november post 7: who knows where the time goes?

I was too busy doodling the day away on Saturday to remember to do a post. ooops! Perfection is boring, right? I'll keep plugging away for the month of November.

Time - or the lack of it--is serious business around here. And I mean that, literally. When you are self-employed, it's all one big blob of time- there's not timesheet to fill out, no hours you are expected to keep. On the one hand, there's ultimate freedom. I'm not complaining!  On the other hand: no work=no pay.  I've been working as a freelance photographer full-time most of my adult life. It suits me.  But it means my job depends on me figuring out how to make the most of my time , whether I'm on a photo shoot somewhere, editing images and  doing paperwork in my office, or planning an afternoon outing with my family. Or knitting and making stuff. If I wait to fit in, it ain't happening. The best thing is to make time for making. 

Wait, does that sound like a bumper sticker & t-shirt?

I got into working for myself because I wanted to avoid corporate/institutionalized structure--but guess what? Joke's on me! Time management theory, that organizational tool dear to the hearts of corporations, is now one of my favorite subjects. Have I found the ultimate fit-all theory? Nope, I don;t think there is one. But I had already worked out my own little semi-effective system when I heard this interview with Jule Sheranosher on the Beyond the To Do List  business podcast.  I don't listen to biz podcasts often, once in a while I remember it may be good for me-and I had this one in a set of links I'd saved.  After I heard it, I started following her Time Hackers blog & podcast snips. That link gives you some idea of her approach.Even if you just use one or two of her ideas, you'll be doing yourself a favor.

Warning: There's no woowoo factor. You won't see any hands gently cupping a seedling on her website, or little flowery curlicues. But that's what I like. Get'er done and you have plenty of time to find your own woowoo. Wait--is that a bumper sticker?..........
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Found on Friday*

aka Share All the Things Friday a la Truly Myrtle.

It's hat season. Or heading into it. Pardon the pun.

Trig by Mary Lou Egan, That's the Ravelry link. Shown in Frog Tree Llambrosia, which is soft and slightly halo-y.  I have been waiting for the season to roll around  to  knit it.
I love that it has no ribbing, and is neither a tight little beanie nor a slouchy topper. I keep trying the slouchies, and looking like I'm waiting for my turn with the officials on Ellis Island. 
My only problem with Trig .....what colors, what colors, what colors? 

Modeled by the lovely and talented Laura Nelkin. Have you seen her new book Knockout Knits?

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*When I got on board with my editorial calendar, I claimed Friday as a blogging commitment day. If I keep writing about this, it'll happen, true? Fake it till you make it and all that?.  I love a FO Friday, and I love blogs that list some good finds, ala Abby Glassenberg's podcast, in which she and her guests recommend 3 things they are loving- business tips,  cool services or new apps. So that's what this is all about, and then I found Truly Myrtle, who's on the same wavelength.
Want to join in on Sharing All the Things or Found on Friday? Link to it in the comments!

recommitted (and it feels so gooood): blogging

Fresh back from the revivifying and always inspiring Fiber College of Maine , where I taught Savvy Storytelling: Writing & Photography for blogs with Beverly Army Williams of PoMoGo Lightly. 

front lawn view of Penobscot Bay

Fiber College:  a weaving underway

It was 4 days of sharing a house with funny, artistic, smart women, the kind of room mates you can only wish for. I took away lots of things, but mostly I realized I wouldn't be in that place if not for blogging, and spiralling connections.   

I'm joining Beverly, and Kirsten Kapur, and Mary Lou Egan and Cal Patch  and others, in returning to my blog with regularity. Not to mention rebuilding my blogreading habits.  Who do you read these days? Leave a suggestion in my comments!

Kirsten also asked this question and listed many of my longtime faves, she's s receiving great suggestions in her comments.

I've been gravitating to those who post regularly, and includes lots of photos:  LoriTimesFive, Fringe Association, Getting Stitched on the Farm, ZenNeedle,  Knitorius, and the longtime reliable Carole Knits. 

FYI: All of the photos today were  made with my almost dead older cracked iPhone. Yes I know I am a professional photographer with a kickass camera and plenty of knowhow.  Busman's holiday!  It is creating some interesting colorshifts and odd blur, which I sorta kinda am correcting and sorta kinda am keeping. 

If these photos look familiar, you may be on of my Instagram feed.  It is so easy to post there,  I do so daily.  Although tempting,  rarely a shot looking down on a plate of food.  Been there! Seen that! I'm galezucker on Instagram, you can see what I mean. 

Looking forward to your  blogreading suggestions and to being back here with some regularity.

random inspiration roundup...with footnotes

 

oh, hi there! Here I am preparing the blog writing & photography workshop I'll be co-teaching with Beverly Army Williams next week at Fiber College, Savvy Storytelling * and it's hard to ignore the [lacky of] content here this summer. One of the things we'll be blabbing about is the importance of consistency. ** um,...yeah.

You know what's  hardest about long lapses? Trying to figure out where to start. I'm just going to skim along through some moments of inspiration this summer. Photo heavy post follows.

In June I returned to Nash Island to help out with the sheep shearing and roundup. It deserves and will get its own post about the activities and people and sheep--but I had the honor of going out to the island the day before with Jani and Ellen, to camp and  just be there. I can't even put it into words, it was so beautiful and elemental. I have very little stillness in my life. So this? ahhhhh.

 

I spent a while just wandering around, the colors and textures slay me. We aren't even yet talking about the sheep, which you surprisingly barely see on this tiny hilly island,. Until roundup, that is.  My new banner, on top, was a rare girl who showed herself on the highest island ridge.

 

 More inspiration in June: the bathroom chalked graffiti at A Gathering of Stitches . This was my summer of stitching, which will also get its own post. But obviously, the writing was....on the wall. . Can you spy my subtle contribution?

In July I spent a few days with two wonderful women, Susanne of Lucky Spool Media  aka CraftyEditor and the talented Liz Quan,  shooting a book on bedroom quilts, at a converted barn home in the Hudson Valley.

 

If you're guessing that it made me want to quilt, you'd be wrong. But, it did make me think a lot about printed textiles, room styling, the beauty of a well-dressed bed *** Susanne is ahhh-maaaazing, she transformed rooms with a steamy iron, an artillery of Command hooks, and jaw-dropping ease. I also thought about how gorgeous a wall of old blue bottles or Queen Anne's lace can be.

My knitting cosmically coordinated with the bedroom I was assigned to stay in at the barn house. After finishing my ode-to-Maine green shawl, I'm continuing this thing of having my knits imbued with meaning****. The golden yarn is Rumplestilskin, from Lost City Knits, paired with a hand dyed grey from the seconds room at Swans Island Yarn--both souvenir purchases from summer 2013. My friend and collaborator Kirsten Kapur helped me pair them a year ago. Shooting a book for her earlier in spring made me realize how I needed to knit her Cladonia, so that is underway here.******

 

Can I leave out my favorite girl in one of my favorite places? Nope. I squeezed in three trips to the beach in Delaware, two with her. The family's place we've been gathering at since 1985 is for sale******, and every visit reminds us of time passing, and summers past.  No matter how gruesome the ride there is, that moment when you walk across the dune in front of the house to the crashing surf...it never ceases to be breathtaking.

What inspired you this summer? 

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and now for the footnotes

* there are still seats left in the class, which happen this Friday September 5th from 9-5 in Searsport Maine.  Braggy moment: I am telling you, we've got a kickass class planned. If you can't make it and happen to be organizing an event--we are thinking of taking this on the road. Give us a shout!

** I am going to commit to blogging a couple of times a week, starting in midSeptember. If you are a crafter or small business person or social blogger, there is so much good about a consistent blog presence--not just for your soul and social life, but for the  growth you'll see in your following. For mine, one day  a week it'll be a photo heavy post about making/doing /life. The other will be something helpful. Or so I am thinking. Stay tuned! And, want to join me? We can link to each other.

***The quilting book will be out at the end of the year, and it'll be about bedroom styling with gorgeous quilt patterns, and ideas of choosing fabrics to match your personal style, the author is the talented April Rosenthal 

**** Up next a colorwork sweater, with Nash Island yarn from Starcroft, and Lori Versaci's Modern Tunic.  After shooting childrens' designs with her this summer I am a total fan of all her patterns for women too.

***** I know most Cladonias are striped. I'm opting for mostly grey stockinette section, a wide band of gold, then some stripes, then the lace...just  because. Go look at all the lovely Cladonias!

******If you happen to be looking for a fabulous place directly on the ocean in Dewey Beach Delaware, let me know, I'll point you to the realtor.

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the recent past/the near future

where'ya been hiding all summer?

I was thinking I'd finally start blogging about my fibery/stitchy adventures this summer - there have been many-- but then I realized, it is almost the end of August, I must talk about what's next: 

FIBER COLLEGE  in Searsport Maine Sept 3-7 

 I'll be co-teaching Savvy Storytelling: Writing & Photography for Your Blog with Beverly Army Williams. We loved teaching this together last year (and loved our students). After a planning lunch this week, I can tell you that this year's version is going to be amazing. You will leave the day with a glint in your eye and all fired up to blog. ( I kind of got that way just talking about it with Beverly).  

Also a new class fromr me: Photo Scavenger Hunt. It will be a fun hands-on photography class making use of the wonderful surroundings- not just the natural but the people, and art and activities and moments. It'll teach you a lot about technique and composition, while you shoot challenges. You can be any level of photographer-it's a very adaptable and personalized class. Plus, there's a critique at the end.  I am rather psyched about both these classes. Click on that link to the (admittedly, um, idiosynchratic) website and sign up before you find everything full. I was astounded to learn there's still a couple of seats in Cal Patch's classes, f'rinstance and I recommend you nab'em while you can, too.  Hello? Do you need to think twice about hanging out with Gees Bend Quilters? Cal Patch? Ellen Mason? Jackie Ottino DeGraf? Mary Lou Egan?

I've blogged about my love for this unique event  here and here and here. Or email me if you want a private earful! 

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And now a bit about my last trip to Maine, to A Gathering of Stitches in Portland:

Meet Rhoda, the most self-possessed French Bulldog ever. In her fabulous porta-suitcase bed, thanks to her upholsterer-artist human,  who creates in a studio space at A Gathering of Stitches.

So much creativity at this dreamy makerspace, with Samantha Lindgren at the helm. (I am very annoyed that I can't find the excellent photo of the two of us that Keren Kurti made at the end of the classes) - upholstering, sewing, block printing, weaving..and in our case, 2 days of photo classes to explore shooting all of the above.

All three of the classes were new --or updated versions - and that was a joy. In the all day Photographing Your Handcrafts, we left time to upload images from earlier in the day,  and review/critique.We all felt like there was progress-I love this photo by Carolyn Noyes. A lot of talent in the room!

On Sunday the Photo Editing class and the iPhone Masterpiece classes flew by. I hope to be offering those again.  I think I heard some heads exploding when students saw the kind of controls you can have over your iPhone images with just a very few moves and a couple of cheap/free apps.

I can't end this wthout saying that if you can have a crush on a city, then Portland Maine is mine all mine. Obviously the vibrant arts and fiber arts community is there, the waterfront/beaches ( can.not.live. without a beach nearby), the hills and architecture and parks and size are right but ohmygoodness... the food!

Moral of the story: head northeast to Maine.  Join me at Fiber College. Get on Samantha's list and take a class at A Gathering of Stitches. 

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PS There's a nice interview with me on the Fiber College blog. In it, I awkwardly mention my thing with tomatoes. I have no idea why I couldn't stay on topic!

postcards from maine: fiber college class

Fiber College of Maine leaves an afterglow: inspiration,  energy,  feeling the kind of happy you get from being in great company, laughing, talking, experimenting with new materials, coming up with wild schemes.....

Here're some postcards from my classes. If you think it looks like fun,  join me sometime soon:   like at Interweave Knitting Lab later this week, Oct 4th in Manchester New Hampshire. There are still 2-3  seats in my classes. And--we could use a volunteer model for the afternoon, if you happen to be around and want to join in the photo experience.*
 
These set ups are  the by students, to photograph their pieces, as I led them through the workshop. You can see our FABULOUS volunteer model, Lisa, in action--and also a great hat design from Lee, who I hope will link to it in the comments.
edited to add: Lee said the hat is Walk the Dog and the pattern will be on her website, Harper and Figg  soon.  Using color theory to pop the scarf...V1
  
and v2
sock knitting v1v2--can you tell I have this thing about alternative takes? ...and v3 
Here's V4 in action-maybe someone from class will link to what that photo looked like. Which do you like best ?
 
Making the most of local nature. 
My seriously wonderful partners in crime ......also making the most of local nature. Kirsten (Through the Loops) Kapur and Mary Lou (Wear With All) Egan, you surely know their designs if you don't recognize the faces. I'll trade any fine dining indoors for sitting outside Kirsten's cabin with our nightly wine, bread, corn, lobsters & blueberry pie. sigh.
  
The view from my cabin--not too shabby! Kirsten's was just around the bend.  More postcards coming soon. It was just a few days on Penobscot Bay in Maine but enough to fill several  blogposts. 

* If you want to volunteer model for my afternoon class this Thursday in Manchester NH at Interweave Knitting Labs, I would be delighted to have you! Ideally you'd be interested in photography, comfortable with cameras aimed your way, and fit somewhere in the S-M-L size spectrum. You'll definitely pick up some photo knowledge, too. Email me if you're willing !

three cheers for the red, white and blue (large)

Browsing around on the internets, as one does when one is sitting in one's office avoiding large deadlined projects, I ran into the huge knit US flag art piece by Dave Cole,  quite a few times. Then, I read Lori's post on it, on her VersaciKnits blog.  She mentioned that her dad, an art collector, has the artist's model of the piece. 

Which prompted my memory of photographing Dave Cole while the piece was installed, up at MassMOCA in 2005.  Back when my blog had 15 readers, on a good day. These are a couple of the images.  If you want to see more of the piece itself and about Dave's work (at least 7 years ago) , take a look at my July 9, 2005 post. Including the model, that's now at Lori's dad's house. (I just love knowing where things end up, don't you?) 

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The funniest thing is, I can't recall what magazine I shot him for.  He continues to incorporate knitting and handsewing and materials that are waaaay outside the box to make his art. Take a look.

I do frou-frou, do you do frou-frou too?

About time I blabbed about some actual knits, doncha think? I intended to start blogging daily this month but..wow. It feels like time is an out of control ball of yarn, unwinding so fast you can barely grab it as it unspools.

 

Months ago, on a wet winter day, I ducked into my LYS with Zoe and her mama along. I offered to knit something of their choosing, and pointed Giuliana at patterns using worsted weight yarn. Lazy? Perhaps. I like knitting worsted yarns, what can I say?  We both fell in love with the book 60 Quick Baby Knits,* designed to use Cascade 220 in all kinds of sweet & speedy ways.

  

See what I mean by sweet? Knit applique & ruffles. I am such a freakin' granny. 

We chose a tunic & pants ensemble, and Spud & Chloe Sweater for the yarn, because it felt so awesome to touch, and is machine washable, too. (50/50 cotton wool). It's a little heavier than the Cascade 220. I followed the basic instructions for proportion & structure but changed the numbers, so it didn't come out huge and way too bulky. It took up almost every inch of the yellow skein (Firefly), plus 1.5 skeins of the pink (Watermelon).

  

This right here is just about my  frou-frou-enough level. I crocheted the neck and armhole edges all around instead of picking up & knitting garter rows, and left off the pants hem ruffles. I would love to show it to you modeled, but my model is still a bit too small. I adore the tunic and suspect she'll wear it like crazy, with a shirt under it. The pants are a little bulky--sort of like baby sweats- but we'll see. It's got a short row tush. I loved that part of the design, to make room for diapers.And the picot waist,with elastic inside. I think she'll rock the style. Don't you?

So, about that daily blogging. I may still give it a try.

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* there are at least 4 other knits I may make from that book soon--but now that Wear With All is out , I am dying to knit the baby tunic dress. It is too adorable!

class acts

Slackerly blogging , I know! Before I touch another airplane bag of weird tasting crackers, let's get back to March and some  Photography for Knitters classes, all over the place. 

If this looks like fun and you happen to be in Little Rock Arkansas or Southaven MS , right by Memphis, then you could  join me at Yarn Mart or Hank of Yarn, respectively--next week! I'll also be showing slides & telling and leading some yarn bombing/making at the Arkansas Literary Festival, it's Craft Activism on Saturday afternoon, April 14th. Very cool--I am looking forward to every single minute of this adventure.

Jill and a display at the Wildfiber counter in Santa Monica CA. If I was one of those people who can decisively grab a skein or ten quickly, I would have- it's a very happy making yarn store. And I should have.True to my indecisive retail-challenged nature, not a single skein joined me. Fail!

The class, though, was win. Looking at the clothing & lack of sun, you'd think I was faking this as Santa Monica, right? Such an interesting & talented group, from beginner knitters to experienced designers. I wanted to add a happy hour segment to the class so we could all get better acquainted and look at each other's work.Maybe with a nice fruity cocktail. Return visit, on the to-do list.

Closer to home , last Saturday at Katonah Yarn in Katonah NY.  A sympatico group, we could have happily sat there, out of the gray drizzle surrounded by the welcoming yarniness, and chatted till midnight. (In fact, at times  we sounded like that was the plan.)  We were blessed with a mid-class driveby modeling by Carrie, full reportage with photos, here . Thanks to Kay's indoctrination good parenting , Carrie knows not to question the gleam in knitters' eyes when they are holding cameras and she is in a fabulous bulky cowl. Katonah's own Liz Kaplan is shown here with the traveling trio. Betsy brought her Fussy Cuts blanket (from Craft Activism) -brilliantly knit from Silk Garden Chunky. Why couldn't I have thought of that? Chunky=done faster yet still all the fun of the Noro.

Houseboat in Santa Barbara, back to Cali. Note lace curtains in porthole windows and brushed metal handmade chairs on sundeck. If I disappear and you hear about an incident at the Santa Barbara Marina where a woman shows up and commandeers one of the smallest vessels docked there, muttering something about just wanting a quiet place to knit.....well, no, I wouldn't know anything about that.

she shoots sheep shots, yet again

* Coffee giveaway still in full swing--go enter. Java! *

Today's Photo Heavy Monday is from Beaver Brook Farm in Old Lyme,  CT.  I had a sheep & lamb visiting jones on Friday. What ? That doesn't happen to you ?

The back lighting through the ears slays me.

Sun worshippers? Or posing?

We were a day early for Open Farm Days, which features lots of shearing & kettle corn.
Fortunately, the shearing was already underway. Unfortunately, no kettle corn.
OTOH with no one else visiting, we got to meet the first lamb of the season up close & personal.
 They also have a cheese shop, and butcher counter.
Handspun mitts & hat. Love.
Thrummy.
 
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If you click on the link up top , you'll see you can go visit Beaver Brook Farm almost every day. It is the best antidote I can think of to the barrage of commercial, overwrought holiday stuff going on. Also, really excellent cheese. 

I like to serve their Pleasant Son because we are what we eat. 

If you don't happen to live around here, try googling "farms to visit" and your location.