the post- post

Posted on Posted in book reviews/events, yarn and dyeing

i look forward to the twice-yearly trip to TNNA as an opportunity to spend time with good friends and colleagues, meet new people and make contacts in person, and of course, to peruse new yarn and accessory offerings.

and some times, i actually accomplish all that, heh.
this year was one of those times—there was an air of excitement in the convention hall, even though the crowds were noticeably smaller; exhibitors were showing their best stuff in terms of booth displays and new products and everyone seemed to be carrying a positive attitude with them as they walked the aisles.

and i came home with a variety of goodies in my namaste shopping bag to share with you (it is so kind of this company to provide these bright, lightweight bags to carry samples in, thank you!).

this year, linda joined me on sunday to walk the show floor and get a sense of the industry as represented here (sorry for the bad pic linda, but that badge looks cute on you!). as you know, linda (AKA, saint knitspot) has been helping me out with all sorts of business odds and ends, email, scheduling and the like.

and wow, can she work a room, who knew??
she can really chat up a vendor, you should see it. i tend to be shy and tongue-tied with strangers and she’s so completely different than me, in a good way; together, we are a well-oiled machine, haha.

anyway, you probably want to know what-all we saw in our travels . . . let me back up for a minute and talk about saturday first. cookie, janel and i got a bit of a late start because we talked until 5 am that morning and couldn’t face leaving the room at an early hour. once we got some lunch under our belts, we were ready to face the day.

though the ravelry ice cream social on friday night was a huge hit with guests and fans, i think we all agree that the talk of the show was ysolda’s booth, a whimsical, park-like island of fun in the middle of the fray.

it was actually a bit of a black hole, there at the end of aisle 100; once we entered, we sorta didn’t leave for a long, loong time.

the photo booth was the best thing there and i visited several times with different partners, where we donned ysolda sweaters or hats and took a picture

cake and tea were served each day at 3 pm

replete with sumptuous sweets for everyone

finally we shook ourselves free and awake and realized we had a lot more ground to cover before day’s end. i was definitely NOT going to bring linda here until the end of sunday, heh.

a highlight—i finally got to meet connie chang chinchio in person; i’m a huge fan of her work. i’m afraid i gushed a bit, but how could i not? we had a nice chat about designing and running a business and i hope i get to keep up with her as time goes on (haha, if i didn’t make too much of a dent in my reputation).

once back in the reality of the show, i kept my eyes open for new knitterly things i thought everyone would be interested in.

yarn market news is known for the gorgeous covers of their monthly magazine and to celebrate their 5th anniversary, they are marketing sets of cards featuring highlights from the cover series. look for these in yarn shops that carry unusual gift items.

brett, from laurel hill needles took some time to introduce me to his collection of beautiful wood needles for all crafts and then gave me a set of DPNs to try out at home, the silky-smooth wood and slender, tapered points make for a fine tool that will soon become a favorite, i think. larger needles are made with a unique triangular shaft that is more easily tapered to a fine point; i tried those site and enjoyed the way they felt and worked.

the knit kit people are at it again with a new red design that hopefully, will have a needle gauge incorporated into the back lid. i love my knit kit set (and so does my 5-year-old nephew) and am looking forward to this new version.

amy butler was in the house to promote her partnership with rowan in producing a line of new knitting yarns as well as a beautiful new book.

i don’t make a point of trying to get yarn samples at TNNA because i know most exhibitors are focusing on writing orders with shops and need samples to give to owners. but sometimes as i browse the booths, yarnies want to share the love and i’m more than happy to bring you a glimpse of what’s new . . .

form one of my favorite suppliers, the fibre company, an absolutely delectable new signature blend—savannah (sorry, no link available yet). this lofty, light-as-a-feather sport yarn is a yummy mix of wool/cotton/linen/soya that i went back several times to fondle in the kelbourne woolens booth. fortunately, courtney and kate are very understanding of this sort of compulsion . . .

the ever enthusiastic laura nelkin from schaefer yarns nabbed us as we entered the show to lure us to the big yarn cubes in their booth and show us a thing or two.

i came away with an usual red skein ( i think its colorway tatiana proskouriakoff) of heather, a silk/wool/nylon blend that can be knit into socks or other accessories.

in fact, one of the recent samples karolyn knit to add to the trunk show is a new obstacles wrap in heather, colorway elena piscopia

the fabric is lush and along with the rich color, shows off the deep texture of the stitch pattern quite well; it feels cuddly and soft, yet will resist pilling to stay lovely for years.

a new schaefer silk/merino blend is audrey, which is a soft singles in fingering weight, just right to knit a cozy fall wrap, such as cluaranach, hypoteneuse, or birnum wood.

and then there is silk alone . . .

schaefer andrea, colorway barbara mcclintock, with its glamorous sheen and soft hand is just what we look toward for summer knitting—it can be taken out on the hottest of days for a little knitting in the shade with a cool drink.

at the briggs and little booth, i got a chance to speak with the rep a bit about their well-known and welll-loved yarns, and received a sample of the heritage worsted. i love this kind of sturdy, new england-ey yarn; david tells me that arans are going to be “big” this fall (david forecasting fashion trends just cracks me up, but you know, he’s usually right on—remember the sweater he requested last christmas?).

at the end of sunday, we circled back to ysolda’s booth so linda could experience the “happening” and we could get a photo booth shot of the two of us. while we were there, the dyers from abstract fiber tempted me into their booth with a gorgeous array of hand-dyed goods. i got to see lace, sock, and worsted yarns in several fiber blends.

susan, jasmine and i talked about a few things that really caught my attention (like the BFL, mmm). jasmine’s going to send a few samples when they finally land at home from their travels. but susan ran after me to press this skein of hepburn merino/silk lace in my hands before i left—in the beautiful iris colorway. it really IS this intense in person . . . isn’t it sensational?

at the end of sunday, we treated ourselves to a selection of jeni’s ice creams before hitting the road home—we deserved it. linda got the lavender and a couple of other ones and i got vanilla, brown butter almond, and coffee. next time, i’m getting the lavender for sure.

while not exactly a day off or anything, it was still a big treat to see the show together and spend time talking during the ride home. we got lots of ideas from this TNNA and if half of them become reality, we’ll be doing well.

18 thoughts on “the post- post

  1. thank you a million times over for yet another delicious and exclusive vicarious knit experience. Seen through your eyes – perfect!

  2. You are so lucky to have all these lovely yarny events going on. I’m really looking forward to KnitNation this summer for a little woolly retail therapy!

  3. What a fun career you have made for yourself! Congratulations on your success. I know you work hard for it. And thanks for taking us along for the vicarious thrill. And that Obstacles is just gorgeous.

  4. Wow! Looks like there was some really lovely stuff at TNNA! Ysolda’s booth looks so fun….I’m anxiously awaiting the release of her new book in September!

  5. Thank you so much for the wonderful TNNA roundup of pics and yummy fibers! Hope to make it there someday! Can’t wait to see what you make with the Audrey.

  6. Actually I’ve seen some stuff online re: the arans/cables — W, etc. So I’m very hopeful, they’re my favorite to knit & design!

  7. Anne ….Wish I had gone….Could you tell me if you know where the lady in the picture 9 down…….sweater/vest. got that pattern. I know I have seen it some place but can’t remember where…..Thanks…..Your pics are wonderful……..Love your site. Betty

  8. Love the TNNA trip you took us on. Wow, lots of new things in store on the knitting front. It was nice to see Linda : )

  9. What a great show! So many good things, and I love the well-oiled machine that is you and Linda (and am so glad that I now have a voice to associate with the name — hi Linda!). I’m loving all of those Schaeffer yarns myself lately — they’re a danger to my pocketbook…

  10. Great photos. You have a hank of yarn from Schaeffer that has the name’Andrea’ attached to the yarn, but below you. have named it from the Audrey line. I think it might be the Andrea line of silk, but what I really want to know is the name of the colourway. It is beautiful. I have gone to their site, but it is an unweildy site, and I cannot find that colour under either name. Do you happen to have the name on the label?

  11. That must have been so much fun–I loved Ysolda’s booth. What a wonderfully creative idea! The Hepburn yarn is gorgeous-such saturated color.

  12. Wow it all looks so wonderful and you describe it so well. Those cupcakes for afternoon tea are to die for, the creamy topping looks divine.

  13. You know what would be a great addition to the Knit Kit? A small solar-powered calculator on the front. I realize they’d need to move the logo somewhere else, but it is the one extra thing you still have to carry around.

  14. Abstract Fibers are from Portland, OR and there is not a single colorway that they dye that I don’t love. I could order from their website blind, and be delighted when the yarn showed up! I’m so glad you found them!

Comments are closed.