"If you can't say anything nice...

...don't say anything at all." That line by the little bunny Thumper in "Bambi" was one my grandfather used to quote when as kids, we began to complain or be negative. I can still hear him say it and I don't quibble with the sentiment. But...

I went to a workshop last night at my LYS. I went in support of the shop's proprietor. It featured a fairly prominent knitwear designer, it was well attended, it was not inexpensive and it was an utter waste of time.

After cryptically explaining how the technique we would be working on was different from other approaches but without explaining the technique itself the workshop started with the designer telling us to "dive right into" the project we were given to work on. She said "there's no better way to learn than by doing". I already knew the technique (I was only there to support the LYS) but the others had no idea what they were doing. Most were utterly lost.

She did go around the group asking if anyone was having any problems. If they were she took their work, fixed it herself and handed it back to them. (What happened to learning by doing?)

The designer had a bad cold and was having trouble talking - perhaps she was trying not to overuse her voice? Well she did manage 20 minutes straight on her three day trip to see the location where they're made. She didn't cover and couldn't answer questions about how they're made (organic & free trade) or why they are great to work with or even about the various fibres in the line. She didn't refer to the wall of product right beside her or encourage purchase thereof but she did include a few minutes on how she designed the logo (snore!).

The huge pile of samples from her various books stacked in the middle might have been a saving grace but they were whisked away 15 minutes into the workshop to make room for a cheese tray.

So to recap, no instruction, no information, no inspiration. No point in attending the workshop!

I should be honest with the store owner if she asks me about it (she wasn't in attendance) but I'll likely avoid the store for a while because I'm just so annoyed.

Waste must have been a theme yesterday. Our $300 million Federal Election generated a minority government just like we had 38 days ago when the PM called for a vote because he said he couldn't make a minority government work. He's probably annoyed this morning too because now he's going to have to hold his nose, make it work and actually do his job.

Tonight is the Downtown Knit Collective Meeting when yarn companies showcase new yarns and trends. After yesterday I'm only cautiously hopeful they'll actually bring yarn with them and maybe even be prepared to talk about it!

I hope Thumper and my grandfather skipped this post and I hope you're in a better mood than I am! I'm off to see if Honeycomb is dry after blocking. I need to organize something to knit at the meeting tonight. Maybe a little knitting will improve my outlook!