Monday, January 20, 2014

Vogue Knitting Love!

Best Quote I Heard All Day

“Really, all you need to become a good knitter are wool, needles, hands, and slightly below-average intelligence. Of course superior intelligence, such as yours and mine, is an advantage.” --Elizabeth Zimmermann


Curmudge Love!

EZ's quote was what I took into my brain, way back when. Back in 1973, when I was working as a psychiatric technician at Overbrook Hospital, the largest county mental institution in the U.S., my head nurse, Florence, was a knitter, and she pushed me back into my childhood knitting, starting with a garter stitch afghan. My first sweater was a Spinnerin Aran. But now, knitters have wonderful events. Vogue Knitting Live, Stitches, and Interweave Knits Lab. I taught myself and pushed my ass to be an expert knitter by 1983, when I was hired as the Assistant Knitting/Crochet Editor at McCall's Needlework & Crafts magazine, the major knitting mag then.

So when Vogue Knitting Live (VKL) in New York City started, I went and had a great time!


It was at the NY Hilton but now it's at the Marriott on Broadway near Times Square.

Yeah, I still go, although I don't take classes. But the VKL Marketplace is fab! The vendors there include the top NYC yarn joints--Habu Textiles, School Products Yarn (the oldest NYC yarn shop, and String Yarn. And tons of other incredible yarn shops and companies. One of my faves is Neighborhood Fiber Co. and they're there. I'm doing a design for them now.

As far as the classes are concerned, the instructors are top teachers. Even though I don't take classes, I always tell beginners to take their asses to VKL. In my novice book, "You Can Knit!", VKL was the first event I placed in the book's Reference chapter.

And there are fashion shows too. I watched the Rowan and Schachenmayr Fashion Show. Cool.
Knitting and crocheting art? Yes! This was artwork created by Ashley V. Blalock. The picture I took doesn't really show you how huge this lace piece is. But it's enormous. Check out her website.


So if you live out West, there's gonna be a VKL in Seattle March 14-16.  Go!

My Fiberality Designs
Yes, I'm not working again. As an IT Technical Writer and Trainer, gotta get contract jobs. And ain't got much money so I've decided to start selling my knitting designs, up on Ravelry. Here are the two that I'm putting up this week:  Go, Go Gansey Socks. I made the picture big so you can see the stitch patterns easier.


Here's the TweetlyDee Socks.

Got a ton of sock designs that I have to photograph. Did these with my iPhone. The feet belong to my plastic mannequin.

I wish I could get a full-time job editing on a knitting magazine again. Being a magazine editor was wonderful work.

So take care, skanks! Have had two readers friend me on FaceBook. Lots of my FB friends are readers too. Next week, I'll be the Steekin' Geek again, telling you about smartphone knitting apps.

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