• Finishing Details

Finishing Details

For years, my mother and I have enjoyed playing friendly games of Scrabble. When my younger son was a teen, we often played late into the night at our lake cottage. Now, I am blessed to have a grandson, Sam, 10, who loves to challenge me as well. On a recent overnight stay, he casually asked if there was a bonus for using all the tiles in his tray at once. He knew there was! Then he laid out the longest word I have seen played in one turn. His score was 71 points for one word, without double-word spaces. You’ll find it in the photo below. I was amazed! And yes, he knew the meaning of "vociferous" as it had been a vocabulary/spelling word for his fifth-grade class a week before. My goodness, that young man makes me proud! I won the game, but just barely.

When the knitting of a project is complete, it is time for the part so many knitters put off: the finishing details. With a newsletter, the details are easier: say "goodbye" and sign my name. So until next time, make the most of your knitting time. Think kind thoughts, add prayers for others, relish the peaceful flow of fiber through your fingers and know that 8 million others share your passion and pleasure! And you thought you were knitting alone!

Yours in yarn,

Barb Bettegnies
editor, Creative Knitting magazine

As a very determined 4-year-old, I convinced my mother to teach me to knit. I recall clearly my eureka moment at the age of 12, when flicking the yarn the way Mother did made sense to me, and I have been knitting ever since. The home arts of sewing, baking and cooking have always held my interest. After years of co-owning an agribusiness (grain warehouses), I began teaching knitting independently. This led to becoming the editor of Creative Knitting magazine. Perhaps my mother is the only person who was not surprised at this turn of events; she always knew I could achieve more than I had tried. I have grown sons and several grandchildren nearby and knit for them only when asked.

I continue to teach knitting in an informal manner, gathering groups of people together who become friends. The classes are less structured than the norm, with each person working at her own pace on her own project. It's unusual for two knitters to be making the same project; each learns from the successes of others, and we have a great time. I am blessed to be doing what I love!

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