HOME AT LAST

I am so glad to be home after three weeks. During this time away I had all kinds of things happening. It started with incredible New Year gathering of our family. We rented a huge house for a week near Los Gatos, CA and all of us had very comfortable rooms with our own bathroom. There was a gym downstairs and plenty of room to sit and do whatever. My husband had two eye surgeries after that with a break in between. I snicked out to Long Beach for a weekend of TNNA and came back to San Francisco. Second operation was a little rough on Simon and we had to stay with our friends longer, so his doctor will see him again on Tuesday.
There was no way to come home and go back, so we had to stay and do all our work-related and for me also knitting-related activities. I missed one of the important meetings yesterday, but one of my co-workers (I am so thankful!) was on a phone with me, so I could choose my classes for the next two semesters.
I also managed to do one submission from there. (It is a very involved process, by the way) and two of my designs are accepted. I am very happy and waiting for the yarn for three projects to come very soon. The third one was commissioned by a company at TNNA while I was walking by wearing my jacket (not published, of course). That was fun!

So everything is well now. Simon loves the result of his surgeries and ready to work. It was not a very restful, but very productive break from school. Now back to work.

I wanted to share these photos with you. Our friend is a great mushroom hunter. This is his latest find. It is a real porcini from CA.





It is huge and gorgeous. When our friend cut it he saw that it was very clean and edible. I just had to take a picture. It deserved it.

WEEKEND OF INSPIRATION

I am always looking forward to TNNA weekend. It is hard to explain in just a few words what it is all about. For me personally it's about friends from the yarn industry, beautiful yarns, colors, new books, magazine issues, and new opportunities. This time it was even more exciting and productive than I expected. I saw the photos of my five designs for different upcoming publications. It is so fascinating for me to see how my garments are styled. I am very happy with all of them. It was wonderful to spend the time with Simona Merchant-Dest, Marly Bird, Linda Permann, and others. I talked to Edie Eckman, Jill Wright, Kate Oates, Nicky Epstein, Laura Nelkin, Kristi Porter, Lily Chin, Mary Beth Temple, Robyn Chachula, and so many other designers including Anna Cohen. Bijou Basin Ranch, Claudia Hand Painted Yarns, Manos, Madelinetosh, Red Barn Yarn, Arctic Qiviut,Imperial Stock Ranch, and some other companies kept me glued to their beautiful and luxurious yarns. I will have some photos later to show, but right now I need to calm my thoughts and sort all of the deadlines and future opportunities out. It is too much to tackle in one day.