Kathy Zimmerman Rocked!

Folks, if you weren’t there, you missed it.  Kathy Zimmerman rocked. 

I’m not much of a “theorist.”  I love practical discussions about how you can accomplish a task by following steps A, B, and C.  Kathy did not disappoint.  Her discussion on Thursday described the design process from the point she received the request for submissions through the life of the garment once it has been   She even discussed her start as developing a reputation as a samples knitter for several years before being invited to submit her own designs. 

I appreciate Kathy’s frankness about how she designs her garments to meet the needs of the editors.  For example, she knows which editors prefer or dislike certain finishes and design features, and she designs her submissions with those preferences in mind.  On a personal note, I appreciate Kathy’s love of worsted and bulky weight yarn.  The project moves so much faster with bigger yarn and gives slow knitters (like me) a needed sense of accomplishment much sooner.  And I suspect that she chooses the larger yarns exactly for that reason.  Well done!

While I was only able to attend two of Kathy’s classes, I found both of them inspiring.  The first class I attended was the slip-stitch sampler.  

I love the different combinations that you can create with the simple slip-stitch – who knew?  I don’t want to say I was inspired by the class, but I immediately went home and created this little beauty from Mason-Dixon Knitting:

 

The ballband dishcloth is a little distorted because my youngest got a hold of it, and we had a great game of “keep away.”  On a side note, the Peaches and Cream yarn holds up extremely well to extreme abuse.   

For my next class, I studied fringes, ruffles and scallops.  Again, her class did not disappoint.  What I found especially interesting is how knitting into the back loop is an integral part of these patterns to twist and tighten the stitches and to help the edgings keep their shapes. 

By the end of the day (not the end of the class – remember the slow knitter thing), I had the following edgings:

Someone noted that the fringe looked like the beginning to a pattern for a trauma bear.  I agreed, and a new pattern is in progress. 

 I’ll post the final product when I have it.

A big thank you to Kathy Zimmerman for all of her wisdom and inspiration!  We thoroughly enjoyed having you as our guest and teacher, and we hope you will come see us again. 

And, of course, thank you to everyone who made this event possible, including Kathleen, Eve, Marian, Betty, Ellen R., Joan, SEFAA and its members, and the entire AKG board.  It was an amazing weekend.