And I’m camped out at a La Quinta Inn in New Haven. Life is good.
Jeeze, the roads are terrible, the drive wasn’t fun, but I’m here and I averaged 45 mpg on the way. If there were ever a trip when I’m glad to have a Prius, THIS is it! I’m already 200 miles into my trip and have just passed the 1/2 tank mark.
Tomorrow up with the sun, then off to Mystic – an hour down 95 – to teach two classes. First, Combination Knitting (always a blast!) then in the afternoon Knitting with Wire, both are fun classes, and both are fun to teach!
THURSDAY TEACHING
I feel absolutely redeemed since my brain fart of Thursday morning. After a lovely cup of coffee with an old friend (Hi Linda!) at Panera’s in Westfield (I haunted that place all afternoon – they were getting pretty darned tired of me…) we strolled over to Knit A Bit .
The Thursday evening class was wonderful – 18 happy students and 2 happy shop owners (I adore Harriet & Susan! I want to spend more time with them!!)
Then out to Long Island where I arrived at 11:30 and collapsed into a lovely, white bedroom in my friend Jill’s mom’s Sheryls house. I slept like a baby – what a delight – and slept IN! I didn’t get up until I was awake – then had a delicious bowl of cheerios and some hearty union chat with Sheryl’s husband.
The best part – I was able to just SIT and go through email. Yay! I caught up on stuff, I did some pattern editing, and I just centered myself. Thank you so much, Sheryl!
FRIDAY TEACHING
Then, off to Knitters Knitche for 2 classes. Darlinda is the owner, I met her this Summer in France when she attended the French Girl Knits Retreat. She was an absolute delight to be with in September, and still is. Her stop is just lovely with a good, solid selection of straightforward yarns.
But nicer than the yarn was the atmosphere – such a welcoming place! The students were funny and welcoming and made me feel immediately at home. I got to have a brief (too brief!) visit with Arlene (also a friend from France, and a gifted artist) who looks absolutely gorgeous after an unexpected illness this past Fall. It was so lovely to see them both!
The morning class was colorwork, and I worked everyone hard, hard, HARD! But the rewards were tremendous, and we ended with a little bit of plaid for all. The Celtic knitters circle – plaid and cables!
Then after dinner I taught a 4 hour class on the Universal Mitered Handbag and – although I thought we might lose a few folks briefly – everyone came through with flying colors and I even had enough time to toss in cabling without a cable needle at the end.
I feel as though the cable technique is my own personal Johnny Appleseed gesture – planting the seeds of how much ANY knitter can do with their own two hands – and then I scooted out a a little after 9:00…
AND TOMORROW…
I’m set with a 6:45 wake up call, a quick breakfast and a drive to Mystic tomorrow. Then, after classes are done, more driving (this time up to Saratoga) and – if all goes well – a very relaxing evening before two more classes on Sunday.
This is a nuts trip, but it’s vital that I cram as much as I can into a brief period so that I’m away from home as little as possible. It’s a trade off, but one that I’m happy to make as it means that I can have long, unbroken periods of time at home. And – the extra nice thing about this trip – it’s filled with visits with old friends (and newer ones!) which makes it pure delight!