My mom wants to know what I'm up to!

I know, it's been a long time since I have blogged.  In the meantime, I have:

...gone to Vogue Knitting Live in New York!  

I was excited to go; I've been to New York City but it's been upwards of 20 years.  Plus a few more.  I was excited, but I was afraid of being mugged, I tell you.  I went with Dianne, from Windy Valley yarns.  

• We stayed in Times Square - I loved it.  You can take pictures all night and they look like daytime; it was bright! 
• Our luggage arrived a day late - after our free day for sight-seeing.  We waited for hours, and by the time we finally decided to go without make-up or clean clothes, we didn't have time to see much. 
• I spent $33 on eyeliner, deodorant and aspirin.  Don't shop at the hotel.   
• I did not get mugged, and after a day or two, I went outside and up and down a few blocks, by myself.  
• There are so many places to eat!  We ate at Carnegie Deli, and I had a hot dog from a street vendor.
• Central Park was disappointing; I'm assuming that's because it's winter, there was no snow, and I hardly had time to look around.  Maybe next time, it'll live up to all the expectations Hollywood has built up for me.
• The highlight of the show was seeing my friend Allison, who moved from Denver to New York last year, and meeting her friend, Michele Wang, a designer whose work I admire, and who was very nice. 

All in all, I would love to go back with my little family, and see a lot more.  

As for the show, it was short - nice; colder and darker - bad.  If you were there to buy qiviut, it was great!  We did also walk over to the Qiviut Boutique, near the Plaza Hotel.  Gorgeous stuff in there; it's like Windy Valley yarns for people who have lots more money than knitting skills.

Central Park in winter

...gone to Stitches West in Santa Clara, California.

I enjoy going to the Stitches conventions; I know what's going on, I know the staff, I have a little time each morning to peruse the market.  I get to visit friends I've made during the last several shows.  It was a lot like the first and second time I went.

• This time, I roomed with my friend Julie; it was fun to hang out with her.  She's actually how I met Dianne.
• My one big purchase was sweater-quantity of Plucky yarn for a sweater.  I got there early; I hear it was brutal in that booth - lots of people, little space.  I guess that's good for Plucky?
• Julie was also my sounding board for a lot of knitting ideas I needed to get out of my head.  
• Maybe next time, I can sneak in time for a class.

Sorry, no great picture. 

...decided to be less of a photographer and more of an artist.  

I've got some photo projects to get out of my head, but I'm cutting back on what I do for other people, and waiting for warmer days.  I hate being outside in the dead of winter, trying to get the perfect shot with numb fingers.  And I'm kinda done with people who either don't get my point of view, or just don't want to pay for it.  I invest a lot of emotion - too much, really, in my photography, and sometimes I feel like I should have charged ten times more to put up with the people who hired me.  I don't always feel that way; sometimes I feel like I charged way to much to be part of a magical moment with beautiful souls.  So now, I'm just doing what I want to do, because it's what I believe in.  

I'm doing 114 in 2014, the Karen version.  In other words, not sweating the pictures I don't want to take.  I never get them all done, anyway, but it keeps me seeing new subjects in fresh ways. 

...been teaching and working more at my LYS (local yarn shop) and I'm updating their Facebook page.
Both of these take more time than they say on my calendar, but are rewarding creative outlets.  I love updating the cover photo on the Facebook page.  I could take pictures of yarn all day long!  Oh, wait, sometimes I do.  

...I've been knitting a lot. A LOT.

I made a list of 10 (really 14 or 16) designers whose work I admire, and whose patterns I would like to knit. That included Michele even before I met her - bonus!  Will I get to any of them this year?  Not so far.  Because... 

I'm knitting for hire; that sounds weird.  Knitting for money?  Whatever.  You know what I mean.  

I'm also working on some of my own designs, which includes some R&D, so I'm doing a lot of swatching, measuring, writing.  I was thinking of designing a shawl so I've knit several recently.  I don't know if lace is something I'm meant to design.  We'll see.

And I'm spending a few hours a week volunteering at schools.  I'm in charge of Friday Folders, and straightening up bookshelves in the library.  I love old books.  And I would like to tell you I do a lot of laundry but that would be a lie.  I do what I have to.  And...  this week, if I get a chance, I will be starting some seeds. 

Well, I think that brings us up to today, and hopefully it won't be so long before next time!!