Tag Archives: VKLive NYC

VogueKnitting Live NYC wrap

Posted on January 21, 2025 | 7 comments

I had a quick weekend in New York City, teaching at Knitting Live by Vogue Knitting (the official name, but we mostly still call it Vogue Knitting Live). I taught five classes, saw friends old and new, checked out the market, and came home! Thursday to Sunday, bam. Some pictures to amuse you:

Mount Hood at dawn as seen from an airplane

I left Portland at dawn Thursday, and enjoyed the view of Mount Hood. I arrived in time for the teachers’ meeting Thursday evening, and saw lots of teacher friends.

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I didn’t remember to take photos in all my classes, but here are a few.

No one ever goes home sad from my steeking class! It’s empowering, and you know everything you need to finish your two Sheepy Steeky Coasters.

Maria has one cut down, one to go. I’m teaching this class again this coming weekend at Hook and Needle Fiber in Vancouver WA. Come snip with me!

Two smiling women, one holding a copy of Brioche Knit Love book

Barbara was in my Tink Drop Frog (fixing mistakes) class, but I think she really wants to fix brioche mistakes. She ordered a copy of my Brioche Knit Love book on the spot.

All ready for Minerva entrelac class, with step-outs at the ready. This is how we stay ahead of the students in class.

Many smiling knitters at Vogue Knitting Live

So many smiles!

The marketplace was hopping, with fashion shows and interviews on stage, and lots of beautiful yarn and clever products.

Maker’s Talisman Necklaces by Birdie Parker Designs

My favorite thing: Talisman necklaces by Birdie Parker Designs. A stockinette themed charm, semi-precious stone, crochet hook, hand-made silver darning needle, and two stitch markers.

Remember my DIY cable hook holder? This is next level.

Knitted wreath with wool locks knit in — Sweet wreath with wool locks knit in from Long Island Yarn and Farm

There are art installations outside the marketplace (which is on two floors). Here’s a taste:

Dragon soft sculpture — Dragon by Going Gnome

Ellie D’Eustachio is a textile street artist

Beam me up with fiber artist Sarah Divi! Loved this fun display.

Sara Elizabeth Kellner’s knitted Victorian Housecats

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And it’s not VKL NYC without an iconic escalator video!

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I finished my last class at 5 pm on Sunday, and scurried to the airport. It was snowing lightly, and I was worried about my flight home. We ended up with a 3 hour delay for plowing the runways and de-icing the plane.

I was relieved that we actually took off!

I love teaching at VKLive. It’s a big vibrant show, with something for every knitter, at all levels. Definitely something to experience!

Now it’s back to work. I need to finish writing the pattern for this shawlette, which I enjoyed wearing this weekend. I think I’m going to remove the bind off and use the rest of the yarn to make it just a little bigger, now that I have time.

If you want to know when the pattern is published, sign up for my newsletter! You’ll be the first to know, and you’ll also get the subscriber discount of 25% off. Sign up here.

I hope you had a great weekend, too!

7 Comments

Posted in events, Knit, pattern design, travel

Tagged knitting, knitting classes, VKLive NYC, vogue knitting live

Do as I say…

Posted on January 15, 2025 | 11 comments

Not as I do. Was it ridiculous to knit til 1:30 am on Monday night/Tuesday morning so I could soak and block my new shawlette?

A gray and white brioche knit shawlette featuring assigned pooling stars and a syncopated caramel colored edging

Deadlines. I’m headed to New York early Thursday, and I knew it would take two days to dry completely. So, it was worth it to me! I want to wear it at VKLive this weekend. I still have to write the pattern, but that will have to wait until I get back.

detail of a gray and white brioche knit shawlette featuring assigned pooling stars and a syncopated caramel colored edging

I love this color combination. It’s from A Chick that Knitz, Hibernation and Caramel. The shawlette still needs a name. Starstruck? or Stardust? Stardust Nebula? Help me decide.

Oh, also in the “Do as I say, not as I do”: Remember to take breaks and stretch when you’re on a knitting marathon! I can feel a little achiness in my forearm tendons. I’m giving my arms a break for a couple days. Time to pack!

Want to know when the pattern is published? Sign up for my email newsletter and you’ll be the first to know! You’ll also get a coupon for 25% off the pattern; its a subscriber benefit.

Soon!

11 Comments

Posted in events, Knit, pattern design, travel

Tagged A Chick That Knitz, Brioche knitting, brioche plus assigned pooling, brioche plus pooling, VKLive NYC

I’m here, I’m there…

Posted on February 28, 2024 | 4 comments

I’m every fiber-where…

including in other people’s media content! That’s pretty fun. And a great way to discover new podcasts/people to follow.

Erica of the “Bootie and Bossy Eat Drink Knit” podcast was a test knitter for Whale Conga Line, and talks about it in this episode of her podcast at about minute 26. This podcast series is lovely. This episode about a family gift stole my heart; I’ve subscribed and really enjoy the series.

I was interviewed at VKLive NYC by the fabulous people at Gosadi, a big sponsor of VKLive this year, also about Whale Conga Line. I’ve pinned the bit on my Instagram here.

Kim’s Brioche Pastiche hat with taller crown

And Kim of “Knit Together with Kim & Jonna” talked about taking my Brioche Pastiche class at VKLive NYC (I’m at about minute 36). It’s a great recap of her entire time at VKLive; she does a great job of making you feel like you’re there. Here’s a link to the episode on her YouTube channel. I watched it while working on my newest design; it’s like having a knit group in your iPad. Wonderful! I just subscribed.

Where am I next? Trunk show at For Yarn’s Sake for Rose City Yarn Crawl on March 7, 10 am to 3 pm. Hope to see you there!

4 Comments

Posted in Blogging, events, Fame, Knit, Portland area fun, travel

Tagged Knit podcasts, rose city yarn crawl, VKLive, VKLive NYC, Whale Conga Line

Still catching up, bicoastally

Posted on February 21, 2023 | 3 comments

How much can we pack into February? A LOT. I’ll never get to completely blog VKLive NYC and Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat in Tacoma, but here are some highlights.

Fun classes with great students, both at VKLive

And at Red Alder. why am I showing both Sheepy Steeky Coasters classes? Because the joy of scissors makes a great photo op!

So happy to meet up with Keith Leonard and Shaina Bilow again after Knit Maine. And new friend Dario Tubiana, too. (Check out the sheep on the door of La Pecora Bianca.)

The Empire State Building makes a great tiara…or unicorn horn. You decide.

I didn’t have a full length mirror in NYC, but I did in Tacoma, so I could do my traditional what did I wear collage. Coffee Breakers Shawl (from Brioche Knit Love), Camellia Wrap, Ebb and Flow cowl.

Ebb and Flow looks good on everyone! New Beginnings statue outside the Federal Courthouse in Tacoma. It was the train station a long time ago.

Hanging out with Alasdair Post-Quinn (double knitting king), Michael Kelson (Spinpossible), and Xandy Peters.

We had fabulous markets on both coasts. What did I buy, since you know I don’t stash yarn?

Super fun yarn and NYC-themed project bag from Maker’s Mercantile. And it comes with a notions box that fits in the pocket, too. Look closely to see all the fiber-related pictures!

Also from NYC, Jūl’s new toolkit. Choose your shape: round, square, or triangle.

You can make the shape into a shawl pin with the stick pin, or a shawl cuff with the leather band. You can use the stick pin by itself. The other two leather pieces are to close a cardigan front. And the buttons have a round ball at the end of the shank, and a leather back to pop over the ball. You can move your buttons from one piece of knitwear to the next. So far I’ve only used the cuff, but I’ve used it a lot.

From Tacoma: a silly cats in hats project bag, also from Maker’s Mercantile. Did I need it? Yes. It will help corral supplies for a class.

Oh look, yarn! I bought this peacock green to teal gradient from Schmutzerella to knit one more Ebb and Flow. I love how smoothly the colors melt into each other. I can have both the taller neck and the longer triangle with this much yardage. It’s not stash if I have a plan to cast on soon! Right now I’m trying to decide if I want the blue on top or bottom. The piece gets wider towards the bottom, so the stripe down there will be narrower, but more visible. What do you think?

Always nice to see Mt. Rainier from my hotel room window.

So very different from my hotel room view the week before!

Currently on the needles: I’m finishing an Embellishment Cowl sample. I used it in class last week at VKL, and now I need it to display at For Yarn’s Sake as a sample for my class on May 7. It’s almost done. I need to have it bound off and steam blocked by Thursday morning, just in time for my trunk show. Wish me luck!

3 Comments

Posted in classes, events, Knit, Product review, travel, yarn

Tagged Jul Designs, Red Alder Fiber Arts, Schmutzerella Yarns, VKLive, VKLive NYC

Happy Fiberuary!

Posted on February 1, 2023 | 1 comment

Or February, if you’re traditional. This is a jam packed month for me. Who knew you could have this much fun knitting? I have three in-person weekends coming up. I hope to see you at one of these events!

At Vogue Knitting Live NYC Feb. 10-12 I’ll be teaching Petite Brioche (beginning brioche), Deep End (brioche increases and decreases), Syncopation (syncopated brioche), Sheepy Steeky Coasters (steeks!), and my new Embellishment Cowl (elongated stitches, slip stitch quilted lattice, and beads).

At Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat Feb. 16-19 I’ll be teaching Petite Brioche (beginning brioche), Whale Watch Cap and Cowl (brioche increases and decreases), Sheepy Steeky Coasters (steeks!) and Assigned and Planned Pooling.

Rose City Yarn Crawl is Feb. 23-26. I’ll have a trunk show and book signing at For Yarn’s Sake on Thursday Feb. 23, along with Lorajean Kelley (Knitted Wit), Shannon Squire, and Debbie Stone.

Oh, and Bruce Springsteen is coming to town! Should I go see him? He held my sock, you know…

How is your February shaping up?

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Posted in classes, events, Knit

Tagged Red Alder Fiber Arts, rose city yarn crawl, VKLive NYC

Introducing: Aspen Leaf

Posted on February 3, 2020 | 3 comments

Aspen Leaf is ready to rock and roll!

Aspen Leaf is a leafy brioche scarf. Butterfly wing-shaped wedges are introduced in syncopated brioche as the leaves narrow and widen. The leaves are especially glorious in a gradient main color, and a speckle or semi-solid makes a nice background. The leaf pattern repeats 10 times using two 4 oz skeins of DK weight yarn. You could easily substitute two 4 oz skeins of worsted weight yarn for a slightly wider scarf with fewer repeats.

Sample shown in Huckleberry Knits DK Gradient (Practical Tactical Brilliance) and Huckleberry Knits American Dream DK (When You Said Hi, I Forgot My Dang Name). Gauge is not critical in this stretchy fabric, but it can affect size and yardage requirements. Work for a gauge that gives you a pleasant fabric, not floppy nor tight. Knit as many leaves as you like, depending on how much yarn you have.

This was my relaxing vacation knit in December. Brioche, relaxing? Yes; once you’ve knit a leaf or two, the shaping is easy to remember. You should have experience knitting brioche before knitting Aspen Leaf.

I took it to VKLive NYC last month.

We had a good time!

I’m knitting one more for myself in Knit Picks Chroma Worsted; it’s a little wider and will have 8 leaves, according to my yarn scale. No yarn chicken here!

This pattern is available through Ravelry. It’s 10% off through February 14, 2020 as a valentine to you. Happy knitting!

3 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design

Tagged Aspen Leaf scarf, VKLive NYC

Syncopation encore, and VKLive NYC

Posted on February 2, 2020 | 9 comments

I finished a third version of my Syncopation shawl just before VKLive NYC. I wanted to wear it there, and I did!

This version is a size/shape between the original shawl and scarf, so a bit wider/less deep than the original shawl, and not as long and skinny as the scarf. I scrunch it a bit at the neck so the point will fall at center front; rolling the scrunch means that some of the reverse color from the other side shows at the neck, which I love.

I’ve added instructions for this size/shape to the pattern, which is available on Ravelry. If you purchased the pattern, you should have received an email letting you know about the update so you can download the latest version. Or if you’re one of my new brioche students, you can just buy it now…

I wore it a lot! I was wearing it when I met up with Ann and Kay from Mason Dixon Knitting in the Knitty City booth, and when I saw Lorajean and Shannon in the Knitted Wit booth, and when I was teaching on a slightly snowy Saturday. It’s a good travel companion, easy to put on and wear.

Bright lights, big city! The NYC show was BIG, with a very different feel than the Columbus show. We were at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, with classes all over and a market on TWO floors.

Here’s a view from the balcony; take this and multiply by two. It was packed with product, and with shoppers.

I taught 5 classes to great students. And I gave my lecture, Blocking: It’s Magic. Once I figured out that the computer wasn’t touch screen, my PowerPoint presentation went very smoothly! (So used to my iPad; I forget…)

This sign was going up during the day, and I decided the question needed to be: Who’s Afraid of PDXKnitterati!

This is my new Aspen Leaf Scarf (pattern coming soon). The colors from Huckleberry Knits have Hamilton-themed names: Practical Tactical Brilliance and When You Said Hi I Forgot My Dang Name.

This picture is as close to Hamilton as my scarf was going to get.

On a whim, I tried to get a ticket to Hamilton in the cancellation line. I got THISCLOSE; they ran out 2 people ahead of me. But it was fun hanging out for a bit, chatting with people from Atlanta and Honolulu who were hoping to get in.

I wasn’t on the hunt for yarn this weekend, which made my limited time in the marketplace a little more manageable, but I really wanted a knitty souvenir. I bought this swatch necklace from Porterness Studio; it’s perfect! I’m wearing it all the time.