Happy New Year

Well, another year has come upon us and I can't help but say I'm glad. The past year has been a good one for me in that it has been a year of healing after a difficult 3 years. I've been blessed and graced with good health, the best friends and lots of laughter - not to mention the absolute joy of Ella in my life. Great work, satisfying projects, the warmth of my own home - all have granted me a profound sense of gratitude.

The year ahead will, no doubt, have many new challenges - starting with a new client whose product has to be ready for market by June!!! However, I know the drill, the product and the value of what they are bringing to market so I have confidence in their (and my) ability to deliver.

Also up: Travel - Hopefully to Asia, but, if not, then to Europe. All things considered, I've been doing lots of running around domestically, but I need the stimulation of other cultures to feel that I have the right to consider myself a part of the world

My New Years Resolutions: More meditation, more teaching, more exercise, back to the pool, more patience, more organization, more listening and less talking.

My Thanks: First and foremost to this city and the people (many of whom are real friends) who inhabit it. Once again, it's borne me up, let me ride on its shoulders and charmed me with its many distractions. The diversity of its streets and neighborhoods and its wealth of culture has served me with its sacredness and reminded me that I am a part of the greatest and best place in the world. I am humbled and grateful to god and the fates for allowing me to be here. I wish all of you and all of those I love, a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year! Let your star guide you - just be sure to give it a hand!

Ella & her star

The Week After & The Weeks Before

The brief hiatus between Thanksgiving and December's finer moments - from Hanukkah to Christmas to New Year are often a blur. This year, I'm trying to slow down - despite a lot of personal and professional activity and savor each moment in my home and with my family & friends. It's always a time to "take stock', no matter what your philosophy,since it's the end of the year. It's also a time when it's easy to get drawn into a lot of false activity - a kind of hurry, hurry attitude that leads me to wonder what I was hurrying toward or for.

I'm working on some deadline driven projects for a friend/designer who has a business, trying to finish a pair of lovely little fingerless gloves for a holiday gift, readying my home for the quiet season and remembering season's past that nurtured my heart and many that I miss. I think the reason that I never took photos is that I didn't wish to remember that which was lost and winter is especially poignant in that it is filled with memories of those I loved who are lost for now or forever.

But, on a cheerier note, it is also a season when the eyes of those new to the world (or relatively so) remind us of the joy of wonder and renewal.

It is, as well, a season filled with the most glorius music and beauty. I am currently considering the following musical options:
Annual Holiday Concert featuring the Scandia Brass Quintet
Sunday, December 12, 4 pm
$15 ($10 ASF Members)
Scandinavia House
58 Park Ave. (@ 38th Street)
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212.779.3587
Scandinavia House

Scandinavia House is home to The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF). It offers a wide range of programs that encompass the visual arts, music, and literature of the Scandinavian countries, along with business, finance, and technology. These programs include art, design, and historical exhibitions as well as films, concerts, readings, lectures, symposia, language courses, and children’s programming.

And, of course, every New Yorker worth his Metro Card knows about this:
Available Holiday Concerts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:
ABYSSINIAN BAPTIST CHURCH CHOIR Thursday, December 16, 8:30 PM
LIONHEART Tuesday, December 21, 8:30 PM
BURNING RIVER BRASS Thursday, December 23, 3:00 PM

Visit: http://www.metmuseum.org/tickets to see availabilities

And for those among us who love Booklyn and the Sea (can you imagine not loving both?)
please check out: http://www.bargemusic.org/calendar.html
This is a magical venue in an incredibly history rich and well loved section of one of the best places on earth - Brooklyn!



And for the craftiest of souls - and there are many among us, I recommend a visit to the following places:
Knitty City - 208 w. 79th St. - A veritable emporium of yarns & last minute project ideas.

Tinsel Trading - a wonder filled shop of beautiful trims and ideas

2010 Holiday Craftacular - @ the Metropolitan Pavilion, Sunday, 12.12.10

Well, that's a wrap - actually, I'm not nearly at that stage, but more posting will have to wait. There's another deadline looming within the next few hours and I have to get on with the business of it!

See you at the Craftacular on Sunday!

Thanksgiving 2010 - The wonder of it all!

Well, here I am again: Busy as a bee and twice as annoying, no doubt. I have been seeking a way, for a long time, to get back on line, and today it just "happened". I went to the blog and was able to sign on. So, there's no stopping me now.

First, an update: One of my dear friends and valued clients, Knitty City, has a new website and since I write the blog, I cannot recommend it enough.




If you love fiber, knitting and retailing (and especially if you live in NY) you should check it out. I write the artist profiles and the blog and it's great fun and, to boot, it keeps me up with all things going on in a world I thoroughly enjoy.



Secondly, I'm working on booking authors for a big upcoming show in NY - targeted to the same crowd: Check out Vogue Knitting Live on line to read about the show, and check the Knitty City website to learn who will be appearing at Pearl's booth.

Thirdly, I had a great thanksgiving. Filled with wonder,
friends, parades, good weather and great food. I hope you did, as well.
I'll be back soon. I have lots to talk about and look forward to getting reacquainted after this long hiatus.

Quilting and Me

I have always wanted to quilt, but It's a bit terrifying to even contemplate. First of all, I already have my hands filled, so to speak. In my case, it's with yarn and needles and patterns - normally, at least 3 or 4 things going on at once. Secondly, I tend to fall in love too easily. While I love all forms of fiber and indulge frequently, I can be washed away in a moment when it comes to foulard prints, provencal colors, japanese fabrics and just about anything with words or letters on it. I bought a sewing machine and left it in the box for 2 years rather than begin the fabric feast. I knew that fabric would become what yarn has always been - a really big obsession.

So when I got an invite to the Empire Quilter's Guild biannual quilt show, I thought I'd go and live vicariously. We all know where this is heading, right? Right! Take a look at my newest inspiration - the selvage quilt:


While at the show, I met a neat woman named Karen Griska, who has made some incredible selvage quilts - which are easy to do, (she swears!), and long on impact. Go to Karen's blog:(www.selvagequilts.com) and see what she has to say - and contribute - to this incredible art form. I am already beginning to think of who to tap into in order to get some selvages of my own. If I start small, perhaps I won't get carried away?

It's been a week of interviews

...not for jobs - those seem to be in very short supply. I am writing a new feature for the Knitty City website, www.knittycity.com. It's a monthly profile of fiber artists entitled, A Fiberous Life. Pearl Chin suggests some subjects , I suggest some, the knitters suggest some and, all in all, we hope to gather at least a dozen and get them up every month - mid month. The focus will not just be on knitters. We'll try and concentrate on a variety of fiber fanatics. Given the enthusiasm of people on the subject and the degree of involvement, we think we will have a lot of grist for the mill.














Last week, I met Sabrina Gschwandtner, (www.knitknit.net) who appeared at Knitty City, in February,to publicize the audio version of her book, "Knit/Knit: Profiles and Projects from Knitting’s New Wave” (Stewart Tabori & Chang, 2007)", which was done for Knitting out Loud (www.knittingoutloud.com).

I visited her at the Museum of Art & Design where she is currently an artist in residence ( She's doing an inspired project, utlizing 16 mm. film, from FIT, and machine quilting it. You can visit her there on Thursdays, 2-5; 6-9, during their open studio hours. She will be appearing until late April.


If you haven't been to the Museum at its new "home", don't hesitate. It's filled with light, and all good things. The new gift shop is terrific and you owe yourself a trip there - Take a peek at www.madmuseum.org and check out the schedule and the blog.

Today, I went to Brooklyn and met up with Jared Flood, the designer, photographer and writer (www.brooklyntweed.blogspot.com) . His profile will be put up in April, but, with a little luck I'll start writing it today - before I lose the energy that I found while listening to him and having an early lunch at a neat coffee place in Greenpoint. It took 3 trains to get there and each one was "waiting" for me as I arrived in the station. I count that as serendipity of the best kind. Jared spoke about his philosophy that a blog must be focused and instructive on its chosen subject. As a person who tends to segue right, left and over the line, in my driving as well as my writing and talking, I found myself finding fault with my wandering ways. It's just that my chosen subject is so large - knitting AND New York and there's so much to say and to discover!

Hopefully, we'll discover it together, and in the meantime, check out the new offering on Knitty city, the class list and upcoming events. Spring is a great time to knit - you can do it outdoors now!

A Boomer in the Fashion World

I returned to school a while back. I started off by taking some courses at SUNY. First, it was the serious stuff: Statistics and Philosophy - one extreme to the other, I figured. I fooled both professors and got A's. Then, I decided to take a few courses at F.I.T. and I fell in love with the place. It reeks of professionalism (among other things) but the good part (for me) is that you can't fool anyone there. They take themselves and the industry very seriously, which is how it should be. This is the real deal. If you love learning and fashion, be sure to check out their catalogue. You won't find a better resource.

I began by taking courses in Elements of Textiles and knitting on industrial machines and I got lessons in humility, fast. It's the first time, in years, that I have received less than an A in a class - and B's are hard on one's ego when, occasionally , one thinks oneself a smarty-pants. That's another illusion I have had to release quickly. It takes me twice as long to learn (and recall) as it did years back. Wonder if that has anything to do with "maturity" - Nah!

This semester I am taking a course on Textile Marketing - which is another good kick in the bottom since I spent almost 20 years marketing for very large brands in the entertainment business. Within the class, the Professor has broken us up into 3 presentation groups and my area is "organic cotton". Because I am the elder in the group, I think the others tend to look to me as being the ringmaster. No more ringmastering for me. I am intent on working in tandem. and not taking over. I have also taken another machine knitting course and this one has got me interested in additional applications for use.

I have had an intertesting week - interviewing some name brands from the knitting and textile world and setting up a new feature on the Knitty City website (www.knittycity.com) Last month I interviewed Xenbobia Bailey - a prolific and gifted crochet artist. She has taken the humble single crochet stitch and turned it into a super star in her clothing and installations. Here she is wearing a few examples of her work and looking like the creative goddess that she is
















Coming soon: Sabrina Gschwandtner who is currently appearing (on Thursdays) at the Museum of Art & Design http://www.madmuseum.org You have to get over there and see her demonstrate the creation of her current project (hint: unique quilting).

No touchdown yet

but she's working on it!

The Bunny is in the house!

Here's a picture of the finished bunny sweater - in colors that please Ella's mom - and, hopefully, Ella.

I took it, along with an assortment of presents, to Baltimore this weekend, where I visited with the birthday girl and her parents and grandparents. Before I left on Sunday, Ella and her dad met up for a game of touch football. As soon as she gets big enough to manage the ball, I'm sure she'll be in the game. For the moment, however, she has to content herself with being a mascot.
She does like to practice her running while on the sidelines. It's very sweet to witness.

After the "game", I drove back to NY and made a stop at my favorite store in the whole world: Trader Joe's. It's my idea of a good time these days. The only drawback is the horrendous crowds and lines - especially over the weekend. I understand there's a new one coming to 72nd and Broadway - a duplex! I hope they give Fairway a good run for their money - they could use the competition. It's interesting to me that despite the fact that TJ's is much smaller and has to stock all day long, they manage to do it with grace - unlike the Fairway store. It really proves that nothing beats training a staff well.