Life's journey is not always a smooth one. We hope that the small part we play in your lives makes the path a bit easier. In addition, we'd like to think that we help enrich your lives. Above all else, we pride ourselves on being a teaching shop. Although we call this our "newsletter," it's really a class schedule. Steve and Pat believed that we grow through constant learning; Susan and Terri share that belief. We try to offer interesting, affordable classes, and we welcome your suggestions for new ones.

We are extremely proud of our teaching staff. Their enthusiasm is infectious and they are the source of the many new classes that are offered. On top of that, they are extremely talented, but also humble enough to continue to learn - often from you, their students.

Charlotte Weber has just learned that she passed TKGA's Handknitter Level 3. She is now a "Certified Master Knitter." There are only four people with that certification in all of Arizona, and two of them are at the Fiber Factory. Also, the Yarn Council of America has certified two of our knitting instructors, Bev Walker and Elly Weinel.

There are many new classes in the summer schedule - too many to highlight for you. You will notice that we are offering more one time or shorter courses, in the hopes that they fit into your busy lives. There are many classes for the newer knitter to give them rewarding projects and help them grow into more challenging ones. There are exciting children's classes, including a weekly knitting class for the Adult and Child to attend together.

We are also making an attempt to give you guidance about the level of the skills required. We ask you to respect this and to ask if you question your abilities. We define the terms as follows:

• A Beginner is the individual who has had no experience whatsoever.
• An Advanced Beginner or Beginning Intermediate is close to synonymous. This is the individual who has learned the very basics, but has not done enough projects to do work independently. This includes: knit, purl, cast on, bind off, increases, decreases, rib stitch and basic terminology.
• The Intermediate is the individual who has mastered the basics, done a few projects, and is ready to take on independent projects such as changing patterns, designing, etc.

With the surging interest in knitting, we have "made" many extra classes. If you have a strong interest in a particular class, and it doesn't fit into your schedule, please ask. We will schedule classes at $7/hour for two or more individuals. Private lessons are $15/hour.