When my husband and I visited my parents for the first time, back in the fall of last year. It was his first time in Switzerland and I got to see some of my beloved home with new eyes. Thing is, when you see things everyday, it is hard to have them maintain that sparkle, they fade, become mundane and move into the background. Seeing the architecture and history of the town I grew up in, seeing the mountains and valleys and rivers through these new and fresh eyes, I got to experience the wonder and beauty of it all first hand.
I am truly a child of my beloved Switzerland, where I grew up and spent a large part of my life, and it influences everything I do and inspires all things I create. I have always loved the outdoors, summer or winter. The tender new shoots in the spring, foggy days in the fall when the leaves turn golden and red, the buzzing and whirring of tiny winged creatures on a summer afternoon or the wave pattern wind creates on really cold and blustery winter days when it blows over snowy slopes. All my inspiration as a designer comes from growing up here and being around buildings that have been around since the turn of the former millennium.
It was that fall that the dream started to build. At first, it was a tiny seed, planted by watching my love and seeing the wonder and amazement in his eyes. Over time, without my knowledge that seed, took root and grew stronger until I started thinking about sharing my love for this unique place on earth with others, not just my immediate family. And then one thing lead to another, and one fateful day, I mentioned my casual idea to a few friends, fully expecting them to laugh, but they got excited and encouraged me and pushed me to get going with it. So I first started to actually thinking about the possibility, and then got down to some serious planning. And that tiny seed grew into a tree then a mountain and I knew, Knitterati Retreats had to be made a reality.
Some dreams take a bit of time to manifest. But when they finally come together they make all the hard work and long hours worth while!
Simone