the booklet arrived over a month ago (well, before the beginning of june) with registration opening june 1st. it is KDO's 25th anniversary and they really pulled out the stops - their guest instructors included barbara walker, annie modesitt and kathy zimmerman! and the classes! learn to knit continental! mosaic knitting! fixing mistakes! so many to choose from...only 2 classes allowed!
my first choices were barbara walker's "how i became a knitter" lecture and "new ways to knit" becos i've always wanted to learn continental knitting, and how often do i get to hear an influential knitter discuss her craft?! my back up choices were annie modesitt's cocoon circular sweater class, fixing mistakes (really!! i need this class!), intro to tunisian knitting and a couple of sock classes, although i really didn't want a sock class as i'd taken them other years. i wanted something different. from what i had heard, barbara's lecture and kathy zimmerman's classes were hot tickets, and i sent my registration back within an hour of receiving the booklet, becos i really wanted that lecture!!
i waited on bated breath for nearly 2 weeks to get my confirmation. i got more anxious as ravelers posted in the KDO group that they received their first choices. other years i always got my first choice. would i get shut out this year?
luck was with me, and i got barbara's lecture and new ways to knit! i excitedly checked out my class pre-reqs and found that i had no homework, aside from the hat we knit for the "caps for kids" part of our registration. september seemed so far away!
a couple weeks later i got an email from one of the coordinators - so many registered for intermediate/advanced classes, that most of the non-guest instructors were filled, and many guest instructor classes had openings. for the first time, we could take 2 guest instructor classes instead of one. since i already had one guest instructor class and really wanted the learn to knit continental class, i did not request a change in my schedule.
today i learned that several registrations were delayed due to a postal snafu, and as a result those persons didn't get the classes they wanted, and (i think) shut out all together. they were pretty pissed, and i suppose i would have been pissed too. luckily the KDO group in ravelry kept me up to date on what was happening with registration. also, i probably would have emailed the coordinators about the status of my registration if i hadn't heard within a few weeks of mailing it in. perhaps these other people did that, and that's how they found the postal bungle.
i should point out how grateful i am to the coordinators of this event. one lady said that 300 registrations were processed! i cannot imagine trying to fit people into the classes. i imagine it being like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. i bet the task was made more difficult in that there were fewer classes this year. and it's not easy to please everyone.
someone suggested online registration. apparently this is not an option due to costs. and while online registration would be nice, what happens if everyone tries to register at the same time? or suppose someone doesn't have access to a computer? not everyone is linked in, or on ravelry. as antiquated as snail mail is, some times it is the best option.
i need to knit a hat for my registration. i'm thinking of making a sock monkey hat, and if it's good enough entering it the hat contest in hopes of winning a gift certificate for the yarn market. i'll probably make a couple of caps.
now all i have to do is pick a nice yarn to learn to knit with, and a great project to work on while barbara lectures!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments? Questions? Feel free drop me a line!