This past fall found me in Ohio again, filming season 14 of Knitting Daily TV.
Filming is great fun for a lot of reasons... It feels like a reunion when we get the crew and cast together and film 13 episodes over the course of a week. My spots were filmed over 2 days with small breaks in between (one season I had to do 13 episodes in one day!). Sometimes I'll film a few in a row, running back and forth between the set and the dressing room to change my clothes, knitwear and jewelry each time, to get my makeup touched up, to switch up my step-outs (knitting in progress for how-to segments) or have a quick meeting about the episode. Sometimes Vickie will pop in and shoot a spot with a guest who has to fly in and out and then the fun REALLY begins! Having amazing and talented guests coming in and out of the studio is like a who's who of the knitting world. People I've long admired are suddenly sitting in the makeup chair! Getting to talk to them and get to know them in person has been wonderful. Old friends come back too and it's wonderful to catch up. It feels like knitting camp!
Of course we're exhausted at night after filming all day (and my voice is usually on its way out), but inevitably my room is packed with knitters in the evening, taking up every available space with yarn and knitting everywhere. My college dorm room was always "the hang out room" and I can't think of a better way to spend an evening than to be surrounded by talented and interesting people, all who love knitting as much as I do.
After filming my 4th season this past fall, I was excited to have my segment switched from product review (PBS regulations state that we cannot mention product companies or names on air, in case you've seen me on the show and wondered why I don't say the name of the fantastic products I'm reviewing. However, all that information can be found on the KDTV website by season and episode) to teaching tricky stitches or funky techniques. I teach quite often at my LYS and teaching is something I love and am good at. I very much enjoyed product review, but as Vickie said to me while we were filming, "teaching is your wheelhouse."
Season 14 is available here for DVD and digital download. I hope you enjoy the new season featuring host Vickie Howell, me as the co-host and a slew of talented crafters!