Getting Stitched on the Farm

Happy 2007

The new year 2007 has already proven to be a busy one. After a holiday week of nasty illness for The Farmer and I, I'm glad to be back to the normalness of our everyday lives. Julia ran circles around us as we reclined on the couch watching movies and coughing for the majority of the holiday week.

I have already returned from my first assignment of 2007. New Year's Day I flew to Detroit, Michigan to film three segments for the new PBS show - Knit and Crochet Today. It was a whirlwind trip but fun and exciting. I found Detroit to be an amazingly beautiful and interesting city. The architecture is astounding. I stayed in a wonderful Bed and Breakfast/Hotel called The Inn on Ferry Street. The Inn is made up of four Victorian mansions that were built side by side. They are all restored impeccably and the staff was incredibly welcoming and kind. Still decorated for the holidays, each room had a non-working tiled fireplace. The main dining room had a lovely seating area. I was there with Candi Jensen, the author (and producer of this new series), Brett Barra - editor of Crochet Today, and Carla Scott - Executive Editor of Vogue Knitting. We all had a lovely time swapping stories and knitting.

I spent the majority of the Holiday break making "step-outs" for my segments for the show. I could have had more but as it was, I was knitting up until the last minute. It is amazing the amount of work that goes into a show like this. I don't think anyone who watches is aware of the hours of work the guest puts into it.

Here's what the set looked like.


Here's what I looked at while I was demonstrating. It takes lots of people to make a t.v. show.


The show is hosted by Kassi DaPaiva, who is a star of the American soap opera "One Life to Live." Kassi, herself is a crocheter was funny and friendly and totally non-intimidating. Her character Blair is in a coma right now so she was able to tape the thirteen episodes of Knit and Crochet Today. I found Kassi to be quite remarkable. Besides being a dedicated actress, she also raises money for The League of the Hard of Hearing. One of the fundraisers she does is selling her own crocheted hats on her website. She has a personal interest in this as her son JQ was born with bilateral profound hearing loss and has cochlear implant.

As the series information becomes more available, I will let you know. In order for it to be a success, it has to be snapped up by lots of local PBS stations. I think that some down-home, grass-roots enthusiasm by a bunch of knitters and crocheters will help it get out there. If you are a local yarn store or perhaps a book store who sponsors a "knitting night", sponsoring the new PBS Knit and Crochet show may be something you want to think about.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I wish you the best for 2007.