A little less than a year and a half ago, Camille picked up knitting needles for the very first time. Little did I know that she would become not only the owner of an Etsy store (Camboodle) but also, from what I’ve seen, the youngest attendee at STITCHES South by at least fifteen or twenty years.
It’s funny. She’s often a bit shy and awkward around kids her on age, but in this crowd of females over 30 (I have yet to see a man here other than those working the registers), she feels quite at ease. Thankfully, this crowd of fiber folks seems comfortable and excited to welcome her into their world. So often these days, it feels like adults would rather talk to other adults than kids.
Camille has managed all of the responsibilities of attending. I’ve made sure that I am simply the holder of the driver’s license and the credit card. She has been responsible for printing out the right paperwork to get her conference badge. She has been responsible for knowing where she has to be and when. She was responsible for printing out directions and navigating us to the hotel for registration and the galleria for the marketplace and workshop. She led us through the marketplace and talked to the shop owners, though Chloe does do a great job of PR for Camille.
When I we signed Camille up for that first knitting class, I had no idea that I was enabling her to learn so much more than how to cast on, knit, and purl. It would have been the road that I would have chosen for her, but I’m happy for her that she discovered it for herself!
(I’m finding it ironic that Camille’s hanging out with a crowd of people into which I would easily blend while I sit here and listen to kids’ music …)
