Report From TNNA: Kid in the Candy Store ... or How I Survived TNNA By Yvonne When Martha asked me to accompany her to TNNA, the annual trade show for fiber artists, I knew it was going to be hard work but also a lot of fun. As the date approached for us to leave, I spent a lot of time prepping by looking up new companies that announced their presence, highlighting the map layout so I knew where the companies that we needed to visit were located, and making lists of what else we needed to look at. Then, before I knew it, the time had come. Martha and I were off to Columbus, and I was giddy. Friday: After settling in at our hotel, we headed over to the convention center to check in, get our gear, and look at the “what’s new” displays and get ready for the "Sample It" market, fashion show, and Ravelry's ice cream social. “Sample It” is the cash and carry portion of TNNA, and let me tell you, the line for this event was LONG. Imagine waiting for the water rides at Kennywood on the hottest day of the summer...it was that long. Martha and I bought hand creams from Lavishea and Lo-Lo, some Mulberry silk, visited with our friends from Jajaja, looked at patterns from Heartstrings, and bumped into (literally) hundreds of people. "Sample It" only lasts an hour, and many places sell out of their samples -- for example, Namaste's table was empty by the time we had made it to their area. Following Sample It was the fashion show, which we did not attend, but did watch bits and pieces of on the digital screen set up outside of the show area. I got to see Elizabeth Zimmerman's green sweater being modeled, and the next day I got to see it in person and touch it! It was absolutely beautiful. (I felt like I had been allowed to run my hand over the Mona Lisa). While gawking at the fashion show, I ran into a friend who also happens to work for XRX. She was headed to the ice cream social sponsored by Ravelry, and asked Martha and I if we wanted to help set up the party. Um, heck yeah! So off we went. After greeting Jess and Casey and finding out where we could pitch in, Martha was assigned to the T-shirt table and I worked in different spots, then hobnobbed with the glitterati. I also hobnobbed with the bartender, who plied me with way too much beer, after which I steadfastly made a fool of myself by gushing to Stephen West about a pattern that wasn't his. We indulged in Jeni’s Ice Cream (after all, it was an ice cream social), then headed back to the hotel where we immediately collapsed. Click on pictures to get a larger image Saturday: Up at the crack of dawn, showered, and down to wait for the shuttle to take us to the convention center. This is it! This is when the fun REALLY begins! We arrived at the convention center at 9, grab a bite to eat and a slug of coffee, and then we were ready to go! We stopped short, however, when we discovered that the doors don't open until 10. There’s even a ribbon cutting ceremony beforehand. I took the time to call to my family and the Saturday crew at the shop, watched the hordes descend on the fruit and danish buffet that has been spread out (locusts, I tell ya!), knitted a few rows on a scarf, and then, finally, the doors were flung open with a flourish. There really are no words to describe the show. The best I can do is compare it to the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show, but with yarn. There are booths that are elaborately decorated (Ysolda Teague, Blue Sky Alpacas, Hiya Hiya), there are booths that are simply a showcase of the products offered (Skacel, ChiaoGoo, Kollage), and everywhere, there is yarn, yarn, yarn. (There are also needlework products, but we gloss over those, stopping occasionally to comment on a design or two). One of our first stops is Madelinetosh, where the walls and several tables are literally covered in yarn. People are fondling the skeins, gushing over the softness and the depth of the colors. After a short discussion and checking some prices, we do it: Tosh Lace is coming to the shop. Then we went on to Dream in Color, Skacel, a stop here to look at something new, over to that booth to look at something different. We couldn’t resist the lure of the Malabrigo, and spend quite a bit of time clutching the new superwash worsted yarn (yes, it's coming soon (Expected to ship August - September)). We stopped at the Ysolda Teague display and spend some time talking to Ysolda herself about Little Red in the City, her newest offering. We got to see the cut sheets from the new book, reviewed the patterns, and listened to her describe how this book is different than the last two that have been produced. Ysolda directed us to Deep South, who is going to be distributing her book, and invites us back for tea. We walked with purpose between the booths, stopping at vendors whose lines we currently carry, chatting with vendors whose lines we don't carry but who may have something to offer our shop that we can in turn offer you, our customers. Some things we see make us cringe; some things make us giddy with excitement. Some yarns are so beautiful, but because of their high price point, we don't bring them in, because we know in our hearts that we'd never be able to sell them. One of our stops before lunch was Fairmount Fibers, which carries Manos del Uruguay . We looked at their yarns (new color), ordered things we are out of, and indulged in a delicious little dulce de leche candy. Then it was time for a break for lunch (the convention center food is actually passable), and off to look at more yarn, needles and notions. Pagewood Farms is one of our favorite vendors, so we had to stop and see them. We need to reorder some things, plus it's always nice to chat. And OMG, who is there but Stephen West! I Kinneared the poor dear (who did forgive me for being such a geek on Friday at the party). Martha placed a substantial order, and then we're off to another vendor, and another, and another. We stopped at the Natural Dye Studio, who is new this year to the show. They’ve come “across the pond” from England, and have an amazing array of little wee skeins on their table, plus full size skeins hanging around the booth. We spent a lot of time talking to Phil and Amanda about the dye process and the yarn, take some samples, and agreed to come back the next day to further our discussions. Sunday We got to the convention center and head off to our class, which deals with shop samples. The class is two hours long and we walk away with a lot of knowledge and ideas. Then it’s off to visit more vendors! Dill Buttons is our button supplier and we spent a lot of time looking at their new offerings, plus going through their books to see if we can expand the things we offer for those customers who are knitting baby items and want something subtle yet cute. Monica requested hedgehog buttons, so we ordered some of them, too. Today, our focus was on the spinners, as we ordered mounds of deliciousness from Frabjous Fibers], Scarlet Fleece ...oh, I can't even begin to list them all! The Frabjous Fibers are glorious colors, with wee bits of angelina here and there, just to give it a small amount of spark. Nothing too “out there” -- just a subtle glint. We also visited Deep South, where we discover not only are they distributing Little Red, but they will also be distributing Stephen West’s new book! So yes, that's coming, too - expect it around October. (We've also ordered some individual patterns from Mr. West and are waiting for those to arrive, as well). Our last stop is to revisit the Natural Dye Studio. We agreed to carry the sport, fingering and lace weight yarns. Personally, I cannot wait for these to arrive in our shop. If you would like a preview, please stop in to the shop and check out the mini skeins hanging from the notions tree. I've also knit a wee hat with the sport weight, and it is resting happily on top of the notions tree. Well - I thought that the Natural Dye Studio was our last stop. We were coaxed into visiting Chica's booth, and are looking forward to selling their reversible project bags. With that, we called it a day and headed out of the convention center and back to the hotel. So who did I see? Debbie Macomber, Lily Chin, Nicky Epstein, Nora Gaughan, Amy Singer, Jillian Moreno, Rick Mondragon, the entire Ravelry crew, and of course Ysolda Teague and Stephen West. Would I go back? In a heartbeat. While most of our orders are scheduled to arrive in the late summer/early fall, some things have already arrived, including the square needles from Kollage, the small size bamboo circular needles from ChiaoGoo, and the Unpatterns. Please stop in to see our new arrivals, and check our blog and Twitter frequently to see when new arrivals make it in to the shop! (Note: There is no photography permitted on the TNNA floor, otherwise, I’d have loaded up several pictures for you).

Spotlight on Crochet Classes: Lacy Triangle Choker By Annette Crochet is a great way to make beautiful (and lacy!) jewelry. Annette offers a class for a Lacy Triangle Choker which is fast to work up and easy to customize by changing the yarn and bead colors. The pattern was written by and featured on Crochetology.net and has granted Natural Stitches permission to teach it as a class! Good for advanced beginner/intermediate students comfortable with single, double, and triple crochet as well as chains, increases and decreases. Class meets on Tuesday, July 13 from 6-8pm. The cost is $25. Please call 412-441-4410 or stop by the shop to reserve your spot in the class. Want more crochet choices? Annette is offering these new classes in August. Keep an eye on our calendar for dates! Mesh Bottle Bag - $25 2 hours Make your own custom mesh bag to carry your water bottle! Makes it easier to carry your reusable bottle with you, great for the environment, and helps keep you healthy & hydrated! A simple pattern, great for beginners and will be completely customized for the bottle of your choice! (Be sure to bring a bottle with you to shape around!) Students will finish or nearly finish their bag, depending on skill level and bottle size. Recycled Grocery Bag - $25 2 Hours Make a grocery bag by recycling old ones! You can learn how to make “yarn” from used plastic grocery bags and will then start crocheting a simple bag made with it! Good for the environment and lots of fun! Easy to customize the bag to suit your needs and wants—make it as big or small as you desire! Students will need to bring their own plastic bags for yarn-making. Crochet Socks - $25 2 Hours Socks aren’t just for knitting! Crochet socks are just as fun, and are especially great for lounging or slipper-socks. Learn the basic construction of crochet socks, just in time for the Summer of Socks and Lace! Start now for those holiday gifts and make some feet happy! Flowery Headband - $25 2 Hours What better way to keep your hair out of your face than with a handmade flower headband? Fashionable, and fun to make, it’s a great gift idea too for any lovely ladies or little girls in your life. Students will follow a basic pattern idea but will completely customize their own floral headband and should leave with a finished project! How fun!

Needle Review: Hiya Hiya Interchangeable Needle Set By Carla My preference for needles has changed. For a good while, I have been knitting more and more with bamboo needles. They are easy on my hands, and I love the feel of the bamboo. However, not long ago we got the HiyaHiya interchangeable needles. Their fancy packaging (in either red or blue) is eye-catching and fits well into any knitter’s bag. But that's just the flash and dazzle. The real treat is in the needles themselves. They are sized from US 2-8 (Yes! Size 2!) and have 16”, 24”, 32”, and 40” lengths. The tips are great: smooth and silky, but not as slick as Addi Turbos. The points are sharp enough to get into stitches, but they won't stab into your finger. The join is almost undetectable. The needle screws into the cable, and I haven't had one come apart yet. I’ve used them on all fiber types and weights and been very pleased. But now on to the best part: the cables. They shouldn’t really be called cables, as they are just a bit thinner than fingering weight yarn and are the most flexible I have ever used. They don’t twist around when I am turning or flip up into a spiral like a Slinky. The cables are soft to the touch but tough enough to hold up to a Moebius cast-on. Needle tips and cables are available separately in case you need to add to your set. At $67.50 they are a bit more expensive than Denise needles but way less expensive than the Addi Clicks. What’s not to like? I'm trying to think of a downside to these needles. The only one I can come up with is that they only go up to a size 8. But I hear that the larger sizes are coming. Believe me, I will be first in line to get my set.

From the entire staff of Natural Stitches, we wish you happy knits, creative crochets and splendid spinnings. And, as always, if there's anything we can do to help, just let us know!

Please check out what is happening at the web page.
Past editions are always available online as well.