Okay, so the adrenaline is settling and my brain is now mush. I cannot believe how tired I am as I come off of the Vogue Knitting Live high. But never fear my readers...my knitting spirit cannot be broken!
The three day event here in NYC absolutely changed my perspective on the knitting community. I have always known that I am a lot younger than the "stereotypical knitter" but Vogue Knitting Live really made me realize that while we all struggle against that idea of the stereotypical knitter, there really is no "normal" knitter.
As promised, I will talk the next few days about the pieces I omitted in yesterday's post. Today - Lectures.
The lectures were a great piece ofthe three days of classes and shopping. I attended three lectures
1. "This is Your Brain on Knitting" with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
2. "To Write or Not to Write" with Debbie Macomber
3. "Color by Culture" with Cecilia Hamilton.
This is Your Brain on Knitting:
This was an UNBELIEVABLE lecture. Stephanie is a genius! This was probably the most interesting thing I attended all weekend. Stephanie is hilarious, yet extremely intelligent, and also a great speaker. As someone who knows very little about biology, and especially anything neurology related, I really enjoyed and followed along with her speech, which focused on how the brain and body respond to tasks/hobbies like knitting. I was fascinated by what she had to say and I am now prowling the Internet for studies related to what she spoke about. I have always found knitting to be a great stress relief and also a great example of tactile and visual-spacial learning, but now I am hungry for more information!
To Write or Not to Write
Okay, so honestly, who among us has not read "The Shop on Blossom Street" by Debbie Macomber. The Blossom Street series, along with Debbie's many other novels, make me so giddy when I think about them. They are such fabulous reads that so accurately reflect the world of knitters. No matter what we face in life we can turn to our knitting to help process, find meaning, and control in our chaotic world. I also love the relationships built in these stories - they are so like real life knitting communities. In every group of knitters you know that, had it not been for knitting, at least two people would rather die than associate with one another. But Debbie's lecture really spoke to me. I had no idea how much she struggled in her journey to become a writer. Diagnosed with dyslexia, she mentioned that she struggled to even complete high school. She spent years and years perfecting her craft only to be shot down more times than anyone should have to endure. Debbie inspired me to never give up on a dream, and that we shouldn't be embarrassed to pursue something even when it seems unattainable. Debbie Macomber truly is an inspiration and someone I am very proud to say I met and learned from.
Color By Culture
Apologies to Cecilia. For Cecilia's lecture, the hotel seemed to be having serious A/V problems. Unfortunately, for a lecture entitled "Color by Culture," the multimedia aspect (the photos, and COLORS) were a necessity. My mother and I stepped out after waiting about 10 minutes for the problem to be fixed with no success. I spoke with several women later in the day who said that unfortunately, the problem was never fixed, and that they were extremely disappointed with Cecilia's Q&A session.
So that is my wrap-up on the lecture series. I promise I will talk about the events, meals, and the marketplace this week. I am still so boggled by all the booths and vendors I still need some time to process it all. For anyone who has the chance, please learn more about Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and Debbie Macomber, they are both fascinating and dynamic people in the knitteratti!
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