Dream Week 2013

I've just realised I didn't press the publish button on my Dream Week post. Anyways, here it is:

As my daughter is fond of saying.

There are two events in September - Dream Week and her birthday and guess which one her Mum is in the UK for? I did point out that I was there for that first one, but there were both were, having a week in Crewe and going to Dream Week at Metropolitan.

Our tutors were Tony Bennett, from Dormani Yarns in West Aust, fashion designers Iris Bishop, Carl Boyd and Bill King, Anne Smith the editor of Machine Knitting Monthly, Ann Baker doing Passap and Mike ?? who did something on DAK, but neither Lauren or I did that one.

Where possible, we asked to go to different lectures so we could get maximum experience and swap notes when we got back.

Bill King

Tony's talks were the same as he presented in Sydney, so I only went to one of them, Lauren did both and really enjoyed both. We both really loved Bill King's Master Class and his Design Workshop, we learnt a lot - different things as it happens, but that's the idea I guess. Iris was very interesting, she showed us some of her bespoke designs she makes for customers and some samples of what she is experimenting on. She did a hands on workshop, that only Lauren did, and came home with lots of things to show me. While she was off doing a hands on with Iris, I went to Carl Boyd's flower trims and jewellery. These people are amazing, that's all I can say.

Both Ann and Anne showed us samples of different settings on the machines. Anne Smith urged us to change settings on our machines, to experiment with what the machine settings produces. Actually so did Ann on the Passap.

Lauren, Jane, Angela and me

Our evenings were filled with "entertainment". The first was 'Present Wrapping' - which I have to admit, Lauren and I did PRE-presentation think this was lame. Well how wrong can two people be?? She was brilliant, a professional present wrapper (who knew this was an actual job?) who advised us (among many other things) to always put our knitwear in a box prior to wrapping. OK will do. The next night was a fashion parade of Tony's garments. Third night was Nick from Uppingham Yarns with oodles of samples of different yarn compositions. (who knew there was glow in the dark yarn?) ... And the last night fashion parade of the things Bill King things we made and... ??? well, what happens on band camp - stays on band camp - sorry, some things shouldn't be shared, no matter how hilarious!

Bill King kindly posed with Lauren wearing Beverley Big Red - for Bev