I am not sure where the month has gone. I have been working on making sure I have everything in place for my first opportunity to teach at a national conference.

Samples for Re-Invented Broomstick Lace July 14, 2016 Charelston, SC

In just 2 short weeks I will be teaching at the Knit & Crochet Show as part of the Crochet Guild of America’s annual Chainlink Conference, in Charleston, SC (July 13-16, 2016). I have 4 classes, and will be teaching a variety of topics, some techniques like beads and broomstick lace, as well subject knowledge like understanding patterns & yarn.

It is a little amazing how different teaching at these events are then the weekly teaching I have been doing for years. To begin with the class size is at least double, if not triple what I usually have. I hope that I can still bring a personal feel that my local students have come to expect, as well as having that class feel like they are learning together. It is a unique balance.

Another of the many differences is ensuring that I have all the materials I need. In smaller settings, I can usually step out and pick up anything in my local yarn store to illustrate my point, if a question is asked. At this conference I will be in a hotel conference room, I will not have an opportunity to improvise. So the last couple of weeks have been focused on writing and re-writing handouts, creating stacks of materials, and attempting to foresee questions.

I think I may have it dialed in, or at least I am close. I have yarn samples, stitch samples, beads, handouts, and tools all set in stacks, as I ensure that the checklists I have created cover every aspect of the class. It is a new adventure and I hope that I am up for the challenge, I will have to post next month how everything turns out…stay tuned.