Saturday I taught three ladies how to knit toe-up socks at Yarn Garden in Charlotte, Michigan. Charlotte is a beautiful, old small city and the folks are friendly and warm. The shop used to be a tiny hallway but several years ago they moved down the street, right across from the historical courthouse, into a gorgeous old building. The front room is mostly yarn, the back room is yarn and a pleasant table for classes, and the “back yard” includes a wonderful garden where Kim (the owner) and I sat one sunny spring day knitting together.

The students I had were fun folks! Minda came from Lansing, Joyce came from Charlotte and Annette from another lovely small old city nearby. We had a great time. Experience level went from Joyce’s many top down pairs including argyles, to Annette’s first experience with double-pointed needled (DPNs). They all did well.

After class got out, I went for a little walk in the downtown Charlotte area. I took the photo of the old courthouse from the sidewalk just in front of Kim’s shop. This town makes Autumn look as good as it gets!

And I made sure to stop at Sharon’s Cafe’. I love that place… it was hopping for Saturday Dinnertime, folks of all ages ordering old fashioned goods. And pie. I got Brian some apple pie. He loves pie and I love getting it for him… and at Sharon’s they make it from scratch. I love to support businesses who go the extra mile to do things well!

And the hat? It’s the prototype for my “Simple Fairisle Hat” that I’m teaching (at Yarn Garden again) on Wednesdays, 11-2pm November 9 and 23. It is related in motif to my Heritage Heirloom socks. This hat has merely 6 rows of two-color knitting, but a lot of “Pow” for the small bit of effort. I’m very pleased with this one! It will be a pattern for sale someday, but I want to run it through the class first. I learn about how to word things better, when I work with students.

Photos: 1) Class after Joyce left. Me, Annette, and Minda’s ear and sock; 2) Charlotte Historical Courthouse; 3) Hat sample for November class.