I’m still trying to figure out where the day went! I can say that I managed to get quite a bit done. Not all that I would have liked, but a lot.

I’m off to a wonderful weekend with my far flung family of knitters in The Berkshires. Every year I think it’s going to be my last. And every year I manage to make it. I’ll be meeting up with one of my BFF’s from Atlanta, Anya in Boston Wed. night. Tink Tank, the ladies from upstate New York and the crew from Maine. It’s just so much fun. It’s tiring though.

Anya and I are meeting a day before we need to be in Williamstown to spend the night and morning walking around town. She’s never been and I went to school outside of Boston. It should be fun. Then we’re off for a visit to that infamous shop known as Webs and then onward to Williamstown. I promise to take lots of pictures and post when I get home. I won’t be taking my laptop. It’s a novel idea I know. But thought I’d give it a go.

Now to just write the blog post for Urban. Tomorrow. Other big, big news? I’ve committed to year two of Nihon Vogue. To commence September 2010. I’ve also decided to walk the Portland Marathon next year with a dear friend and fellow PDX knitter. We’ve been talking about for at least a year now. This year was just to much – for both of us. After a great walk, chat and catch up last week… January commences training. We’re realistic to know with the holiday’s coming on… pretty unrealistic.

PS: Yes, I will be taking homework with me and a very special X-mas knitting gift.

A wonderful article to read.
Mark Thomas joins the guerrilla knitters
For the braver or sillier souls among us, darkness provides the perfect cover for a little mischief, as Mark Thomas finds out

Grrr… I’ve done something to the CSS and I can’t figure it out. I can see it. Grrr….Sigh. It’s affecting the photo displays. So for now I’m going to post what I have and try to fix it later.

I’m back in the office and trying to get in to the swing of things. It’s hard. I never know what’s harder, being out and knowing you have a full in box or the week back or just letting it go and dealing with it when you get back in the office. Sigh.

I was out last week attending the Spin Off Autumn Retreat (SOAR) formy other business Urban Fiber Studio. It was a pretty amazing week of learning and meeting new people. I’m not sure when (or if) I’ll get to another SOAR anytime soon, so I thought I should take advantage of the location (Sunriver) and timing (saved for over a year!) of this one. My goal this last year (as many of you know) has been to learn all things regarding knitwear and design. Nihon Vogue has been helping with that. I’ve also become intrigued with the process of making yarn. Thus spinning has entered the fold of my things to do and learn. I wasn’t disappointed.  I also think I’m a glutton for punishment.

I took the Spinning 101 class with Maggie Casey of Spindles, Shuttles and Skeins. It was perfect. Three days of course work has me enthusiastic and wanting to know (and spin) more. I learned how to card, use a drum carder (neither of which I’m apt to do in the near future), spin worsted and woolen and know which to use with what fleece when and how. I was (am) entranced with the whole thing. I also found that I have a sweet spot for wool fleeces. Don’t get me wrong I’m impressed with Cotton, Silk, Alpaca (the list goes on!) but they just don’t speak to me. At least not yet. We worked with a Rambouillet Cross-and a Polwarth fleece. The latter being a real treat for us here in the Pacific Northwest.

Maggie Casey

My Wheel and Fiber

First Skein of Yarn (EVER!)

This is a short post, I have a horrible connection. I promise to post more later. I’m here at Sunriver at the Spin-off Autumn Retreat (SOAR) taking classes for Urban Fiber and my own personal growth. I leave in the morning. It will be good to be home. I’ve been on the road for almost two weeks and miss T. It’s been an amazing week. So many new things learned, creative ideas blossoming and people met.

 

Sunriver in the evening.

I could live without that saying.  I have three Nihon Vogue projects, each on the third rip or knit. Frustrated at myself for not having more patience. (Which before this course, I thought I had so much of!). I have to remind myself, repeatedly, that I’m learning new, more exacting ways of designing and knitting. When that conversation with myself doesn’t work, I then remind myself (again) that learning means knitting, ripping, knitting, recalculating, knitting, redrafting, ripping and knitting some more. I’ve not tackled the issue of talking back to myself in conversation format. LOL. Not that writing and having a two way conversation with oneself is any better.

Projects on the block?

I’m taking the sleeves out. I have to undo the arm seems, rip both shoulder caps and reknit. The decrease method I used on the WS (purl side) of the sleeve cap wasn’t the NH method. I calculate about 8-10 hours. Maybe more. Oi!

V-Neck Cardi. This one’s clipping right along. I had some questions on the V-Neck decreases for Jean. A bit of ripping, but not much. Phew. Should be done by December. Hours to go. No clue. Couple of days at least.

Crochet vest? All I can so is THANK GOD this is a child’s vest. I’ve never done crochet before and it’s showing. I actually like and THINK I have it. Well at least the double stitch. We’ll see how the decreases go. That little piece? It’s the new back. The bigger piece? Gone. How many times ripped? Lord, I lost count at 5!

I managed to have a meeting in one of my favorite places today. 24th & Noe. Always bittersweet to come back to the hood and SF for meetings and friends. Sometimes I think if it weren’t for T, I’d be back. Actually that’s a good bet. Ok. Maybe just a bit homesick. I consider SF home. Odd given how many places I’ve actually lived in my life (+12). All said, I DO have a great life in PDX.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I am behind. Plain and simple. I’m headed up to Seattle for my second to last class for Nihon Vogue. Big sigh.

Look what I just received? I’m in love. So much information.

I’m multitasking today and giving myself 10 minutes to get this post written. Photos from OFFF, Nihon Vogue and my fall flowers are included. I’m on several self imposed deadlines for my consulting work, Nihon Vogue and Urban Fiber while participating in an SEO series.

Nihon Vogue, I’m only one sweater away from being finished by Dec 12/13. OK. I’m working on the rest for completion by that date. Should do, but I’m being realistic. I’ve not recast on Sweater 5 (round cardigan) and I doubt I will until after December 12/13.

Two fall conferences are sneaking up quick for two clients. I’m in appointment setting and materials development mode through the 22nd.. Then I’m off to (can you believe it) SOAR. I’m taking some continued education classes, hanging with some clients and enjoying Western Oregon in the Fall. I just can’t wait.

This is Aran. He and I got to know each other well at OFFF. I bought his fleece actually.

Very cool weaving. This is a style of weaving that only two or three people do now. I can’t remember the type of weaving for the life of me. Check out Judy’s Twitter.

Lunch crowd.

Flowers holding on to the last minute this fall.

For the life of me I can’t get this to flip (even though it’s correct on my computer.) Aren’t they pretty?

V-Neck Cardigan Front. This is a long one. But enjoying very much.

My contraband knitting. I love the pattern. Not boring. I’m making the Girasole for my Dad’s X-mas present. It’s for his bed at the Alzheimer’s home.  While he can’t remember me (or anyone anymore) I love the thought that thoughts and love will blanket him each night. That he’s not forgotten.

Here’s my final for Nihon Vogue. I’ve loved this pattern from Knits. However, it’s a little short and bit to tight for me. This one has been a swatching project from well… you get it. The finished ones, I love, but the fiber (Merino, silk and bamboo) is a bit to stretching and thin for this project. I do have an idea it for a non Nihon Vogue sweater though. That’s an upside. I’m swatching the two balls as we speak. I think I’ve got it. Phew… The gauge is a wee bit off. Not much. That’s what I love about this class. I can rewrite and change any pattern to fit me (or others). This is my first attempt at altering an existing pattern. Next step, graph out the pattern.

T’s contribution to the learning. 25.00 on Craigslist. So cool. Light was free. Chair on sale. It’s been so cool to have.

Sometimes less IS more in life. And change is good. Normally one doesn’t see that until the end of the process. But it can be. I’ve been going through a lot of change in the last 18 months (OK three or so years). Some by my own design and some not. It’s been painful and I’m sure I have some pain yet to go. That said, I’m beginning to feel my way out and on the other side and all the better for it. I’m a believer that change takes courage. And even more courage to see where you miss stepped. The key is to NOT repeat those miss steps again. That doesn’t mean I won’t. It just means I’m now cognizant of what I need to work on and try not to do again. Only then can one really change. Sigh. It’s a life long process.

One of the light bulb moments for me in the last several years was to understand that I continue to want to know more about knitwear design and that I like learning in a structured way. It’s when I really begin to understand something at the most basic level. It’s then that I feel that I can break the rules to develop new and/or evolutionary things. I’m SOO not going to delve into the psychology of the why of this. I prefer to acknowledge this is my format and keep moving forward. My time at the Academy of Arts, San Francisco was most excellent in helping me to understand this and helped me begin to form a process that continues to enable me to explore color, style, texture and knowledge. I also realized I could draw. Who knew?

When I moved to Portland I uncovered a course that seemed to speak to me in regard to my quest for knitwear design knowledge. The Nihon Vogue course taught by Jean Wong and offered through the fabulous Suzanne Pedersen of Madrona Fiber Arts. So about 18 months ago I bit off one of the biggest unknowns of my life (with T’s whole hearted support) and signed up for the Nihon Vogue Level 1. In Seattle.

I started the course with several loose goals – to understand fit as it applies to knitted garments. I’ve sewed most of my life, so I feel that I understand construction. However a knitted surface moves and adjusts dependent upon the yarn, gauge and stitches. I’ve learned that I really have to let go and play with different styles, shapes and ease. To dive in and see what emerges is the learning process with no idea what that will be. I’ve started to learn more about ease. I’m still working to understand texture and how it changes the mix. And it’s shown me how much I enjoy the drafting and editing process. It’s all good. Big lesson for a Type A. I recently read an article by a fellow Nihon Vogue student, Jack Lewis in Knit n Style’s August issue. Real Men Knit: Knitting School. I couldn’t have said it better.

Ironically, it’s given me the courage to start a new business Urban Fiber Studio. It’s my first formal move to become professional at what is currently a ‘hobby’. Those that I admire in this industry have been at it for years (decades). It gives me hope that I will find a niche that fulfills me. At the core, this course has given me the courage to keep exploring and learning. At (almost) 44 how COOL is that?

Level One has been a first step and more than I imagined and hoped for. Our last class is December 12/13. It doesn’t seem that close, but when measured in projects done and those to complete. It’s to soon. I’m going back for more if we can corral enough of our class for Nihon Vogue Level 2, to commence Sept. 2010. This is no small investment of time or money, but one that I feel compelled to do.

I just finished two of the most arduous application processes I’ve gone through in several years. I’ve read and reread I don’t know how many times and had at least four reviewers review. I’m sure we STILL missed something. It was time to let GO. Both are such a long-shots.  But why not. If I don’t try, I’ll never know. Goodness knows I’ve heard the word no more than once in my life. Only to have it propel me onward to even better opportunities and things. Here’s hoping. (Yes, Hope is not a strategy…)

In other news I’ve been reading a great book. The Outliers. By my own account I have ohhh 8,838 hours to go on this knitting dream to become a Master at it. At my current pace that at least 9 more years. If you haven’t read it. Do. It’s insightful, interesting and makes one think of success and people in a way that’s well. New.

Speaking of… I’m moving right along with that Nihon Vogue knitting thing. I’ve reworked two designs, added to the design notes book, and finished one of the two crotchet sides for the Vest. I did mention that I completely ripped those out right? Not enough stitches. Sigh. I’m truckin’ along on swatching for the final. I’m going to get darn close to finishing by December 12, but not quite. A recent article by another student (Jack) in Knit n’ Style really made me take a step back and try to not put so much pressure myself. Type A personality. What can I say. I keep reminding myself. I’m. in. this. for. the. learning. Boy am I. This means a lot of reworking and thinking when a design doesn’t work. OK. A lot of time. And it’s limited. It’s that working thing. (And thankful to have!).

My biggest surprise was a drafting table this last weekend from T. He found one for 25.00. It’s way cool and has made my drafting life a joy!

I’m off to OFFF this weekend to spend with with friends and pet yarn and animals.

Sadly, it’s not (my life) in pictures these days. I wish it was. It’s so much easier than words!

It’s been a tough month personally. And when things get tough, I tend to hunker down and draw into the proverbial ‘cave’. The big decision has been to put my home on the market. It listed today. We’ll see what we see. I feel so fortunate to have consulting work (you have no idea how much), but it’s just not enough to make the mortgage, the medical bills (let’s not go there) and every day bills. I’ve gone as bare bones as I can. And I mean bare bones. My only treat to myself these days is my Comcast and Netflix’s subscriptions.

I’m also taking stock of things personally. T has been great. And I mean great. To be honest, I’m having to get use to having a partner that’s present for me. In every way. I’ve always had my sister and brother-in-law, but it’s different. I haven’t had this, well in over 10 years. I continue to be conflicted about PDX and it’s business environment. I’ve met some great, great people in the last couple of years. That said, it’s not like any other place I’ve ever worked before. As one colleague pointed out. PDX is more inward looking than outward looking. An interesting assessment. And maybe, true. I’ve always been an outward looking person. I’m adjusting. I think. Time will tell.

Knitting wise, I’m plugging right along. I’m not sure I’ll have all my Nihon Vogue projects done by December 12, but I’ll be darn close. I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had with this course and can only hope I’ll be able to continue with the next Level next September. Thankfully it is a business expense and the knowledge learned, is well, out of this world. The group of people I’m taking it with are inspiring, intimidating (you should see some of the knitting) and darn right fun. We’ve seen some trials and tribulations together, but we’ve held on. Even when we haven’t known what we’re doing.

How are you doing?