More on Inspiration

Last night, as I was doing a bit of crocheting, I was listening to the TV program called "Girlfriends."  I was listening to two of the main characters have an exchange of words about their education.  One character has five college degrees and was doing nothing to utilize them; the other character was fighting tooth & nail to get back into college to finish her degree.  Isn't this something we all go through everyday?

What I mean by this is that we're either set in our ways and have no desire to change, or we're blazing new paths to see where the journey of life takes us.  I see myself as a mix of the two characters.  I'm set in my ways, but I'm willing to take a detour if the scenery looks interesting.

One of the ways I take detours is by taking crochet classes.  (But Dee, you teach crochet!  Why would you need to take classes?)  I do teach crochet classes, and I love doing it.  But I don't know everything about crochet (yet! lol).  I love the experience of being the student where my brain cells have the opportunity to be recharged; to be regenerated; to be inspired to try something new.  As much as I love seeing the "light go on" for my students when they learn a new technique or stitch, I love that feeling for myself.

This is one of the reasons I signed up to take the Overlay Crochet workshop in New York City later this month.  I have this tingling sensation -- an anticipation -- in waiting for this class.  The "in person" interaction with an instructor is a priceless experience, in my humble opinion.  You get to ask questions; you get to watch the magic in person; you get to catch the infectious fun from other participants.

If you can't take a local class, then you might be interested in taking a correspondence class.  To quote the singer known as Pink, "Let's Get This Party Started!"  The Crochet Guild of America just announced some new correspondence classes. the Craft Yarn Council of America has their Certification course; Pauline Turner offers one; and Hass Designs has online classes.

I hope this inspires you to deviate from your normal routine and be inspired to take a class -- to get those creative juices flowing.  (Apparently I was able to influence the Pickles to get some personal instruction yesterday!  Check out Sharlene, of the KnitTogether staff, giving Amato some knitting instructions while Cana did some awesome crocheting ...)