TNNA Recap
So, as promised, a recap of TNNA. It will, alas, have to be a bit brief. I seem to have managed to pick up some sort of cold bug while there and am trying to take it easy today in the hopes of fending it off quickly. So, first, what the heck is TNNA? It stands for The National Needlearts Association. They hold several tradeshows every year. The summer one happens in Columbus, Ohio, and it focuses on yarn and knitting. It's not a fiber festival like Rheinbeck or Maryland Sheep and Wool. It's only open to folks in the [...]
Meet
So I'm off at TNNA. I'm writing this ahead of time, but with any luck at all by the time you're reading this, the booth set up is done, it went smoothly, and I'm relaxing in a comfy chair and consuming some sort of refreshing beverage right now. Now the reality likely has more swearing, an emergency trip to target or home depot, and at least one broken nail. I'll report back later and let you know. One of the things I'm looking forward to doing while I'm here is meeting people I've only worked with online. One of these [...]
Declined
Dear Human, After careful consideration, it has been decided that your proposed trip will not be allowed. In your application, you failed to note how this trip would result in increased kitten happiness. You also failed to provide a detailed list of the steps you planned to take to ensure we continued to receive our daily allotment of chin scratches, belly rubs, and ear kisses. You didn't even outline the bribes you would procure to garner our favor upon your return. This inattention to detail is disappointing, and no future travel plans will be approved if you do not take [...]
Restraint
In a fit of unexpected restraint, I managed to purchase only two yarns at the Great Lakes Fiber Show. Well, three skeins, but two of them are the same and will be used to make a pair of socks, so that's practically only one skein, right? And they're both eye shatteringly bright. We'll pretend it's a nod to the resurgence of neon, ok? Up at the top there is Superwash Merino Worsted by Fiber Optic Yarns in the color Ellie. Yes, that's a thick yarn, and yes I'm likely going to make socks with it. I love thick socks, both [...]
More Critters
Earlier this month, we visited Maryland Sheep & Wool and got in our yearly recommended dose of sheepy goodness. Yesterday, we stopped by the Great Lakes Fiber Show to round out our furry animal intake. We also consumed our yearly ration of sugar-coated fried dough products (yes I know funnel cakes will kill you, but I'm hoping that eating half of one every other year will kill me fairly slowly). These cuties were freshly shorn and wanted to show off for the camera: I just can't get over their fluffy giant heads on their tiny skinny necks. They look like [...]
As Advertised
Maryland Sheep & Wool had, not surprisingly, a large number of sheep and other wooly things. We found wee baby goats: Curly horned sheep (do the horns mean they're boys? Are boy sheep really rams, like how boy cows aren't so much cows as bulls or steer?): Sheep getting haircuts: And sheep with the post trim dreads (very styling): Plus the odd llama and rabbit and other furry friend. Very cute. Very smelly. Very noisy.
Expeditionary Force
The Violently Domestic Expeditionary Force has gotten word of a large wool deposit in Maryland. They've been dispatched to gather intelligence (and likely yarn). They'll report back shortly with full details. Maybe also with some sort of tasty cheese. There could also be a lamb burger involved, but that just seems a bit mean. We won't speak of it. Any one else sending scouts?
Luck of the Draw
Having fortified ourselves with pancakes (to do otherwise would be bordering on irresponsibility), we headed out to the Black Swamp Spinner's Guild Market Day. This year, they started charging a tiny (one dollar) entrance fee. Given what goes into organizing something like this, I think that's totally reasonable, and we were happy to pay it. After we handed over our entrance fee, they had us write our names on little raffle tickets and dropped them into a bin. My natural inclination in such cases is to write something ridiculous like Isabella Imogen Perseverance Paddington, but this time I actually wrote [...]
Dash
I'm dashing off to the Black Swamp Spinners Guild Market Day and Fiber Fair tomorrow. I went last year and found a few treats. Apparently the yarn there is destined to make good hats. It's where I got the yarn for Lauren's hat and for my hat, and I've actually got an experimental hat on the needles from the third skein of yarn I got there. I'm specifically hunting for more pencil roving (I should have had plenty left over, but it suffered the affections of Barry and is no longer usable). I'm also looking for a good place to [...]
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