We arrived back at the Convention Center at 7:15 the next morning. Why so early? We weren't sure about parking and since we didn't want to miss a thing and since our classes began at 8:00 we left early.
We got our name badges (required everywhere you went), a great tote and we were off to our first class.
L went to an all day Lily Chin, B to a LYS retail class and P and I to "Knitting with Ribbon Yarn". Now this was not my number 1 choice...I've knitted with Ribbon Yarns..don't really care for it. And this was with size 35 needles. BUT was I in for a surprise. We learned backwards knitting. It doesn't twist the ribbon!!!!
P and I had 3 hours until our next class so we made it over to the Food Court for noodles & shrimp and peanut butter ice cream. When the food court began filling we headed back to the TNNA area and sat and knitted (surprise!) and watched the vendors registering and other knitters knitting and of course hit the Great Wall of Yarn again to add to our books.
I had a nice conversation with the inventor of the Circular Solution. New this year...in velvet! Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn will be carrying the needle solutions very soon.
2:00 came around and I was off to "Measure, Modify, Knit" with Judy Pascale. Fun lady. Learned tons. She crammed her 6 hour class into 3.
8 pages of notes later I met B, L, and P and we headed to the fashion show. One word...ponchos! I think half of what we saw was a poncho of some kind. Great sweaters for men and women, knitted purses, bears, simple to the complex knitting. To many to mention.
After there was a "cocktail" hour where we mingled for a while among a display of the new fashions and yarns. Then it was off to dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse.
It was off to bed by 11:00...we had a day of shopping ahead of us.
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Day 1 -Thursday - travel to TNNA
I was invited to attend the The National Needle Arts Association Fall-Winter 2004 Market by Bobbie the owner of Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn. What is TNNA you might ask...it's where the wholesale and the retail get together and sell and buy yarn and patterns and notions. There are also classes offered and new yarns and patterns shown. It's a fast paced, full 5 days of decisions.
B, L and I left Va Beach at 7:00 a.m., stopped in Hampton to pick up P and off to Columbus we drove. A quick stop for lunch, gas and bathroom and 10 hours later we arrived at the Westin Hotel in Columbus Ohio.
I must mention here that the university was holding graduation ceremonies for 6800 students the same weekend. Hotel rooms were hard to find.
After 30 minutes of haggling with Hotels.com, we made it to our rooms, washed our faces and headed to the Greater Columbus Convention Center a mere 9 blocks away. Glad we drove. Those 9 blocks were about 3 miles.
We had hoped to register but Registration had closed. So we got our bearings, found classrooms, where the Market would be setup and the Food Court.
Then it was off to the (bugles blaring here)THE GREAT WALL OF YARN!!!!!! Yep, a wall dripping with the NEW yarns for the fall. 169 of them. Arranged by color. whites..browns..yellows..purples..oranges..blues...blacks...And on the tables in front of The Great Wall of Yarn more balls and skeins of the same yarn. And we could cut samples off all of them. Fill-in-the-blank books were offered with the name of the yarn and a corresponding number. All you had to do was pick up the scissors and tape and snip and tape to your hearts content. We were like kindergarteners filling up our books with color and texture, oohing and ahhing over this one and that one, cutting snippets for one another ...no pushing or shoving was noticed. We were good fiber books completer.
Hunger soon got the best of us so off to Max and Erma's for dinner and back to the hotel to look at our The Great Wall of Yarn books and dream of the fiber delights to come.
B, L and I left Va Beach at 7:00 a.m., stopped in Hampton to pick up P and off to Columbus we drove. A quick stop for lunch, gas and bathroom and 10 hours later we arrived at the Westin Hotel in Columbus Ohio.
I must mention here that the university was holding graduation ceremonies for 6800 students the same weekend. Hotel rooms were hard to find.
After 30 minutes of haggling with Hotels.com, we made it to our rooms, washed our faces and headed to the Greater Columbus Convention Center a mere 9 blocks away. Glad we drove. Those 9 blocks were about 3 miles.
We had hoped to register but Registration had closed. So we got our bearings, found classrooms, where the Market would be setup and the Food Court.
Then it was off to the (bugles blaring here)THE GREAT WALL OF YARN!!!!!! Yep, a wall dripping with the NEW yarns for the fall. 169 of them. Arranged by color. whites..browns..yellows..purples..oranges..blues...blacks...And on the tables in front of The Great Wall of Yarn more balls and skeins of the same yarn. And we could cut samples off all of them. Fill-in-the-blank books were offered with the name of the yarn and a corresponding number. All you had to do was pick up the scissors and tape and snip and tape to your hearts content. We were like kindergarteners filling up our books with color and texture, oohing and ahhing over this one and that one, cutting snippets for one another ...no pushing or shoving was noticed. We were good fiber books completer.
Hunger soon got the best of us so off to Max and Erma's for dinner and back to the hotel to look at our The Great Wall of Yarn books and dream of the fiber delights to come.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
A Brad filled weeked
After all my moaning and groaning last week my 3 day weekend turned out really pleasant.
I was able to work from home for my mortgage paying job on Friday which was a nice treat.
Saturday I worked at Ewe Knits with Sherry. We expected a quiet only two or three customer kinda day but it ended up nicely busy. No record breaking day, but a nice summer kinda day in a LYS where you had time to chat with the customer.
Sunday was overcast and by 11:00 the sky was filled with dark gray clouds and it didn't appear as though the sun was going to make it through. So it was off to the Regal Theaters to see Troy. Now, about the only thing I remember from history class was that the war between the Greeks and Trojans was suppose to have lasted 10 years. Not so in the movie version. But it was an entertaining 2 1/2 hours. Lots of good looking men running around in short skirts and no shirts.
An aside: it really bugs me when the theaters turn up the lights the second the credits come on.
When I got home, A River Runs Through It was playing. I had forgotten Robert Redford directed this movie. And so I couldn't let an overcast Monday go without a Brad-sighting so I watched Legends of the Fall.
All in all it was a good weekend.
I was able to work from home for my mortgage paying job on Friday which was a nice treat.
Saturday I worked at Ewe Knits with Sherry. We expected a quiet only two or three customer kinda day but it ended up nicely busy. No record breaking day, but a nice summer kinda day in a LYS where you had time to chat with the customer.
Sunday was overcast and by 11:00 the sky was filled with dark gray clouds and it didn't appear as though the sun was going to make it through. So it was off to the Regal Theaters to see Troy. Now, about the only thing I remember from history class was that the war between the Greeks and Trojans was suppose to have lasted 10 years. Not so in the movie version. But it was an entertaining 2 1/2 hours. Lots of good looking men running around in short skirts and no shirts.
An aside: it really bugs me when the theaters turn up the lights the second the credits come on.
When I got home, A River Runs Through It was playing. I had forgotten Robert Redford directed this movie. And so I couldn't let an overcast Monday go without a Brad-sighting so I watched Legends of the Fall.
All in all it was a good weekend.
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Time flies whether your having fun or not
KnittaPalooza weekend came and went. Read my recap here: http://www.knittersreview.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10601&whichpage=2&SearchTerms=%2CKnita
That Sunday afternoon was spent getting Ewe Knits Kits and Yarn storefront back in order. Bobbie tells me she'll post pictures from the weekend on the website soon.
The next day I was off to San Francisco for the week. It was a "you must be here for the meeting" last minute trip and I was both dreading and looking forward to it.
I hadn't been out there in almost 3 years and I'm not ready to get sucked back into the madness. I spent 3 years flying from east coast to west, west coast to east coast every week with promises of wonderful promotions and lots of bonuses....and in the end all I got was 7 new managers, the old "ya gotta prove yourself to me 'cause what you did before doesn't count" and 400,000 frequent flyer miles. So now I do my job, put in my 50 hours and don't believe anything anyone says. I'm hanging out for a separation package.
All in all it was an okay time. My favorite hotels were booked so I ended up at the Sir Frances Drake on Powell. Nice. But the only place to plug in my laptop to recharge the battery was in the socket used by the hair dryer in the bathroom. A laughable inconvenience.
Work meetings went well and we completed the agenda. Vendor came back with new dates for implementation. ...... Hmm, think I blogged about it earlier in the year. Where I told my young'in boss that what she wanted to accomplish would take a few years not the few months she had planned...my prophecies are coming true.....vendor needs to 1st Qtr 2006..... So the business isn't happy and young'in boss must now negotiate with the vendor and she's all in turmoil...it's giving me perverse pleasure to watch her squirm.
I did have evenings to myself to revisit the city. I walked to Chinatown, up to the mall, took the cable car out and back, visited Borders, Virgin Records (great dvd selection on the second floor), Sephora (Philosophy 3 "Grace" solids) and ArtFibers (3 skeins of "Siam" and 2 skeins of "Chianti").
The 5 hour flights from Charlotte gave me lots of time to knit. I worked on the "Auntie's Afgan" from Oat Couture that I'm knitting for my neice (the one who's expecting). I had begun knitting it using the "american" way of throwing the yarn. Then I re-learned "contenintal" and knit about 20 rows. Didn't like the differences that I saw so I ripped it out and began again. Didn't rip back far enough for my eye so once again, ripped it back. Perhaps it was my dissatisfaction of having to make the trip that cause my knitting to be out of whack. I finally put it away and read. Nora Roberts Birthright kept me entertained.
Didn't have to work at Ewe Knits Saturday so spent the morning running errands (groceries, garden place, picking up B at kennel) and then cleaning up the front and back flower beds and planting a few new flowering things.
Sunday I had a horrible sore throat which eventually turned into a cold. Since I had promised my mother I'd go to see her I couldn't stay home and feel sorry for myself...standing up my mother is worse than a sore throat! It's my second cold this year and I NEVER get sick! My body is thrown off course with all the going I've been doing. I haven't had a day of not going somewhere since April 11! I need some time alone.
SOOOOOO, this Sunday and Monday I am not going anywhere. The car will not leave the garage. I'm staying put! Just me and Bailey...and I may not answer the phone.
That Sunday afternoon was spent getting Ewe Knits Kits and Yarn storefront back in order. Bobbie tells me she'll post pictures from the weekend on the website soon.
The next day I was off to San Francisco for the week. It was a "you must be here for the meeting" last minute trip and I was both dreading and looking forward to it.
I hadn't been out there in almost 3 years and I'm not ready to get sucked back into the madness. I spent 3 years flying from east coast to west, west coast to east coast every week with promises of wonderful promotions and lots of bonuses....and in the end all I got was 7 new managers, the old "ya gotta prove yourself to me 'cause what you did before doesn't count" and 400,000 frequent flyer miles. So now I do my job, put in my 50 hours and don't believe anything anyone says. I'm hanging out for a separation package.
All in all it was an okay time. My favorite hotels were booked so I ended up at the Sir Frances Drake on Powell. Nice. But the only place to plug in my laptop to recharge the battery was in the socket used by the hair dryer in the bathroom. A laughable inconvenience.
Work meetings went well and we completed the agenda. Vendor came back with new dates for implementation. ...... Hmm, think I blogged about it earlier in the year. Where I told my young'in boss that what she wanted to accomplish would take a few years not the few months she had planned...my prophecies are coming true.....vendor needs to 1st Qtr 2006..... So the business isn't happy and young'in boss must now negotiate with the vendor and she's all in turmoil...it's giving me perverse pleasure to watch her squirm.
I did have evenings to myself to revisit the city. I walked to Chinatown, up to the mall, took the cable car out and back, visited Borders, Virgin Records (great dvd selection on the second floor), Sephora (Philosophy 3 "Grace" solids) and ArtFibers (3 skeins of "Siam" and 2 skeins of "Chianti").
The 5 hour flights from Charlotte gave me lots of time to knit. I worked on the "Auntie's Afgan" from Oat Couture that I'm knitting for my neice (the one who's expecting). I had begun knitting it using the "american" way of throwing the yarn. Then I re-learned "contenintal" and knit about 20 rows. Didn't like the differences that I saw so I ripped it out and began again. Didn't rip back far enough for my eye so once again, ripped it back. Perhaps it was my dissatisfaction of having to make the trip that cause my knitting to be out of whack. I finally put it away and read. Nora Roberts Birthright kept me entertained.
Didn't have to work at Ewe Knits Saturday so spent the morning running errands (groceries, garden place, picking up B at kennel) and then cleaning up the front and back flower beds and planting a few new flowering things.
Sunday I had a horrible sore throat which eventually turned into a cold. Since I had promised my mother I'd go to see her I couldn't stay home and feel sorry for myself...standing up my mother is worse than a sore throat! It's my second cold this year and I NEVER get sick! My body is thrown off course with all the going I've been doing. I haven't had a day of not going somewhere since April 11! I need some time alone.
SOOOOOO, this Sunday and Monday I am not going anywhere. The car will not leave the garage. I'm staying put! Just me and Bailey...and I may not answer the phone.
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
KnittaPalooza weekend
Don't forget KnittaPalooza this weekend. Weather is expected to be in the mid-80's ...perfect knitting on the beach weather.
By popular demand (and since no one signed up)....Sunday morning "Los Lobos" sock class has been changed to a "bead" class (knitting with and trimming with beads). Spots are stil available.
Boxes and boxes and boxes of yarns have arrivied. Beautiful alpacas in every weight imaginable, lots of novelty, new Hanne Faulkenberg samples and lots of needles and accessories.
We'll have a "store" at the Conference Center and for those of you who can't make it to KnittaPalooza, we'll be changing out the trunk shows between Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn store and the Conference Center.
On the blogger front: I can't get Knitting Ring to work and I've lost my counter.
On the knitting front: Mexican Wave shawl is finished and is beautiful. I've begun a simple all knit skinny scarf with Trendsetters Sunshine . And I'm looking for a lace pattern for the lace weight bamboo yarn.
I think that's it.
By popular demand (and since no one signed up)....Sunday morning "Los Lobos" sock class has been changed to a "bead" class (knitting with and trimming with beads). Spots are stil available.
Boxes and boxes and boxes of yarns have arrivied. Beautiful alpacas in every weight imaginable, lots of novelty, new Hanne Faulkenberg samples and lots of needles and accessories.
We'll have a "store" at the Conference Center and for those of you who can't make it to KnittaPalooza, we'll be changing out the trunk shows between Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn store and the Conference Center.
On the blogger front: I can't get Knitting Ring to work and I've lost my counter.
On the knitting front: Mexican Wave shawl is finished and is beautiful. I've begun a simple all knit skinny scarf with Trendsetters Sunshine . And I'm looking for a lace pattern for the lace weight bamboo yarn.
I think that's it.
Monday, May 10, 2004
Monday, April 26, 2004
Weekend in Atlanta
It was jewelry shopping at the Mart, yarn shopping at TKGA Market and eating pizza from Target for me this past weekend when I spent 4 days with my dearest friend Coco and her husband in Atlanta.
Wanna hear/read about it?
I had no problem finding parking at Norfolk International Airport on Thursday. It was the first time I have parked my car in long term parking since the new terminal was built. It's really nice and no more lugging luggage out in the weather.
Made it through Security with my US #1 Addi Turbo's with the baby bonnet Leaves in my carry on. I was able to knit during the entire flight. I did put them away during take off and landing since I have been asked to do that in the past. Flight was uneventful and my luggage arrived in Atlanta with me. The luggage carousel brought it out to me just as I arrived at the baggage claims area.
MARTA took me right to the North St exit (2 stops after 5 Points) where Coco was waiting for me. A quick stop by the bank to say "HI" to the Atlanta group and it was off to Coco's house.
We had a lovely "cocktail" hour with diet Dr Pepper and cheese while waiting for R (Coco's husband) to come home from work. Dinner was THE best frozen pizza! Now Coco has raved about these little pizzas for a while and so I was quite anxious to try them. She was right! From the Target Superstore, Target brand, $1.99 each, Roma tomatoes and cheese. With a side salad that was dressed with Green Goddess! (look for a pizza pattern here)
After dinner we sat on the porch ( a great Southern tradition) and caught up while Coco read Star magazine and I knitted. We are multi-tasking women!
Breakfast on Friday was bacon, egg beaters and coffee and then it was off to the Jewelry Mart where I purchased a pair of gold huggy earrings, a travel bag and reading glasses and only spent $100. And that included lunch for both of us: egg salad sandwich, pimento cheese sandwich, chips and 2 diet cokes!
After the Mart we found our way to one of the Atlanta LYS, Strings and Strands on Wieuca Rd. Coco decided she wanted to relearn to knit. Specifically a felted hat. So after checking every bit of wool in the store she decided on a beautiful light blue wool with a knitted in band of off white.
Strings and Strands is a nice what I would call "quaint" shop. Yarn is floor to ceiling. The shelves/cubies go from floor to the ceiling. And as a short person, I had a hard time seeing what was waaaay up at the ceiling. They have a nice selection of yarns...wool, novelty, acrylic, etc. Not as plentiful (to me) were the patterns and notions and easily read prices. It was also about 4:00 when we arrived and I was feeling that "it's time to leave" vibes from the yarnseller by about 4:30. So we took the wool and needles and left for home.
Since R was working until 9:00, Coco and I decided that another pizza was the right thing to have for dinner. Another Roma tomato and cheese for each of us and a side salad.
After dinner again found us on the porch with Coco relearning to cast on and knit.
Friday morning we were up early and had a breakfast of Taylor Pork Roll on a bun and fruit. Now I understand Taylor Pork roll is a real "treat". I'm not so sure. Sort of reminded me of ground bacon....
Another friend "R" joined us and we were off to the city again for the TKGA Market. This was the first year for me (and for my non-knitting friends) and truthfully I expected many more vendors...more like 100 than the 25 that were there. I think MS&W has ruined me for smaller shows....LOL
Great Yarns was the first shop. Beautiful samples and yarns. Their site doesn't look "complete" yet but does show some of the samples. One thing they had that was new to me was a "bleach-gel" that is used to fade a finished garment. Their scarves sample used Trendsetters "Sunshine" in a simple knit every row pattern. The gel was applied to make a decorative wave around the edges. I did purchase this gel and plan to play with it soon.
Second stop was at Skaska that sold knitted gossamer shawls. JUST BEAUTIFUL! I left with a skein of lace wt merino, 1 skein of lace wt merino/silk and the book Gossamer Webs. (look for lace shawl pattern beginning here)
Stop number 3 was Just Bags where I splurged and bought a double point needle holder in what they call the tan oriental design.
Yarn Barn of Kansas pulled me in for my next purchase....Stahman's Shawls and Scarves, Lacy Knitting by Mary Schiffman (yea I know...) and US #1 & 3 bamboo needles. This store has a great selection of knitting and crochet books.
At Interlacements their Seeds in a blue/green colorway and Rick Rack in purple went home with me.
My last purchase was at Habu Textiles for 2 small skeins of bamboo yarn....a dk wt in charcoal and lace wt in off white. You have to see and touch to really appreciate this yarn. And the finished garments are incredible....I wish I had more time to talk with the representative...she was so busy answering questions I just stood around listening.
So those were my purchases...what else was interesting? Lantern Moon needles, a new-way-to-me to add beads to knitting, "R" finding a sale table of $5 a skein yarn, and Coco asking "a really nice lady" to help her choose needles for the skein of Interlacements yarn she purchased....the "really nice lady" was Lily Chin.
The evening found Coco and I back on her porch knitting and chatting and the weekend coming to an end.
We had Target pizza's for dinner......
Sunday morning I packed all of my treasures (carried on the yarn and needles) and headed back to Norfolk. Stopped at Harris Teeters to replenish fresh food stuff, ran by the kennel and picked up Bailey and headed home.
So now it's Monday and back to work day.....but hey! KnittaPalooza is right around the corner!
Wanna hear/read about it?
I had no problem finding parking at Norfolk International Airport on Thursday. It was the first time I have parked my car in long term parking since the new terminal was built. It's really nice and no more lugging luggage out in the weather.
Made it through Security with my US #1 Addi Turbo's with the baby bonnet Leaves in my carry on. I was able to knit during the entire flight. I did put them away during take off and landing since I have been asked to do that in the past. Flight was uneventful and my luggage arrived in Atlanta with me. The luggage carousel brought it out to me just as I arrived at the baggage claims area.
MARTA took me right to the North St exit (2 stops after 5 Points) where Coco was waiting for me. A quick stop by the bank to say "HI" to the Atlanta group and it was off to Coco's house.
We had a lovely "cocktail" hour with diet Dr Pepper and cheese while waiting for R (Coco's husband) to come home from work. Dinner was THE best frozen pizza! Now Coco has raved about these little pizzas for a while and so I was quite anxious to try them. She was right! From the Target Superstore, Target brand, $1.99 each, Roma tomatoes and cheese. With a side salad that was dressed with Green Goddess! (look for a pizza pattern here)
After dinner we sat on the porch ( a great Southern tradition) and caught up while Coco read Star magazine and I knitted. We are multi-tasking women!
Breakfast on Friday was bacon, egg beaters and coffee and then it was off to the Jewelry Mart where I purchased a pair of gold huggy earrings, a travel bag and reading glasses and only spent $100. And that included lunch for both of us: egg salad sandwich, pimento cheese sandwich, chips and 2 diet cokes!
After the Mart we found our way to one of the Atlanta LYS, Strings and Strands on Wieuca Rd. Coco decided she wanted to relearn to knit. Specifically a felted hat. So after checking every bit of wool in the store she decided on a beautiful light blue wool with a knitted in band of off white.
Strings and Strands is a nice what I would call "quaint" shop. Yarn is floor to ceiling. The shelves/cubies go from floor to the ceiling. And as a short person, I had a hard time seeing what was waaaay up at the ceiling. They have a nice selection of yarns...wool, novelty, acrylic, etc. Not as plentiful (to me) were the patterns and notions and easily read prices. It was also about 4:00 when we arrived and I was feeling that "it's time to leave" vibes from the yarnseller by about 4:30. So we took the wool and needles and left for home.
Since R was working until 9:00, Coco and I decided that another pizza was the right thing to have for dinner. Another Roma tomato and cheese for each of us and a side salad.
After dinner again found us on the porch with Coco relearning to cast on and knit.
Friday morning we were up early and had a breakfast of Taylor Pork Roll on a bun and fruit. Now I understand Taylor Pork roll is a real "treat". I'm not so sure. Sort of reminded me of ground bacon....
Another friend "R" joined us and we were off to the city again for the TKGA Market. This was the first year for me (and for my non-knitting friends) and truthfully I expected many more vendors...more like 100 than the 25 that were there. I think MS&W has ruined me for smaller shows....LOL
Great Yarns was the first shop. Beautiful samples and yarns. Their site doesn't look "complete" yet but does show some of the samples. One thing they had that was new to me was a "bleach-gel" that is used to fade a finished garment. Their scarves sample used Trendsetters "Sunshine" in a simple knit every row pattern. The gel was applied to make a decorative wave around the edges. I did purchase this gel and plan to play with it soon.
Second stop was at Skaska that sold knitted gossamer shawls. JUST BEAUTIFUL! I left with a skein of lace wt merino, 1 skein of lace wt merino/silk and the book Gossamer Webs. (look for lace shawl pattern beginning here)
Stop number 3 was Just Bags where I splurged and bought a double point needle holder in what they call the tan oriental design.
Yarn Barn of Kansas pulled me in for my next purchase....Stahman's Shawls and Scarves, Lacy Knitting by Mary Schiffman (yea I know...) and US #1 & 3 bamboo needles. This store has a great selection of knitting and crochet books.
At Interlacements their Seeds in a blue/green colorway and Rick Rack in purple went home with me.
My last purchase was at Habu Textiles for 2 small skeins of bamboo yarn....a dk wt in charcoal and lace wt in off white. You have to see and touch to really appreciate this yarn. And the finished garments are incredible....I wish I had more time to talk with the representative...she was so busy answering questions I just stood around listening.
So those were my purchases...what else was interesting? Lantern Moon needles, a new-way-to-me to add beads to knitting, "R" finding a sale table of $5 a skein yarn, and Coco asking "a really nice lady" to help her choose needles for the skein of Interlacements yarn she purchased....the "really nice lady" was Lily Chin.
The evening found Coco and I back on her porch knitting and chatting and the weekend coming to an end.
We had Target pizza's for dinner......
Sunday morning I packed all of my treasures (carried on the yarn and needles) and headed back to Norfolk. Stopped at Harris Teeters to replenish fresh food stuff, ran by the kennel and picked up Bailey and headed home.
So now it's Monday and back to work day.....but hey! KnittaPalooza is right around the corner!
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