Cat Bordhi

I cried for a bit when Cat Bordhi passed. She never taught me knitting, which is ironic as a sock knitter. She did, however, teach me of the friendliness of knitters.

It was a valentine's day. It was Madrona. I live 10 minutes away from this fiber festival so I go every year. The year I met Cat Bordhi I had no idea who she was. I had learned my knitting from June Hemmons Hiatt and the yarn harlot and I was excited to take spinning and dying again with Judith McKenzie and sweater design with Amy Herzog. I was an avid sock knitter as well. I always have a pair of socks on my needles.

It was a very unassuming chance encounter to be honest. I had just entered the building from the parking garage and there was no one around but me and this lady with her arms full. So I asked if she wanted help. It turned into this 10 minute conversation; laughing and commiserating about never having enough hands, and how friendly and great knitters are. I helped her into one of the classrooms, we introduced ourselves and then I departed thinking, "what a nice lady." As I was leaving there were all these excited knitters rushing in. That's when I learned I had just had a random, casual conversation with a legend.

I thought, in that momemt, how nice it must've been for her to have a normal conversation with a stranger that day. Because all day she is surrounded by people with stars in their eyes that just want autographs and to be in her presense. She brightened that day for me. I didn't know her and she didn't know me, but she took time to talk to me, and made me feel welcomed. That mattered more to me than her prestige. She treated me like an equal. I'll always remember that.

That short chance encounter has changed the way I interact with popular knitting teachers; legends so to speak. I treat them like people. Genuine, nice people. This is what they do for a living, and they are way more prolific than I am, but they are still just people. People looking for ways to connect.

So thank you Cat. I'll never forget your kindness.

-Maria (That Bits N Bobs Girl)