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| Sunrise over Rich Mountain from Tuckleechee Cove |
My first adventure was in late February at a knitting retreat in Townsend, TN sponsored by my LYS, The Yarn Haven. We stayed at a spacious retreat center in Tuckaleechee Cove with spectacular views of Rich Mountain and the western boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I took the above photo on a chilly morning - it's a Smokies classic with mist in the valleys and clear blue sky above. We had a lively group of knitters from TYH at the retreat, which made being there a blast. I had fun teaching a class on Beaded Knitting Friday night. On Saturday Mimi had us all indulging in her "drug of choice" - Noro Silk Garden - as we created embellished cell phone bags. So I have a great bag, now I need the cell phone!
I've been teaching quite a few tatting classes this spring at TYH in addition to my role as mentor to the lace knitting group. The word that I am a tatter and I teach tatting has spread. Suddenly my skills are in demand! Unexpected issues with a scheduled instructor left vacancies in the workshop schedule at the Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival (SMFAF) in mid-March. I was contacted about teaching and found myself doing a 4-hr class on shuttle tatting on Friday and my Essentials of Lace Knitting class on Saturday. I confess the preparation was a bit stressful as I further refined my classes, but once I got to the festival and started working it was so fun! I did mange to get to Townsend early enough on Saturday to go over to the Visitors Center to see the demonstrators, the Suri Alpacas, and the sheep shearing. Everything was wonderful!
