For the longest time, Barbara G. Walker was simply the brilliant mind behind my sweater-knitting bible, Knitting from the Top Down—the book that changed everything for me when it came to seamless garment construction. If you’ve ever knit a sweater without the dreaded seams, you probably owe her a big thank you. I certainly do.

Yesterday, near the end of Knit Happens Wednesday, just as I was wrapping up a lovely session of stitches and chatter, a conversation unfolded that rocked me to my core.Out of nowhere, this intelligent, confident Latino woman timidly drops:

I’ve spent the past six months building a home for the Fiberarts Community, and honestly, I feel like I’m rebuilding myself in the process. A big part of this journey has been about understanding others, seeing things from their perspectives, and reflecting on my own views.

Building a community is like trying to write the first few words of a post—you’re full of ideas but unsure where to start. So, I guess the beginning is as good a place as any…Like many of you, I learned a big lesson during COVID: I took the small things for granted. Local, in-person knit groups—those vibrant gatherings filled with laughter, inspiration, and connection—were suddenly on pause. Online groups popped up, but they often consisted of the little cliques that had already formed locally. Don’t get me wrong; those groups were great for keeping in touch, but… they just weren’t the same.

Yesterday was B.E.A.Utiful! Paddling on the water is my zen, just in case you couldn't guess. As I'm floating along, enjoying the scenery and meditative motion of my paddle, thoughts tend to drift. On Wednesday four 14-year-old kids decided to go kayaking on Lake Erie between 8 and 9pm. Some nights it's a beautiful paddle but when it's windy, not so much.

Have you watched the Series Alone? Ten hard core people are dropped off in crazy rough territory to survive, alone, with only ten items while filming themselves. The goal in the first five seasons was basically to survive as long as you could but I think it was actually a year. They used locations such as the northern most part of Vancouver Island, Patagonia and the Arctic. Yes... the Arctic. Like I said, hard core!