Vogue Knitting Live 2013 - Manhattan

Guess where I've been?  Well, the image above is a bit of a give away isn't it?!

VOGUE KNITTING LIVE 2013

This morning I headed off nice and early to the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square with Ivete from Rose Smoke and Chiagu.  We hadn't signed up for any classes, we just had Marketplace tickets - a half-price bargain at $7.50 each.

Ivete had to drop off some of her new yarn kits at the Knitty City stand so that's where we started and look what I spotted straight away ... that's someone checking out Ivete's Chamomile Infinity Scarf pattern with me on the cover (remember my unexpected modelling assignment for Ivete a few months ago?).  I know they stock the pattern at the Knitty City store on Upper West Side but I haven't been up there yet to check it out so it felt a bit weird seeing myself there on their stand at the show! 

There's a close-up below just in case you can't see me properly.  It's not my favourite photo from the shoot - I think it shows off my chins a bit too well but Ivete says it's all about the scarf and that image is the best one to promote it.  So that's pretty fair and Ivete did give me the most fantastic handknitted vest/tanktop that she's designed/made as a thank-you so I'm not complaining ;)

Next stop the Simplicity Boye stand and who did we see but our friend Victoria, who also happens to be our NYC Mod Quilt Guild President.  Here she is demonstrating the Simplicity Deluxe Felting Machine.  You've probably come across Victoria before through her blogs Victoria Findlay Wolfe Quilts and 15 Minutes Play, but if you haven't then do take a look.  She's just had her book published 15 Minutes of Play which is also well worth checking out.

There were so many stands all selling yarn, needles, hooks, buttons, beads and patterns and hourly catwalk shows but my favourite pieces were in the Knit Art Gallery:

Crocheted portraits by Jo Hamilton of Jo Hamilton Art

Nature Drag Sculputres With Armatures by Kelly Fleek - these were amazing like something straight out of a Tim Burton movie, I'm sure Helena Bonham Carter would wear one in a flash.  Or how about using them in a Tim Walker photo shoot for Vogue UK?

and finally, I was so good today and didn't buy toooo much - just some Spice Berry wool in Wintermint and also Cardamom from Blacksheep And Ewe to make this gorgeous Cowl Shawl (shown here in Cardamom).


And you didn't think I was going to let a post go by without mentioning quilting did you?  Well we did end the day down at my LQS, debating whether or not to each start a Dear Jane Quilt and cuddling one of our friend Karen's baby twins - she only had one with her today or we'd have been cuddling both!!!

Have you ever made, or thought about making, a Dear Jane Quilt?  Two hundred and twenty-five 4.5" x 4.5" blocks - Ivete suggested we make 2 blocks a month, no pressure there then, so by my reckoning it'll only take 10 years - I must be crazy to even entertain the idea, what do you think?

For details of other fabric, yarn, trim and notion stores that I've visited around the world along with the NYC stores I love, exhibitions and events I've attended and wonderful people I've been lucky to meet click the links below or in my side bar :D

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.

An Unexpected Modelling Assignment

Well today didn't turn out quite how I expected!

This morning I headed down to Seaport, Lower Manhattan, armed with my SLR, lenses and tripod - off to take photos of the latest knitted pieces designed by my friend Ivete at Chiagu. Not quite sure what happened but we ended up with me modelling the pieces and Ivete taking the photos!

Chamomile Infinity Scarf Knitting Pattern

is already available for sale on the Chiagu website so why not pop over and take a look for yourself? :)

Doesn't the pattern remind you of flying geese or is that just the quilter in me?

Other news today is that my friend Sarah from Jersey in the Channel Islands has launched her new children's quilt website

Quilt Candy

  Her work is just gorgeous so please read all about it on her blog and then pop over and give her your support at her website and on Facebook.

To round the day off nicely here's links to the latest posts on Plum and June's Let's Get Acquainted! Blog Hop

Quilter's Motto Wall Hanging tutorial from Julie at The Crafty Quilter
Melissa at issa.ino:handmade

Tracey at The Peony Teacup
Megan at City Stitches
Fall Themed Table Runner tutorial from Kerstin at Sunset Sewing 

Ups and Downs Quilt Block tutorial from Jenniffier at Jenniffier's Sometimes Creative Life

Rhinebeck And All Things Woolly

What  to do on a perfect Autumn Sunday?  

Go to Rhinebeck, of course. 

Each year on the 3rd weekend in October Rhinebeck hosts the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. 

So last Sunday I headed off bright and early with my friends Ivete from Chiagu/Rose Smoke and Nancy from The City Quilter.

Here're a few photos from a fab day

Rhinebeck Livestock

When we lived in the English Wiltshire countryside my daughter, Flicky, was very keen to add an Alpaca to our pet menagerie but I always said 'No'.  Note to Flicky, much as I love you and want you to be happy, now we live in an apartment in the States the answer's still 'No'!!!

The Colours of Rhinebeck

 Check out all that yummy wool; an early 1900's HST quilt; Autumn leaves; apple pie; and brownies.  

 Oh and there I am (centre top) tucking into a bit of that apple pie and wearing my Kim Hargreaves 'Down' jumper made in Rowan Kid Silk Haze 'Ghost'.  I made it for Flicky a couple of years ago and she's never worn it so I decided to give it an outing - well, it's mine now and I'm not giving it back ;)

Rhinebeck Goodies

Got myself a souvenir 'Warhol' style bag; lots of roving from Loop; 10 balls of a variegated Merino for $30 - feel another throw for the sofa coming on (like my sofa needs another throw/quilt!); brown leather bag handles to replace the handles on my felted bag that my dog, Tatty thought were so delicious she just had to eat them, a couple of leather wrist strap handles and The Sweater Chop Shop book by Chrispina ffrench.

Oh almost forgot - I also got myself a great little badge for my bag 'Will trade husband for wool' :)

How about coming along next year?  Hope to see you all there :O)

For details of other fabric, yarn, trim and notion stores that I've visited around the world along with the NYC stores I love, exhibitions and events I've attended and wonderful people I've been lucky to meet click the links below or in my sidebar :D

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.

Hot In The City

Know Your Bernina Class at my LQS, NYC

Another hot day in Manhattan but plenty of time to cool off at the Know Your Bernina Buttons, Buttonholes, Hems & Zippers class at my LQS, Manhattan.  The class title speaks for itself really and the 3 hour session was full of fab instruction and tips from the wonderful tutor, Christine Janove.  I'm off now to find a project that I can fill with corded buttonholes and machine sewn buttons!


Good news today for my friend, Ivete - she's had one of her knitting designs published in the Twist Collective Fall Magazine (a knitting publication) and made it also to the cover!  If you're a knitty type person (and even if you're not!) why not check out her knitting website Chiagu as well?

And The Winner Is ... Oh My, It's Me!!!!!

My battered Bernina Day flyer

In my last post I did mention to you all that yesterday I'd be popping along to the Bernina Day at The City Quilter and then making my first ever visit to Purl Soho. Well I headed along to CQ and had so much fun there that I never left so my visit to Purl Soho has, yet again, been postponed!

Well, if you headed over to CQ yourself yesterday, you'll know exactly why I didn't move any further than having a bite of lunch with my friend, A, at my favourite Manhattan cafe, The Blue Dog on 25th, there was just too much going on and it would have been a shame to miss any of it. Every half hour a raffle prize was drawn - I didn't win one myself but A won a pack of 3 quilt patterns and my other friend, M, won a charm pack. Then every hour there was a Bernina foot demonstration by Gayle Schliemann, Bernina's Regional Manager, and a raffle drawn amongst those who attended the session for the Bernina foot that was just demo'd. Again, I didn't win a foot but A also won a cording foot - wasn't it her lucky day?!

Photo taken by CQ in the Bernina Demo Room

I did buy lots of goodies though:

My collection of goodies

• Add a Quarter ruler as recommended to me by Kati in her comment on my New York Beauty post;
• lime green thread to free motion quilt part of my Sparkle Plenty quilt;
• Clover fork pins - going to give these a go to see what they're like for holding down multiple seam joins;
• Batiks - yes I was so taken with my June Bee Block I want to have another go at making New York Beauty blocks for myself;
• walking foot sole with central guide - I already have the walking foot that came with my Bernina 440QE but my model is before they made included this central guide sole and it's going to be fab for quilting in the ditch;
• and a straight stitch needle plate - I'm reliably informed that this will change my sewing and stop my fabric ever getting dragged down under the sewing plate.

Here's CQ's facebook photo album from the day.

But the best bit of the day - and what I've been holding back from telling you about, is that I did win something -  

I took 1st prize in the Creative Challenge!!!!!

The brief was:

Anyone can submit any finished product they've created on a Bernina to be judged for a first, second and third prize of City Quilter gift certificates.  We'll be looking for the best examples of these machines' exceptional capabilities.

I entered 2 book covers that I've made using a variety of techniques, hand and machine sewing and I won - I'm very, very thrilled.  A big thank you has to go to my friend, I, who mentioned the competition to me last week and without whom I would never have thought to enter - thank you!  By the way, she has her own fab knitting blog that you might want to check out - Chiagu and she's also launching an internet version of Ravelry for us quilters called Quiltfolio which I think will be amazing.

So here's a photo of my prize and also some of my book covers.

 

For details of other fabric, yarn, trim and notion stores that I've visited around the world along with the NYC stores I love, exhibitions and events I've attended and wonderful people I've been lucky to meet click the links below or in my side bar :D

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.