Last weekend I travelled a long way from home on the South East coast of England, by train, to Morecambe on the North West coast. The reason for this journey – I had booked to attend a ‘Teaching Skills’ weekend course held by Pauline Turner from ‘Crochet Design’.
Now, this was very exciting for me as, not only are weekends away a very rare treat, but it meant I was going to meet Pauline Turner who is the founder of the International Diploma in Crochet course that I am doing. And because Morecambe is a long way from home I got to do many hours of crochet during the train journeys there and back!
I was hoping to gain skills and confidence in being able to teach others to crochet. Of course I can crochet myself but I find it so different when I’m trying to teach others (which includes my own 10 year old daughter!) The course was 2 full days (Saturday and Sunday) so I stayed in a delightful guesthouse for 2 nights, The Broadwater, which I can highly recommend.
http://www.thebroadwaterhotel.co.uk/
I’d never been to Morecambe before so on the first morning, on the way to Crochet Design, I strolled along the promenade and through the streets. The weather was grey and gloomy and the Lake District mountains across the Bay were rather elusive…
When I arrived I was made to feel very welcome which always helps- there were two other fabulous ladies on the course with me who are also students of the International Diploma in Crochet. They were a joy to meet and spending time with like-minded people who also love to crochet is amazing.
Pauline was so inspiring, encouraging and insightful and the snippets she told us about her own life, both personal and in relation to her crochet, were wonderful to listen to. Pauline was at the forefront of ‘Freeform crochet’ in the 1970’s and she has written many books on crochet including a detailed researched history of this craft we love included in her ‘Crochet Lace’ book.
After the first days teaching I walked slowly back to the hotel. By this time the sun had come out- how different a place can look depending on the weather…
This is a statue of the famous English comedian Eric Morecambe who took ‘Morecambe’ as his stage name as it was his hometown. I’m glad the sun came out for me to take this photo!
I walked along the beach…
played in the sand…
and admired the views…
The tide was right out but I knew not to venture onto the sands- Morecambe Bay is famous for it’s dangerous mudflats, quick sand and fast tides.
The next morning, before the course started at 09.30, I took an early morning walk to the ‘Stone Jetty’ which has lots of sculptures of local birdlife. The Lake District mountains across the bay were also clear to see which was beautiful…
The second day of the course was as inspiring as the first. We were also served the most delicious food during both days and were given plenty of opportunities to ask our own questions, ensuring that we left the weekend feeling satisfied. And I certainly did feel staisfied! As well as learning about general teaching methods which can be applied to so many situations, I came away with practical skills and ideas which I can use when teaching others to crochet.
I can’t wait to put them into practice… 🙂