Let the Dance Begin!!

The TNNA Preview Promenade begins today and I am so far behind!!! And it is not going to get a lot better anytime soon as I am scheduled to be up in the mountains this weekend starting my ski instructor career. Luckily the travel gives me time to knit and I will be able to work on stuff during the evening. I will DEFINITELY have two new product...

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A New Look

So -- if you are a regular visitor, you have already noticed that I have a whole new look to my blog!!! I am trying to get a coordinated look for my various sites on the web. I am really hoping to have my new website up in the next few days, I am getting ready to launch new products for the TNNA show in a couple of weeks and I am launching the SSK Knit A Long next week. It is a busy time!Stop by again soon -- I have all sorts of new stuff to ...

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The Experiment

So I am participating in a marketing experiment around the TNNA show in January held in San Diego. Details still need to be worked out, but I am expecting to have more information in the next few weeks. It is all about previewing products that are being "unveiled" at TNNA and building interest. I will be interested to see what happens! Keep watching for more informati...

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Apparently I Am Worth Quoting!

Some time ago I wrote that a magazine had contacted me to ask about my experiences "business blogging". Quite honestly I had pretty much forgotten about it. But a couple of days ago, Wheat mentioned that CNA had published an article about blogging. So I grabbed my copy which had just arrived earlier that day and low and behold, I am quoted in there!!!CNA is an industry magazine focused on all types of crafts. Their tag line is "Speaking to the...

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Thanksgiving Weekend

Based on the date of my last post it is becoming obvious that the hustle of the holidays combined with getting ready for TNNA in January has already taken hold. This is what we did for the Thankgiving holiday weekend:We had to go to Utah and the coverage wasn't the greatest -- but we had more skiing than our legs could take!!! This week is getting...

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Fun at Stitches East

So this is what I was doing last weekend. These are some of my closest knitting buddies. Of course, as I always say, knitters are nice people, so I actually have a lot of knitting friends, but many of these gals I see at most shows. All but one is a teacher for the XRX folks. This was taken at the end of Thursday evening's sneak peak preview for...

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The New Blog is Ready

I just finished putting together my new blog for the Sample Stitch Kimono Knit-a-long. I am actually pretty proud of how it looks. We already have more participants than I actually expected and we still have a couple months to go before we actually get started! Hop over and see how it loo...

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The Sample Stitch Kimono Knit-A-Long

I recently decided to host a Knit-A-Long based on creating strips of knitting utilizing different texture techniques. The strips are then assembled into a great looking Kimono. So I announced it on my Knitability Newsletter and I have already had a wonderful number of sign ups. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get out the introduction packages...

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Guess What This Is....

So this is what I am currently working on. Any guesses as to what it is supposed to become? It is a prototype for a new Skill Builder pattern and I want to get it done before Stitches East so I can show it to Marilyn of Black Water Abby Yarns as it is made up in her yarn.If you want to know more, visit my educational blog -- The Knitting Professor....

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Knit Biz Publicity

Nothing is quite as good as getting a little free publicity! Recently the question was raised about a knitwear designer webring and one of the Knit Biz members recommended the Knit Biz webring (see the logo to the right). So this morning when I checked my e-mail I had about 5 - 10 new requests to join. So a big THANK YOU to Dawn for the mention on the list. The more who join, the better for EVERYONE! Welco...

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Discipline -- the Verb Not the Noun

I just looked up the word discipline. I had never thought about it before but it does make sense that it is both a noun and a verb. Technically I have problems with the verb -- specifically the first difinition in the Encarta dictionary (found in Word). It says:1. make yourself do something regularly - reflexive verb to make yourself act or work in a controlled or regular wayI am guessing that most folks that know me would think that I have a...

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Flowers!

So I found a quiz that seemed like fun: I am aCanna What Flower Are You? The interesting thing was I was just talking to my mother yesterday about getting some Canna starts from her for the yard. Kinda weird?!?! I have also signed up for a landscaping class, so gardening is on the mind a bit. Try the quiz, it is f...

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Let the Insanity BEGIN!

Two weeks until TNNA in Indianapolis. I am NEVER ready. It is not like it is a big surprise, but then again it is. I am always shocked that the date creeps up on me so quickly. I have at least two new Class In A Bag kits to get ready and then all the supplemental stuff like marketing materials and the like.One of my new classes is "Take It From...

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Mother's Day Tradition Renewed

Years ago, when I used to live near my folks, I kind of established a Mother's Day tradition of driving into the foothills to visit the local Iris Farm. Mom and I both enjoy growing Iris and because they are so easy to share they are a great gift! Give one one year and two to three years later recieve divisions for FREE!!Although I have been back...

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Setting an Example

So I consider myself BUSTED!!! A few days ago I was asked to be interviewed for an article about blogging (I believe because of the KnitBiz webring) and of course it has been more than a month since I have written. I could continue to use the excuse of my shoulder surgery, but the fact is as of Tuesday, I officially can start using it (with some limitations). So the excuses have dried up -- AGAIN!!With the Summer TNNA show on the horizon, I have...

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Cheatin' -- Kinda

So this is a bit of a cheat since it isn't a completely Gwen composed post, but with the shoulder out of commission, it seemed like a good substitute!Your Five Factor Personality ProfileExtroversion:You have high extroversion.You are outgoing and engaging, with both strangers and friends.You truly enjoy being with people and bring energy into any situation.Enthusiastic...

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Spiritual Retreat

This past weekend I spent 72 hours on a Spiritual Retreat called the Walk to Emmaus. It was one of the most powerful events I have ever attended. Tomorrow I go in for shoulder surgery which will leave me significantly incapacitated for at least a week or two. The rest of March is going to be strange for me and I anticipate that April will be only slightly better!!I am not sure where God is leading me right now. I don't know if knitting will continue...

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I am a Knitting Goddess

At least that is what came out from the Quizilla site see:You appear to be a Knitting Goddess.You are constantly giving and are unconcerned withreward, you simply want others to loveknitting as much as you do. If someone wantsto knit miles of novelty yarns, you are therefor them. If someone wants to learn short rowshaping, you can help. There are no...

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Stitches West 2006

So I am back and starting to get myself together after Stitches West. This was an interesting show for several reasons, a) for the most part we only sold patterns in the booth, b) I had two other designers featured in the booth and c) this was the last time I would be doing a retail booth.Only selling patterns is WAY easier to prepare for, but you have to sell a lot of $5 patterns to pay for a booth. The flip side is that dropping $5, $10 or $15...

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Math versus Verbal

So once again I was just over visiting my good friend Annie Modesitt's blog and was once again thrown into a deep depression. Well, actually, it is probably more a fit of jealousy than depression. Let me explain!Most of our lives we hear (and see evidence of) that people tend to be strong in math and science skills OR they tend to be strong in language and verbal skills. Although I believe it to be more of a cultural thing, men fall in the math...

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Whatever Happened to Arsenio Hall?

Does anybody else remember Arsenio Hall? I would not say that I was a big fan, but I always loved "the things that make you go - hummmm?!" When I first tried blogging, I would end my post with a question, something that would make me go - hummm?!Being one who likes to have a plan, the whole free-form blogging thing is a little bit hard for me. So I think that I have decided to go back to my original format and end with a question. I don't know...

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Devil in the Details

For anyone looking for a Superbowl free post, this is it. I didn't even know who was playing as of late yesterday (was having a great day skiing instead) and for the evening we went to an EMPTY theater and watched a great movie Matedor. Now, I wouldn't call it a family film by any means, but it was well-written and well acted. A surprise that we kind of took a chance on and very glad we did.I was hoping to have my updated website up, but alas,...

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Planning Fun

So I am in the process of updating the website and one of the fun parts is updating the Teacher's Retreat information. This really is a fun event that I have developed -- even if I do say so myself! Luckily the participants say so too! Each time I update the website I get to go back over the pictures from the previous events. For example, these...

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More News from San Diego

So as the first week ends after the show, I think I really am pleased with the outcome! My little printer is going like made to get materials ready and I am looking into a replacement, but good on the whole!Probably the best part were my two helpers Jeanne and Beth. I had to teach during the first hour of the show, so they both helped cover until I could get there. They also were great fun for going out afterwards!Jeanne and I just barely met...

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Welcome to the New Year -- sort of!

So this post is a little late to really be about the new year, but at least we are still in January (barely) and of course I haven't taken down the Christmas tree yet, so it still FEELS like the beginning of the year! Yes, I know, it is pathetic, but the craziness of consulting back in the business world resulted in my loosing an entire month!I got to January and realized that not only had I done basically nothing for the business, but I had a booth...

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