SSK, y'all!

In my head I've been writing an epic, epic I tell you, post about my recent week in Tennessee.

One day I took a looong walk down Broadway to see Nashville's bright lights.

 Unlike the last post and this other one, I can share all.  Plenty of photos. AND ELVIS!  As it turns out I'm making my Tennessee adventure a  2-parter post, I am writing this from a job in VT but I left a  random half of the photos on a drive at home. grrrr. Still it's gonna be a long one, buckle in.

Laura of The Knitgirllls handing out shopping bags at the market. That's her & Leslie's attitude: welcome.

When I met  video podcasters The KnitGirllls Leslie and Lala last year, they told me about this retreat they put on in Nashville.  When I got a note inviting me to teach at it, I was pretty sure anything those two schemed up was a WIN, so I said yes.

Oh man was I right. Pom poms on the staircases and all.
 SSK is in  Nashville, Tennessee, at a peaceful urban retreat center, with gardens, gothic stone buildings and a labryinth. What a place to teach and stay for a few days.

Best classroom door signs, ever.

My class making use of an archway's beautiful light.

My students? SO FREAKIN' WONDERFUL! It was gazillion degrees out and steamy,  yet they went outside and played along with me.

Unintentional patchwork sidewalk.

OK, so we got a little heavy-handed and silly with the photo editing part of the class--this is Laura's sister Beck, who good-humoredly posed for us  (sorry I can't remember whose shawl she's modeling!)

This was the Before shot. Nice location for a photo shoot, right?

Classes were optional:  take up to 4 if you want. There were also self-generated breakout sessions all over the joint, and on every subject, from plying techniques to podcasting tricks to charity knitting patterns. And everywhere, all the time, knitters, knitting & spinning & chatting.

Amy teaching a tricky cast-on in her Finshing Sweaters class, that's Mel, from Hawaii, getting it. 
Mel blogs and video podcasts here. Go visit her, she is a sweetheart!

I was so lucky to have two of the other instructors be designers I've long admired and wanted to meet: Susan B. Anderson from Wisconsin, and Amy Cristoffers,aka Savory Knitting,  from Vermont.  We clicked instantly (Amy & I met when changing planes, so we chat chat chatted our way into Nashville-what? you say it wasn't a 10 minute flight?). They are delightful  company- both so crazy talented and at the same time, so UNself promotional. In fact they each could be just a bit braggier about what they do. Seriously. I mean look at their Ravelry Designs pages: Amy's , Susan's. Huh.

Amy at the board-you can tell how lovely the classrooms were from this.

 I asked if I could spy photograph in each of their classes a little. I'd recommend each of them, whatever they are teaching. In Susan's class, I found out there's a much much smarter way to carry along and trap a long strand than the idiotic way I've always done it. I'll a spare you the details.

Susan B. Anderson. So nice! Also, buffest knitwear designer I know, in her class.
 She's inspired me to do some stranded knitting and to do more miles.

The last morning, two of Susan's students ran up to her to show they'd finished their Fair Isle hats. Love!

The attendees were 150 happy knitters.  I was oblivious, beforehand,  to a few things about SSK.  First: hardly anyone was from the Northeast, and there was also no irony employed, at all. Coincidence? I think not. I met knitters from throughout the south, from Austria and Hawaii and Nebraska and small towns in southern Ohio, places where the knitting community gets spread pretty far apart, and The KnitGirlls have created a virtual living room for their fans.  Also filed in the Oblivious Dept: there are a whole posse of podcasters (video and aural) who are part of The Knitgirllls community.  I hadn't realized how many podcasters are out there. Note to self: listen to more podcasts. 

One more in the Oblivious category: highlight for many attendees was the market on Saturday. Laura & Leslie curated about 18 vendors, indie folks. Here's the thing though- people lined up hours early to get first crack--for many it's a rare chance to handle limited edition yarns and beautiful fiber , instead of ordering online and hoping for the best. It was quite a scene-and you can watch it on the first 4 minutes of  this video podcast, which was done in time lapse--but it kinda felt like that. At about 20 seconds you see me sort of sidle up and poke my camera in, then flap my hands about and talk to Amy & Susan as they exit ( we teachers got to shop earlier-oh yes we did--that'll have to be in my part 2).

Broadway, downtown Nashville.

I was delighted to find that Hillsboro Village was walking distance from us, and there we could buy Las Paletas, at Hot and Cold. I've been a little obsessed by natural popsicles this summer and I knew that Nashville is ground zero for them. Amy joined me for um, 6 pops in 3 days (5 visits) , and we got Susan along for at least a couple. My fave: lime and mint, although I had a chai tea one that was dreamy. Then we heard about the boot deal, above, and hoofed it to that. It was a good long walk to the honkier tonkier part of downtown.

Ernest Tubbs record store- vintage portraits of country music stars by sisters who used to work there. Loved the place.

I didn't have any luck with a pair of boots but had the satisfaction of seeing the other 3 in our party get shorn. As loud and crowded as it was with sidewalk music-star wannabees, rhinestone cowboys, country folk come to town, people there to drink their asses off, and vacationing families, I was glad we made time for it. I hate to be somewhere and not really visit the scene.

Nashville is a gracious city, really pretty--and it's a hoot that no matter who you're with , they'll point out a couple of the music stars' homes, right in the center of the city. Taylor Swift, Tammy Wynette....

And, we found Elvis.

double take

Great minds think dress alike? Is that true?? Here's how Norah Gaughan and I showed up to our photo shoot together last Monday. Right down to our shoes.

If we look wilted, it's because this was taken at the end of our day of shooting in steamy 95 degree weather.

We found it pretty hilarious. Would you title this Photographer and Creative Director/Designer On a Photo Shoot, or Ladies Out Visiting a Winery? Could go either way, right? Want a peek behind the scenes?
I was beyond thrilled to be working with Norah and the Berroco crew.

Our model Alice getting her hair & makeup done. I can't show you any of the fab sweaters & accessories she posed in, yet, but Alice was amazing. She wore wool outdoors in the heat and never complained. Or sweated. Just smiled and looked beautiful.

 

Same with my wonderful assistant Ariana. Smiles & beauty. Some of you met her at Rhinebeck last year. 

Standing in for the model to check light levels  in a very hot, very bright row of grapes.

And still more  smiles & beauty from Norah's talented assistant designer, Emily. She's been doing a series called Emily Explains on their blog. Worth checking out, if you don't follow already.

 

The hair & makeup area. I always want to paw through the products to see what's what. Not that I'm so into the beauty products but in this setting, they seem more like art supplies. And who can resist art supplies?

 

My other assistant, Michelle,  at work behind the makeup array, churning through the pixels as we finished each piece.  Not an easy job, trying to edit while everyone's bustling around, and then I periodically call her to help hold a second reflector. Check out her concentration.

Before we jumped in our cars I made everyone pose for a group photo. I'm glad they're smiling, but not surprised, it was that kind of a crew. Michelle was still glued to the laptop inside, going through the last take.  Can't wait to share the "real" photos and knits.... 

I hate to have to be so secretive--it's not being coy, it's business. However-I'm writing this form Nashville, where I just finished teaching at SSK and I will show you EVERYTHING from that, as soon as I get a chance to download and put it together. It was, in a word--2 words- super fun.

join me for a Guatemalan fiber & photo adventure?

This is a little out of the ordinary, even for me! *
Master weaver Hetty Friedman of Crafts for a Cause, took a photo class from me. Her woven pieces are exquisite. She explained that she works with Fair Trade craft/fiber cooperatives in Guatemala to dye her yarns, and weave her designs. Hetty lived and studied in Guatemala, and leads small tours to artisan villages there. She invited me  join her in creating a  special tour, combining our passions for textiles, craft, travel, artisans and (or course) photography.

Full flyer for this small group tour 

to the Western Highlands of Guatemala 

photos courtesy of Hetty Friedman/Crafts for a Cause

You do not need to be a serious weaver, or have special knowledge of textiles or knitting or especially photography! Just be interested, curious, ready to see new sights and meet wonderful people. Not to mention eat and drink well, in beautiful settings, and do a bit of craft market shopping.
The tour is  limited to a small group--so if you can put together 3-6 of your peeps, we can offer a discount.
Email me for details--actually email me with any questions at all! 
Hetty and I sat down one cold winter day and ironed out an exciting itinerary. It includes visits to artisans' cooperatives, with a chance to interact and see how they dye, weave & create.  Also, we'll visit craft  & food markets, do walking tours of historic sites, boat from village to village on Lake Atitlan, with time to work on your photography with me as we go along, if you want to, so you'll go home with a photographic story of your trip. Or  R&R, if you don't.
I hope you'll join us. It should be amazing! Deposits due by the end of July (we extended it from the flyer).
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* we just learned that we may have come across as expecting travelers to be serious or advanced weavers or photographers. We don't! Gale doesn't weave, Hetty is pretty laid back about her photos--but we are both appreciative of the artisanry that is celebrated and preserved in the region, and love to look at everything and revel in the sights, tastes and colors of another place on this planet.*

postcards from a roadtrip

 I had a weekend in June so exhilarating, so juicy, so everything good that I haven't been able to distill it into a blog post. Crazy, right? The  best stuff  is off-limits because I was on magazine assignment. (Yankee magazine, May 2014, be there) But I am busting to share what I can for now. A few postcards.

A Nash Island lamb, Down East Maine.  On sheep shearing day. I was shooting sheep shots. I was beyond happy. I have to sit on all the best images for now. Torture.

   

Starcroft Yarn- all spun from Nash Island fog washed sheep. This is in the mill, where I slept. Yes you read that right: I SLEPT IN THE MILL.  I woke up to the scent of lanolin and big sacks of fluff  on the side,  and skeins hanging above my head.

 This yarn & dyeing is all Jani Estell's work. I love her yarn. This color, in particular, is perfection.

The most excellent company anyone could want for a weekend of glamping &  sheep shearing.   This is the yarny/designer component of the hard-working roundup/ shearing crew, and I have to tell you these women WORKED. I helped round up sheep but then, while they were shearing & flipping sheep, vaccinating lambs, and pulling off poop covered wool &chasing lambs &carrying livestock & fleeces & skirting, I was taking pictures. Like, a couple thousand and smiling every minute. Even when I kneeled in poop.   L to R : moi, Ellen Mason, Jani Estell of Starcroft Wool, Mary Jane Mucklestone, Ysolda Teague. We are hugging skeins that Jani insisted we leave with (!) Jani uses (note: I feel like that is the wrong word, there should be a word that connotes the respect she has for the wool, and the way she honors the Nash Island herd tradition) all the Nash Island sheep fleeces and manages the flock with the family that herds them.

The fire circle and most charming outhouse ever, on the Starcroft property in the Down East woods.. We had hot dogs , beer and s'mores after shearing on the island all day. It  tasted like 5 star restaurant food.

My Starcroft yarn, it is so luscious and squooshy. Even though I knew I should choose 3 of the same color,  I couldn't resist. 175 yards of each, what shall I make??? The colors are very Down East Maine-y.

The only sheep I came home with, a score at one of the yard sales Ellen and I stopped at, on our way south together the day after shearing.  Unlike our fit-bitty friend Mary Jane, who impressively went mountain climbing with Ysolda in Acadia on their way home. Our yard sale-ing is impressive too. And so satisfying. Maine is a very good place to go yard sale shopping, especially early in the summer.  Wanna see? I broke our purchases into categories.

Textile department:  Ellen collects vintage hankies. She scored big.

My textile find:  a scarf just like one I lost a decade ago, It's all about the fringe.

Flawed but just right department: Ellen got that purse, she can repair a small tear. I got this lawn chair that matches some I already own, it has some irreversible rust that'll do it in someday, but should make it a season or two.

Boring but useful: Ellen got a $5. monitor, I spent $1. for the bin.

Favorite finds: my Peterboro picnic basket-it has a foam cooler built inside, and a wooden top that works perfectly for setting down your drinks and snacks. Already used 6 times. I am a very picnicky person.

 Ellen found this big wool coat on the left (it was a Pendleton I think..or maybe a Woolrich) that she is going to turn into a hip little  jacket. After leaving that yard, she was telling me how she loves wool plaid but her holy grail is a vintage buffalo plaid hunting jacket. Guess what we found at the next stop?

Perfect inside & out.

with many thanks to tthe internets

Thank you ALL who joined my Photographing Your Knits webinar for the live webcast from Interweave last Wednesday. * I applaud you! (Sorry about the overuse of um for the first three minutes, then I got rolling. At least I'm not one of those artificially perky speakers, right?)

I was so jazzed up after the virtual live presentationended, I had to go to the beach to get my ya-yas out with Zoe for an hour of hooky-playing.  I love knitting but it doesn't offer the level of ya-ya reduction required at the time.

humungous, 3 foot tall lilac bouquet  courtesy of the internets

 Friday morning, I set down to work started blog-reading, and there was Carole's peony.  It reminded me that my peony might be flowering, and the weird 24 hour tropical storm rain falling was going to knock off any blooms. I figured I'd better get out there and investigate.
Last fall Hurricane Sandy radically landscaped our backyard.  We kind of ignored it, dealing with replacing our roof. Good times!  I recalled a section of downed tree pinning the peony.  I thought maybe it was dead.  Not so! Friday morning I discovered it as healthy as it had ever been (which is not all that healthy, to be honest).  It is a late bloomer, so still budding.
But had I not been out there in the rain seeking an internet-inspired peony, I'd never have noticed a lushly bloomed old lilac tree in the back corner of the yard. Thanks to Sandy and her ugly older sister Irene the year before, this antique was torn mostly out of the ground, meeting a small apple tree in a combination bramble/deciduous tree canopy. For the past few years this tree had been my least productive lilac, with its best blooms  tantalizingly out of reach, high up over the neighbor's yard. Not anymore! Crazily blooming and so perfumed. Pruning my way through downed branches like a gardening Indiana Jones in the rain, I collected me three big bouquets. Thanks Carole!

 This here is on my front porch. We have a new thrift in town and I'm buying up teapots and other housewares for porch planting. Buck at a time.  I got my idea when visiting the charter school my sister teaches at in downtown Washington DC last fall. Check out their entry walkway: 
Keep in mind it was October, so the plants were on the way out for the season. When I called her confessing I had openly ripped her off, she said, no worries. She'd gotten the idea online, from Guerilla Gardening.

 I mean, seriously, where would we be without our internets??!!

 In knitting news, if you are still reading this-my Caliz shawl is 5 rows away from being done, and I need a wooly not-too-big-to-carry and not-too-attention requiring project to take with me to an adventure in Maine this weekend. Suggestions?
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*If you want to experience learning with me, sans the hands-on part, there'll be a link to purchase the webinar, recorded in all its 1 hr 45 minute glory, in about 10 days. If you already purchased and/or joined it, you should have a link to it already, in your email.

in which we wander about webinars...

So you know how you agree to do something, like say, teach a webinar for Interweave on Basic Photography for Knitters, and you figure that your presentation  is 90% all there so no need to get fussed about it...

a slide from the webinar revealing  behind-the-scenes glamour

and then when you go put a few last touches on it, you end up spending the better part of 3 days re-doing it? Yes, you do? Oh good, then we understand each other. I am pretty psyched cough understatement cough for this. Sign up any time , we are live webcasting on Wednesday June 5th at noon eastern time--but you can watch it later, all recorded.

the real photo we were making Fussy Cuts blanket fr Craft Activism , designed by Mason Dixon Knitting

Anyhoo, I've been gettting lots of questions about webinars and what they are, and who they aren't so I figured I'd , as Ricky Ricardo would say, do a little 'splaining.

My webinar is a one session online slide presentation--just like watching a normal slide talk without being in the same room as the presenter.   Unlike an online class, you will not see me, the instructor. And me, the instructor, is very thankful, because this way I don't have to worry about what to wear* or that you will  see the shmear of poison ivy  on my cheek this week.

You will receive an email from GoToWebinar with log-on info, and a reminder of what time the webinar begins.  When you log on, your browser window will have my opening slide on it, and off we'll go, I'll change images as we talk about them (I have alot of images and a lot to say). I'll be sitting here narrating the talk by phone, you'll hear it coming out of your computer.  You don't have to download or acquire any software, but you need to be online.

Photography is a subject perhaps uniquely suited to the webinar format. You see a photo, I talk about it.   I have to confess that I love taking webinars, but that is probably because all the ones I take are  about the photo business. I have friends in the corporate world who cringe at the word webinar.  It means they have to watch  stultifyingly dull powerpoints in which the narrator reads  bulleted sentence fragments, all about insurance regulations.

I promise we will not discuss insurance.
Here's a link again.** Best of all--the webinar is initially webcast live, but it is recorded, so if you do not have the free time to join me mid day Wednesday June 5th, you will receive an email within 48 hours of the live webcast telling you to go ahead and log on at your leisure. Those who watched live will receive the same  email, in case you'd like to watch it again . All, or part and return later. Those who are watching live can type in questions. The Q&A will also be recorded, so you miss nothing.

Those who purchase by Wednesday 6/5 noon eastern can either join live, or soon after ( you'll be notified with 48 hrs).  Those who don't sign on on by noon Wednesday will be able to access the webinar, but not till it goes in the Interweave shop, in about 2 weeks. 

If you have questions about this all, feel free to send them to me ezisusATsnetDOTnet.

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*OK, I am going to be honest. Even though no one will see, I am still going to think about what to wear. And keep my fingers crossed that Bobo doesn't run into the room barking.

** just noticed they reduced the price . Costs less than a skein of Silk Garden!