Wednesday 9 November 2011

Nicki Epstein and Knitting Block by Block

Nicki Epstein is hanging around our store today.  Well, OK, hardly hanging around.   Working her heart out, actually and everyone, every single person walking out the door has had an absolutely marvelous time in her classes. She is a lovely warm person, with a wonderful laugh.   

But it really made me think about her work, and about all the great designers and knitters, indeed it makes me wonder what they were thinking about when they create.

I'd be willing to hazard a guess that their first thought would be something like, 'neat'.  I like to think that way back in time, when the first knit 2 together was done in the middle of a fabric, and the maker realized that it left a hole and that it kind of looked nice, and that when that knitter decided to do a few more holes in that row, that they would have said something close to that.

I'd bet that the person who figured out how to do a leaf shape in lace, had that same reaction.  (I sure do when I follow the directions to make one)  I'd bet the first person who managed colour work felt the same.

So when I look at the many interesting things Nicki has come up with, when I looked at the her books scattered around the store, I wonder  what happens, what she is thinking as she comes up with such interesting things.

I have always held that we who follow, stand on the shoulders of those who go before us.  It seems only right, particularly now that I have met Nicki, to say, I'll step lightly and thanks for taking the lead.

PS, her most recent book might be titled Knitting Block by Block but there is so much creativity in it, that you will use it in a thousand different ways. 

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