One of my friends told me about an assignment she had in her negotiation class in college – to get 10 no’s.
There were two main rules as I recall:
- No one could know she was doing an assignment.
- If they said yes, you had to go through with the request
She had some unexpected, but normal responses – like being able to significantly reduce her monthly phone bill. And some unexpected and weird responses – like when she asked her roommate to brush her teeth – he agreed.
As I’ve been preparing for the knitting retreat I’m hosting in Maine in November 2025, I’ve been reminded of the power of just asking – you never know what will happen!
A student gave me Knitting the National Parks by Nancy Bates and since then I’ve wanted to get a group together to knit one of the patterns in (or near!) a National Park.
While planning this event I thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun to have Nancy Bates as a speaker at this event?” So, I sent her an email. Once the stars aligned for us to connect – she said yes!
There can be great power and great adventure and great success in just asking, just trying.
Even if something feels a little scary, or even impossible, what do we have to lose from trying? Generally far less than we think, and often much less than what we could potentially gain.
Want to join in Maine and knit the Acadia hat? Sign up for more details! Or register on Eventbrite to reserve your spot.
Can’t join in person? The conversation with Nancy Bates is happening via Zoom, so you can join for just that portion (tickets available on Eventbrite or email knitbynickwhole@gmail.com to register and pay via Venmo or PayPal).
