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.
57 thoughts on “Frederick Revisited by misterknitspot”
Neat post! Nice to hear from the “sock model” for a change!! Looks like fun was had by all! Thanks David for a look at the “other side of the game”! 🙂
Kudos, Mr. Knitspot! Your pictures were fabulous and your narrative delightful. We look forward to more!
i loved this post, david– your prose is delightfully mannered. and i concur, anne is a superwoman!
Thank you, David, for your wonderful post and photo journal. I especially enjoyed seeing pictures of DC where I spent a lot of time last summer.
No disputes about the amazing Anne here!
Loved the post David–I hope we shall hear more from you in the future. I enjoyed both your pictures and you’re writing style. It reminded me a little of my late father’s, which I didn’t realize how much I missed until now.
Hi to Anne as well!
Thank you, Mr. Knitspot.
Great post! Thank you for all the lovely photos.
Lovely!
So fun to see “my” city through other eyes! DC too – we get a little blase sometimes. Glad you both had a good time in Frederick and hope you find your way back on a regular basis!
Thank you Mr Knitspot What a wonderful read and I loved the photos. Hope you post again soon!
I knew it – amazing photos! And a unique view into Knitspot :>)
Enjoyed the post, David. Especially enjoyed your loving comments about Anne. It’s nice to hear from other happily married couples.
And the pictures were grand. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to more.
Love the post and photos, MisterKnitspot. Am even more in awe of your devotion to one another. Thanks!
As a Washingtonian who visits Frederick often, it was great to see all your photos! Hope to meet you, David, the next time you and Anne visit Frederick. I hear there will be a return sojourn, so I’ll keep my eyes and ears open for when.
Great stories David! And thanks for the great photos…reminds me that I need to revisit some of these places!
hurray for david! nice to get your view on the Knitspot adventures!
I enjoyed your post David. Thanks for sharing your wonderful pictures.
David! I love your narrative and photos (gorgeous!). I fell in love with you when I first saw the model photos for “Oh! Canada!,” and you’ve kept me captivated ever since. Please keep modeling and posting whenever you feel like it. I’m a huge Knitspot fan, and I’m also a huge David fan. Keep it coming. 🙂
Thank you for the lovely guided tour. I enjoyed hearing all about your trip and the photos are beautiful. I hope to hear more from you in the future. And you make a great model too!
i loved this post, david! the pictures are great; lots of fun to see. thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your visit to Frederick and Washington DC. I was lucky enough to take the sock design class and I heard/read a rumor that you might post about your visit. You sure had a full day in DC – seeing more in a day than most of us locals make it to in a year. You took some very nice photos and I love the shots of Frederick – such a nice town. It’s changed a lot since I first moved to the area in 1990 (that long ago??!) but they kept the small, historic town character. I’m glad you and Anne enjoyed your trip and hopefully, ya’ll can make more trips out here for teaching and visiting your nephew – spring and fall are wonderful seasons here too!
lovely!
David, you write just as you speak; I could hear your voice as I was reading and I really really enjoyed it! Your pictures are beautiful! You and Anne are surely soulmates……
What a lovely post – thank you for taking the time to do it, and to share all your wonderful pictures. 🙂
This was great to read! And the photos made me smile.
Gotta love any post that begins with “Traveling for me is often irksome…” It is a sentiment I share expressed in a musical way. Enjoyed reading.
I really enjoyed reading your post, David. Thank you!
David- Nice to hear from you.
That Lincoln Memorial is huge- bigger than you think it is.
Loved the tour.
Loved MisterKnitspot’s report! It’s got to become a standard feature when trips are taken! =) Loved it, loved it, loved it!
I get to leave Kansas about once a year to visit family who live in Georgetown. They have a second home near Fredrick – so you are making me “second-home sick” I visit the yarn shops (there are 2) in Fredrick when I am there. It’s an interesting town. Thanks for the tour and it is nice to hear from you, MisterKnitspot!
David,I loved reading from your perspective. I certainly hope that we will be hearing more from you, as you are quite the talented writer and photographer! I think that Anne is just as blessed to have you as you are to have her!
So nice to here from you, David! We love your perspective through your photographs, and the written words add to it, completing the knitspot family. Hope there is more to come. Thanks!
Loved this post and reading David’s perspective.
Thank you David!! That was beautiful and so interesting.
Fond memories of Washington, having lived in the Greater Capital region for ten years..David you did capture the wonderful city..Thank You…I really miss my visits.
Awww… how lovely. Fun to hear David’s “voice,” and the photos are gorgeous. Thanks for the travelogue.
Great post David. Interesting to see things through your eyes and to hear your voice. Cheers!
Wonderful travelogue and photos, David!
So nice to hear from you, David, the silent partner. I, too, am a knitter, and I, too, have a
David who is a silent partner – and who bear with me while I fill the entire house with yarn.
Great post by David! I’m a lurker, generally, but I wanted to say that I really enjoyed David’s descriptions and photos!
I think Kristi would say I am an “unreasonable” man at times not a “renaissance” man LOL
I truly enjoyed getting to know you better and look forward to seeing you soon – I do not call many people “friend” but I certainly would call you that!
And don’t forget, beach week Maryland’s Ocean City – We could have, as Elvis says, a Clambake – LOL
A good post! Nice to get a man’s view as I often drag my DH along to such events. FYI; The snow is almost all gone now–finally!!!
Great post! Really got a feel for your “voice” and perspective. Looks like a wonderful journey.
David, Nice to hear from you. Your pictures and prose are a treat. I am so glad yo enjoyed your visit to DC, my hometown. I do hope the next time you visit you will find time to visit the Phillips Collection, a small intimate gallery housed in what was the home of Marjorie and Duncan Phillips. If you like Impressionist art you will not be disappointed. Happy Trails.
Thank you David for your wonderful photos, diary and company! Come back soon.
Thanks David for the beautiful pictures!
Very well done misterknitspot. It is a treat to hear from you.
dear misterknitspot, your architectural photography thematically inspires (not talking just pictures of buildings but your conceptualizing). Thank-You.
Awww, what a softie! Love these little travelogue adventures to places I am unlikely to ever get to see, in person. You really manage to convey the ambience of a place through your photos. What an amazing venue for a knitting workshop too! Thank you again for inviting me in to see a little slice of life in your delightful part of the world.
Thank you for all the photos. Fredrick is a part of the country I may never have an opportunity to see. All the beautiful brickwork is amazing. Like you, I’d want to see the interiors as well. Thank you also for the travel journal. And the cappuccinos? Sounds heavenly.
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