...on the road again...

Finally, after weeks of waiting and preparation I am leaving on a jet plane in the morning for my east coast trip.  First stop, Rhinebeck, NY and the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival.  And if you know anything about Rhinebeck you know that you've got to have a new sweater just to make an appearance.  Enter Bel Air.

 

Yup, this is the sweater I started back in August when I was in San Francisco at A Verb for Keeping Warm with my pals Stephen and Carrie.  We were lucky to be taking class from the master herself, Anne Hanson!  And this is the result of that fantastic class.  Let me tell you, Anne was right.  If you take your measurements and knit to them.....the sweater fits!  I love this sweater beyond belief.  If you see me wearing it at Rhinebeck I'll probably make you listen as I describe all that is lovely about it! Humor me.....

I'll be taking in  everything with my best pal, Marcy.  This trip is going to be one to remember!  We start by getting on what Marcy likes to call "the magic bus" at Webs  and riding from the shop to Rhinebeck with a bunch of knitters!  Who could as for anything more?

We'll be making stops to see Miss Babs and then to The Fold.  Speaking of The Fold, if you love
Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock (and who doesn't?) get on over there!   Not only will they have a great selection of STR, but they also will have Silk Hankies!  Rumor has it there is a cowl pattern (free) that will be showing up there that can be knit from one hankie!

We'll be stopping by to see Steph at her book signing that kicks off the tour for her new book.  Can't wait to see her!

Once Rhinebeck is over Marcy and I will travel back to her house for a few days of rest before heading to Stitches East in Hartford.  I'll be hosted by our pals at Webs and will have a bunch of great Blue Moon yarns.  Tina has sent some beautiful garment yarns along with Socks That Rock so the booth will be packed with loveliness!  Please stop by and say hello if you get to Stitches.  I'd love to see you!

Well, as they say let's get this show on the road!

...finally..

Bless me father for I have sinned, it's been 3 weeks since my last post. Old Catholic habits die hard. I can't even begin to know where the time has gone. Whatever....

Anywho, I had the pleasure of seeing many so many old friends and meeting some new ones this year at Stitches East. Meet Pam from New Jersey and her funky sock monkey in progress.

She was making it for her son and just happened to have it with her! So fun to see another monkey entering the world!

Here he is with Pam's son Shane.

Shane looks pretty thrilled, not sure what the monkey is thinking. You never know with primates...

Thanks for sharing him with me Pam!

The booth was hoppin' all four days during the show. We had such an overwhelming response to the Traveling Sweater that by the last day of the show we were sold out of the patterns and almost sold out of the yarn to make it. This is no surprise, the sweater is fabulous! I wish I would have had a "clicker" to keep track of just how many people tried that sweater on. I saw it on every shape and size and it looked great on everyone. Once they tried it on....well, the rest was history.

As I've said before, I am very lucky to be able to attend these shows. Tina has a wonderful product and I'm very proud to represent it. If you are in the New York area January 21-23, 2011 stop by and see us at Vogue Knitting Live. This is the next show I'll be at and I'm really looking forward to it. And if you are on the west coast in February we'll be at Stitches West in Santa Clara. I'm a traveling fool. Hey, maybe I should make one of those sweaters......

...it's about time...

So, how did it get to be November 19th? It seems like I was just packing to head to Stitches East. I have a whole bunch to tell you, so I'm going to break up the trip east in several posts.

It started with this:

Yup, that's one of my bags. It just squeaked in at 50 lbs. when I threw it on the scale at PDX. Notice I said one of my bags. The other one weighed slightly less. I had samples, etc. packed in there and thought, "I'll just have the samples shipped home and have plenty of room for whatever I buy!" More on that ridiculous mistaken idea later.

I had a bit of problem with my trip last year. Okay, it wasn't the trip, it was the aftermath. Rest assured that I wasn't having any of that this time around. This,

and a massive amount of hand sanitizer insured that I wouldn't have a repeat performance. I'm happy to report that it worked. Still had to sleep a bunch when I got home, but that was because we didn't hit the hay until the wee hours each night. And by we, I mean we:

These are my special knitting friends from all over. (L to R) Erica; bride-to-be and rep for Kollage from Michigan, Carrie; designer and long time sock knitter friend from California, me, and last, but never least Marcy; knitter, golfer, mom of 4 from Massachusetts and probably one of the best roommates I have ever had. Let's just say that Marcy came loaded down with everything we would need for a weekend of fun. There was wine for sure, but the best thing she had with her were these:

Possible the best cookie I have ever had. Needless to say, I have been searching for these everyday since I've been home.

Day one at Stitches had me meeting up with the great folks from Webs. These people know how to set up a booth! They just get in there and get 'er done. Steve and Kathy really know how to make a visitor feel welcome. The Webs staff was awesome, helping me get what I needed to make our booth great. Here's what it looked like after I was all done setting up:

It was pretty awesome if I do say so myself!

Well, that's all I have time for today. I'm off the BMFA land to help set up for the barn sale. If you are in the area tomorrow from 10-3 stop by and say hi. More on my Stitches East adventure soon....

...one more sleep...

So, tomorrow I am leaving bright and early for Stitches East. I love this show, especially because I get to hang with my great friends Marcy, Carrie and Erica. I love these three ladies and I know we are going to have a blast.

I will be representing BMFA in the Webs booth which is really fun. I did this last year and had a great time. I am lucky that Tina lets me do this show and pretty excited that Steve and Kathy asked my back. Needless to say, it's a great experience!

If you remember, last year I had a pretty eventful time when I came home from Stitches East. I vowed that I would not have anything close to that happen to me again. It truly was 2 months of my life that I never got back.....

So after much hand washing, vitamin taking and a seasonal/h1n1 flu vaccination, I believe I am ready to travel east.

If you get to Stitches East stop by and say hello. The Webs booth is located at booths #: 701 703 705 707 800 801 802 803 804 806. (yeah it's that big!) I'll be the one wearing a beautiful scarf knit out of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock, carrying hand sanitizer....

...a little traveling music...

Finally, the promised post about Stitches West. It started like this...

and ended like this...

with a lot of this in between.....

Etta Mae and I had more fun (if that's even possible) than ever! We laughed a lot, ate a bunch, saw some stuff we can't talk about (not without a bunch of therapy), saw some dear friends and made a few new ones! There are a bunch of thank yous that need to be given:

cupcakefaerie ~ thank you for the Sprinkles! (especially the red velvet!)

Kathy ~ thanks for the sock monkey! I love him!~

Etta Mae ~ thanks for being the most awesome traveling partner......(my stomach hurts...)

Gene & Lew ~ thanks for sharing your beautiful lace with us! You are charming!!

Arco Gas Station ~ thank you, again, for the hilarious stickers. We can't make a trip south without stopping to see you!

Irishgirlieknits & Tapmouse2 ~ thank you for your help, hugs and humor. We love you both!

Steve and the webkins ~ thanks for the fun evenings! Always great to see you guys!

And finally, depravedDyer, thank you for trusting us with this awesome job. We love it and you, more than you can ever know!

Up next.......Sock Camp. If you have never been, this is something not be be missed! There are a few spaces still open (i can't believe it!) so run, don't walk and get yourself signed up. It's sure to be a Seussical experience!

I leave you with this:

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." ~Dr. Seuss

...well, that's 2 months of my life that I'll never get back...

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. But best intentions......

Here is a quick recap of what's been going on, starting with Stitches East.

It was a blast; an exhausting blast but a blast none the less.

We were here:

...which was pretty amazing. Webs is fabulous! And it was incredible to see them set up their booth. Steve is pretty much a master at this and has it mapped out before hand.

He sketches out the basic floor plan and the Webs worker bees go to work. They are really a well oiled machine.

Here's a little of what our space looked like during set up.

The show was great and I got to see a lot of old friends and make some great new ones. Robinand Olivia came to see me. They were really fun to talk with. Olivia has a beagle puppy named....Jake. She has pictures to show me. What a doll! Robin had read here about my Jake. Thanks, ladies for your warmth and humor!

I also got to see Marcy a.k.a. knittinggolfer! I haven't seen her since camp. She's a member of thesmackdown group , a knitter, spinner and a down right great person!

She brought me a great care package which included:

We got to have dinner together one evening and it was so great! Can't wait till the next time, Marcy! (you were right about the wine! YUM!)

We did have a bit of excitement while I was there......

Yep, those are firemen. Fire alarm went off at 11:30 pm. So from the 18th floor to the lobby, me and 300 of my closest new friends made our way via the stairwell. We got down to the street level, stood around in various stages of dress and waited for the all clear. When it finally came, me and those same 300 friends waited in line for the elevators to take us back up to our rooms. Let's just say it was an interesting evening and leave it at that....

I didn't get to do much shopping at the market, but I was able to snag this: (the yarn, not the wine...)

Yep, some qiviut and some cashmere. The wine is from Marcy! Also, Kathy from Webs gave me these.

If you don't know about these, where have you been? This is the new inter-changeable needle set that Webs has. They are really great. If you are in the market for a set of inter-changeable needles, head over to their website (http://www.yarn.com/) and check them out.

Once home from Stitches, I ran my clothes through the washer and dryer, repacked them and headed to Sunriver for SOAR. BMFA had a booth there, but I did get to take a couple of classes too. The first class I took was Beginning Weaving with Sara Lamb. It was great and Sara had me bring my loom to class and helped me warp it for the first time. I left the class with a beautiful scarf started. Loom? Yes, loom. I bought a loom. I need another hobby like a hole in the head but really......Anyway, this is what I bought. Since coming home I have finished the scarf and actually just put it in to soak. Pictures later.

The second class I took was Blending on the Drumcarder with Abby Franquemont. Yes, blending on the drumcarder. Drumcarder? Yes, drumcarder that I have owned for about a year now and have not know really how to use it. Anyway, it was a wonderful class and I left with a whole plan for using it!

Until Saturday evening. That's when the h1n1 showed up. So by the time I was well enough to go home from SOAR there were other things to think about. A trip to California to visit friends, Thanksgiving, Porter and that other thing......oh yeah....Christmas. After Christmas we spent a week at Sunriver and then came home to shovel away the holiday decorations and try to get back in the groove of everyday life.

And here we are, January 11, 2010. 2010 is proving to be as busy as 2009 was. I have a bunch of stuff on the horizon. Hope to be writing about all of it here. But then again, best intentions.... Wish me luck!

...go east, young monkey, again....

Tomorrow morning at the bcod (butt crack of dawn) I'm leavin' on a jet plane, heading to Stitches East. I will be there as a rep for BMFA. The last time I was at Stitches East was three years ago and it took place in Baltimore, MD. Since then, it has been moved to Hartford, CT. I'm terribly excited as BMFA will be located in the WEBS booth! Can't wait to see Kathy and Steve! They are exceptional people as is their company! We are sure to have a great time.


Tina is sending a crap-load nice selection of yarn, patterns and samples. Most of these things have been shipped east with the MOTHER LODE inventory and will be there waiting, patiently for you to see. And see them you must!


Along with the beautiful Pond Scum Emerald, I will have this:

This is the beautiful Sasha by Louet. It has been knit in Seduction, STR Lightweight and

STR Silkie. All extraordinary yarns in their own right, but put together.......holy mother of *&$#!

This skirt is amazing. You have to see it to really appreciate it!

And, of course, this has been packed~

We have kits and patterns available for him. He's not quite as flashy as Sasha, but pretty cute anyway......

If you are anywhere near the Connecticut Convention Center on Thursday (evening), Friday, Saturday or Sunday, stop by and see me. I'll be in booths #Booths 301 303 305 307 309 400 402 404 406 (WEBS has a bunch of real estate!). Hope to see you there!

...stitches road trip: the final installment....

Tuesday was our final day on the road coming home from Stitches. We left Redding, CA in the morning, in the rain. By the time we got to Weed, CA, there was 3 inches of snow on the ground.

We did have chains in the van, but luckily we sailed up and over the pass (a little on the slow side) and down into Ashland, OR without having to put them on the tires. And you know what's in Ashland? That's right, our favorite gas station.

I told you there would be more on this in a later post.
Anyway, we first discovered this station on our trip south last year. We stopped for, of all things......GAS. It's the kind of place that you have to go inside to pay for your gas. The nice guy filled our tank, and I went in to settle up and what do I find? Only the best stickers in the world. See what you think....

...story of my life...

....uh huh......

....ever think about this?

...a special purchase for Hotflash, she lost the one she bought last year.....actually, I think someone stole it....

Seriously, the stickers there are the best. We bought others, but they have been "gifted" to friends before photos could be taken of them. Well, enough about the stickers......no wait, that is the best thing about the gas station! If you need to use the restroom while traveling through Ashland, OR......DO NOT STOP HERE...... I don't think it's been cleaned since the Carter administration.....just saying.....ick.......

But it is a must for sticker shopping.

All in all, it was a tremendous trip, great to see old friends and make new ones! I could not end this post without a thank you to several people.

1st ~ Ettamae - my co-pilot. Fun in the car and at the show! Thanks for sharing Bond with me, over and over and over again!

2nd ~ Nathania, Sandi and the gang at Purlescence - for bringing ALL of our stuff to the show, including the handcart that you have stored since last year, (Kevin, thanks for checking in on us!)for hosting us at the shop on Saturday night, for massages, hugs, smiles and friendship....oh yeah....cute baby, too!

3rd ~ irishgirlie and tapmouse...ladies, what can I say that would express how much you guys mean to me.....aside from the way you rocked the booth, you both have a very special place in my heart.......folding or no folding......mjiyn.......you know. Can't wait 'til camp...

4th ~ to each and every one of you wonderful knitters that came to the booth, endured the line, and smiled through it all. You guys made it more fun than work!

and last, but never least ~ depraved dyer~ for giving me the unbelievable opportunities that you have. If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would be in the extremely lucky position I am in now, I would have not believed it. You have taught me, trusted me, held and helped me. You are the sister that I never had. I mean that from the bottom of my extremely full heart. I am forever grateful. Thank you......

...stitches road trip: day three and four

Sorry that I didn't write yesterday....what a whirl wind.....

We are having the time of our lives! Soooooo glad to have irishgirlie and tapmouse with us to help sort out the insanity! These two lovelies have been a godsend! And speaking of irishgirlie and tapmouse.....they came bearing gifts! Check these beauties out.......



such wonderfulness......

and these (of which i have eaten my body weight in and if you have ever seen me you know that a *?>&^ load )



okay, other than the fantastic food and gifts, these two have cemented their place as "bff" in our book!

Other highlights from the past two day have been.....

Lucy and her fab tattoo!

...our first customer of the event, Jan!

...snail on a rail...

..detox before.....



...and after.....(don't ask)


nathania and ellie

...wondermike and adrienne....

...there is much more to tell but my little brain is full and i need to go night-night.....until tomorrow.....such a good day.....in so many ways.......