Well, I survived my stint as tradeshow-attendee extraordinaire, attending three tradeshows, stretching from one coast to another, within a five-week timespan. I enjoyed my time in Atlantic City and Anaheim, but of course this last show - TNNA in Colubmus, OH - was by far the most enjoyable, since I got to attend it with my mom.

I left right after work on Thursday, going straight to the airport from the office, and arrived in Columbus in time to join my mom and some of her friends for a late dinner. I finally got to meet Rob and Matt of Threadbear Fiber Arts Studio in Lansing, MI, who mom never shuts up about (which is understandable, because they’re wonderful, hilarious guys). We were also joined by Robin of Pagewood Farm and her assistant (whose name I unfortunately cannot remember). The food was mediocre at best, but the company more than made up for it, and a good time was had by all.

Friday morning, Mom had a class, so I spent that time catching up on some work (which I didn’t hear the end of for the rest of the weekend), and afterwards, we headed over to the convention center for the Retailer’s Luncheon, where we were treated to a talk by the Yarn Harlot herself, Ms. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. As is her usual custom, she took photos of her sock with all of us as a backdrop, and if you look closely at one of the photos she took, you can see me and Mom. That’s me wearing pink near the center front of the photo…

I cast on for a no-brainer sock shortly before Stephanie started talking, which I figured was an appropriate thing to do, given the situation. It’s a mindless little sock done with Panda Cotton, and I’m thrilled with how the colorway is turning out.

Friday evening was the fashion show, but as neither Mom nor I like tight, crowded spaces, we opted to skip it and have dinner with Mom’s former TNNA roommate (before yours truly took her place), Jackie of Wild and Woolly in Lexington, MA. It’s too bad we were both so tired after dinner, because we missed out on all the fun that was had with the cool kids over at the Hyatt that night. Oh well, maybe next year.

Saturday was the first day of the show, and Mom and I got off to a good start. We ran into Jess and Casey, who gave us name stickers and name badges, so other Ravelers could easily identify us. We stopped by the Louet booth to place a huge order of yarns and spinning fibers (of which yours truly added a hefty amount to!) and got to meet Abby, who was working the fiber section of that booth.

On Sunday we looked at the lovely offerings from Namaste (where I picked up a schnazzy new badge holder, since I foolishly left my TNNA one at home), ordered what seemed like 10 years worth of delicious sock yarn from Pagewood Farm, and fondled some incredibly soft yarn from New Zealand made from possum fur, of all things. This latter is from Zealana, and it’s truly lovely, if a bit on the pricey side. I was able to snag a couple of samples - one that’s a cotton/bamboo/possum blend, and another that’s a wool/cashmere/possum blend. They’re really gorgeous, and you wouldn’t believe how soft they are. I’m particularly in love with the latter, as it has a lovely halo when it’s knit up. It’s slightly less than that of mohair, but as I’m highly allergic to mohair, I’ve been on the lookout for a good replacement. I may have found it. I wonder if people would look at you funny if you told them you were wearing possum yarn?

That evening, we dined again with Matt and Rob, and we were also joined by the lovely Kim Werker. You wouldn’t believe how funny this girl is. At one point, we were discussing actors, and when, upon mention of Serenity and Firefly, it became known that several of us at the table knew what she was talking about, she said, “Oh my god, I’m with my people!!” The conversations went on for hours and ranged from everything from crochet (the logical topic, given the crowd) to visiting Japan to embarassing stories, and beyond. I was sorry to end the evening, but as I had a 6:30 am flight the next morning (so I could get off the plane and go to work - joy), it was time to call it a night.

Overall, I had a fabulous time, and I’m sorry I don’t have more photos to share. I’ll just have to let everyone else’s blogs suffice in that area. And now, it’s late and time for bed. There’s still so much I want to talk about, but… I’ll have to save it for later. So, til then… happy knitting!