Vogue Knitting Live Recap

Hi Knitters,

Well, I've been home for a few days now and trying to catch up or at least pick up where I left off. Vogue Knitting Live was nothing short of spectacular. The classes, the market, the dinners, the fashion shows, the raffles and giveaways... all of it was incredible. Vogue Knitting has such a history and you could feel it all around you at the event.

The event was at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. It was a beautiful hotel and the space accommodated the thousands of knitters very comfortably.

I only took photos in one of my classes. I had great and enthusiastic toy knitters. Every class was different and that's what makes teaching so much fun. I had quite a few knitters finish their projects. We made mice from Spud & Chloë at the Farm for the most part although some other animals were made along the way.
This class was particularly quick with their knitting. I did in-class demonstrations for small groups throughout the classes. That was fun.
Hard at work on their mousies....
I had all levels of knitters, some even trying to remember how to knit in the round from scratch. It all worked out fine in the end. I hope there were new techniques learned by all.
I had sisters, friends, mothers and daughters, even an 8 week old baby attended one of my classes. She was beautiful. See that cute woman in the green top in the photo above? That's Stefanie, one of my good friends on the Itty-Bitty Knits forum. Here is her blog. She is a talented knitter and new designer. Stefanie is Kepanie on ravelry. She is a good one. I loved meeting her in person.
The hotel was a well-run establishment. I enjoyed my stay there and even had one chance to workout at the fitness club. That was a treat. There was a spectacular pool in the back of the hotel, too.
Vogue is one with style for sure.
There was some sort of knit flower contest going on with Nicky Epstein's beautiful flower book. I loved looking at the flowers people made.
That's me getting ready for my class. Yes, I'm the one with the heels.

This is the marketplace which was packed full and thriving the entire weekend. I saw a ton of yarn and accessories and needles flying out of the shops. It was a fun and spirited atmosphere in there.
More on this later but that's the gorgeous Vickie Howell on the cover of the Knit Simple Holiday Issue 2011, and right to her left on the cover in the small photo is my latest project for Knit Simple! I did a fairy story for the magazine. I'll share more on that later but I will say that the Knit Simple team did a fantastic job!! There's going to be a huge giveaway coming up shortly for this one. Stay tuned...

It was fun that the magazine was released at this event and that I got to see it for the first time with my friend Stefanie by my side.
This lovely woman and teacher came to my last class and she brought four of her knit toys from Spud & Chloë at the Farm. Her enthusiasm was contagious. Thanks for bringing the toys and sharing with me. I loved it and your toys are so wonderful.
My hotel view looking to the right....
and to the left....
and straight ahead. It was a busy stretch.
The ongoing fashion shows were so much fun to watch. To see trends and different garments and accessories was so inspiring. The Vogue staff worked so hard all weekend and beyond. I couldn't get over how upbeat and positive they were. They did a great job and deserve so much credit. What a huge undertaking and then do to it with such style and success. Wow.
The gala dinner on Saturday night was a highlight for me. I have admired Kaffe Fassett for over 20 years. He was the speaker for the evening. I own almost all of his books. There might be a quilting book of his I don't own but I have have all of his knitting and mosaic books. I love them all. After seeing him speak I will have to go get his quilting book as well, the one I don't have.

Kaffe presented an color-filled slide show of his work and his inspiration which is really the world in front of him. The detail and scope of his handwork makes me swoon. He lives in a world without technology and email. He does handwork and stitching and art to fill his time. It is a life I aspire to live. There are occasional days when I long to live without technology (but I never really could - I would miss you all too much for one).

Kaffe impressed me with his small detail work on his sweaters and quilts. He had one enormous quilt that had tiny rectangles that were all hand stitched together. I mean each small piece was maybe a few inches. I will never forget it. I have a lot of his fabrics and I loved to see how they were made. He hand paints all of the designs which makes them richer and more interesting.

I have to give one last mention to two of the sweetest, funniest, sisters and knitters that I was so lucky to spend time with last weekend. These vivacious women are the sisters who own The Wool Cabin in Salt Lake City. I was so happy to see them and lunch with them and dine with them. They made my weekend all the better! These two make me laugh so hard. They are just plain fun and funny. I've known them since 2007? I think that's correct. Thank you, Suzette and Alison, for spending time with me and for lunch! I loved it. Also, hi to Patricia in Utah once again! We really should meet in person someday soon.

I'm speaking at the Madison Knitters Guild meeting on October 10th. I hope to see you there if you can make it.

best, susie