Birthdays

Next week is my daughter's 35th birthday. I can't believe it! It takes my breath away that she's that old - which means that I'm getting up there too! Some days I feel like I should be 30; some days 60. But mostly I'm just glad to have such great kids (including kid-in-law) and grandkid. I'm cooking up a surprise for the birthday. Here's a photo of me when I was about 2. I'll tell you after the official b-day gift what I'm doing with it.

Disappointment

I was supposed to take a weaving class tomorrow. It was cancelled. I am sad. But I think I'll take the day, which was already set aside for moi, and do some more experimenting with the loom. Some FOs for you next week? Perhaps. In the meantime, check this out!

What the........

Just for the record, today is March 28th. Spring. I know it's New England, but COME ON GUYS -- we need some sunshine, some little buds on the trees, some HOPE that this will end sometime soon!

Enjoy your weekend. I plan to knit. After all, what else would one do on a snowy day ... in March.

Windy City

Wow. What a great 2+ days I had. I just returned from attending the Yarn Market News Smart Business Conference in Chicago. Fabulous. Really fabulous. It was a great mix of hard core information, fun, networking (really great networking!), and swag. Yep, swag. The conference sponsors (of which my company was one) really outdid themselves with giveaways. I'm having a raffle in the office today to share some of the goodies with our hardworking staff. And the speakers were fantastic! Check out their bios and websites. They had great information to share.

Yesterday, before we all headed home, we were treated to a tour of Lornas Laces.
Beth was a gracious host, explaining her products, showing us works in progress, and she even did a little dying demo! It was fun to see the action.

Soho Publishing (parent company of Yarn Market News) did a great job. I hope this event becomes an annual one, and that I am fortunate enough to be able to go again. It was wonderful meeting so many talented retailers, and brainstorm how we can all grow the yarn/knitting/needlearts business together.

Now I just have to find the time to summarize all my notes and implement all the great ideas I heard about!

Texas

I just got back from 6 days in Texas, visiting my Mom, brother, sister-in-law, and 3 nieces (2 local, one from NYC). I was lucky enough to travel with my daughter and grand-daughter, so there were 9 of us enjoying each others' company. It was a really good visit, and we were able to parcel out small-ish times with everyone. I helped Mom finish her taxes and hang pictures on her walls. She moved to a new space recently, and has lots more room, with big windows and a good location - such an improvement over where she had been! I also had some relaxing time by the pool and on walks. It was great to skip wearing a coat for 6 days!

Now it's back to the grind. Hopefully lots of knitting and weaving too. Even though it's going to snow overnight tonight, I sense that spring is right around the corner! And that means more playground time...

Where Have I Been

I did it. I bought a loom. It's very small and portable, and it's called a Flip - and I love it. Not only is it portable, it was really easy to learn. At the recommendation of 2 very helpful people at Webs in Northampton, I bought the loom and a book. By reading through Betty Linn Davenport's Rigid Heddle Weaving, I was able to begin a small project all by myself. The photo above is warping. The Flip provides a spindle that can be attached to pretty much anything (I used the edge of a bookcase) and you attach the warp to the loom as you go. It's a 1-step process instead of two - easy-peasy!

Once the warp was rolled onto the warp beam on the loom (below)


I was ready to get started. I didn't take any pictures of the work-in-progress; I guess I was too absorbed! But look what I did!


The piece is about 20" long, and is W.A.Y. better at the end than at the beginning! I learned a lot and am really proud of what I completed! I used Cotton Bam Boo for the warp because I wanted something pretty thin, sturdy and non-stretchy. I experimented with various yarns for the weft. First I used a different color of Cotton Bam Boo; then I experimented with stripes. And then, I found some really beautiful Koigu in my stash. So I used the Koigu for weaving about 9", then switched to the Cotton Bam Boo in the same color that was the warp. I love it. I can't wait to try some other combinations.

A new hobby ... woo hoo!!

Have you seen all the great spring yarns that are flooding into yarn shops and online stores? They are amazing. And great patterns too. Of course I'm partial to the ones from CEY.

Speaking of which, our creative director is hard at work on Fall 2008 - can you believe it? I drove up to Maine in a little snowstorm on Tuesday and worked with her on the line and other work-related stuff. It was great to see her progress - lots of photos on the walls, with little snippets of yarn and project notes. Putting a new season together is always challenging; I don't know how she does it! Once the designs are in progress, being written by pattern writers, or knitted by knitters, or being blocked for the photo shoot, then my work begins in earnest. That's when I have to put it all together, create a package that makes sense to salesreps and customers. For now, I'm just the consultant, the watchdog, the advisor.



It's hard to imagine now, but Fall is going to be great! By the way, have you seen Spring? Happy weekend.

Sharing

This week my family had a milestone worthy of mention. My daughter completed her breast cancer treatments. She still has a long road - to getting her stamina back, getting her hair back, moving towards pill-free days - but surgery and chemo and radiation are complete. The joy we feel is so immense, and the gratitude we have for all those who have been so supportive the past 7 months cannot be adequately expressed. Thank you.

I am so proud of how she has managed all the scary moments, and there were a lot. She remains beautiful, intelligent, talented, a great mom and wife, and now she has another moniker: she's a survivor.

I'm Back

California was great / exhausting. We had a pretty good show, but the travel was hard. I was able to see my son for a few hours - awesome treat - and had dinner with sister-in-law and her husband. Fun.

Two years ago when I was returning from California I bought some yarn and a pattern at the last minute and spend my plane ride working on a project for granddaughter C. It was a quick knit and fun to do. I don't remember if was knitting for her last year on my way home, but I decided, when I was in Oakland, that I should make this an annual tradition - each year I'll knit something for C when I return from my January California trip. It's a 6-hour trip, more or less, and I can get some really good knitting time in. In Oakland, I bought some yarn and a pattern for a vest. I didn't finish it, but I did complete the back and most of the front. Since coming home, I've finished the front, sewed together the shoulder seams, and knit the neckline rib with picot bindoff. All that's left is the side seams and armhole rib/picot. Can't wait.

I did complete a little jumper before I left town. Too cute.

Today is not Friday

I usually post on Fridays; it seems like a good day to wrap things up. But this Friday I'll be standing in a trade show booth, hopefully selling yarn like crazy. Yep. I'm off to Long Beach in the morning - 2 days of prep; 3 days of selling; 2 days of meetings; a short visit with boy-child; then home - 8 days away from New England! It was really hard to pack for such a long trip! (Let's see, if I wear these shoes on the plane, then these other shoes on the show floor for 3 days, then ... wait, what about that brown outfit? well maybe brown should stay at home 'cause it would dictate another pair of shoes and there isn't any room for more shoes!)

I'll try to post a picture or two on Friday. I expect they will be pictures of yarn, 'cause that's what it's all about.

Starting 2008

Since 2007 was so difficult for me and my family, I'm hopeful that 2008 will be a winner!

Having everyone home for the Xmas holidays was a great way to end last year. Lots of little joys add up, so I'm going to make a point of celebrating and noting the special moments. Here's my first one. Can you count to five? Happy New Year!

Packing Up

In addition to everything else that has to be done in late December, I have to coordinate getting a trade show ready. We have 4 big packing crates - you can see a couple of them above (open). They must be packed up ever so carefully; it's quite a challenge getting everything to fit, but Judy is a miracle-worker and makes it all happen. These two are only partially filled. We have to finish packing up all 4 of the trunks by the end of the day today - the shipping company comes first thing Wednesday to haul them to California, and I don't plan to be here between now and the 26th.

May you and yours have a wondeful Christmas weekend. I plan to celebrate joyously with my husband, children, and blessed grand-daughter. Merry Christmas!

Making a List, Checking it Twice...

My husband is REALLY hard to give good gifts to because (a) he never tells me what he wants, (b) he is prone to shopping in December and getting things for himself that I may have had on my possible-gift list (I'm not sure where this December buying spree gene comes from; it's very odd but quite predictable), (c) I can't seem to hide boxes/bags from him very well - he always seems to find them, and (d) when he does see a package under the tree, he is amazingly good at guessing exactly, I mean EXACTLY what the gift is, so the surprise factor is gone.

I think I found something this year that may work - it's a surprise, I told him he wasn't getting anything this year because I was spending on my money on our granddaughter, I had it shipped to my office, I'm NOT taking it home until it's wrapped (and I may even put it in a bigger box to throw him off), and I don't think he has a clue.

Ho Ho Ho!!

Turning Two

Today is grand-daughter C's 2nd birthday. When I spoke with her on the phone this morning, she ended the call by singing "happy birthday to me". What a cutie. I won't see her today, but we did celebrate her special day last weekend, so I feel as though we gave her a good send-off into her 3rd year of life. It's so hard to believe that it's been two years since she looked like this.

And now she's full of live, giggles, stories, and so much more. Happy Birthday Sugar!!

What a weekend!

We had a great weekend! C was a treat, and I was able to give her the hat I've been working on - a cabled hat in (can you believe it) pink cashmere! It's so cute - of course I don't have a photo of C wearing it, but I'll get one soon. Here it is, completed, in my bag with a bunch of other junk... We were able to hang around all weekend, play, visit farm animals, color, eat, pretend to be on the computer, and just plain have fun. I hope your weekend was a good one too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Things I am thankful for this year: - the first phase of my daughter's treatment is complete! - my granddaughter; 'nuf said - all my family, especially my kids and spouse - my health (never take it for granted!) - my work (it's nice to get a paycheck for doing work that you love) - my friends, especially the WW ones (you know who you are!) - the fact that GWB will be out of office in the coming year. What are you thankful for?

I think little C is thankful for her pink sparkle sunglasses and sunny days.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thank You

For some reason, I have a hard time remembering to say "thank you." I think about it all the time; I appreciate what people do, really; but I know that I don't say "thank you" out loud enough. (Some people even remind me of this fact on a regular basis.) I forget to send cards when they should be sent. And I don't always remember anniversaries when they come around.

A friend of mine wakes up every morning and thinks of a "word for the day." I think I'm going to create a word for the rest of 2007 for myself - THANKS! I'll hang the word above my desk, make it my computer's screen saver, and stop to think about it every morning before I start my day. Maybe I can do better ... I sure hope so. Because there is so much to be thankful for, and there are so many people who make my life better every day.

Thanks for reading my post!

When there's too much to do...

The past month has been crazy-busy. I used to be able to cope with too much to do (at least I think I was able to ... maybe I'm mis-remembering!). But now any little thing that makes the to-do list one item too long kind of puts me over the edge.

Case in point: I went to the eye doctor this morning. For about a month I've had this haze that kind of obscures my right eye. This is my second visit to the doc; on the first visit he pronounced me fine, but asked me to come back for a complete vision test just to be sure. I can't seem to convince them at the eye doc office that it's not a prescription problem, that it's different than that. But they kept coming back to my prescription being off. So, after "which is clearer, #1 or #2" over and over again, they decided my prescription was just fine. I burst into tears. I'm not sure why, except that this haze is driving me crazy. And I have a lot of floaties too - really annoying. After crying at bit, I again tried to make my case for "it's not a problem with my prescription" once more, and darn-it-all, that doc started to pander. Now there is one thing I really really hate. Pandering. So after spending way too much time, I left more frustrated than ever. Here are the reasons why: (1) He pandered. (2) He didn't figure out the problem. (3) I still have that haze. (4) I was about 90 minutes late for work, time that I could NOT really afford to be away. (5) I'm mad that I cried. (6) It was obvious that he was pandering.

Now I have to find another eye doctor. Damn him. \

Baseball

I do love baseball. And I especially love that the Red Sox are in the World Series. Go Sox!!

Congratulations!

I just got back from a wedding in Pensacola, FL. The groom was my cousin's son (making him my first cousin once removed). It was a beautiful weekend; I got to see my mom, 2 brothers and their wives, 2 aunts, and numerous other relatives. As much as I hate traveling, taking the time to go to FL was well worth the hassle of airline travel. Next weekend I'm off to Denver on business. The weekend after that is all r&r!