Working on my TNNA travel plans

I missed TNNA, Columbus last year and there is no way that I am missing it again!  Now that I have said that....TNNA couldn't have come at a worse time!  Every year the show hit around the 2nd weekend in June, which works for me.  This year, they changed it up a bit and delayed it until June 23 - 25th.
Drats - last day of school is the 21st (Education begins on the 21st and goes  through the 23rd) and then
Sunsplash (Younglife camp) is from June 25th - 28th.  That wouldn't be so bad if I weren't a leader!  It has also been a tradition that on the last night of school, my oldest girl has all of her friends over for a sleepover.  They get maybe 3 hours of sleep then get all dressed up for the last half day of school and between my husband and I, we haul all the girls to school in 2 cars.  It has been such a fun tradition and the girls look forward to this every year.  This year, however, it can't happen!  Then I will have to leave Sunday for home - giving me just one day at the exhibition so that I can be home by midnight - so I can depart the next morning for a camping trip with 75 kids!  Really????
The kicker of this entire trip is that the tickets have gone up a ton - a ton being about $125 from last year.  Damn - this recession is kicking my butt and so are the new dates!

Sometimes life just topples over itself.....

From sketch to publication

I always love seeing "behind" the scenes of a photoshoot or a cooking show to see what happens behind the camera and out of view to get the project from its inception to its final cut.  So here is a quick time line of what a magazine design may look like from start to finish.

1 of 3 submission pages

Last March (2011), I submitted this design sketch along with a detailed page description which includes everything from the inspiration, the construction details to the suggested yarns and colors.  I actually sent 2 sketches of 2 designs, the other one being a sleeveless pullover with the star stitch pattern being on the bust and a St st on the bodice.  The sleeveless pullover was yellow and the sleeveless vest was in blue.  I suggested either yellow or blue for the garment.

I swatch out the stitch pattern and attached a jpeg of the swatch to the publication company.  In the olden days, this swatch would have been mailed in to the company - but nowadays, a good picture is all that you need.

Upon acceptance (I think this was accepted within a month of submission), I had 2 months to complete it from start to finish including all schematics and 5 sizes written using the magazines style sheet.  I take a picture of the sweater and send the sweater, the yarn label with a piece of yarn attached and the pattern itself to the editor - and then pray that the sweater safely arrives to its destination!  My biggest fear is that it gets lost or damaged in transit!  This garment was sent to Creative Knitting in June - maybe July (can't remember now).

Normally I don't get to see this part of it - but Creative Knitting has been posting pictures onto Facebook of the Photoshoots (love seeing this part!).   This is just part of the photoshoot and these pictures were just posted a few weeks ago.

Here is the final picture of the sweater and the cover of the magazine which just hit newsstands this past month.  The sweater was returned to me along with a copy of the magazine.

Yarn used was Frog Tree Meriboo (MW).

So from submission to final publication - you are looking at almost a year! 

Awesome 15 minute photo shoot

I just had an amazing 15 minute photo shoot with a not quite yet 2 year old.  She is unbelievably cute for starters but she also doesn't move, flinch or make funny faces --- a good thing!  I can't wait to show off my new pics but they are for a magazine due out sometime in Fall - or late Fall - which just kills me!  I can't wait that long!

I'm so happy with the bundle of designs for this magazine and the numerous pictures I shot as well.

I also hate posting without a photo-----