I am so glad to be home, it’s hard to express my happiness.
I loved being back in NJ, visiting friends, teaching (I love teaching) and meeting students. But it wasn’t home.
I stayed in other homes, visited with amazing friends, ate and drank and laughed and cried – but it wasn’t home!
I missed Gerry terribly. I missed the kids so much it was an ache in my chest. The animals were as glad to see me as I was to see them (very.) The kids got gifties, and Hannah was enchanted with the Zip It bag – very cool…
I am HOME!!
Gerry looked remarkably good when I got home – he picked me up at the airport (we have the routine down, he barely has to slow the car down, I toss the bags in the back and jump in the front seat!) He missed me so much! Now he has to kiss me.
I came home to a stack of mail and folders full of email I’d put on hold until I got home – that was how I spent my morning today, not designing, just answering emails!
But I also came home to some new Tilli Tomas yarn to swatch with (yay!) and I dug some new yarns out of my suitcase (a beautiful colorway – dark foliage – from Spinning Yarns Online and some Casbah from Hand Maiden)
I’m entering a crochet groove, so the smaller, sport and sock weight yarns are singing out to me.
Look what else I got? The Complete Book of Crochet Stitch Designs! Wow – what timing! A fiber friend at Sterling sent me this because they saw me fawning over it at the Mall of America (and they published one of my books) so she sent it on to me – thanks!!
But I have some new ideas, with any luck I’ll be sending them out to IK this week and I’m also working on some crochet ideas, too!
Justine at Angelfire (where I taught on Saturday evening – an amazing class that was SO electrifying all the lights went out TWICE during the lesson! – and who made a teeny tiny version of the Circular Cocoon for her daughter) gave me a tremendous idea for a project, but I didn’t even realize it until I just walked past J Crew a few minutes ago. More to come!
I love being home.
I walked the dog up to Bead Monkey, bought lots of stuff for my class in VA, and walked home. I’m winded because I ran out of my maintenance meds halfway through my trip (and stupidly figured I’d just push on until I got home)
But now I’m HOME, I’m walking, and I’ve taken my meds, and it’s an absolutely BEAUTIFUL SPRING DAY in St. Paul.
Do I sound a little bit in love? I am.
Teaching
14 Classes later, I’m so happy I did this trip to the East Coast. I had my doubts, I was fearful immediately before I left, but it was a stellar trip (forgetting my first class notwithstanding…)
Out of all the classes I only felt that there were 2 students I wasn’t able to address in a way that was helpful to them and to me. And that’s a failure on my part. I know it’s insane to try to be all things to all people, and I don’t, but it IS necessary to at least get through to everyone even a little bit. And I didn’t.
But sometimes I just don’t have the words / ability to overcome what folks have walked in with. I’ve been there myself – the walking into a class with “stuff” place – so I’m open to someone not being 100% present at a class.
Eh, dang.
Of the other 208 students I reached out to (and who embraced me) over the past 2 weeks – they were amazing. I’ve received SO many lovely emails from folks who were in my classes, and I’ve only today been able to write back to many of them!
Not Teaching
I just heard that some classes I’d been scheduled for haven’t filled, so they’re canceled. That’s sad – but I hadn’t really promoted these classes. To be honest, I just couldn’t entirely tell from the website WHEN my classes were happening.
I kept thinking that I must be missing something big or I’d get an email telling me, “You’re teaching X at Y:00 and P at Q:00.” But I didn’t – and I didn’t follow through on my end.
So, once again, it’s my responsibility as much as anything. Besides, the class was sandwiched in pretty tight between two other weekends – and it was up in a high altitude – so I think I would have paid dearly with bad breathing.
Not Teaching Again
I’ve also heard for the second straight time that I won’t be teaching at TNNA. This makes me sad, because I love teaching there – I love seeing so many of the shop owners I see all year! Oh, well – I don’t get it. My classes sold out (quickly) and the responses were generally very good – I know they’re budgeting and trying to cut back in ways. I think we all are.
More Teaching
But then I did just get inquiries about teaching at 3 other locations this Spring and Summer, so it all evens out.
And now off to immerse myself in swatching for some new designs! And a final goodbye from New Jersey!
