Your life is already artful—waiting, just waiting, for you to make it art. ~ Toni Morrison
Since I’ve retired I’ve found it hard to keep this front page up to date–so I’ve removed the date! Problem solved! I’m still deeply engaged with creativity, however, and will try to keep in touch with you all.
I still co-lead woolly tours with Jillian Moreno!!!
Our Scotland, Shetland, & Skye tour in September 2025 is open for registration! Jillian and I are so excited about this itinerary: several days in Edinburgh to start and end the trip; four days in Shetland; a scenic drive to Skye, where we spend 3 nights; and another scenic leisurely drive to Edinburgh! We’ve arranged classes with Di Gilpin, Elizabeth Johnston, Janette Budge, and TJ Frog, along with visits to farms, yarn shops, mills, and studios. Plus excellent food and very nice accommodations! Here’s the registration form.
Our trip to Yorkshire, Cumbria & the Lake District last May was so fantastic that Jillian Moreno and I are now planning a return in May 2025, repeating some parts of the trip and adding a couple of days–it felt way too short!! We will start and end in Manchester, with time spent exploring farms, yarn shops, mills, and cheese shops. We’ve arranged for time with Susan Crawford, Ann Kingstone, and Marie Wallin (what a stranded knitter’s dream team!!!). Plus visits to Hilltop Farm, the Keswick Pencil Museum, the Wensleydale Cheese Shop, and the Brontë Parsonage. And more!!! Registration is now open for this trip.
Travel is, for most of us, a real luxury and for most of my life out of range for my budget. But we can travel deeply in place—pausing to really study and appreciate where we are is transformative. I read that, if we were to take a one-yard piece of string, tie it in a loop, and place it on the ground we could spend a lifetime examining what we find inside that circle!!! I recommend Conscious Creativity by Philippa Stanton if you’d like some prompts. All that creativity and engagement need is an open mind and a willingness to be amazed.
love,
Janine ❤️
News and Not-Quite-News but perhaps of interest…..
My book, The Joy of Color: Fair Isle Knitting Your Way, is out of print! Calculating the cost of printing, tariffs, shipping, storage, and mailing made me realize that it was time to make the hard decision. But I will be exploring ways to make it available in other ways!
Are you new to Fair Isle knitting? Let me recommend my two patterns geared to beginners: Dryas Octopetala, a slouchy hat, and the Beginner’s Fair Isle Cap, a small, close-filling cap. Both these patterns include motifs that build in complexity, giving you a chance to build your confidence in carrying two colors at a time.
My approach to Fair Isle knitting is modern and very personal; my goal is to share my deep appreciation for this type of knitting and to help you develop the confidence to plunge into this world of color and pattern.
My Substack newsletter is where you will get the most current information about teaching and travel and new patterns, so please sign up if you haven’t already! Honestly, now that I no longer teach, I’ve become quite slack about sending this newsletter but who knows what 2025 will bring?
WHAT IS A FERAL KNITTER?