Envelopes done and a wee look back

After a couple days' 'down time' -- I must say, even the sinus infection last October didn't take me to the mat like this week's cough and cold did -- I'm (sing it now) Back in the office again.

Knit Together was delayed due to a scheduling issue at the printer's, which meant that I got the weekend to work on the prep work for the mailing.

As always, Darling helped put on the postage, while I put on labels and attached membership cards to the appropriately-labelled envelopes, ready to pop the magazines into when they come in on Monday. Something to do while watching American Idol! The magazines will be in the mail on Tuesday.

Years ago, but not at the very beginning of my knitting life, I started to photograph my knitting. You see, I used to knit for yarn shops, and one year I kept a list of the 80-some articles I made. I came across it a couple years later, and realized I couldn't visualize even half of the items on the list. So, I began taking photos of my knitting. After my day in the office, I decided to scan my photos so all my craft life photos can be put into one directory on the computer.

The dress in this photo is one of the earliest photos I have of my knitting. I have no idea what I used as a backdrop, or who I made the dress for, but apart from the focus, I'm really pleased with the picture, and remember being very pleased with the dress itself.

Back in 1991, I made my first visit to Colorado. Six months later I learned to spin and learned that six months earlier I had been in the -- well -- wool mecca of the western United States. Sigh.

Anyway, I learned to spin to learn more about the way yarn was made. Like most endeavours, I jumped right in, and, next thing I knew, I was doing demonstrations for the spinner's guild. The side benefit of this was teaching a new generation about the wonders of fibres. The photo at the right was taken in 1993. The wheel in the photo was my first spinning wheel -- an Ashford Traveller. Not period, but it got the point across. The dress I am wearing was the one my mother wore for the 1967 Centennial celebrations, and the apron actually is a family artifact: it belonged to my great-great Aunt Christie.

Next on the agenda: a book review for the November issue -- a brand new book about colour -- just for knitters! I can't wait!

Another day of editing

Today the next-to-last edits were e-mailed to the printer, and our 'sneak peek' for the November issue was readied.

Yesterday, the label information was prepared, to be ready when the magazines come back from the printer.

As another print cycle winds down, I'm doing anything but. A new winter's cold that set in this morning, may have something to say about that...

File Successfully Uploaded

YAYY! That always feels good. This title means that the Knit Together layout file has been successfully loaded to the printer's website. It means our 'first last draft' will be ready by week end, and that we will be on the presses once more by mid next week. You may not know that I do the layouts for every page of Knit Together, and that by the time each issue gets to the printer's it has been proofread a minimum of four times by three individuals. In the world of commas and apostrophes, though, it usually gets proofread three more times before the presses roll.

This weekend, we'll be polishing off one last page for this issue, and one for a ' sneak peek' insert of the November issue.

I'll also be working on details for the shawl workshops I'm giving in Alberta in June.

Sunday night Darling said "You've just finished writing for the day, and here you are with a notepad and pen and knitting needles. Don't you ever quit?"

The short answer is: "Nope."

The long answer is: "No, Sweetie: there is much to do." And I will get it done.

It's soooo close!

Two more quality days in the office mean that another issue of Knit Together is " " this close to going to press.

Today I polished off a few articles and created another. Once again there is too much written content to include all the advertisements.

This weekend's pages will go to the proofreaders tomorrow, then, after edits on Wednesday night, the .ftp file will be uploaded to the printer. This *always* feels good.

Now, I'm going to reward myself with more work on a yarn sample for the November issue. Here's a sneak peek of our Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn review: This sample has three raisons d'etre: yarn review sample, future Knit Together project, and shawl workshop sample. Win, win, win!

If anyone wants to visit their local yarn shop and do a review.... we pay for submissions!

Knit Together lives!

Today was a quality day in the office. Two more pages are headed to the proofreader for the issue-after-May.

I just went to post a couple photos put into the layouts today, but apparently something has slowed my machine to the speed Molasses is running in Manitoba this month -- has it been cold out there or what??

It has been cold here in Ontario, too. Other than going to work Mon-Fri, I've avoided going outside. Yesterday, though we had a buffet lunch to celebrate Darling's mother's eighty-ninth birthday. Everybody ate a lot of Chinese food!

Happy New Year, Knitters!

Santa may have brought me everything I wanted for Christmas including uber-warm slippers and an i-pod, and the season certainly brought more socializing with friends and family than ever before, but I have not been a sleepy little elf!

With apologies to the August issue, I have spent most of this Christmas break working on Level 2 of the Knitting Accreditation Program. Anthea (aka Feet to the Fire) has spurred me on to do great things for this long-awaited level. One more proof read in the morning, and she will get her Christmas wish of a vacation knitting assignment. I have two Level 1 submissions here to mark as well, and these, too, shall be done over this break.

Work is also on-going for three workshops I have been developing... need... more... time... It's amazing of all the things you think of when you are developing workshops and program levels!

Attached is but one of over 100 photos I took yesterday to illustrate provisional cast on. I only used a handful of these, however there is much trial and error photographing instructional techniques, to ensure they are clearly depicted.