December catch up

It is wonderful to be able to sit down and catch up my blog readers on all my doings, but it is also a frustrating practice! So much has happened since my last post. It is always intimidating to try to include everything at once. Should I start from where I left off? Should I only blog about highlights? How about all those pictures? Maybe, I should just write about today!

All these thoughts and frustrations are only compounded by the fact that I HAVE blogged in the past bit, but the posts never loaded, or failed, or I got a message to try the website upload later. What if that were to happen now?

With this in mind, I am going to choose to do little uploads that jump around in my updates: in case the post doesn't upload, I won't risk marring a linear storyline, or be unable to go back and fill in details later.

Today, I am home. What a blessing in this crazy December time! Not only do we have the usual Christmas rush-about, but two of my kids have December birthdays. Because I have three kids, we are also very busy going to band concerts, choir concerts, basketball games and swim meets. And, while I am very thankful to have met my December 1 deadline for two magazine articles, two knitting patterns and two knitted samples, I now have the joy of working on my own self-published patterns. The boss is totally crazy: she's trying to get a sweater pattern, mitten pattern and hat pattern out the door before year's end!

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Sniff! We're all in double digits, now!

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A beautiful Christmas Vespers at the Culver Academy Chapel.

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I love the tuba player by the column.

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Her "Grown Up Christmas List"

In other knit news, I am totally stoked to be in conversation with The Loopy Ewe, one of my favorite knit stores. We are trying to work out a class(es) I could teach there when I am in Fort Collins, Colorado this coming April. The Loopy Ewe will start carrying my patterns in January. And, Canadian pattern store Patternfish is working on getting mine uploaded before the end of 2014.

Off to work on those, now!

Yesterday, and Tomorrow

I presented my talk on Sámi Knitted Mittens at Fort Wayne's own Knitting Off Broadway! Well, actually, it wasn't IN Knitting Off Broadway. It was two doors away, in a cool little former firehouse #5.

Not to be confused with Love Potion #5.

It had cool, exposed brick walls, a nifty kitchen, and a nice open room in which I gave a talk, answered questions, and passed mittens.

Fun was had by all! I'm looking forward to teaching a short, 3 hour Sámi Mittens Techniques tomorrow morning, and an Irish Crochet Class in the afternoon. Since it is a "local" venue, I'm taking my finished Irish Crochet and great-grandma's duster, as well!

Twisted PDX in Portland, Oregon

Two days before I taught at the Nordic Knitting conference, I drove down to Portland and taught at Twisted, PDX. What a great store! One owner, Emily, hails from Bloomington, Indiana.

I have been to Portland at least twice before, but it has been quite a long time. Never had I been to a knitting store there. Portland is an amazing fiber mecca.

It also is a great town for donuts. I am not what I would call a donut connoisseur, but I live with one and have come to appreciate a fine bit of fried bread. Portland has not one, but two famous donut establishments. 

Voodoo Donuts is one. For those familiar with the Seattle landmark of Archie McPhee's, Voodoo donuts is kind of a blend of that with a good bit of sugar, dough and sprinkles.

The magic is in the hole

Their signature donut is in the shape of a person, with a frosting face and belly button. It is filled with cherry glaze and served stabbed through the "heart" with a pretzel rod.

I got him with my 2.5 mm double points. And, if that didn't do it, Sarah, in whose house I was staying, finished him off with her teeth. In October, you can never be too sure about these Voodoo things.

Tomorrow, more about my Portland class, students, and the other bakery. Good night, all!

Nordic Knitting Conference

Last Wednesday I gathered my wool and headed up to South Bend to fly to Seattle and the Nordic Knitting Conference 2014. The Nordic Knitting Conference is a biennial gathering of a handful of knitting teachers and like minded students. It meets at the Nordic Museum in the Ballard suburb of Seattle.

Just in case you weren't sure… a Viking boat at the main entry to the Nordic Museum.

Good, old fashioned Ballard humility

Apparently, even the Viking statues knit here.

This year, the keynote speakers and teachers were Arne & Carlos -- super intelligent, talented and humorous knitting gurus from Norway. They have at least four books out that have been translated into 15 languages and range from small designs knitted into Easter eggs and Christmas balls to cutting edge sweaters. And, this is all after successful careers as clothing designers and teachers. A highlight of my time was meeting them, being in one of their classes, and just hanging out with them. They are such great guys!

Carlos, Laura and Arne

I was very honored to be one of the right teachers myself this year. I taught one class on my Sámi knitted mittens (Skolt class). To my surprise, my class and one of Arne & Carlos' sold out the first day of registration! Speaking to my students, the subject was of such interest that they drove from British Columbia, Northern Idaho and a variety of farflung areas. Several I recognized from previous NKCs.

So, with 20 students, we plunged right into the sordid history of the Skolt Sámi, explored the mitten motifs, and each student created her own cuff with a mix of Skolt Sámi border and main motifs.

hat fun is this! A big thank you to each of my students who came. Some came from far away -- British Columbia, and Northern Idaho were the homes of two students. I, of course, did not hear the stories of all of them, but that is the part of teaching I like the most: sharing the stories of the Sámi, and hearing the stories of the students who came. At least three had Sámi roots they had discovered in amazing ways.

I certainly hope each of you can come and share your stories with me.