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Coming up soon! A trip to Italy!

September 25 to October 6, 2025 In less than six months, I will be on my way to Italy for a 12-day tour with other knitters, starting in Milan (2 nights), then Chiavenna (5 nights), ending in Venice (4 nights).  I am so excited!  There are lots of fun activities and sight-seeing at every location. […]

The Panama Canal

Today I am dreaming of the cruise I will be taking next year, from November 17-Dec. 4, 2025.  When I passed through the Canal in 2002, it was as it had always been since 1914: two lanes wide.  Since then, the Canal has undergone an expansion project, completed in 2016, adding more locks!

The 2025 Panama Canal Cruise

I taught on this cruise through the Panama Canal twenty years ago!  How could it be that long ago? I was dazzled and blown away by some of the excursions I took. This was my first Craft Cruises trip.  The time spent around the ship was relaxing, and the meals were great.  I had fun […]

The Yarn Barn of Kansas

I flew to Kansas, looking forward to once again teaching there.  I was happy to bring along my samples for my Cowichan-Inspired Cardigans class, but being SO bulky, I had some super-packed suitcases!  I also taught my Latvian Fingerless Mitts class.  They both are so fun to knit!  My students all worked hard and they […]

The WEBS Retreat!

I am excited to be invited to teach for WEBS’ Fall knitting retreat!  It will be held at the UMass Amherst campus and will run from September 19-22.  You can register here: (https://umass.irisregistration.com/Site/WEBSFall)  or email (registration@umass.edu), or call 413-577-8102 for guidance. Here is the retreat brochure: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hODPlixr8UGqKnpC6HmJI3nVakmYAcFx/view This is a very popular event and although […]

How it’s Been Going…

It’s been a while since I have written a post.  I have been sorta busy.  From September of 2023 to March of 2024, I lost both of my parents and I broke AND dislocated my ankle in December.  I missed the opportunity to go on a teaching cruise to New Zealand and Australia.  So yeah, […]

What a year of travel!

I have so many great photos of the trips I took this year (2023): Italy (Umbria), Japan and South Korea, a cruise to Norway, Iceland, and the Orkney Islands, and back to Italy (Tuscany). Wow, no wonder I am so tired!  But I sure had fun, trying out traditional foods in all these countries (bannock! […]

What’s ahead for February 2024!

In 2017, I was invited to teach all over New Zealand for two months.  I am thrilled to be going back again in February on a cruise ship. (I hope I’ll have time to look up some friends I made on my first trip.)  The ship will also visit Australia and Tasmania.  I hope to […]

A Workshop June 3 in Vermont

I will be teaching for the adorable shop Six Loose Ladies in Chester, VT.  They have selected my workshop Latvian Mittens and it will run from 9 to 4.  I hope to see you there!   Description The beautiful mittens of Latvia will be studied in this class and an adult mitten will be knitted […]

Getting Ready for Japan!

Having just gotten back from Italy, I have a week to unpack and repack for a 28 day cruise from Japan to Seattle.  I am looking forward to teaching in the mornings and chilling out in the afternoons. I walked a lot in Italy (too much) but I saw art from 2000 years ago that […]

Join me in Italy!

I am so joyfully excited to go on this trip!  Janet, our main tour guide is very familiar with Italy and speaks the language, and she’s a knitter too! I look forward to sharing with you all the wonderful experiences we will have, seeing the beautiful landscapes and cities and towns, eating fabulous food, learning […]

Finnish Fingerless Mitts

Create one of a pair of fingerless mitts in class to learn about tapestry crochet, in one and two colors, worked in the round, and the classic knitting motifs of the handsome 19th-century Finnish Korsnäs sweater. It is said this garment was knitted by young women for their betrothed. It is an unusual pullover as it includes both tapestry crochet and knitting and had geometric motifs as well as (sometimes) depicts dancing men and women.

A Three-Day Gansey Design Workshop!

September 23-25, 2022 I will be teaching a design workshop for Bazaar Girls in Port Townsend, WA. The class is full, but for more information or to be put on the waiting list, click this link to their website.

Come With Me to Italy!

March 19-29, 2023, a 10-day tour This trip has just been added to my schedule!  We will begin in Rome, and after 2 nights will go to our home base in Umbria, where we will stay for 6 nights, having some knitting classes and taking short day trips out to savor what Italy has to […]

Exploring Fringes: from the Baltic and Finland

I have had a lot of fun pouring over books, trying to decipher illustrations, some with Estonian directions which I can’t read, to understand how fringes are made.  There are many more methods than I first thought, some are very finicky to make, and others are made to be quite stable, “locked in” as it […]

The Third Star Fiber Artist Guild in NJ

On August 20-21, I will be teaching for the  Third Star Fiber Artist Guild. The classes they have selected are  Latvian Fingerless Mitts and  Swedish Twined Mittens (newly updated).  For more information, or to register, email anndevittATcomcastDOTcom.