>It’s never a good thing to admit that you hear voices inside your head.  What has been pestering me for the past couple of years isn’t quite a voice, more like the tap-tapping of a pipping chick on its shell, the sound of an idea that needs hatching.  On the other hand, it could be the tick-ticking of a timer rigged to detonate a kilo of C4. Whether it’s a bird or a bomb… that sort of depends on you guys. For the voice I am hearing, the one I am poised to heed, is the call to teach.

There is a saying that those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.  That’s total rubbish and a disservice to and denigration of the profession.  For me, doing crochet is natural.  Designing crochet, while not always straightforward or easy, is a pleasure and a passion.  Teaching crochet is ungodly difficult. Teaching is ground not to be tread lightly or hesitantly.  Teaching demands patience, planning, preparation and perspiration, none of which I felt capable of giving until now.

Before I began writing my third book, Crochet Lace Innovations, I was convinced I would never teach.  I disliked school, classrooms and {choke} homework. I could never put myself in the position of inflicting any of that on anyone else.  HA!  It’s amazing and scary how writing a book can lead to self-discovery.  As I went on to write, “The optimal time to teach is when you yourself have just absorbed something so fantastic, are so totally fired up with the process that you simply can’t wait to share it with someone.  Great teaching isn’t about parading you expertise; it’s about bringing someone else to your skill level along the path where you’ve just been.”

I had always assumed that teaching would sap precious time and energy away from my primary mission, to design and share awesome crochet.  What I discovered over the past two years since writing those words in my book is that teaching crochet, explaining and demonstrating for others what I do, getting in touch with crocheters and pattern users face to face, will ultimately benefit my designing.  It is so worth what I will gain in return in terms of solidifying my own commitment to the craft, finding out what makes crocheters truly happy, making myself a better designer. All I needed to push me over the precipice into fully realized teacher hood was the same triumvirate as crime solving:  Motive, Means and Opportunity.  All three have come together in a cosmic confluence that can not be denied.  In other words, I have run out of excuses!

Although the material that crocheters most want to absorb from my brain concerns my chief MO, seamless garment design, I had to face the reality that it would be impractical and likely impossible to cover the subject in a single three-hour session.  And there would be much, much homework.  And I would have to be very strict about who could sign up, as a master-class on this level assumes students possess not only advanced crochet skills but also the stomach for it.  That class must wait for a future set of Motive, Means and Opportunity.

So, on Sunday morning October 17th, 2010 I present the premier of Magical Broomstick: Crochet Lace in a Flash.  Follow the link to view the details and to sign up.  Registered students receive a free two-day pass to the Festival.  And my students will get, courtesy of Caron International and the Tulip Company, a complimentary Etimo cushion grip crochet hook.

Also, if you’re in my neck of the woods, please join me for an afternoon of crochet at the Chester Springs Studio, a vibrant arts center at Historic Yellow Springs in Chester Springs, PA, Saturday, 13 November, beginning at noon.  From 1 to 3 pm I will be giving the above Magical Broomstick workshop, with a wrap-around of free mini-clinics for crochet learning and Q&A before and after.

I guess I have to bite the bullet and create a blog page for my teaching schedule.  YIKES!  I never imagined doing that.  Never say never.  🙂