At some point in her childhood, maybe when she was 7 years old or so, someone gave Lara Geller knitting needles and yarn and showed her how to cast on (long-tail/slingshot method) and how to do the knit stitch. The “someone” was a friend of her mother’s, apparently, but her mom passed away when she was 12, so the exact details cannot be confirmed. She possibly knit a few rows, never made anything, and nothing ever came of it.

Lara Geller, Certified Knitting and Crochet Instructor
Lara Geller, Certified Knitting and Crochet Instructor. Photo courtesy of Lara Geller.

Fast forward to June of 2006, when Lara was at a health resort and spa on vacation. In addition to exercise and nutrition classes, they also offered cooking, pottery, painting, and other craft classes (as well as lectures on various topics and other entertainment). It was her fifth year visiting the resort—and this time, they offered a class on knitting. Lara attended, as it was described as “an excellent form of meditation” comparable to yoga.

She picked up the needles and yarn, and it all came back, the casting on as well as the knitting. Lara learned how to purl via a quick explanation, and as they say, “the rest is history”.

A few months later, after being told that a knitter should know how to crochet even though a crocheter never really needed to know how to knit, she decided to learn how to crochet. Lara became proficient in crochet as well, rather quickly.

When another customer in the local yarn shop Lara frequented had a question and the employee working deflected that didn’t like to deal with anything crochet related, Lara became a “go-to” problem solver for other crochet enthusiasts.

In 2010, she moved from Florida to Georgia, and upon visiting a large arts and crafts retailer in the area, she asked what classes they offered. Lara was told they didn’t have a teacher – AH-HAH! And so her teaching days began.

About 8 months later, she went into another retailer, curious about what classes they offered, and again, she was told they had no teacher. She was then introduced to the Craft Yarn Council and completed her Instructor Certification through them.

Lara really enjoys teaching and sharing this amazing hobby/craft with others, especially children. It makes her wish she had kept with knitting when she was first introduced to it. She is especially adept at problem solving, figuring out what went wrong and how to fix it.

She now develops her own curriculum and teaches in Middle Georgia. Lara teaches all ages and levels of both Knitting and Crochet, from Intro 101 thru advanced techniques such as Double Knitting, Entrelac, Crocodile Stitch, Broomstick Lace, and more.

While she says she teaches to support her yarn habit, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy from Tulane University and an MBA in Finance from Nova Southeastern University. Her “day job” is in the Finance and Accounting area.

Her website is www.facebook.com/YarnAndNeedlesAndHooksOhMy, where you can find a complete calendar of her upcoming classes, with descriptions, as well as links to register for each one. Be sure to check out the details on her New Year’s Resolution Knit Socks class, which begins on January 13, 2018, at the Hobby Lobby in Macon. Registration is already open, and space is limited!

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Published by Lauren Deal

Lauren Deal is an attorney-at-law with the Deal Law Firm, LLC. She is also a wife, mother of two, a former teacher and assignment editor for Macon Community News.