Archive for the 'Trips' Category
Wahoo! I get to go to Banff!!
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
(Map courtesy www.banff.com)
Amy Swenson wrote a few days ago to invite me to teach at her shop(Make One Yarn Studio)’s Fall Fiber Arts Retreat. We had talked about it briefly a few weeks ago, but I didn’t want to say anything until it was for sure for sure.
I am so looking forward to it. Amy and I have been friends since the early days. (Amy’s been blogging as Indigirl since 1996 and I’ve had this blog since 1998.) We started out together, in a way, and it is so cool to be doing a workshop together. I have a really cute picture of me and Amy together at one of the TNNAs, but I can’t find it! If I do, I’ll post it.
Teaching at workshops is my new favorite thing. I love meeting people, especially other knitters. And…I get to talk about knitting and yarn for the whole weekend!
I’ll be teaching:
Anatomy of a Top-Down Sweater
Fitting Your Knits
Converting Flat Patterns to Circular
I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful place for a knitting retreat!!
It’ll be so wintry and cozy there!! ACK.
(Mildly hyperventilating.)
Posted in Trips, events | 6 Comments »
Knitting in the Heartland…the short version
Monday, April 7th, 2008
I’m back home, feeling totally inspired and maybe even a little bit gung ho, and knitting SOCKS! We JUST stepped through the door and I had to sit down and write about my weekend before I sit down to knit and review Glam Knits.
FIRST…let me tell you that the Sunflower Knitters Guild can organize a
convention! Everything was so wonderfully put together. Events ran on schedule, people and things were where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there…and if not…someone made sure that that changed QUICKLY. And the vendor market was EXCELLENT. I went over budget by a healthy 50%. So much variety and lots of things that I’d heard of but hadn’t seen in person before.
Oh! And I started knitting a pair of SOCKS (in happy-feet!) How long since I’ve knit socks? The last pair I finished was probably 2003. Seriously. I’m knitting them toe up with a short-row heel. And so far, I’m not using any instructions, just trying to knit from memory…we’ll see how that goes when I get to the heel!
I’m SO glad that I was invited to go!!
(This is Jo. We’ve known each other online for a LONG time and FINALLY got to meet this weekend. Well, this is Jo after several very hectic days and a few nights of no sleep!)
On Friday, Jo and Teri met Me, Mom and Mazie at the airport. They were nice enough to take us all the way to the hotel to hand Mazie off to her eagerly awaiting Japel grandparents (who had decided that we were just too close to them in Sioux City not to drive down and visit us) before taking us to the cutest and best-stocked yarn shop I’ve seen in a WHILE. Amber has done a really great thing in opening Miskints! I picked up a couple hanks of Happy Feet ( colorway 8 ) and a T-shirt (that I’m wearing right now!)
We went to dinner with most of the organizing committee (Me, Mom, Jo, Teri, Jo, Sandra) at Blue Koi. I got the shrimp with Chinese Curry…YUM. After that, it was back to the hotel to hang out with M&M (Marv and Mary) a while, knit, and get ready for Saturday.
I taught “Fitted Knits Techniques” first and “Airy Wrap” second. We figured out how to custom size the airy wrap for these who are in-between sizes. It was such a genuine pleasure to teach these knitters! I’m STILL in awe as to how knowledgeable they are and REALLY in awe as to how gung ho they are! They were such a treat!
Saturday night, we went to dinner with 20 KC area knitters! How cool is THAT!? There were bacon jokes, tales of *another* (more famous) teen-author-Stefanie, and some truly crazy camping stories. Did you know that you can send all the ticks to the other end of the campground by letting off a bug bomb outside? Did you know that the older girl scouts know how to catch rabbits and prepare them to eat?? Or that major purchases by husbands justify the purchase of MORE YARN? I don’t hang out with enough knitters.
On Sunday, “Drop Stitch Tank” class went really well. The last time I taught that, we spent like an hour and a half getting our swatches under control…but these ladies just came in with their perfect swatches and went to town. We custom-fit everyone’s DSTs! The second class “Converting Flat Patterns to Circular” didn’t start out as smoothly as I would have liked. Advice: don’t put your most math-intensive class LAST on a big weekend! The Sunflowers were so awesome, though, that it ended up warm and fuzzy.
After class, the girls (Jo, Gwen, Carmen, Teri, Christine, Jo) invited me out to dinner to recap the weekend and give ourselves small backpats and hugs and a little bit of mutual admiration over a job well done.
(Photo courtesy of me…stealing it from Gwen!…Jo and Jo are missing…Teri, Carmen, me, and Gwen are all there.)
If you’re in the area next time…or if they ask you to teach, GO!
(I’ll get pics of my haul tomorrow in the daylight!)
Posted in Trips, events, press | 5 Comments »
Sunflower Knitting Guild: Knitting in the Heartland
Friday, February 15th, 2008
I’ve been invited to be the Featured Artist and Instructor at Knitting in the Heartland this year!! (Past featured artists include Nicky Epstein and Lucy Neatby!) It is an AMAZING honor to be invited to do this!
I’ll be teaching four classes:
1. Knitting flat patterns in the round
2. Ribbed lace tank from “Fitted Knits”
3. Airy Wrap from “Fitted Knits”
4. Techniques from “Fitted Knits”
The convention is being held Saturday, April 5 & Sunday, April 6, 2008 at the Radisson Hotel in Lexena, KS (a suburb of Kansas City.)
Registration is currently open, here is a link to the registration form and brochure. (pdf)
Posted in Trips, events, press | 1 Comment »
We’re back.
Tuesday, November 27th, 2007
I haven’t yet braved the gmail inbox, thought I’d check in here and write a little update first. We had a very nice Thanksgiving-Christmas at the Japels’. All of Nate’s brothers were there, and so were the sisters in law and the nephews and niece. Good family fun! I FINALLY won a game of 31. My first win in 14 years!! (It’s a card game that an infinite number of people can play, games last for HOURS…so the one who wins is the winner of the NIGHT!) WOo!
Here’s the sweater I knit for Olin (our newest nephew):
It’s just a simple Top Down Raglan with cables on it. Woolease Chunky. Wash and wear for the baby boy!
I didn’t get photos of the hat and scarf I made, but they were both well received, I think. Alex (our oldest nephew) was still wearing the cap that I made for him about 5 years ago…so he was glad to have a replacement!
I also made Olin a couple of little toys:
These are just polar fleece, free-hand cut outs stitched and stuffed with fiber-fill (also machine wash / dry).
AND…here’s me at about 34 weeks:
B.I.G. but happy!
I’ve kind of fallen off in my blogging lately, and I was just trying to figure out why. Partly it’s just because time is going so FAST. I blink my eyes and two weeks have gone by. The other part of it is something like the preciousness of being pregnant has me feeling sort of private about it. It’s bizarre, because I usually just lay it all out there (here.) I don’t know. Maybe that’s not even “it.” I find myself just holing up with my thoughts. Doing little crafts, sewing and knitting and daydreaming.
I’ve been feeling really well, the morning sickness is down to 1 -2 mornings a week. I’m not achey, not swollen, definitely TIRED, spacey, daydreamy.
I’m looking forward tot eh baby shower (Dec. 8.) Family and friends coming together from LONG ways off (Phoenix, Denver, Omaha, Sioux City, Albuquerque) to celebrate with us. I’m frantically trying to get the house ready and make sure things are tidy and trying to stash all my projects. I kinda let myself spread out when it’s just the two of us…the whole house is the craft room.
Anyway…HELLO!
Posted in just chit chat, Trips | 3 Comments »
Belly Pics!
Tuesday, September 25th, 2007
Here are a couple of pics from last weekend. We went up to Albuquerque for a wedding, and these are some shots at 23 weeks:
Posted in just chit chat, Trips, baby | 7 Comments »
Hi from TNNA!
Saturday, June 2nd, 2007
Mom and I are in Columbus!!
Last night I taught my class, and there was a *great* group of students. We chatted the whole time, it was so fun!
Today, we got up at the crack of 11 when Yahaira called us to tell us that her room wasn’t ready yet! So she came up and we all sat around chatting about books and publishers until we decided to go over and set up the booth. After lots of climbing on tables and safteypinning of tulle…we finished the booth and went to lunch. At lunch I met Leah, who always makes my patterns look so amazing.
After lunch, we decided to take it easy and rest up until the fashion show. I had one garment from the book in the show…it’s always fun to see my sweaters on PEOPLE, instead of the mannequin.
For supper, we (me, Mom, Cathi, Lauren, Yahaira, and Leah went to Zen. Yum! Tempura rice bowl. Fried tofu! Green tea!
OK, tomorrow I start taking photos.
Posted in Trips, events | 1 Comment »
Bluegrass Festival of KNITTING
Thursday, April 26th, 2007
WOAH!
(photo courtesy of lotus knits)
Was this ever a fun thing to do!
On Saturday, we (me, my editor Jessica Gordon, several charming women who work on the Writers Digest books, and our publicist Greg Hatfield) went to Lexington, Kentucky for the Bluegrass Festival of Books.
When we arrived at the convention center, we were met by show organizer Rachael Ray, the person who invited me to be on the discussion panel. She led us to the table, where we were met by Diane MacDonald and Jane Homeyer, the owners of Magpie Yarns (Because the Yarn Harlot already posted, I borrowed the link from her.) These women are so amazing, as soon as we all got there they started taking a coffee order! AMAZING hostesstes.
On one side of me was Susan Anderson, author if Itty Bitty Hats (which I’m sad that I forgot to ask her to sign.) Itty Bitty Hats is a really sweet and innovative collection of baby hats. On my other side was Ann Hood, author of The Knitting Circle! I’m just starting my copy, but after meeting Ann and hearing her speak and spending time with her…I know that I will learn a lot from this book. On Susan’s other side was Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, author of (ok, I know you already know.) 
So after we all signed books a while, it was time for the knitting panel. Susan, Ann, and I were on the panel, and my editor Jessica was the moderator. It was really interesting to hear from the other knitters, and in-person get their perspectives on knitting and what it means to them. Susan is one of Wisconsin’s leading entrepreneurs, and Ann has written like 7 novels, so I was the noob in the room of experts!
After the panel, the Magpie Mavens invited all of us knitting people to lunch! So we all piled into the minivan and went to a restaurant downtown. I’m secretly glad that the food took so long to arrive to the table, so that I could talk to everyone longer. We were discussing things like the slang words that you can and can’t say in different countries, and blogging of course, and book-writing, and traveling…I’m so lucky to have had the chance to talk with these women. It was really, really great. I can’t say enough about how fun that lunch was.
After lunch, I signed a few more books and we went home at 5. I totally had to miss the Yarn Harlot’s talk, but I had a lot of fun meeting people at the table. (Who am I kidding, while the Harlot was speaking, every knitter in the building but me and Ann were in the lecture hall.)
I met a lot of really fun knitters when Stephanie was done, though!! I’ll post photos when I get home from Rock City, I promise!
Posted in Book Talk, Trips, events | 5 Comments »
Woo! talk about GLAM!!
Friday, April 20th, 2007
(photo by Ron Hamilton)
L to R in the photo above: Jessica (my editor) Nora (stylist) ME and Amanda (art director.) Looking at this picture makes me feel incredibly happy and excited and motivated!
We did the author photos for Glam Knits today at Ron Hamilton Photo in Cincinnati, and also shot one of the garments for the book!
It was so fun, and after talking to Amanda and meeting Ron and Nora (I’m in constant contact with Jessica)…I’m SO SO looking forward to seeing Glam Knits. We talked a lot about the vision for the book, and it’s going to be beautiful. This book is in the best of hands.
A weird coincidence…we took a walk through the mall after an awesome lunch with the whole F&W Craft team (sales, editorial, art, PR…) and ran into the stylist from Fitted Knits! Totally random and wonderful.
AND…check out this cool ad that’s going to run in the Summer issue of Adorn:
Posted in Book Talk, Trips | 18 Comments »
Bluegrass Festival of Books: Books Signing times
Wednesday, April 18th, 2007
I will have 2 book signings at the Bluegrass Festival of Books on Saturday.
Signings will be at 9 am and 1 pm in the F&W booth.
And don’t forget the panel discussion:
A Good Yarn — Knitters, Fiction, and More!
Thoroughbred Room 8
11 a.m.
Moderator
Jessica Gordon
Editor, North Light Craft Books
Authors
Susan Anderson
Stefanie Japel
Ann Hood
Description
Join author of Itty Bitty Hats, Susan Anderson, Fitted Knits author, Stefanie Japel, and fiction author Ann Hood, The Knitting Circle, for a panel about knitting hats for infants, fashionable knitting, knitting in fiction and more.
You can get a signed book, see the panel discussion, and still have time to go see the Yarn Harlot at 2!
Posted in Trips, events | 1 Comment »
Spring Brrrrreaaaaak!
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007
We just got back from a really fun weekend!
I went up to Kingston (map) with Nate and two of our friends. One of the friends (to remain nameless in order to protect the allergy-ridden) had to go home early because the Juniper trees were killing him.
Here are some photos that I think really represent the trip:
Joclyn and Eric
This is what’s known as purgatory…the balcony above the fire pit. The construction is completely handmade and designed and built by Jocy’s dad. COOL!
We went for a walk in the woods and found the exact spot where they were married two years ago!
ROCKS!
Later, we ate steaks and potatoes, cooked on the grill and went for a drive at night into the woods.
Here’s a photo of how *that* went:
We ended up with a flat tire, no flashlight, and used the red light from the focus on the camera as a light…occasionally accidentally snapping funny pics.
I’m STILL amazed that we got that tire changed! The next day was really casual…hike around Kingston, the cemetery, and lots of hanging out knitting, talking, eating, and drinking.
It was so great to get up into the mountains and relax for a few days. No phone. No internet. A real Spring break!