Change and Love

A big change is coming for me in the next few months, a change that I feel very conflicted about.

My husband and I are leaving Scotland – our home for the past four years – and are moving back to the United States. On one hand I am really very excited. I get to be near my family and friends that I’ve only seen a handful of times over the past four years, whom I miss terribly. I get to now experience first-hand the next stage of life for my friends and family – where my brothers and I are now each married and will be having children; and I will now get to be a part of that, rather than watching from a distance. Trent and I now get to be in a country where things are familiar again, where we understand how things work. We get to start the next stage of life – whatever that is. And we get to do that together, which is the best part.

But on the other hand, I am really sad. I have changed in so many ways and learned so much here. I have become someone I am proud to be, I love what I do and I am in a really exciting time and place for it. I have been so blessed. Trent & I have joked that we moved here for him and his PhD work, when really the move ended up seeming to be more for my personal benefit. I learned that my interest in hand-knitting was more than an interest and began to design and write knitting patterns. Then I got my MA in Knitted Textiles, and began working in hand-knit professionally. I have met and become friends with some crazy-talented and inspiring people, I have begun teaching classes, attended some amazing knitting events, and even had some patterns published. I certainly would not have learned so much nor explored so far in hand-knit if I had not have been living in Scotland. There is so much skill here, so MANY fantastic and accomplished knitters and makers here, and such support and enthusiasm for knit and craft. I have been welcomed into the group of knitters and felt such love. And for this, it breaks my heart that I will leave.

In preparation for the move there is so much to do (first off, all our stuff has to either be sold or shipped overseas). I feel like I have been running around manic for the past few weeks and will continue to do so until the move at the end of December. I want to spend more time with everyone I’ve come to know, and I feel this need to accomplish so much more before I leave. I have a few more classes lined up which I’m so excited about, I’m working on some more pattern designs, and I’ve got some really fun projects going on at work. Things at Eribé have been so busy as we wrap up production on the AW13 season and begin design/development on AW14. There is so much to do but I love it all. Everyone at work has been really supportive of this change and I am also really sad to leave this new family of mine.

I cannot thank you all enough for being a part of my life and adventure. I have no idea what will happen over the next year and beyond – where we will be living, what we will be doing – but I am entering into it feeling so full and and blessed. I love you all.