If you see a knitter struggling with a skein of yarn, walk up and hold out your hands with your palms facing one another. No matter what language you speak, the message will get across. Soon that skein will be on your hands, which you'll teeter back and forth as your new friend finishes winding that skein into a tidy ball. It's how my mother kept my grandma company as a child, and it's how I have struck up many a friendship over the years.

But if you're really and truly alone? Or, say, you're grappling with a 3,000-yard skein of slippery silk? That's when umbrella swifts come in mighty handy—literally. Do you have one? Do you need one? How do they work? Here are some answers.

This Weekend in New Mexico and Maine
For readers west of the Mississippi, consider a road trip to Farmington, New Mexico, for the Best of the Southwest Fiber Arts Festival. The event, held November 14 and 15, spans all the fiber arts, from knitting and spinning to quilting, weaving, felting, and crocheting. Meanwhile, I invite all New Englanders to join me at String Theory Yarn in Blue Hill, Maine, on Saturday from 3-5pm for a signing and celebration of my new book, The Knitter's Book of Wool.

In the Forum: When Mistakes Become Art
What mistakes have you repeated so often that you're now an expert? And have you made such creative mistakes that they deserve some sort of award? Fess up and prepare to giggle.

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As always, I thank you for your readership and your support.

Happy knitting, and I'll see you in the Forums!

P.S. Do you have friends who would enjoy Knitter's Review? If so, don't hesitate to forward this email to them.

Knitter's Review Poll

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