.
At the same time, and this seems so grossly unfair, it’s coming up quickly on the anniversary of Dad’s stroke and death and funeral. Am I wrong for just wanting to fast-forward past all of that? To just focus on the next steps for mom?
I’m torn about my decision to go to St. Charles for Thanksgiving. That’s where I was last year, if you remember. And it was a brutal Thanksgiving – spent at our neighbor’s after a rough day with dad, followed up by his major stroke the next morning. Part of me would just want to stay at work, try to forget.
But on the other hand, I don’t want mom to be going through that time on her own, either. So this, like last year’s, is the right decision. And I’ll be able to go to her doctor’s appointment on Monday and discuss the next steps, her prognosis, and her treatment, in person, and without a filter.
I’ve grown up so much in the last year. I’m learning to look at life a little differently, that it’s not all good, or all bad, or even a simple mix of the two. It’s about timing, and blessings that need to be sought out. Like the fact that I was able to be with Dad for his last few days. Like the fact that we weren’t dealing with mom’s cancer while Dad was needing so much support.
So, that’s where I am right now. I’m kind of quiet, but I’m ok. Just dealing with life, day by day by day.
Join me for a Spring Retreat: Knitting in Tofino, April 20 – 22
I’m so pleased to announce that I’m the featured instructor for Knits by the Sea’s annual retreat in gorgeous Tofino, BC! I’ll be teaching three (!) of my favorite classes over the course of the weekend, all designed to help you get more from your knitting, no matter what ‘level’ you think you are. When [...]
Keep Reading >Where I’ve been
The title of this post is a bit of a misnomer. See, I’ve mostly been right here, where I always am. But indigirl.com got hacked a month or two ago, and my posts haven’t been working in google or feed readers. Apparently. Given that quite a few of you have emailed since I fixed it [...]
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