So a couple days before Christmas Arlis and I decided to do some more car shopping (with no intention of buying that day), but we came home with this!! We have already taken it up skiing once. It snowed most of the day and started snowing heavily as we were leaving. It was FABULOUS!! It handled well and is super comfortable. I think we are really going to enjoy this new truck.So a couple days before Christmas Arlis and I decided to do some more car shopping (with no intention of buying that day), but we came home with this!! We have already taken it up skiing once. It snowed most of the day and started snowing heavily as we were leaving. It was FABULOUS!! It handled well and is super comfortable. I think we are really going to enjoy this new truck.I never ceased to be amazed how much I can get done when I just put in a bit of focused effort. Today has been a website update sort of day! A few days ago I went through and looked at a few areas that needed some work. Today I got almost that entire list checked off and also added a new page that has been on my to do list for some time! I will probably be updating this one from time to time, but it is not a bad start.
I also added several testimonials to existing pages. I have finally started remembering to ask folks when they e-mail me if I can add their statements to the website. I probably should also create a testimonials page that has a bunch of them listed, but at least this is a start.
Of course, there is always a lot more to do. Truly, a website is NEVER finished. But at least I really feel like I got something accomplished. I won't need to feel the least bit guilty skiing tomorrow!!!
I also added several testimonials to existing pages. I have finally started remembering to ask folks when they e-mail me if I can add their statements to the website. I probably should also create a testimonials page that has a bunch of them listed, but at least this is a start.
Of course, there is always a lot more to do. Truly, a website is NEVER finished. But at least I really feel like I got something accomplished. I won't need to feel the least bit guilty skiing tomorrow!!!
So yesterday (and today and by necessity tomorrow), I got the cleaning bug! Over time, the surfaces within my office have become more and more covered with STUFF. Like the chair I have for someone (usually my husband) to sit and talk to me while I am at my desk, has been completely unaccessible for at least 6 months and I bet it is closer to 18 months! But today it is not only accessible, it has also been cleaned.
I have thrown out nearly a complete garbage can full (the big ones) of paper, notes and other stuff I will never need again and if I do, in most cases, it is still on the computer. I now have a surprising amount of work surface in which to, well, work! I can see almost the entire surface of my desk, half of my file cabinet (half is covered by the printer), and most of the work table surfaces. This, truly is novel for me!
I have never been a "neat" person. The trick for me is I don't have an "official" spot for something, then it just gets put anywhere -- and that is where the problems begin. So when I am cleaning, I have to designate a spot for each thing or throw it out. Because this has become such a huge task, I have been putting it off for many, MANY months, but it finally got to me. And although I will still need to clean tomorrow to make it clear around the room, the end is in sight. Surprisingly, the process has not been too painful and at some points has actually been fun. Who knew?!?
Most importantly, I can tell I will at least feel more productive, if not in fact, BE more productive once my space is cleaned and organized. So tomorrow will be one room down and only 9 to go!!
I have thrown out nearly a complete garbage can full (the big ones) of paper, notes and other stuff I will never need again and if I do, in most cases, it is still on the computer. I now have a surprising amount of work surface in which to, well, work! I can see almost the entire surface of my desk, half of my file cabinet (half is covered by the printer), and most of the work table surfaces. This, truly is novel for me!
I have never been a "neat" person. The trick for me is I don't have an "official" spot for something, then it just gets put anywhere -- and that is where the problems begin. So when I am cleaning, I have to designate a spot for each thing or throw it out. Because this has become such a huge task, I have been putting it off for many, MANY months, but it finally got to me. And although I will still need to clean tomorrow to make it clear around the room, the end is in sight. Surprisingly, the process has not been too painful and at some points has actually been fun. Who knew?!?
Most importantly, I can tell I will at least feel more productive, if not in fact, BE more productive once my space is cleaned and organized. So tomorrow will be one room down and only 9 to go!!
Today turned out to be quite a day. I did a stupid thing -- something all of us have probably done at least once if not often, I got distracted for just a second while driving into town. The result was that I swerved off the road onto the shoulder, recovered onto the road, but during the recovery process, over compensated, went into a spin, spun back onto the shoulder where my tire blew, broke the rim and my truck did a one and a half flip resting on the passenger side between two trees in an orchard.
Amazingly enough, I walked away with a tiny cut and a small bruise on the back of my head -- I always wear my seat belt and I am sure it saved my life. More over, after I caught my breath, was sure that nothing was seriously injured, I undid my seat belt and just walked out the front windshield which was mostly missing at this point.
I thank God for watching over me, particularly when I was being stupid! By all rights, I should be amazingly sore, if not in the hospital or possibly dead. I often thank God for my blessings, of which I have many, but today, I also thank God for taking care of me when I was too stupid to take care of myself.
Amazingly enough, I walked away with a tiny cut and a small bruise on the back of my head -- I always wear my seat belt and I am sure it saved my life. More over, after I caught my breath, was sure that nothing was seriously injured, I undid my seat belt and just walked out the front windshield which was mostly missing at this point.
I thank God for watching over me, particularly when I was being stupid! By all rights, I should be amazingly sore, if not in the hospital or possibly dead. I often thank God for my blessings, of which I have many, but today, I also thank God for taking care of me when I was too stupid to take care of myself.
So I have been traveling a ton over the past few weeks, but I have been loving it!!! This is the busiest that my travel schedule has been that I can remember and Arlis and I were a little worried that it might be too much, but so far, it seems to all be OK. I still have one more trip to go, but I cannot imagine that it will be any problem.
Since the last time I posted I have been to Cloverhill Yarn Shop in the suburbs of Baltimore, at Stitches East, in Manhattan, KS at Wildflower Yarns and Knitwear and currently I am in Kansas City, MO preparing to teach my last class at The Studio.
All of the students have been wonderful and my various hosts have been very gracious. It is such a joy to be have a career in such a wonderful industry. I know that it is a unique pleasure to be able to consistently work with fun, nice, creative people. And I am truly grateful for that priviledge.
Being in Kansas City has been particularly fun since I used to work part time at the Studio when I used to live here. Many of the folks who come in the store are familiar faces. I have also had some free time to visit some of our old haunts. Even so, it will be good to be home again tomorrow. As much as I like traveling and seeing people, I miss my husband and the dogs!
Since the last time I posted I have been to Cloverhill Yarn Shop in the suburbs of Baltimore, at Stitches East, in Manhattan, KS at Wildflower Yarns and Knitwear and currently I am in Kansas City, MO preparing to teach my last class at The Studio.
All of the students have been wonderful and my various hosts have been very gracious. It is such a joy to be have a career in such a wonderful industry. I know that it is a unique pleasure to be able to consistently work with fun, nice, creative people. And I am truly grateful for that priviledge.
Being in Kansas City has been particularly fun since I used to work part time at the Studio when I used to live here. Many of the folks who come in the store are familiar faces. I have also had some free time to visit some of our old haunts. Even so, it will be good to be home again tomorrow. As much as I like traveling and seeing people, I miss my husband and the dogs!
This past weekend I was honored to be able to teach at a retreat held in the UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan, hosted by Rae of Rae's Yarn Boutique. We had 25 knitters, all of whom (or is it who) were absolutely WONDERFUL. They were great students, fun people and easy to be with. I couldn't have had a nicer weekend. Thanks to each and every one of you.
However, before I came, I forgot to pack the camera and boy was THAT a mistake. The colors were absolutely beautiful. And speaking of colors, I was able to spend a lot of time with Lynne H of Color Joy. This woman LOVES color and just truly lives up to her company's name of Color Joy. And for those of you who know me, you may find this hard to believe, but she can talk even more than me!!! But what WONDERFUL conversations we had!
Right now I am sitting in the Cincinnati airport getting ready to leave for Baltimore. Although teaching at Cloverhill Yarn shop and Stitches East will be fun, I am really excited about spending some time with my good friend Jeanne of Nature Speak Knits. We have such great energy when we get together! So I am sure some great things will be getting posted in the next few days!
However, before I came, I forgot to pack the camera and boy was THAT a mistake. The colors were absolutely beautiful. And speaking of colors, I was able to spend a lot of time with Lynne H of Color Joy. This woman LOVES color and just truly lives up to her company's name of Color Joy. And for those of you who know me, you may find this hard to believe, but she can talk even more than me!!! But what WONDERFUL conversations we had!
Right now I am sitting in the Cincinnati airport getting ready to leave for Baltimore. Although teaching at Cloverhill Yarn shop and Stitches East will be fun, I am really excited about spending some time with my good friend Jeanne of Nature Speak Knits. We have such great energy when we get together! So I am sure some great things will be getting posted in the next few days!
Today I am traveling ALL DAY. Right now I am sitting in the Atlanta airport during a 4 hour layover getting caught up on some "internet stuff". However, the big news is that I have finalized the design for the next knit-a-long. Well, at least finalized enough to begin the knitting. Today is the first day of a 10 day trip with a number of opportunties for quality knitting time. My hope is that I will have made significant progres on the project by the time I get home!
So the topic for the next knit-a-long is COLOR. But as I have been thinking about it -- I think I should call it a learn-a-long or a class a month or a mystery project -- because knit-a-long just doesn't cover it! Keep posted to see pictures as I begin making some progress.
So the topic for the next knit-a-long is COLOR. But as I have been thinking about it -- I think I should call it a learn-a-long or a class a month or a mystery project -- because knit-a-long just doesn't cover it! Keep posted to see pictures as I begin making some progress.
What is AKD you might ask? Well it stands for the Associate of Knitwear Designers, but it also includes knitting teachers, tech editors and anyone else whose business focuses, at least in some part, on either hand or machine knitting. Why do I bring this up you might ask? Because I have been a part of this group for many years, but I am excited to say that it appears to be getting a new life. If you are a part of the knitting industry, you should be a member too!
That is our button/logo. Watch for it when you read other knitting folks blogs. You may be surprised to see who all are members. If you want to receive more information, please visit the AKD website. There is something new afoot in the AKD and you might not want to miss out!
That is our button/logo. Watch for it when you read other knitting folks blogs. You may be surprised to see who all are members. If you want to receive more information, please visit the AKD website. There is something new afoot in the AKD and you might not want to miss out!
Beginning this past June, I started participating in some group advertising opportunities. The group ads are featured on the Fiber Buzz website. For each ad, 10 different companies get together and each features a particular product. Every ad, the mix of participants is different and often they have a theme.
This has been an interesting way to have a higher profile ad without having to invest the higher profile dollars. It is a little difficult to track the specific revenue generated by the advertisement, but our most recent ad in the 25th Anniversary Edition of Vogue Knitting magazine I know has generated some sales as many folks are purchasing the Grab and Go Bag which was my featured item.
Let me know if you have noticed the ads!
This has been an interesting way to have a higher profile ad without having to invest the higher profile dollars. It is a little difficult to track the specific revenue generated by the advertisement, but our most recent ad in the 25th Anniversary Edition of Vogue Knitting magazine I know has generated some sales as many folks are purchasing the Grab and Go Bag which was my featured item.
Let me know if you have noticed the ads!
So today in the mail I received my copy of the postcard below. Now we will just have to see who all decides to sign up. I spoke with several of my knitting teacher friends this last week and I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of them show up! The price is so good, and for those of us who travel a lot, the airfare can be covered with airline miles. I hope see some new faces too!
And if you are not interested in teaching fiber arts, but would love a knitting cruise, I am teaching on one of those too. You can visit my cruise information webpage for information on both opportunities, visit StitchawayTours.com for information on the Fiber Arts Teacher Cruise or ForgetMeNotTours.com for information on the Knitting Cruise.
Obviously 2008 is going to be the year of the cruise for me. So I am going to try and keep focused on maintaining my swimming so I will be ready!! I am thinking about setting a challenge of 100,000 yds before Christmas. Any swimmers out there want to swim along?!?!
And if you are not interested in teaching fiber arts, but would love a knitting cruise, I am teaching on one of those too. You can visit my cruise information webpage for information on both opportunities, visit StitchawayTours.com for information on the Fiber Arts Teacher Cruise or ForgetMeNotTours.com for information on the Knitting Cruise.
Obviously 2008 is going to be the year of the cruise for me. So I am going to try and keep focused on maintaining my swimming so I will be ready!! I am thinking about setting a challenge of 100,000 yds before Christmas. Any swimmers out there want to swim along?!?!
So today I spent much of the day preparing the adjacent postcard. You can click on it to see a full size copy. I am sending it to all the shops (yarn, needlepoint, threaded needle) that I could get addresses for. I am really excited about the possibilities this event holds and I am REALLY hoping for a mix of fiber arts being represented within the group.
As the postcard says, if you are interested, there is a significant EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT until the end of July. Although I have some information on my "Cruising with Gwen" page, all of the critically important details can be found at Stitchawaytours.com.
It is never too early to start planning your vacation, especially one that you should be able to deduct (check with your accountant of course)! And nothing is much more fun than traveling with a bunch of like minded individuals!
There is nothing quite so satisfying as a little surprise that makes someone's day. Earlier in the month when teaching at Knitter's Connection, Ann took my Build a Better Bag class. During class, most students will actually complete a miniature size bag. Ann informed me that she would be taking the bag home to her daughter who had been disappointed the prior day when Mommy didn't come home with anything for her. So I added a little surprise of a chocolate bar. Well, the picture says it all -- doesn't it?!?! Sometimes a little gift can result in great happiness!
Just popping in to say that I am off to Stitches Camp!!! Camp is always so fun and this time it is in my neighborhood (OK - 125 miles, but still pretty close). Even better, one of my local students is going too, so I will have some company on the drive. I will try and get a picture or two and get them posted when I get back.
Although, I get back Monday afternoon and leave again Tuesday morning for a church conference. This month has just been CRAZY. But begin busy is fun!!!
Although, I get back Monday afternoon and leave again Tuesday morning for a church conference. This month has just been CRAZY. But begin busy is fun!!!
I am SO EXCITED!!! (The capital letters and exclamation points are a dead give away). I have been working with my friend Sally Black of Stitchaway Tours to organize a Teacher's Cruise in 2008. This will be a cruise for all current and wannabe teachers of the needlearts (knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, counted thread, you get the idea). In 2004 and 2005 I hosted retreats for knitting teachers, but since that time have come to realize that all needlearts teacher share a lot of common ground.
Web pages and such will probably not be up of for a couple more days, but if you are interested, make sure you keep checking or drop me a note in the comments because we are going to be offering a very short term special discount for those who sign up in the first 3-4 weeks.
So do you want to know the itinerary -- do ya -- huh?!?!
We will be taking a Carnival cruise on the Glory sailing May 3, 2008 on a 7 day Western Caribbean Itinerary:
We will also be offering 12 hours of classes designed for needlearts instructors, having at least one cocktail party and expect to have all sorts of goodies. Non-teachers will be welcome as well and will still be able to participate in some of the fun group activities.
I can't wait -- May is usually a slower time for me, so I am excited to be able to spend some of that time with other teachers, learning, sharing, relaxing and having fun!
Web pages and such will probably not be up of for a couple more days, but if you are interested, make sure you keep checking or drop me a note in the comments because we are going to be offering a very short term special discount for those who sign up in the first 3-4 weeks.
So do you want to know the itinerary -- do ya -- huh?!?!
We will be taking a Carnival cruise on the Glory sailing May 3, 2008 on a 7 day Western Caribbean Itinerary:
Sat May 3 - depart Port Canaveral 4pm (USUALLY embarkation starts @ 1pm)
Sun May 4 - Day at sea
Mon May 5 - Cozumel
Tue May 6 - Belize
Wed May 7 - Costa Maya Mexico
Thr May 8 - Day at sea
Fri May 9 - Nassau
Sat May 10 -Return Port Canaveral 7am
We will also be offering 12 hours of classes designed for needlearts instructors, having at least one cocktail party and expect to have all sorts of goodies. Non-teachers will be welcome as well and will still be able to participate in some of the fun group activities.
I can't wait -- May is usually a slower time for me, so I am excited to be able to spend some of that time with other teachers, learning, sharing, relaxing and having fun!
Yesterday Arlis and I walked the valley floor at Yosemite. It is still early enough in Spring that the various falls are still really flowing. We walked for about 3.5 hours and came pretty close to making a full loop of the valley floor. Early in the journey we were walking along the road where they had closed off a lane due to construction. Well, hiding behind some large equipment were three deers! Most of the cars hadn't noticed, so we stopped and were able to get surprisingly close to the animals. I really need to get a portable (read light weight) tri-pod for hiking purposes because this is a bit blurry, but I thought it was a good photo anyway!
I once had the privilege of rooming with Maggie Jackson of MaggiKnits. Maggie is a fabulous designer with a look that is all her own. (She is also a wonderful person putting up with a ridiculous cough I had!) A discussion with her just before bed one evening convinced me that I was not REALLY a designer, but instead was a TEACHER!
She described her endless flow of ideas for new projects in the following way (paraphrased of course):
I get design ideas from time to time, and they often are interesting, but they are not endless. However, ideas for classes practically are. Now reality is that I don't always get them written up in proposal form and I rarely develop them until they are selected to be offered as both aspects are very time consuming. But this afternoon was spent adding some more classes to my list. My goal is to have 100 to choose from -- I am about half way there!
She described her endless flow of ideas for new projects in the following way (paraphrased of course):
If every idea that came into my head could be magically extracted and made into reality without all the time consuming process of swatching, sketching, figuring and working through the details, I could live to be a very old woman and would not have run out of ideas.
I get design ideas from time to time, and they often are interesting, but they are not endless. However, ideas for classes practically are. Now reality is that I don't always get them written up in proposal form and I rarely develop them until they are selected to be offered as both aspects are very time consuming. But this afternoon was spent adding some more classes to my list. My goal is to have 100 to choose from -- I am about half way there!
During Camp Stitches this past week I was teaching an intensive class on Entrelac and thought it would be fun for the students to see what happens between knitting and felting. So I finished up a project I had started just few days prior to leaving and during our afternoon off, went down to the local Laundromat / Tattoo parlor!! We would have gotten tattoos while we were waiting for the felting process to finish, but they are closed on Mondays. Any way, I was so thrilled with the result. I wasn't really planning on publishing the pattern right away, but it got such rave reviews, I knew I would need to get it ready for the TNNA show coming up in June.
Although once you get going the knitting is straight forward -- the planning and starting of the project is not for an entrelac novice. The yarn is left over from another project I will also be unveiling at TNNA in a few weeks. It is from Ellen's Half Pint Farm and is her Wool / Mohair blend. It felts up with a boucle' type texture which just adds even more interest.
Watch the Knitability Newsletter to find out when it is available to the public!
Today is the bi-annual garden tour for our local garden club. We may be a small town (less than 2000), but we do have some beautiful gardens. I suppose that most folks around here are farmers helps, but nonetheless, it is a very enjoyable day. Some day I hope to have my yard on the tour, but I still have a long way to go before it is ready for the tour.
However, I do have some of the most amazing foxgloves anyone could want. Right now most of them are 6 feet tall and many of them will get taller before they finish their blooming period. Yesterday I was able to snap this photo and was really pleased with myself for getting it! Knitting is fun -- but so is gardening!
I have always loved Irises. In particular the Tall Bearded variety. I am sure that it has something to do with the fact that they come in a huge number of variations. Mom and I have brought and traded over the years and I have finally decided to try to track what I have!
I am taking pictures, laminating them and securing them in the ground next to the plant. That way, when I divide them I know what I am dividing and I can keep the ones I want and give away or throw out the rest.
This picture is of a variety called SkyLab (guess when it was developed)! It is definitely one I want to keep -- I have always liked it. Interestingly enough, it was a freebie with a gift I purchased for my mother some years back. Sometimes you just get lucky!
Well -- ski season is just about to come to an end. I was up on the mountain yesterday and actually taught a couple of classes, but the snow is getting thin and just as I was leaving a RAIN storm started up. They are hoping to be open through next weekend, but I am not sure that is really going to happen.
It has been a fun year and I hope to doing the part-time ski instructing thing again, but I wish it didn't clash with "knitting season". I have already got almost every weekend in January already booked for 2008. That is a good thing -- but it cuts into my skiing time. Maybe if I just didn't enjoy life quite so much, had fewer interests and was a bit more boring -- NOT!
It has been a fun year and I hope to doing the part-time ski instructing thing again, but I wish it didn't clash with "knitting season". I have already got almost every weekend in January already booked for 2008. That is a good thing -- but it cuts into my skiing time. Maybe if I just didn't enjoy life quite so much, had fewer interests and was a bit more boring -- NOT!
Not too long ago I discovered a great blog site from a children's writer called Gotta Book The thing that got me there was a new form of poetry he coined called Fibs which he described one year ago today. This poetry based on the Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8) starting out with 0 and 1 adding them together to get the next number in the sequence. So in honor of Poetry Day, here is my first Fib:
Math
Geek.
Don't get
Poetry.
But I like these Fibs.
Even I can have fun with them!
Math
Geek.
Don't get
Poetry.
But I like these Fibs.
Even I can have fun with them!
Old habits die hard -- and for a change -- it is a good one. Early in my career as a computer consultant I got in the habit of tracking my time (usually client by client). Today, I still keep track of how many hours I work on the business each day. When you work out of your living space, it is easy to misjudge the amount of time spent.
January was very busy as was February, but this month has been a quite a bit lighter -- at least in terms of Knitability. I am still very busy with church and charitable activities and part-time ski instructing, but Knitability is my primary business. So March has been a bit of a breather. April will pick up some and May should be light (except for preparing for TNNA). June is just NUTS between all sorts of commitments and then it will stay fairly busy through the rest of the year.
I guess sometimes getting a little break can be a good thing!
January was very busy as was February, but this month has been a quite a bit lighter -- at least in terms of Knitability. I am still very busy with church and charitable activities and part-time ski instructing, but Knitability is my primary business. So March has been a bit of a breather. April will pick up some and May should be light (except for preparing for TNNA). June is just NUTS between all sorts of commitments and then it will stay fairly busy through the rest of the year.
I guess sometimes getting a little break can be a good thing!
Ok -- so it is just a relatively small town newspaper, but it is always good to be quoted with some level of authority! As with many things, we are a little behind the trend curve, but here is the Merced Sun Star's take on the popularity of knitting. Unfortunately, I am not quite sure if we are going to be able to have the class that is mentioned. Hopefully the article will generate a few more sign ups. Right now, we just have too few.
Of course Spring has really sprung around here, so the "knitting season" is being taken over by gardening season. Sometimes things pick up again in the summer when the temperatures get warm enough that it makes more sense to stay inside in the air conditioning!
Of course Spring has really sprung around here, so the "knitting season" is being taken over by gardening season. Sometimes things pick up again in the summer when the temperatures get warm enough that it makes more sense to stay inside in the air conditioning!
I can't believe a month has passed since my last post. Now, last week was a complete loss as I had a MAJOR cold that pretty much knocked me out and the weekend prior was Stitches, but where did the three weeks prior go?!?!
I know that I have been busy filling orders -- which is a good thing! And I am already aware of how quickly June is going to be upon me (the next TNNA show). Spring is popping up in my neck of the weeds (oops - I meant woods). And still my hope is to become more regular about posting on the internet.
Why is that so hard? I could blame the extrovert in me -- that thinking is more of a verbal process for me. And it would be true, but I am not sure it is sufficient. Maybe I am just not sure what I want to share with the world and more importantly what the world might possibly be interested in reading from me. Of course, it is probably more basic -- like I place other activities as a higher priority.
Well, it continues to be an ongoing question for me -- and probably will remain so. In the mean time, I will acknowledge that time flies -- especially when you are having a good time -- and I am!
I know that I have been busy filling orders -- which is a good thing! And I am already aware of how quickly June is going to be upon me (the next TNNA show). Spring is popping up in my neck of the weeds (oops - I meant woods). And still my hope is to become more regular about posting on the internet.
Why is that so hard? I could blame the extrovert in me -- that thinking is more of a verbal process for me. And it would be true, but I am not sure it is sufficient. Maybe I am just not sure what I want to share with the world and more importantly what the world might possibly be interested in reading from me. Of course, it is probably more basic -- like I place other activities as a higher priority.
Well, it continues to be an ongoing question for me -- and probably will remain so. In the mean time, I will acknowledge that time flies -- especially when you are having a good time -- and I am!
I have been so busy over the past few weeks since returning from the TNNA show in San Diego. The good news is that it has been both a mix of work and of fun!
It is so easy to get caught up in just working -- especially when working out of your home -- that you forget to take time for yourself. With the addition of part-time ski instructing at Sierra Summit into my schedule, I am "forced" to head up to the mountain on a regular basis. And when it is not busy, I am able to just go out and ski.
But work has been good too. Although orders were generally down at the show, reorders from shops and internet orders have picked up some. I am also focusing more this year on supplemental marketing efforts to maximize my teaching schedule. Now I just need to get my teaching schedule updated on the Knitability web site and I will be good to go!
It is so easy to get caught up in just working -- especially when working out of your home -- that you forget to take time for yourself. With the addition of part-time ski instructing at Sierra Summit into my schedule, I am "forced" to head up to the mountain on a regular basis. And when it is not busy, I am able to just go out and ski.
But work has been good too. Although orders were generally down at the show, reorders from shops and internet orders have picked up some. I am also focusing more this year on supplemental marketing efforts to maximize my teaching schedule. Now I just need to get my teaching schedule updated on the Knitability web site and I will be good to go!
The Sample Stitch Kimono knit a long was just a quick idea. I had used the construction technique in other classes before, maybe it would work for an "online/offline" class of sorts. But what if no one was interested -- or worse yet -- only a few were interested. It would be a lot of work!
But instead over 50 people have signed up so far. Most of which without ever seeing a finished product because I started working on my sample as soon as I posted the idea. But now that the sample is done, it is getting rave reviews. And the biggest fan is probably ME! I love the comfort of wearing it in any number of situations. Just enough to keep the chill off, loose like a wrap or shrug, but enough structure to stay put. I love it when a plan comes together -- and this one really did!
Whenever I have a really GREAT idea -- or least it seems so at the time -- I immediately pick up my needles and start knitting. This is not actually typical for me, since most of the time I write out a fairly detailed plan before I get started to reduce the pattern writing time on the back end.
This cabled bag was one of the exceptions -- no formal plan. I made up the cables as I went, and when I was done, I had to go back and figure out what I did and write up a chart for each one. This actually wasn't too hard since I have started using the software I purchased from Nancy at the Knit Foundry. Now I am knitting it again -- this time while teaching the class to a group of "test students". The good news is I continue to believe that it is a really great idea! Now we will just have to wait and see what the shop owners think when they see it on the PreView Promenade page or in person at my booth #732 the TNNA show next week.
This cabled bag was one of the exceptions -- no formal plan. I made up the cables as I went, and when I was done, I had to go back and figure out what I did and write up a chart for each one. This actually wasn't too hard since I have started using the software I purchased from Nancy at the Knit Foundry. Now I am knitting it again -- this time while teaching the class to a group of "test students". The good news is I continue to believe that it is a really great idea! Now we will just have to wait and see what the shop owners think when they see it on the PreView Promenade page or in person at my booth #732 the TNNA show next week.You know how there is always so much to do, but so little time? I don't think it has ever been more true than it has been lately. Between dealing with the holidays, preparing for TNNA, being apart of the PreView Promenade, ski instructing part-time at Sierra Summit, revamping my entire website and spending quality time with my husband, I am just a bit overwhelmed. But I am excited about it all of it and I am not willing to give on any of it. If I just didn't like sleep so much, I would probably be just fine. But it is time for bed -- tomorrow is another early morning so I can make it to the mountain on time!