After a VERY early morning flight on Monday from Tulsa to Houston and then on to LA (check out the moon in the morning stky) I arrived in LA yesterday and picked up my rental car and high-tailed it to Burbank for rehearsal.
Stefanie, our producer, was a great cheerleader, making us feel so positive and accomplished as we worked through the different steps of the projects.
This morning was the Knitty Gritty shoot – it was so much fun (as always!)
First I demonstrated the rasta hat with Vickie Howell (every time I’m on the show I feel so much more comfortable – she’s such a delight!) Then Drew demonstrated the steps to make the matching doggie sweater, which went SO smoothly (he’s so good at the explanations!) and then we took some playing around with the doggie shots with all of the great knitsters – they were so wonderful! Overall a really great morning!
Stephanie Pearl McPhee was at the studio to rehearse for her shoot tomorrow, and we also had a chance to chat with Michael DelVecchio, the author of Knitting With Balls – it was quite wonderful to meet him in person! Drew and I sat around chatting with the other guests for quite a while before finally leaving to go get lunch, and I found the Knitty Gritty experience was definitely more fun with a partner in crime.
It’s lovely here – folks are saying that it’s cold, but I’m feeling quite comfortable. Of course, this was my last stop, so by comparison it’s equatorial here… We’re staying at the Safari Hotel, and it’s really terrific! Good rooms, free high speed wireless, HBO and Comedy Central and a heated pool – what else could a girl want?
Tomorrow I teach at The Knitters Studio at 6:45, after a book signing at 6:00 – I love that shop! I’ll be driving Drew to the airport in the morning, and will probably spend most of the day resting up from my last few days of heavy activity and restless nights. Thursday I’ll be teaching at Unwind in the evening, starting with a wire knitting demo at 4:30, a book signing at 5:00 and a class at 6:00. If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll stop by – Unwind is SUCH an amazing shop, light and airy and full of groovy yarns – woo!
Then home on Friday (HOME!) to see the kids and my wonderful husband. HOME!!! I miss them so much I can hardly stand it. I’ve enjoyed my LA time, and I’ve REALLY enjoyed the PT Cruiser I rented, but most of all it was so wonderful to meet Drew in person and get a chance to work with him for a few days.
Drew and I have collaborated on a few projects, and we’ve talked on the phone quite a bit and email a lot, but this was our first face to face meeting and I think both of us were hoping that the other would live up to our expectations. I think we were both happily confirmed in our hopes! He was a dream to work with, and so much fun to hang out with!
This evening we drove over to Ventura Blvd for a delicious Chinese dinner with Crazy Aunt Purl (!) and SO much laughing and storytelling. We wandered down the street to a Starbucks for further fun – coffee all around, and some very serious discussion (I’m not sure, but by 11:30 we may have solved all of the world’s problems – or maybe we just gave up when they flicked the lights on and off – I’m so tired I’m a little fuzzy)
Now I’m just unwinding for a bit before dropping off to sleep – sleep and home, the two things I miss so much!