Fun
Postcard from the Runway
At this point, we’re basically laying low after a weekend at Vogue Knitting Live New York that can only be described as 100% joytastic.
There is something wonderful about spending the weekend in a world where everybody’s a knitter, the hunt for yarns is a game that everybody wins, and you see people getting lost in classes, hangouts, and about a million gleeful selfies. Everybody is a fan of somebody else, so everybody has a great time connecting with their favorite designers and yarn makers.
If you haven’t ever been to a gigantic knitting event, we suggest you figure out how to get to one as soon as possible. It is the antidote to what ails ye—glorious fun.
What follows are a few snapshots from a weekend where we were often too distracted to chronicle all the beautiful things we saw, all the beautiful people we met.
Up top, of course, is the stupendous moment when our very own Kay Gardiner, OG Rowanette and the greatest Sassy Sue of all time, walked the Rowan fashion show runway to show off her Smoulder—one of Kaffe Fassett’s masterpieces. I wept a tiny little tear of MDK pride to see our doyenne of dishy knits delivering the stripey magnificence to the world. It was a hoot. Gale Zucker captured the historic moment. I was too busy sobbing into my Backyard Fiberworks yarn.
We saw Alice Starmore’s unbelievable design work up close. The new book is Glamourie. The handknits reveal the most extraordinary technique and construction I’ve ever seen.
Spent some quality time with Bristol Ivy’s samples from Knitting Outside the Box. Glorious to see.
A wall of Freia Shawl Balls is forever mesmerizing.
A visit with Marcia MacDonald of Lana Plantae plant-dyed yarns revealed colors that we can’t quite believe.
There’s just so much to digest. Thank you to everybody who said hi.
Who talked yarns with us.
Veronika Jobe of Yarns on the House and Lisa Chamoff of Indie Untangled
Who ate our nutritious and wholesome snacks at the MDK Lounge party.
(“Mozzarella stick” is a vegetable, and I’m not going to argue about it.)
And finally, like 12:01 am in Times Square on New Year’s Day, we packed it in.
I had funny conversations with two of the knitting world’s most excellent introverts—I have long believed that knitting is a haven for the quiet souls of the world. We agreed that the deep pleasure of hanging out in an environment as deliciously frenetic and overwhelming is worth the introvert’s afterparty of finally getting home, grabbing one of the six bags you came home with, and doing a bit of knitting to calm the soul. While staring at a blank wall for a while.
Happy knitting, everybody. It’s just the best thing ever.
Great post and you so aptly captured the feeling in your last paragraph. At the end I fled like the wind for the safety of my couch, a glass of wine, something mindless to stream, and the soothing click click of my needles. I’ll have recovered in time for the next hoop-la. Cheers!
Knitters weave a unique tapestry of contentment, sharing, and frenzied excitement as they search for just the right fiber to make the perfect new creation. It was a joy to be there and to get to see you and Kay.
I love the sweater in the front of the Kay on the Runway picture: Narvik, I believe it is called. And Kay, what fun!!
Ann and Kay, thank you for adding to the joytasticness of VKL. My sister and I had a wonderful time at the after event and of course mozzarella sticks are vegetables! Also very happy for the OG Rowanette rocking the fashion show!
From the other pair of sisterly knitters at O’Lunney’s, we had a great time too. Thanks, Kay and Ann for hosting the perfect ending to a crazy yarn filled day. I may own one of those overstuffed bags pictured in your post. Yarns already wound and cast on.
You sisterly pairs make me so envious–I just can’t seem to get my sister to knit. She is, however, a cheerful recipient of handknits, and that’s kind of great. It was so fantastic to see you all. Same time next year . . . xoxoxo
It did my heart good to see both of you in the Marketplace Saturday doing so well! Sorry to have missed the lounge party, but so wonderful to be among my people:)! I went alone and loved chatting with Knitters from all over. After a half-century of knitting, I still cannot wrap my mind around the “why” and “how” of this bond- it’s magical. As my saintly husband drove us home most of the way from Manhattan to Merlin, all I could do was knit a sock in reverential silence;).
You made me feel a part of it. One day I hope to be. NYC AND Knitting!! Thanks for capturing it for us.
amen to that introverts insight!
Hear, hear!
So much fun!!!!
I am a DayTripper – live in New Jersey and can barely handle 1 day because of my joy exhaustion (and I m usually broke by 11:45am). How do you all do the whole weekend?
Spot on comment about the ‘quiet souls of the world’. Absolutely delightful write up.
How wonderful of you to host this! I enjoyed meeting you both in person (finally) and what a perfect end to VKL: snax and sips while chatting about knits.
Wonderful post summing up a wonderful weekend – and with a little lovely alliteration, too!
You gals really rock! It was most kind of you to host the fun after-party: snacks! New friends! Prizes! Thank you again! What a pleasure to spend real lounge time with such a great bunch of knitting people. You’ve done a great job bringing us all together.
Next year at Vogue Knitting Live!
Wait, there were prizes? How did I miss that? Getting to see you and be with knitters in a smaller setting was prize enough for me! Thank you for the warm place to sit and decompress and prepare to travel home. (And get my husband a souvenir hat)
Great fun! I met some new and delightful people at the party. So glad I came.
Wow!
Thanks for the introvert comment. So right on after loads of fun togetherness.
Joytastic knittertainment indeed. So great to see you. Xox
So, of course went running to the Vogue Knitting issue with the pattern of that cabled shortie and, there is a bit of business at the seams in ur pic that is very attractive – and entirely worth emulating. The VK sweater is in tan to cream neutrals and no one I know liked it at all until the vendor model, in the gray etc., version, arrived in my beloved YSL. The yarn and mag then flew out the door! Long story short, I have had this sweater much in mind the last few months, it and a pile of hand spun neutrals.
Thanks for the push!
Such a great event in a great city! Can’t wait to join you some year, def a bucket list event. Thanks for Shari g.
awesome! so tonight my craft group is planning our Edinburgh Yarn Festival activities – tickets went on sale tonight … when ARE YOU COMING?? I love love the informal fashion parade of awesome handknits on every age and size of women… I love sitting and resting in the social area and knitnights which TAKE OVER PUBS!! We’re doing a shawl-a-long in our group so we have newly crafted items to wear in March.
I’ll be there this year! Just bought my tickets yesterday when they went on sale–going with a wonderful group of women. Can’t wait. We’ll have to find each other!
One introvert sticking her head out here to say – Amen. What a glorious weekend it was, and how wonderful the quiet of Monday…
It was an honor to meet you and chat with you. I’ll be back at work on Wednesday.
So jealous! Haven’t had the pleasure of playing at a VKLive yet.
I’m an introverted extrovert. Or an extroverted introvert. So party on, and then hide out at home with yarn! Looking forward to Madrona Fiber Arts Festival next month.
Hey, I brought a pair of sisters with me who were sad to leave the party so soon. It was a nice way to unwind from the show and get to meet some lovely fellow knitters.
I find myself full of inspiration and good intentions after attending a show like this. We took one class together and bought some special items. Can’t wait to Knit it all up! Thanks for hosting the meet up!