Welcome to the second instalment of staff profiles! Â (See Linda's here.)
Melissa teaches the majority of classes at the shop, and has a great lineup of projects coming up in the Fall. Watch our Classes page for updates, and register early as the sessions fill quickly!
-Christa
Name: Melissa Ravelry name: MizzRose When did you start working at Three Bags Full? November 2009 What is your favourite thing about working here? I feel part of a wonderful knitting family by working for a locally owned business with a great staff to be a part of. When I'm not at work, I still find reasons to drop by- I love being surrounded by wonderful yarns and wonderful knitters :) What keeps you excited about teaching? Empowering beginners to become intermediate knitters and intermediate knitters to become advanced knitters :) Teaching new patterns and designing new classes around them also keeps me excited. Every group of new students is so unique and inspiring to be around. How did you learn to knit? Although I didn't learn to knit until my early 20s, I spent the first 8 years of my life watching my Irish Grandmother (who immigrated to and lived in the Bronx) knit. After she died (when I was 8), I forgot about how I wanted her to teach me to knit. Fast forward to Dublin, Ireland 14 years later- I came upon a friend knitting in the graduate reading room and asked her if she would teach me to knit after the Winter break. She said if I brought needles and yarn, she would show me the rest. I brought the needles and yarn that my Grandmother had given me to learn to knit and the rest is history! February was my 10th anniversary as a knitter :) What is your knitting style? Mostly, picking (my friend and teacher was an American who learned to knit in Germany). I knit Fair Isle by throwing one colour and picking another. Just learned to lever knit with the Yarnharlot when she was in Vancouver in July and I'm working on having that style in my bag of knitting tricks as well. What is your favourite type of knitting? Fair Isle and cables. What do you enjoy making? At the moment, I seem to be on a sweater kick, with a quick Fair Isle hat project to keep me motivated in between. I sneak in socks (but suffer from a severe case of second sock syndrome- which sometimes comes on as second mitten syndrome as well). I also enjoy knitting toys and dolls for the little people in my life. I'm mid-monster for my son right now. What is on your needles now? Blaithin in Berrocco Blackstone Tweed, Hudson Bay inspired baby blanket in Spud and Chloe Sweater, Sheep Carousel in Harrisville Shetland, and a few other neglected projects that I will tend to once a few of the above are finished (and after I complete the inevitable knitting distractions that come up in between). What have you recently finished? Rockaway in Cascade Eco-Wool  and Insouciant in Habu Tsumugi Silk. [note from Christa: You can see Melissa's Rockaway sample in the shop, I originally goofed and gave her credit for Alison's Insouciant!]
Tell us about your most challenging project. My first attempt at intarsia about 8 yrs ago, in which I spent 8 hours knitting intarsia badly. I then frogged the work of the day, reknit it (second time was a breeze) and I still have the felted bag that resulted and I love it now :) Tell us about your most satisfying project. My first traditional Aran Sweater for my Dad, in homage to his Mother Bridget- was lovely to knit in silky wool. If you are involved in a community of knitters outside of the shop, tell us about it! Hoping to make my son and some of his friends into my community of knitters outside the shop :) When I'm not teaching or at the shop on the weekend, I'm chasing after my crazy and lovely preschooler and always trying to inspire the other Moms to knit with me too :) Share some of your non-knitting interests. Spending time with my son and husband, riding my bike, cooking, baking, dabbling in crochet and sewing. Before moving to Vancouver, I was a doula, so I still enjoy being a part of Vancouver's birthing community and can also be found teaching prenatal classes. I also enjoy pretending that I have time to read books that are not knitting or birth related :)
