Monday, February 14, 2011

Going and going and going...

As a mom who has a full time job, and knits almost as a second "job", life can get pretty crazy sometimes. And the one thing that REALLY gets away from me is blogging...and I feel guilty about it. Believe me, I love to write...but it's one of those things that doesn't always make the priority list. Know what I mean?

Since we last caught up, so much knitting has happened!

In mid-January I attended Vogue Knitting Live in NYC. It was held at the Hilton two blocks from my office, how could I resist? On Friday afternoon I took a menswear design class with Josh Bennett (boy meets purl) and he was fabulous...full of life, inspiration, and knowledge! I organized a dinner for a group of AWESOME knitters afterward, and we all had a great time meeting each other and dining on nommy greek food. We wandered back to a bar at the Hilton later, and hung out and laughed some more. I stayed overnight with a good friend and we headed back to the Hilton on Saturday morning.

Not only did I take my time in the marketplace, but I signed up for a last minute Lace/Charting class with Tanis Gray. She was a delight to meet...even though she told me I was way beyond the class level :o) Later on I went back to the marketplace and ran into so many friends I've met at workshops and book signings: Joanna Johnson was at Knitty City signing her new book; I ran into Jill from VA, who I met at a Knit A GoGo event a few years ago; a woman I met at the Shirley Paden workshop at Sticks and Strings last fall; and the list goes on. I also met Erin (Minty), Ysolda, The Kelbourne Girls (Kate & Courtney), and Cirilia, Connie, Melissa W, Colleen, Deb, Amy and Kat for the first time; and saw Kirsten, Kim, and Caro again. Everyone was just so nice...which is what I love most about knitters!

To note, my designs for Decadent Fibers were well received and I can't wait to see projects popping up on Ravelry in the coming weeks!

I've continued to do some test knitting for Kirsten - and she just finished knitting my Ramona sweater pattern (I am SO blessed!!!). I'm ironing out the last of the sizing issues and hope to have it released in the next week or so. I think you're going to love it as much as we do!

On the needles right now...
- a sample scarf for Buffalo Gold of Kristin Omdahl's new pattern "I Do Diamonds"
- Frost Flowers and Leaves Shawl from A Gathering of Lace. I started this last July and have a personal goal to finish it within a year. I'm getting toward the end of the major repeat section and there are a gazillion stitches - wish me luck on the final push!
- Colorwork mittens for a swap. No, I'm not generally a colorwork knitter - but I do like a challenge. Since they are a surprise for the recipient, I'll just say that my own ability has quickly surpassed my expectations. Ruth...you will not be disappointed :o)

That's all for now! Happy Valentine's Day to all...and Happy B'day to my amazing husband!!!

All my best,
Karen