“A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away.” – Phyllis McKinley

“We are really seeing a resurgence in the fiber arts,” said Windy Karpavage as I sat in her lovely studio on remote Taylors Island of the Chesapeake several weekends ago. “I just held a week long knitting and felting class at the Dorchester Art Center in Cambridge (Maryland) and it was very well attended. The girls had so much fun and so did I as their teacher.”

There is truth behind the words of the owner of Kaire je Studio. According to an article in Contentment Health Magazine  there has been a revival of knitting and other crafts in the fiber arts industry. There is not a lack of articles to substantiate the facts.

I had gone to her studio to seek help with my knitting project. I used to be beyond a beginner in my skills but since I had taken a 27 year hiatus from one of my past hobbies, reading and following knitting instructions sometimes is a little challenging.

“I love this fiber I purchased from you. It’s so nice to work with,” I said, referring to the Heritage Silk Paints by Cascade Yarns.

“I carefully select all the yarns I sell,” said Karparvage.

When you walk into the studio of the enormously talented Windy Karpavage and see her works in progress along with her custom designs (many of which grace the pages of knitting books), how can one not be inspired?

Below: Windywood – a custom colored and spun yarn for Windy’s  studio. It has a small strand of silver sparkle running through it.

As I left the studio, Windy encouraged me to keep knitting and to join in with our local knitting group at Sew Steamboat for support and fellowship.

“I will,” I promised, “because Windy will no longer be right around the corner.”

This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart and Soul.