vogue knitting live '15

VKL '15 in a nutshell: it took a three hour nap today for me to recover.

It was a really great weekend. My mom and I left before dawn on Friday to take the train into NYC. We kicked off the conference on Friday morning with a Franklin Habit class, always a delight. 

Interesting introduction to Bavarian twisted stitch, in which the background stitches are always knit through the back loop. I had spent the previous evening teaching a beginning knitter not to do that very thing; it is a common beginner mistake, one that I made myself, so it was funny to be doing it deliberately when I had just spent so much time explaining why she shouldn't do it.

We enjoyed a lecture by the Norwegian designing team of Arne and Carlos, talking about their efforts to incorporate Norwegian knitting traditions in new ways that preserve them.

My favorite example was this sweater they put together from old sweaters made and worn by Arne's family members, in a patchwork tradition of reusing and repurposing old fabrics. It was the first time I had seen it done with knitting where the original wasn't unravelled or felted.

My afternoon was spent learning entrelac from Rosemary Drysdale, while my mom learned a new way of felting that definitely requires more exploration. More on that in a few weeks, I think, but my brain is racing with possibilities.

All day Saturday was sweater design with Patty Lyons and math, math, math, but I can honestly say I get it. Maybe setting a goal of designing a sweater for one of the men in my life would help to cement it in place.

The marketplace was great, especially as I got to tour it with my mom and Lauren, my brother's wonderful girlfriend. Behind them? Yes, knitted Tower of Pisa, part of Lion Brand's Seven Wonders of the Knitting World. I didn't get them all photographed, but take a look at Paige's blog for the complete set.

The artistic fiber art displays were amazing this year. This fridge full of knitted food, with accompanying dessert table, done by a Swiss artist, had to be seen to be believed. Such jaw-dropping detail, even my non-craftsy brother was impressed. Take a look at the peeled orange on the edge of the dessert table. And I just noticed this detail: is that a rat's tail under the fridge? Too funny!