This week, I happened upon a new product from Lion Brand Yarns. It’s called “Instaknit” and it’s a skein of yarn that comes with a pre-made set of loops. Instead of casting on, you just slide the loops onto a needle and begin knitting. The loops have a white thread on the bottom side which is supposed to help you…
Category: Blog
An iconic sweater returns
I’ll admit to being hooked on the Netflix series “The Crown,” which focuses on Queen Elizabeth II and those around her. It’s well done, even if certain scenes and details are fictionalized, and it does a terrific job of showing the humanity of the members of the Royal Family–plus fantastic acting, costuming, sets, and cinematography. In later life, Diana became…
A new endeavor
When I had to realign my priorities after getting a demanding day job, I was sad about the things I had to give up. But now that I’ve had some time to live with these developments, I’ve started to re-adjust my perspective. I’ve discovered that I am now able to look for opportunities that are more meaningful to me. And…
In memoriam: Cat Bhordi
The knitting world is mourning the loss celebrating the life of a passionate knitter, consummate professional, creative designer, and beloved teacher. We learned of Cat Bhordi’s death this weekend, when her daughter posted about it on social media. I admired Cat on so many levels, and one of the things I respected most was the way she faced a terminal…
Susan B. Anthony doesn’t want your damn pardon
I spent four years living a stone’s throw away from Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York, the site of Susan B. Anthony’s grave. I gained many things during those four years: the ability to correctly pronounce Canandaigua and Chili, an abiding hatred for Genesee Beer, the ability to eat an entire garbage plate from Nick Tahou’s, and a great…
Knitters, stop making me crabby
It seems like the unrelenting Coronavirus pandemic (or as we call it in my house, “the Covid”) is making everyone bonkers. Recently I was made aware of complaining from some quarters along the lines of “it is mean of knitting designers to use expensive yarn so poop on them.” I have been writing about the knitting world for some time…
RIP TNNA
It brings me no pleasure at all to write this post, although I’m not that surprised to hear that The National NeedleArts Association, or “TNNA” as it was called, has thrown in the towel. Recent visitors to the website were met with a somewhat cryptic message stating that “as of April 30, 2020, TNNA will suspend operations until further notice.”…
Back to blogging
Some of you who follow me on other social media know that the last few years have been tumultuous for me in many ways. Blogging was simply not possible for a while. Even after the worst of the stress settled down, I found myself turning inward to cope and reflect. And honestly, even before that, I was feeling burned out.…
VK Live: New York Recap
Can it really be seven years since the first VK Live? I guess it can, but somehow each year manages to wow me and fill me with excitement. As usual it was a wonderful weekend in the Big Apple. I felt like an old pro as we lugged our vending stuff into the hotel, coped with the weirdo elevators, and…