December 16, 2008

OK…Back surgery ain’t for sissies…but I am doing well…taking physical therapy and looking forward to swing dancing this summer (well, slow swing dancing anyway).

I promised to talk about the stitching show in London that I was invited to for the fourth straight year (yeah!). The show, attended by thousands of British knitters as well as knitters from all over the world, is held at the Alexandra Palace, and this year, it was wonderful. If you’re ever in London in October, you’ve got to go. There are hundreds of vendors selling yarn, books and all kinds of knitting-related and crafty items. They have a “World’s Fastest Knitter” contest which is a lot of fun, along with designer and student exhibits and instructional classes. And, of course, there were lots of lovely chocolates, lovely Cornish pasties, lovely teas…everything is “lovely” in England. They seemed to like my new book Knitting On Top Of The World, which my London distributor said was “flying off the shelves faster that a hot scone on a cold morning.” And, contrary to public perception, Americans out-knit the British, and yarn shops over there are rarer than hen’s teeth.

Then on to Paris for a much-needed vacation. There are only a few knitting shops in Paris, but what they lack in knitting, they make up for in the beautiful antiquity of the city. And Lord help me, the food—probably my favorite in the world, or at least it is when I’m there. Because our dollar is weak, I didn’t buy too much, but I had a wonderful time and got my fill of duck confit, pate and profiteroles. Paris is magical.

Well, back to reality. Recovering from the back surgery is taking a bit longer than I thought, and I am antsy. I can’t knit yet, so I’ve been spending time catching up on episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” and books like Water For Elephants (a great quick read). But, the last few days by brain has started the designing process, and I am thinking about my next book…a good sign for me. I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Christmas is only two weeks away, and I have not been able to do any shopping or knitting for gifts. A dear friend sent me some incredible chocolate-covered strawberries, so I may send some of those out and then do some cyber-shopping for more gifts. This may also be a good time to share the fifty-three pieces that I did for Knitting On Top Of The World and use them as gifts (though the strawberries still sound pretty good). If you’ve ever wondered what happens to the pieces from my books after they go out to trunk shows, they wind up in my not-so-big New York apartment, which my husband calls “the wool warehouse.”

Chances are, I won’t be blogging before the end of the year, so let me wish you all a heartfelt “Happy Holidays” and thanks for your ongoing support. I wish you Happy Knitting in 2009, and keep supporting you local yarn shops—it’s a great recession fighter.

Nicky