Après Squee Tuesday June 15, 2011

…click on pix for larger versions

I’ve been just a little lonely for pictures, since for the last several days I’ve been where I mostly couldn’t take any! But once the show was officially over, I just had to break out the phone and shoot a couple…

REWIND: While waiting for the fork lift guy to come over and take our stuff to the rental car, I knit a little and realized it was an amazing moment.

Here, in front of our meager booth packings, was the hall: big, almost empty, and slowly draining of the Enormous Energy that had filled it for 5 days.

REWIND some MO: But let’s go back a little bit – to Thursday. This is traveling day, going down to Columbus and getting registered and ready for the Show.

Then on Friday, it’s set-up day, happening this year in a torrential downpour. Luckily, the convention center had us pull up to the doors and unload. Then it’s a race to build the booth. Even with my rather edited objects, things have to be screwed together, hung, positioned, moved and tinkered with.

I always stop at the North Market after I drop off my stuff and order flowers from Market Blooms. (This, but of course is the perfect time to sneak in some ice cream from Jeni’s – ooh la la!) This year, Marty put together a sweet posy arrangement of deep red roses in a modern vase. Her special touch was to line the clear glass vase with a banana leaf so it looked organic all the way tip to toe.

I was in Row 1, with some of the most amazing people at the show: Fickle Knitter – Michelle (wave! Monica), Ysolda, MadelineTosh, Stitch Cooperative, Unicorn Books (book signings galore), etc. = LIVELY!

Saturday – Monday: for real! The convention center opens and then it’s three days full of SHOWTIME! – where we were able to see many, many friends, old and new (yay! Kate (Tot Toppers) & Anne (Crafty Diversions)), and enjoy showing our new styles for Fall 2011. (I cannot WAIT to show you – but – just a little longer ;p )

From the very start, with breakfast at the hotel with the lovely Wooly Wormhead & Carol Feller, who came all the way from Ireland, to the hopping dinner at the Happy Greek with Corrine, Lynn, and Judith, it was a lively Day 1 (dress on right).

Then more fun on Sunday, (wearing dress #2 with a kelly green CeCe), après show dinner at the fabulous Tip Top with Jessica and a lovely stroll through downtown Columbus…

One really special moment was when the trifecta of FUN visited Booth 160 and I got to hob and nob with some people who’ve been my online favorites for years!! Caro and Stitchy Mcyarnpants (Knitting it Old School) and Amy Herzog came by and it was a total l.a.u.g.h. RIOT!

In the midst of all this, a magazine issue was Launched: the newly designed Petite Purls, a special 2nd year anniversary edition, edited by Brandy Fortune and Allegra Wermuth. Just a really gorgeous outing!

The wonderful Rosemary Hill, she of the most excellent shawl & pin Designs by Romi, styled my Vonica on display with one of her beautiful pieces.

Here’s its portrait, taken here in Chicago. We’ve been showing it open but it overlaps enough to showcase a lovely piece like this:

It’s really quite amazing – it just goes gently through the knitting like a corkscrew and becomes a wonderful closure…

And one other thing made it back to Chicago with me, riding the 358 miles shotgun, all the way:

Just a little worse for wear, like moi! But still, oh so lovely…