Monday, March 7, 2011

Updates du Jour

Here's what I've been up to:

As busy beavers go, I haven't been slacking.  I've been working on the mitten book project diligently, teaching classes, writing the shop newsletter, darning my daughters worn out mittens, finishing my other daughter's mittens, publishing the first Fund Raising Pattern, designing the Freebie for Friday...  I'd like to express a heartfelt beaver "dam".

I've recently purchased and started using Intwined Studio design software.  I adore it!  It makes the process exponentially faster, largely due to the feature of chart-document mirroring.  If I type knitting symbols into a chart, the instructions are updated automatically!  If I write instructions, the chart is updated.  What a time saver.  Line by line instructions that match the chart just magically appear.  I do check and edit for clarity, and have been super-pleased with the results.

I'm organizing a couple of classes I will be teaching this season at fiber fairs and knitting conferences.  Each host organization likes to have their own spin recognized: organic fiber, hand crafted, technique, advocacy, charity, etc.  I LOVE THIS!  It makes my relationship with knitting a much richer experience.  That said, it also takes quite a bit of time to design class packets for each specific focus.  There are more than enough hours of typing in my life already!  The good news is I'm becoming a much faster typist.

On the design front, I've been on a kids' mitten design streak, and having a ball.  Cars, toys and ice cream, Oh MY!  I would really like to have a life in which the designs I create for children make sense in my wardrobe.  Not today.  Today it's very adult - editing, medical appointment, fiber fair letter, knitting conference meeting...  Maybe tomorrow. ;)

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