A Weekend of Her Own

I’ve been busy getting ready for an exciting weekend coming up. I’m heading to a special creative retreat that is being hosted right here in Boulder called the Makerie. I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to dive into an indulgent weekend that is all about exploring my own creativity. An entire weekend of special time set aside to do just what I love! I know that founder Ali DeJohn will go out of her way to make it warm and welcoming in all the best ways.

I’m so thrilled about the classes I’m taking. My first class, Knitted Embellishments, is with the talented Stefanie Japel, who wrote these wonderful knitting books. I particularly love this one:

Her class is the one for which I have been busy preparing. I must have a finished object on which to add knitted embellishments. This means I must finish knitting and BLOCK something now! Oh dear, my new toy, the blocking board, isn’t here yet. Well, my mother came to the rescue. I’m going to post her extra-special, super-fast blocking technique separately. I’m also taking Product Photography with the amazing Alessandra Cave – so excited for that. But, doh! I need product to take photos of – this means more blocking to do tonight. Nothing like a deadline to push you to finish things off. Can’t wait to share the results of my learning weekend. Hopefully, I’ll come away with gorgeous shots of my work, excellent new photography skills and some cool knitting tricks.

Other remarkably talented teachers will be attending, in addition to the lovely crafty folks like myself. I’m so excited to meet Jessica Hernandez of Joyfolie Shoes. Could these shoes be any cuter?

AND, I get to meet the talented Lizzy House – such beautiful fabric and quilt patterns.

On a separate note, I wanted to share a cool new site developed by my friend Molly at A Foothill Home Companion called Blarter. It provides a venue for bloggers to barter their wares and skills in exchange for services or goods in return. What a great idea. If you make something or have something to barter and are looking for something specific, go try it. Ask for a cool embroidery pattern in exchange for those odd three balls of yarn you are never going to use! Or, exchange an extra stash of fabric for an unused Oliver + S sewing pattern. Think of the possibilities. . . I think I’m going to barter this sweet little beret for some vinatge trim and notions.
Do you think it will work? I’ll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for reading!
Anne Weil