The Longest Day!
June 21st
Which - being up here just south of the Arctic Circle - will last for about 37 hours...
|
Loving Minnesota in the
Summer This has been on my mind a lot lately - shortness of summers, things ending sooner than anticipated, getting the most out of the time that's here. It's probably because I tend to see analogies in just about everything that happens to me, but this beautiful, sunny, rainy, cool, hot Minnesota summer is giving me great comfort. As many of you may already know, my husband, Gerry, was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (a blood cancer) soon after we moved to MN this past February. It was very odd to be in a new place, with no extended family and few friends, while dealing with such a serious illness. But our family has been welcomed by the people of St. Paul, Minneapolis and Minnesota in general with open arms - we feel much less alone than we did a few months ago. Because of this I'm curtailing a bit of my teaching this year, I'm not taking on many new teaching engagements and I'm trying to work at home as much as possible. The prognosis for Gerry's disease is not good - after the bone marrow transplant at the Mayo clinic this August the doctors foresee another 1-3 years (which, we keep reminding ourselves, is NOT an expiration date!) Apparently it's a rather aggressive form, but we're tempering our realism with lots of hope! For this reason I'd like to have as much time home with the family as possible. I'll probably be writing and designing more, teaching a little less, but still hitting the larger knitting venues and making regional trips as I'm able. Most of my teaching this summer is taking place in the midwest - Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. But as Summer turns to Fall I'm traveling farther than ever for classes (France, Vancouver, Texas, New Hampshire & many parts in between!) I have my calendar below with classes listed for this summer, but I'm VERY excited to be teaching at the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Festival in Crystal Lake, Illinois this July. It's the first time for this festival, and the class lineup looks amazing. Crochet a Shell Necklace (easier than you'd think, very beautiful to wear!) Crochet Leaves (moving from single crochet to a wider world of charts!) Deceptively Simple Shawl (looks amazing, simple to do!) I'm not teaching knitting this time - I'm teaching crochet! I've heard that many of the classes are filling quickly, so you'll want to check it out soon! No Suit Yet Apologies I'd intended to have a bathing suit pattern out for all of you this June, but - alas - the circumstances here at home have kept me from getting as much done as I'd like. Dang. With any luck I'll get it out by the end of July, but I'm not promising anything. I've learned my lesson about promises! Red Carpet, Baby!
Be a Diva, or just knit like one! For those who are interested, I've made the pattern for the Red Carpet Convertible Dress (the dress worn to the Emmy's last year) available online for a donation to Gerry's Multiple Myeloma Expenses Fund. It can be knit in several lengths - corset length, mini dress, tea length or evening gown (basically it's a top down piece so you knit it as long as you want!) You can read my blog for updates on Gerry & our life with MM. You can also check out our MM fund page for more information on the Red Carpet Convertible Dress.  |
Where
will I be this Summer?
Chicago Area Ontario, Canada Southern Michigan Rochester, Minnesota Faugères Provence, France Sacramento / San Fran area Midwest Fiber & Folk Art
Fair
 |
| Summer & Beyond... |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Don't
forget Provence! September 3 - 8 Provence, France French Girl Knits Retreat  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
©2006 Annie Modesitt