Upon booking for Stitches, I decided that if I was going to take a class (and take 3 hours out of my market shopping budget time), it was going to be with someone memorable.

Enter Anna Zilboorg! I’d read a few things about Anna and I thought it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend 3 hours with her in her class: Surprisingly Special Techniques. She did not disappoint.

Her thoughts and ideas on knitting were about simplicity. How simple things can make all the difference to the finished look of your knitting. She’s a bit of a perfectionist, and for once I really liked that (says the knitter who hates ripping back). Why continue to knit sloppy garments when you can change small things to your repertoire and look clever?

I’ve been knitting (k1 p1) rib for years, and the only time I’d ever knit a twisted rib was on Cookie A socks (in the round). A simple thing like twisting this one stitch on both sides of knitting when knitting a garment, makes for a much nicer rib, right? Why wouldn’t you always do this on cardigans and sweaters, instead of saggy rib?

She taught us her method for setting up and cutting a steek. My first ever!

The perfect way to make a cluster easily and effectively.

And of course her proudest invention, the Perfect Buttonhole! Boy oh boy is it ever perfect! It’s seamless from the front to the back and it’s a thing of beauty.

She’s also a pretty cool woman. When I asked for a photo, she didn’t even flinch at the term ‘selfie’.

She is the author of Knitting Anarchist (now on Kindle) and several other knitting pattern books, including Knitting Free-Sole socks. I have a bit of homework to do.