Columbus Recap

If you're like me and you're a lover of architecture, you must go visit Columbus, Indiana. I was thrilled to teach my first solo travel workshop and was hosted by the wonderful Nyra Miller at Knitters Nook. Indiana is so different from DC. I've been living in cities for so long, I forget what it's like to drive everywhere, to live near people you grew up with and to know everyone. I don't even know my neighbors (which is pretty typical for city living)!

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The wonderful customers and students of Knitters Nook made me feel like a knitting rock star and were so warm and welcoming that I'm hoping I'll get to visit them again soon. I taught them knitted lace (lace on both sides), slipped stitches, beading and knitting, cabling, turned picot hems and chart reading. As always, when you get a bunch of knitters together, there's a special feeling of camaraderie and sharing of tips and tricks that firms up my belief that knitting is one of the best things in the world. I enjoyed getting to know them all over the weekend and left feeling like a member of the family. They truly embraced me and the weekend was even better than I anticipated.

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And the architecture!!!!  Columbus is a city known for its architecture and that is a title well deserved. J. Irwin Miller, 2nd CEO and a nephew of a Co-Founder of Cummins Inc., the Columbus-headquartered diesel engine manufacturer, instituted a program in which the Cummins company paid the architects' fee, provided the client selected a firm from a list compiled by Miller. The plan was initiated with public schools and was so successful that Miller decided to defray the design costs of fire stations, public housing, and other community structures. The high number of notable public buildings and sculptures in the Columbus area, designed by such individuals as Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Robert Venturi, Cesar Pelli, and Richard Meier have led to Columbus earning the nickname "Athens of the Prairie." Six buildings, built between 1942 and 1965, are National Historic Landmarks, and approximately 60 other buildings sustain the Bartholomew County seat's reputation as a showcase of modern architecture. National Geographic Magazine once devoted an entire article to the town's architecture. I wish I had more time to explore, but here are a few highlights from my camera...

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Thank you, Nyra and Columbus! I had so much fun knitting with you, teaching, learning about your city and immersing myself in your beautiful architecture! Hope to see you soon.