Imagine being invited to teach at a venue that has over 1,000 students
signed up for classes, 150 classes to choose from and 40 instructors!

Beaded Cuffs
I had the perfect schedule with a Friday afternoon class, an all-day class on Saturday, finishing up with a Sunday morning class (THANK YOU JEN AND TRACY!) which gave me time to soak up a little bit of atmosphere outside the classroom.

I started out with a beaded cuff class on Friday afternoon and once everyone got past the challenge of stringing the beads and getting used to small needles, the cuff making commenced.

There were some experienced bead knitters, including Marg from Toronto who graciously showed off her beautiful "Knit U" pendant, but even newer knitters like Sue quickly caught on and got into the cuff thing.

On Sunday morning, Robbin was able to show off her completed cuff (she finished it just minutes before I took the picture!):

Isn’t it beautiful? Robbin had been concerned that the beads were going to be too large but I really think the finished cuff is stunning.

And by Sunday, Amy was more than halfway done with hers. I heard her mention Christmas gifts so maybe you want to make friends with her now...

Click here to see more pictures from the cuff class.

Bohus Stickning
The beauty of the garments, the rich history, and amazing women who created and then nurtured this couture knitting industry for 30 years is unique and I will be forever grateful to Jen and Tracy for giving me the opportunity to present this workshop at Stitches East.

It was incredibly gratifying to be met by 22 knitters who were all eager to learn about the history of this remarkable organization and who all understood and appreciated the beauty of the garments.

And I have to say that the people in my class were all very skilled knitters; while their swatches grew slowly, they were beautiful and exceptionally well executed.

Look at the design that Barbara is modelling! Even though it was designed in the early 1960s (probably by Kerstin Olson) and thus is now more than 40 years old, I think it looks both fabulous and contemporary.

And on Sunday, Barbara's sister Sharon had completed her Bohus swatch. Rumor has it that she stayed up late knitting instead of going gambling...

Click here to see more pictures from the Bohus class.

Japanese shortrows
Eight o’clock in the morning is EARLY. When it’s also the final day of an intense four day conference it feels even earlier. But every single person who had signed up for this class showed up, eager to learn the best of what the shortrow world has to offer. An old friend of mine, LINDA WALSH, was in the class and it was a special thrill to see a familiar face.

We had enough time to talk about the various options commercial patterns offer for shoulder treatments and we discussed how they could be converted to incorporate this type of shortrow. There was also time to to talk briefly about using shortrows to shape collars.

Click here to see more pictures from the shortrow class.

Stitches Market

There were 115 vendors at the Stitches Market and while I had several hours on Sunday afternoon to wander around, it wasnt nearly enough time to discover all the fabulous things the market had to offer. During my Sunday afternoon walk, I was happy to re-connect with some old friends and at the same time make some new discoveries:

CATHERINE LOWE was there with her beautifully designed and executed garments and information about her Couture Knitting Workshops. If detail and intricacy is important to you, you should try and spend time with Catherine at one of her signature Couture Knitting Workshops. Her work is exquisite and the level of detail she provides is simply breathtaking.

SOPHIE'S YARN SHOP is our friend Wilma’s favorite yarn shop in Philadelphia and Ubaldo admired our beaded cuffs while showing off his beautiful beaded bag.

At the booth of TWO OLD BAGS, Ann Swanson and Katie Nagorney had a dazzling array of felted bags and accessories (including some great looking jewelry!) on display. We walked away with several of their patterns and we plan on making lots of felted purses in the next several months.

Monday was our departure day but we had a few hours to spare and so headed off toward the Boardwalk. All through the weekend, we had been able to see a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean from our hotel window

and now it was finally time to get closer to the water.

Standing on the Boardwalk and looking west, this is what you see:

When you face east, the view changes dramatically:

The beach is beautiful and if you approach it carefully, you can almost get the sense that there is nothing around you but water and sand (and some crazy knitters!).

The Misses America

Neither Janet nor I could not resist the temptation.

If we are fortunate enough to return to Stitches East and Atlantic City next year, Owen Darling (yes, that is his real name - why do you ask?), who brought us comfortably and safely to and from Atlantic City, has promised to feed us the BEST subs ever. We’ll even get to eat them in one of his fancy cars on our way from Atlantic City to the Philadelphia airport!

What's Next?

My next BIG knitting adventure will be Stitches West 2005 at the Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, February 10-13, 2005. I have been invited to join the Stitches contingent again and I will be doing several classes at the 2005 event. Hope to see you at one of them!