It is difficult to see why lace
should be so expensive;
it is mostly holes.
[Mary Wilson Little]

Other knitters inspire me to knit, to design knitting patterns, and to teach knitting classes. Some would call that ‘peer pressure.’ I call it ‘great fun.’ Here are examples that make my point.

Marianne contacted me from her home in Tennessee to ask questions about a lace picture hat pattern I’d designed for the book, A gathering of LACE (Swansen, 2000). We spoke on the phone several times while she was knitting the hat, and a knitting friend of hers sent photos to me. I was thrilled that she enjoyed the project so much, and that I could be of help to her. We didn’t know each other before, but I was inspired by her enthusiasm.

Michele took my twisted stitch knitting class a couple of years ago. Last year, she contacted me for help designing a sweater using the same technique. I encouraged her to buy the Schoolhouse Press translation of the classic book Überlieferte Strickmuster (Twisted Stitch Knitting) by Maria Erlbacher. Then we met and I helped her pick patterns and plan her sweater. You can imagine how thrilled I was to see her results. Her attention to detail was impressive—the way she blended the patterns as she decreased the sleeves is a good example. I was inspired by her perseverance well as her thorough grasp of the technique.