Which type of person are you: clutter or anti-clutter?

I need some of each. I like my living space to have interesting personal things in it, but in general I’m happier with little clutter. Too much clutter and pattern in my living space tends to stress me out.

Throw this all out the window when it comes to creative spaces. Many of us, whether in the yarn business for work or as a hobby, have claimed a room in the house as our own craft room. For work I need this. And I need this space to be very cluttered- needles in view, a bulletin board full of random inspirations, needle gauges, notes, business cards. I want to see all my books. See them on a shelf. Gardening books. Art books. (Art books used to be my luxury purchase in college since I didn’t have the properly shaped feet to support a shoe habit.) Knitting books. My swift and ball winder need a permanent home ready to be used on a whim.

I don’t need to see all my yarn, class samples, and finished knits. I know, what’s wrong with me? So those are in cabinets behind closed doors.

Now a year-and-a-half ago we moved across the country to a house 1/3 the size of our Michigan home. Major purge. But the house did have a room for me to eventually claim as my own. With all three kids out of the house grown up working or in college, I finally got to claim my silver lining to our newly emptied nest. A week ago I painted and started moving in. It’s feeling great. I’m only half done, half-organized, but I am getting there.  I may share pictures here when ready.

In the meantime I leave my handy friends with one great tip. This project has involved a trip (okay, two trips) to Ikea and lots of assembly and affixing things to walls. Partway in, when I realized I don’t have to power I used to have to hold that drill firmly when pushing screws into studs in the wall, I reached for the bar soap. Each screw gets a little roll in the soap before gliding into the wall like buttah!

Normally I teach with a video camera focused on my hands. The projector I connect it to projects large hands onto the screen behind me, so students can see a close-up of techniques. All of us are on the same page at the same time. I can still be facing the students and talking to them. I love it.

This past weekend at Stitches East, a disaster struck and I had to do some trouble shooting. (By the way, this post is meant to be potentially helpful to other teachers. The rest of you will find it a big yawn.) My Canon videocamera broke. No tears were shed, but my heart sank. I’d like to share what ended up working in its place, with a few enhancements I only had time to figure out once I got home.

First off, a big thank you to Hartford resident and Stitches student Marna, who saved me with, “Hey, here’s my number. I drive by Best Buy on the way to Stitches, and if you find anything there that will help you, let me swing by and pick it up for you.” I did, and she did.

Following is my big-hands-in-motion materials list:

• (From the event venue- make sure you have a power strip, cart, and a screen. The power strip gives juice to your phone and the projector. The rest is up to you.)

• A stand, or a tripod with an arm. It’s best if the thing fits in your suitcase, can rest on a table, and can hold your smartphone about 18 -24 inches above the tabletop, aimed straight down. I have a dress form stand instead of a tripod. I leave the body at home stuffed in a closet and take just the stand. Its three legs lay flat on the table, out of the way. The hemline tool, which swings out and around, is what I use to attach my phone.
• Two tiny adorable little bungie cords. One firmly attaches my phone to the arm. The other collects the cords up and out of the way.
• iPhone. I have a 5. Settings to use: set camera app to video (not camera) | light set to ON, which illuminates your hands below | hold finger on screen to lock the focus (This I only discovered now. At the show it kept autofocusing, annoying us all.) And don’t reverse the camera or your students get a nice view of the ceiling or perhaps up your nose. Zoom in close enough for folks to see, then find the perimeter of the area of the table you must stay in to not have your hands drift out of view. Put sticky notes on the table to mark your work zone.
• Adapter. For me, I got the Apple174 Lighting to HDMI adapter. Model MD826ZM/A purchased from Best Buy. One end into your phone. The adapter end has HDMI and, a happy surprise, another lightning port so I could keep my phone plugged in as I worked using the phone’s charging cord. Plug it into the power strip. It was only eight inches long though, so I also needed a
• HDMI – HDMI cord about 40 inches long. This was my “extension cord” to reach the HDMI port on my projector.
• Projector. This year I bought a ViewSonic PJD5134. I plug it in. I plug in the HDMI cord from the phone (could also use VGA, so look into that.) Not all projectors have HDMI ports. Use the settings to select HDMI as the source. You can adjust kerning. Adjust focus. And, also discovered only now, I can adjust the zoom to fill the screen instead of pulling the table further back from the screen as I did this weekend. Duh.

To my students who put up with me as I figured this out- thanks for your patience. Next week I’ll be using it at Vogue Live Chicago as well. To any teachers who want to check it out, ask when we meet at events, or find me in class.

I would have taken a picture of the whole setup for you, but my iPhone was otherwise occupied. Protip- also bring something else to tell time.

This can be a sensitive issue in knitting groups.  I run into a lot of knitters from across the country and hear of the problem often, so I’ve told this story in person to many people. It comes up so often I wonder if writing it here would help more broadly.

I’m talking about knitting group etiquette, and, specifically, not monopolizing the conversation.

I talk too much, and I’ve had to come up with something visual to help me. Maybe it will help others.

When I enter into a group setting, I see the group as a pie. Twelve people? Twelve pieces of pie. I get to talk for 1/12th of the time. That’s it. If someone else chooses quiet pie, I do not get to fill the void.

If the pie splits up into sub-pies or shifts in size, adjustments can be made.

I’m not perfect, but I’m getting better at listening and resisting the urge to grab more than my fair piece.

After six months in the making, the Plucky Knitter Shindig 2014 is sadly over.

What a weekend!

As co-organizer working on the nuts-and-bolts end I did not have time for many pictures, but my head is still full of all the smiling faces.  While those attending self-reported being shy and introverted, there was not much evidence of this! Groups of knitters congregating in the elegant lobby, many in their monkey-sock pajamas, group yarn consultations spread all over the floors of the Plucky store by the windows for good light, students soaking up new knitting knowledge in Franklin Habit’s classes, fashion show entrants S_T_R_U_T_T_I_N_G their stuff with great aplomb, karaoke singers and “singers” going all out- I was so impressed and a little jealous of the lack of inhibition!

Also impressive is the Plucky crew and the way they set up shop, transform a room into a retailing delight, and stock it to the gills. Thanks so much, everyone. I had a blast.

You came from four countries and thirty states. You came with suitcases full of treats to be shared and consumed, and filled those suitcases right back up with yarn and swag.

I am going to try hard to remember all my thank-yous. Please forgive me if I miss you- my mind is full.

• Sarah, Hayley, Ryan, Bob, Drew, Rebecca, Christine, Melissa, Nick, Jill, Jody, Amy, Amy (Sarah and I each found a great Amy to help us), and Franklin – you are a joy to work with. I give you what my mother-in-law considers the utmost compliment. You are all “so capable”!
• Amway Grand Plaza Hotel staff – Chris, Randi, you served us so well.
• Emma A. and the crew standing in line early to get into the store on Friday – thanks for all the help wrangling and alphabetizing name badges.
• Annie H. and others for the help arranging swag bags.
• Susan Heartwell for welcoming all our visitors to Grand Rapids.
• Chris de Longpre for bringing her critters for a book signing.
• Shindiggers who shared their ball winders and swifts.
• Shindiggers who volunteered to teach Instagram and measuring clinics.
• Ali B. for the leftover beers and full bottle of Whiskey.
• Kristen H. for being our bouncer.
• Friend Leslie L. for coffee delivery, and Anne H. for that thirst-quencing coke, Lesa T. for my bottled water, and Anne-Marie for buying me drinks both nights.
• Leanne for the Tim-Tams. Yum!
• Angela for talking with my kids and giving each of them chocolate (the one back home got his).
• Josh M. for introducing the Plucky Fellas to Founders.
• Anonymous persons dropping off secret gifts for others.
• My mom and mom-in-law for modeling my skirts at the fashion show – nice legs.
• Samantha for modeling my Shindiggity socks!
• My parents for their wheels so I could get around my former hometown as a visitor.
• My kids for helping out at the fashion show and having more fun than they planned.
• Our guests, all our guests, shindiggers, students, folks coming to hang out. Wow! You were kind, enthusiastic, generous, patient. You were also pretty awesome shoppers.
• Grand Rapids – you looked good and gave our guests things to see and pretty places to be.
• Door prizes and swag from Knitterella, Plucky Knitter, Know Your Cuts of Lamb, JC Briar, Chris de Longpre, Hunter Hammersen, Jill Wolcott, Betty Salpekar, Lilly Sweater Brush
• Sarah for gifts of shirts and Scholar.

My last visual as I drove off past the valet parking circle was of bellhops with carts loaded down with luggage and multiple yellow bags.

We all done good.

Here are just a few shots from the fashion show:

Until next time…fashion show videos are popping up.

I’m the flower on the right, taking a big detour before going skyward. I messed up today in a way I have not done before, and will not again. I misread my boarding pass and missed a flight.  The penalty was enough to make me learn a lesson, but not so much as to to ruin me, so I am sitting outside, working from an outdoor spot where I can still reach the wi-fi. Fortunately, I was planning a down day before working at my destination, and now I’ll just switch it around. I got two new classes submitted and have to finish up the rest of tomorrow’s work today, for tomorrow I fly for real. It’ll be okay.

What else can I see from where I sit? Our goldfish. Just a few bucks got us seven goldfish for the pond, but they are shy little buggers. They’ve come out from under their rock to feed, and maybe by sitting here with them we can become become acquainted.

I can also see I missed a spot shaving my legs. I’ll spare you a pic of that, but the carving of a Buddhist deity (?) that came with our house and oversees the side yard? I think she noticed.

Grand Rapids, Holland, and Kalamazoo- I’ll see you tomorrow.