TNNA part 2

Where was I? Oh yes, I was showing you the new items I bought at the show.

Here is a picture of the Knit Happy canvas tote bag I got for myself. I love the lime green, and it seems like a handy size for a small project.

Lorna's Laces has a new yarn called Soulmate, that contains a fiber that is supposed to help regulate your body temperature while you are wearing it, called Outlast. I guess if you use it for socks, that means your feet won't sweat?? The yarn was in 5 or 6 color ways, and they had two skeins of random colors in a cute project bag. Their table was crowded, as everyone wanted to see all the colors and get a bag with their favorites. I am happy with my choice of a pink yarn called Lincoln Park Zoo, and a neutral taupe and beige called Buckingham Fountain. I can't wait to knit the yarn up and give it a try.

For those of you who hate holes in your hand knit socks, the makers of Soak have a Heel bar, to soften up those callouses. As a person whose goal is to spend the rest of her life in sandals, I need my feet to look good year around, so this sounded like a good thing. It included a few sample packs of my favorite wool wash, Soak.

I avoided all the bulky wools and frou-frou yarns for sale, but snagged this cute kit containing a pattern and hemp yarn in another cute project bag. I think I will wear this little cardi in Florida. It is from Lanaknits Designs, using Hempforknitting, in a color called Deep Sea.

Shawls continue to be a hot item, so the shawl pins were everywhere too. I have a good selection of Annie Adams shawl pins, so I didn't buy her latest designs (but I might regret showing restraint and not buying Annies' new design). I did get this shawl stick from a company that is new to me. I think I will enjoy this stick by Bonnie Bishoff.

Debra's Garden has a new item, a sheep soap. It came packaged for Sample It with a leather tape measure. I couldn't resist this little guy - but it will be hard for me to use him!!

Another new item is called the FixaStitch. It looks like a double ended crochet hook, but there is a video that shows how to use both ends for fixing dropped stitches. Haven't seen the video, so I will let you know know about this item when I give it a try.

For my last purchase, I had to debate about getting this. I really love the item, but I hated the thought of carrying it around. Not to mention the debate of keeping it at the Beach House in Florida, or flying it back home to MI. So I did get it, and decided to keep it in Florida. It is called the Block Roll and is a great item to complement all the lace knitting going on. It is a huge, padded surface, with a heat resistant cover,marked in a grid. This means you can pin to the surface or use it for steam blocking. LOVE this so much - I think I will like it better than the foam squares. I will show a pic of this later, it is still in the car!

The rest of the TNNA show i spent walking around and looking at all the new yarns, supplies and of course, knitting patterns. There were a few indie designers at the show with their own booths, and I hope they were successful.

TanMan was with me on this trip for the first time, and he went into the show before the exhibits opened. I think he was amazed at the size of the "business" associated with a simple craft like knitting. He wouldn't walk the show with me when it opened, but that was just as well, so I could wander to my hearts content. I am kind of thinking that this might be the last year that I attend the show - but I guess I said that last year too!

There were a few new yarn companies at the show, with a lot of luxury yarns. Glitzy and fluffy yarn was prominent too, but honestly, I don't get the appeal. Shawls, lace and cardigan/coats were big, making me want to start a new design.

That's the wrap-up of TNNA. I love being part of the knitting world, and it is fun to see the business "show it's stuff".

On the road for 6 hours and we arrived at our little piece of paradise, with a huge mess waiting for us. More on that to follow!!