Gone with the Wool Read Free Page A

shoved them back in. “And that’s without any yarn. There’s no way I can give bags out with all this.” I mentioned that I’d planned to pick up the boxes of looms and stuff the bags later today.
    The loom idea had been Crystal’s, and she had given me a quick demonstration on how to use them, making a point of telling me that knowing how to knit wasn’t necessary. I had trusted her to come up with a plan for the workshops. Apparently, she hadn’t thought about the logistics of how to handle the looms.
    I regretted that I had waited so long for the three of us to meet about the upcoming retreat. Wanda tried to lift the bag. She had good upper body strength and had no problem holding it.
    â€œYou’re right. You’ll get somebody complaining they got a muscle strain from carrying this around.” She set it back down. “I guess Crystal didn’t think about that.” There was a tiny bit of triumph in Wanda’s voice.
    Crystal ignored the comment as well as the bag problem. “We should really talk about the plan for the workshops.” She had a plastic bin and began to take out knitted items and lay them on the table. I looked at the array of hats, scarves and shawls.
    â€œThese were all made with the looms?” I asked. In my basic lesson I had just made a swatch using part of a circular loom. I was going to be almost on the same level of my retreaters when it came to skill with the device.
    Crystal nodded and encouraged me to handle the pieces. I was surprised how thick and soft some of the scarves were.
    â€œBut what’s the plan?” Wanda said. “I know how to use the looms, but if I’m going to be instructing and helping, I have to know with what.”
    Crystal shrugged. “I thought we’d just offer them patterns that went with the different kinds of looms and let them pick what they want.”
    Wanda assumed her teapot pose. “Obviously you aren’t a teacher. You have to have structure, a plan for how you’re going to direct the workshop. We should tell them what to make.” Crystal blanched at the criticism.
    I wasn’t an expert with the looms or really any yarn craft, but I had spent time as a substitute teacher, and I knew what Wanda was saying was true, but I didn’t want to alienate Crystal.
    â€œIsn’t the point of the workshops to teach the group how to use the looms and then guide them through their projects?”I said. The two of them agreed. “I know one of the reasons the looms seemed like a good idea is that it’s quick to make projects, which means the group ought to be able to make a number of them during the retreat. What about this for a plan: after you teach them the basics of how to use the looms, have everybody make one of these using the circular looms.” I picked up a plain navy blue beanie. “Then have them make something like this.” I draped a thick scarf over my arm. “And after that they can make whatever they choose.”
    I think because I suggested it rather than Wanda, Crystal saw the point of telling the group what to make and having them all doing the same thing at the same time. “Okay,” she said, “but we have to give them some freedom of choice. Who wants to see them all making their hats in the same color? It’ll look like a factory instead of an expression of their creativity. I’ll go along with having the whole group make the same first two projects, but we have to let them be able to pick their own yarn.”
    I looked to Wanda to see if she would agree. “It’s your retreat, so if that’s what you want,” Wanda said with a shrug.
    â€œIt seems like a compromise,” I said. “I’m not very good at imposing my will, and I’d rather we all agree. I do better when I get everyone on my side. That’s what I did when I was a teacher.”
    â€œAll right,” Wanda said finally.