Vogue Knitting Live NYC 2016
Yesterday I wrote about our trade show TNNA, now it’s time to turn our attention to the center ring, the knitting maaaaain event – Vogue Knitting Live NYC!
“In which Patty ventures to Manhatten, teaches 165 students, loses her voice and is saved by her friends and the staff of Vogue Knitting Live.”
This travel year has been an incredibly busy one for me. 2015 brought me to teach at 10 large knitting shows, 7 guild events, 4 yarn stores, 1 yarn company retreat, 1 knitting cruise . . . and a partridge in a pear tree. Then toss in a trip to film to new DVDs with Annie’s, and you have me sitting on a plane about 44 times in a year. So, the fact that I haven’t gotten this sick before is a miracle.
Vogue Knitting Live NYC 2016
VK Live NYC is my home town show. It’s also the show I’ve taught with every year since they first began six years ago. I never plan on stopping. Mark your calendar for VK Live 2030 which will be my 20 year anniversary with the show, and yup, I’ll be there.
All of which is to say, I’d have to be bleeding from every pore, with a severed head to cancel that show.
I was not doing so great by Thursday night teacher meeting, but I was still hanging in there. I taught my Friday morning class (Shape Up! one of my new classes along with Secrets to Spectacular Sweater Success.) and I barely had a voice. It was a rough morning, but my class was sooooo nice about my tiny voice. Everyone was attentive and helpful and just all in all AWESOME. I headed down for “sick girl” lunch, some soup and tea, with my three besties (looking at you Melissa, Carol and Brooke) and it was clear to them I would not make it through the show without a little electronic help. I texted the AMAZING show organizers, and Gabby came right over to tell me they had arranged a mic to be set up in my room. It’s hard to express how taken care of everyone feels by the Vogue event staff (Gabby, Beth, Erin, Karima, Matthew). It’s why I’ll work this show until I can no longer stand. That and the fact that the students are amazing, the marketplace is outstanding and the event is incredibly special.
The only night I didn’t straight to bed after dinner, was Friday night. That was the book launch for my brilliant friend Carol Sulcoski for her newest work, Knitting Ephemera. I’ve been hearing about this book for two years, and there was no way I was going to miss it!
The book is all sorts of amazing bits of knitting trivia and stories. The book launch involved a lucky panel who got to compete in a trivia contest and then the winner of the first round went head to head with a panel of knitting teacher experts (including Franklin Habit, Amy Detjan, and Lily Chin!). It was a blast.
As if that wasn’t exciting enough, that night I also got to take a sneek peak at Brooke Nico’s newest book More Lovely Knitted Lace. Sorry folks, you gotta wait for April for that one (but you can always pre order).
I was not great at taking photos, and I did not think to take ANY photos during my classes. You’ll have to trust me the 165 students that shared their time with me during the weekend were not only brilliant, kind, funny and so patient about my voice, but also, a darn fine looking bunch.
Here’s a bit of a peek at the show.
The moral of the story is . . .
- The definition of lucky for a knitting teacher is to be able to work for people (lookin’ at you Vogue staff) who respect and honor your work AND care about your personally, and to teach brilliant and dedicated knitters.
- The definition of lucky for a human is having friends who run out and get you a vaporizer, and food to make sure you don’t die when you are sick.
- The definition of lucky for a knitter is to be able to ATTEND VOGUE KNITTING LIVE!!
I hope to see you all at our next show.
Thank you, and goodnight (I know it’s morning, but I’m going back to sleep now).
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