Lorna is often on the road teaching and talking about her books. In this guest post, she shares her thoughts about the rewarding and often unexpected connections she makes with her students, readers, and other fellow knitters.

You may know Lorna Miser as a knitting teacher, an author (of Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting and The Knitter’s Guide to Hand-Dyed and Variegated Yarns), and a knitwear designer. But she’s also the Lorna of Lorna’s Laces, the popular line of hand-dyed yarns she founded and owned for many years, which makes her something of a celebrity in the knitting world.

I really enjoy traveling. Luckily, I get to travel quite a bit, thanks to my career as a knitting designer, teacher, and author. And in my travels, the best part is getting to meet other knitters.

Even as I sit in an airport I can usually spot them. They don’t even need to be knitting. We may just make eye contact, or they may smile when they see me knitting, or when they see the handknit sweater, tote bag, or laptop case I’m using. It’s like a glimmer of recognition that we’re kindred spirits.

On a recent trip to Phoenix, I spotted a mother/daughter team in the airport. With nothing to do but wait, I struck up a conversation. This time something unusual happened. We talked about knitting, yarn, and various knitting events we’d attended before finally exchanging names. When the daughter heard my name, she became completely verklempt. It was priceless. After all, though I do have a yarn company named after me, I’m not a movie star. People in airports don’t stop and stare at me in awe—until now. I should point out that in this case it wasn’t really “people,” just one person, but nevertheless it was a fun experience for both of us.

On to my next trip. Having a family trip planned to the Midwest in the dead of winter wasn’t my idea, but the Navy graduates its recruits regardless of the weather, so I went to see my daughter in uniform. I guess because everyone in that part of the country needs knitted scarves, gloves, and hats for warmth, no one even noticed my handknit creations.

After seeing my daughter graduate, I went on to Minneapolis to teach a class and do a speaking engagement. When I arrived at the Textile Center, the room was full of knitters—forty-five of them! I spoke to them about my history in the yarn world, my new book, and how to work with hand-dyed yarns. As I scanned the room while making my presentation, my eyes landed on a knitter sitting toward the back of the room. She was wearing a beautiful tailored knitted jacket. (I forgot to ask her, but my guess is that it was a Jean Moss design.) She had made it out of Lorna’s Laces yarn. I recognized it as a favorite purple colorway I had designed. I was so honored and flattered that she had thought to wear her sweater for my event. It really made my day.

But the event wasn’t over! Another woman approached me and removed her jacket. Underneath she was wearing a very popular sweater I had designed a few years earlier. It was customized to fit her perfectly and looked great! Again, I could hardly believe she had made the effort to show me how much she liked my work.

It’s knitters like these that are the reason I travel, but they’re also the reason I enjoy it so much!

Categories: Crafternews On The Road | Knitting & Crochet |

Tags: Faith, Hope, knitting, Lorna Miser, Lorna's Laces, love, The Knitter's Guide to Hand-Dyed and Variegated Yarn

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