Frederick Revisited by misterknitspot

Greetings Knitspot aficionados, some thoughts on our sojourn to Frederick, MD.

19 Feb 2010 – Traveling for me is often irksome, particularly by car being the worst. Firstly I’m exhausted even before embarking upon such a endeavor. My sleep regiment is the reverse of most, preferring a nocturnal existence. Arriving at said destination, it all changes for the better, my disposition gradually improving. We arrived in Frederick, Maryland in good time, promptly meeting with Kristi and Paul of Eleganza along with some of their helpers at the shop. Eleganza Yarn shop is housed in an incredible antique log building, exuding history and charm, really quite lovely. Initially meet Paul and Kristi at TNNA (Long Beach, CA) in January, I chatted with Paul for some time, intrigued by the conversation. Those of you who know me, know that talking is not my best attribute, a word or two will often suffice. I got along with Paul straight away, befriending him has been rather wonderful. As it happens, Paul is quite the renaissance man, several successful entrepreneurial ventures, presently works for a Neural institute, pilot, knitter and Elvis impersonator. As many of you know the knitting community is largely composed of women, consequently I get to meet a l lot of women, some times their husbands. Sadly I have not felt a connection with many of my male counterparts, it has been a rare treat to know another man in this industry, let alone someone that I’ve become fond of, good to know you Paul. Hopefully will have an opportunity to get know Kristi better on subsequent occasions. On this trip to Maryland I meet one other person of interest, RoseAnn – a customer and sometimes helps with the shop. Had occasion to speak with her for a moment or two, hails from Ohio originally. Has only been knitting for three years, seems rather enthusiastic about it all, she attended Anne’s design class, looking forward to seeing what comes fourth from her creations. After the quick greet and meet, we are off to have dinner with our eldest nephew James and his girl friend. I love James, he has indulged us in countless hours of entertainment, such a great joy to have him in our lives.

20 Feb 2010 – A new day, we depart from the hotel for Anne’s workshop, of which is held in an older warehouse building (the Loft Antique Imports), currently used for the display of antique and new furnishing. I tag along to take photos and try to catch up on some ongoings projects. One of which is creating a personal photo book of knitspot.com for 2009, a project that has consumed some 25 hours and counting, have not yet finished collating photos, not to mention some judicious editing, then the eventual layout of images for the book and uploading of files for printing, perhaps another 25 hours. After the class, Anne and I begin to install the trunk show. How Anne manages to teach all day and then present the trunk show, I know not, a super woman if you will. During the presentation I wonder to and fro taking pictures, listening to the participates acknowledge Anne’s mastery of design and the ease of use of her patterns. I concur with all of their accolades of Anne and add that she truly a remarkable talented person. Not only am I the beneficiary of numerous knitwears, but I’m married to the incomparable, beautiful Anne Hanson, what more could one want in life. By all accounts the class and trunk show were a success. After the conclusion of the days events, six of us (Anne, Kristi, Paul, Paul’s mother, RoseAnn) take a leisurely stroll down Frederick’s picturesque main st. (Patrick St.) and indulge in a shared dinner via communal plate at a local Ethiopian restaurant, the food was good, the company was better and the Ethiopian beer was really good.

21 Feb 2010 – Another teaching day for Anne, as for myself, an opportunity to discover downtown Frederick in search of photos and coffee. Some aspects of the city do harken back to days of old, only missing element are the cobbled streets, which have been paved over. I understand that once a year, owners of these antique homes, open their doors to the public, affording views of the interiors, I should like to see this. There has been some new develop surrounding Frederick’s canal, nice integration of old and new. Admittedly this is one of my favorite activities, roaming about a city/town at a very leisurely pace, earphones in, taking in the ambiance of a community. Paul recommended Nola for for coffee, a cafe/restaurant, did not disappoint, here is a hint, like coffee made with espresso. Typical large cappuccino comes with two shots, add additional two shot for a proper undiluted cappuccino – a very good thing.

A bit later I got an impromptu invitation to visit DC with Paul. First stop the National Gallery, what can one say about art, well it does nourish the soul. Always good to see familiar favorites, Gauguin, Degas, etc. After the gallery, we seek out the White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln, WWII memorials. We walked all over this city, good fun. On the way back to Frederick, Paul relates a rather harried flying story, the essence of which is to trust instinct when not fly and to do otherwise may very well result in disaster. Anne’s design workshop has ended and are off to visit our nephew James for a Korean dinner.

Paul at Lincoln Memorial

Dinner with James

22- Feb 2010 – Last day Frederick, Monday morning in search of birthday gift for a friend we will visit later today. We find many of the shops are closed on Monday, Kristi to the rescue, she suggest some options, we find a lovely hand crafted bowl at a shop across from Eleganza. Next stop a small town in NY to visit/stay overnight with Chris and Melanie, some old friends

Really enjoyed our visit to Frederick, looking forward to returning.

Stay tuned to Knitspot.com, will be added some new features to the website in the coming month.