Musings on Knitter's Spring 2006

Hope you all are enjoying coffee right now. I, for one, am and wishing I had a yarn catalogue to look at. There isn't one within my reach, but I did find the spring 2006 issue of Knitter's in my room after cleaning (I use that term loosely), so I am giving that another gander. Oh, I remember, this issue. It has an article about Mitsuharu Hirose, Japan's Knitting Prince. Wow! I don't think I have ever seen such an intricate crocheted top. I remember seeing this when I first bought this 'Knitter's' and thinking, ' whoa! Beautiful knitting, but I'll never achieve anything like that..more advanced projects than I'm looking for.' Today, I am reading the first few paragraphs of the article and, did you know that there are colleges in Japan where a person can study knitting? Why don't we have a program like that here in the states? The closest thing to that I know of is the Master Knitting Program at TKGOA. Can you imagine taking a college course in intarsia or aran? The article says that he also taught knitting at Nihon Vogue Technical College where 'the focus was preparing designers and educators for careers in the(knitting) field.' I guess, though, upon reflection, that the way that we learn knitting here seems much more personal, and largely responsible for the popularity of the craft. We learn from people we love, or neighbors who have the patience to teach us and as we continue, meet others and widen our circle of knitting friends and relatives who support our love of the craft and provide companionship and encouragement. The internet community is astounding to me. I only really delved into it's riches beginning in January 2006. But, I am having an absolute blast with all of you! I have made fast friends blogging and through web rings and thank God daily for his gift to me of writing and knitting, which has been truly therapeutic in my life and I can honestly say how grateful I am for each of you, who read, comment, email, and thereby uplift me. My life has been somewhat painful the last couple of years, and you have been my bright spot. So, I guess I don't miss the impersonal idea of university/tech school knitting one bit. I'll gladly continue the study group experience I have now. I wouldn't trade it for a B.A.F.A.(Bachelor of Arts in Fiber Arts) from Nihon Vogue Technical College.