Back-to-school season is upon us!  While many are preparing by stocking up on notebooks and dorm furniture, we are digging out our yarn and crafty tools in anticipation of our fun line-up of fall classes!  This also feels like a great time to return to introducing readers to our many wonderful WEBS Teachers-in-Residence.  Today we meet Beth Altimari:

Beth, what are some of the classes you are teaching here at WEBS this season?

This fall I’m offering a popular class on felted knitted hats with 4 brim styles to choose from, and a wonderful 3-color all-over-patterned hat reminiscent of a pillbox shape.  It’ s a great starting point for Fair Isle, but challenging too. Then I have Knitting I and Knitting II classes which I always love, as new knitters are a lot of fun.  I’m also doing a second round of a new Afghan Square of the Month Club,  12 squares offering a wide variety of techniques and stitch patterns using a few colors.

My maternal grandmother taught me to knit, as well as almost all the needle arts of her time.  I was about 8 or 9, and since I am left handed, she sat in front of me so I could mirror her hand motions.  It was 25 years later before I figured out all the little things I wasn’t doing!  I teach classes right handed as that makes the most sense for the majority of knitters, but I’m still most comfortable knitting left handed for myself.

Be kind to yourself, you’re learning something new, and don’t let panic take control as most anything can be fixed one way or another.

Seeing the sparkle in people’s eyes when they experience a success!  I tend to have a lot of patience, a trait that, in teaching, seems to let people feel at ease as they struggle to learn something they may have given up on in the past. Being in a class setting brings up a lot of mixed memories for people, so it’s important for me to help knitters to come away feeling good about it.

Assessment/trouble-shooting. I have a Human Service background that required developing those skills. But I hate to fly so I hope it wouldn’t involve flying and tights.

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You can find all of Beth’s classes, and more, on our website.

Have you ever taken a class with Beth? Tell us about your experience in the comments!

Tags: Beth Altimari