Monday, May 30, 2011

D is for

Dianne <3

I considered briefly doing Donegal tweed just to be a smart-a**
And then i considered donuts because i love donuts! i mean really love 'em! even more than knitting if you can believe that. i'll be going to london in a few weeks and weight watchers or not, yuo better believe my first stop is gonna be krispy kream! yes!!!!!!!!!! But donuts don't really have much to do with knitting. So, Dianne, you should feel really special to know you rank right up there with yarn and donuts ; D

So, D is for Dianne...
Dianne is my oldest sistah!

I love her to death. I admire and respect her. She is a mentor, a role-model, and a teacher to me. A friend. A counselor. Someone I trust. Someone I know will tell me what I need to hear (even if i know italready deep down but dont want to admit). Someone I can count on. I copy her allthe time ;P but hey, imitation is after all the highest form of flattery, right? lol



She has influenced me in my crafting life enormously.
The whipsy airy black spiderweb growing off of her circs absolutely amazed me! She mentioned her ambiguity towards crafting in her C post. And i had always remembered that (i crocheted while she was in art school) so i had been shocked and surprised to see her knitting. But when i saw how beautiful her beginning of a shawl was i could definitely understand.
That was the first time i had seen any interest in knitting. She showed me knitting was not just for blankets.

And i believe it was then that she took me to her LYS to show me that not all wool was scratchy.
She bought me some alpaca and wooden needles and got me started on knitting a scarf.
I left for france though and it never really got any farther. She taught me to appreciate fine materials.

On another trip and again, i cant remember the chronology of it all, she let me fondle her huge stash and even pick something out of it to make a sweater out of crochet today! it was a gorgeous bamboo blend. I had never crocheted anything not flat and was very intimidated but she said, you can do this! You already know how to read patterns, just follow the directions! She nurtured a growing love of my craft, introduced me to aspects of crocheting i had never imagined - even though she doesnt crochet, and gave me the courage to break through my hang-ups.

She also talked to me about knittinghelp.com and ravelry. From there, let me tell you! My knitting skills, which had been pretty much non-existant til then in spite of Dianne's attempting to taach me another time, really exploded.
Let me just add, this lack of ability to knit after Dianne teaching me, does not reflect poorly on her teaching skills. She is an excellent teacher and enabler. She has taught maaaaany kids including her 2 daughters and a niece and many adults also to knit. I just had some problems with coordination. She opened the door-way to endless knowledge and inspiration in the knitting/crocheting world.

And all this in spite of the fact that we live an ocean apart!
She continues to share knowledge with me : color, fiber, techniques. And now that i'm taking up sewing, she's already helped me there too via skype lol!

Thank you Dianne! You are more special to me than you will ever know!
I just wish i could somehow be as much of a blessing to you.
Love you!

Check out others' D's with the accidental knitter's abc-along.

11 comments:

Elle said...

I love this post! It's always great to hear what inspiration siblings have brought and this one really makes me wish I had had a sister. Treasure her forever!

Rebecca said...

i do and will :D

Unknown said...

You are very fortunate to have someone so special in your life!! I'm sure she is just as proud of you! Thanks for sharing her with us!!

Emma (GirlAnachronismE) said...

You're very lucky to have such a special sister!

Rebecca said...

Yes I am :D !!!!!
I can only hope she is.

lyndagrace said...

Sister relationships can be a little tricky. It's nice to see that you and your sister have such a good one.

Anonymous said...

ahhh, you're making me blush. you are far too sweet and obviously blind to my flaws. i love you and am soooo glad you are my sister and soooo glad i am helpful in any way.

pinkundine said...

It's really nice to hear about people's inspirations, especially when they are as special as you sister sounds :)

Julie said...

I love this. Huge admiration to you both for building such a strong relationship.

ChelleC said...

What a wonderful post, Rebecca. I enjoyed learning about your terrific sister. That is wonderful that you too are so close. Love the new blog look.

Tiddy and Charlie. said...

Doughnuts in London AND a great sister! Life is good :o)