Saturday's All Right for a FLIGHT (3 of 4 posts)

Stitches West 2009 - The Love
Originally uploaded by >>>WonderMike<<<

Day 3 of the Stitches West Saga....

This was supposed to be my final day of working @ Stitches and it was exciting to know that I had been a busy and productive bee (i.e. not just a greedy raccoon shopper) but it was also a wee bit depressing because I was heading home at the end of the day. But, before I could wallow in my own manic depression, it was SHOW TIME!

And, my friends, Saturday was a busy, busy day. We had scads of people drop by to say hello. I saw co-workers, friends, bloggers, podcasters, designers/LYS owners, authors, and, the thing that makes me weak in the knees, a UTILIKILT! It doesn't help matters that I think Kevin is a babe and his wife, Nathania an even bigger babe, but that's how the fiber love fest happens. You can't help your crushes, no?

The day was a whirlwind of meeting new listeners, showing people how to drop spindle, demonstrating the Schacht Ladybug, and showing off our new sock designs by homegirl, Marlowe. She even made a personal appearance and modeled said new footwear but, sadly I didn't have my camera handy for the runway work. I'm certain Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn would have approved.

One of the highlights of my day was a visit with the inspirational, Linda Cortright from Wild Fibers Magazine. She was in town with her wonderfully wry brother, Hugh, promoting the publication but also a new project called Keep the Fleece. KTF coincides with the U.N. proclamation of 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibers. There is a series of spinning and design contest categories that focus on various natural fibers as well as THE organizing project which hopes to create the world's largest scarf made of pure natural fibers. As a result of interviewing Linda for Yknit 016, she asked Anthony (our producer) if he would like to edit a promotional piece for KTF. A great opportunity for sound-work that will benefit a worthy cause.

During my lunch break I headed over to the Shelridge Farm's booth to check out CookieA's new sock book (!!!!) and knitted samples of said designs by Kristi. So beautiful and elegant Cookies designs are. While I was there admiring the footy goodness, I saw the Queen of Color herself, Lucy Neatby, sporting her glorious Fishtail Shawl coordinated with her bi-hued Doc Martins. She informed me that the only US storefront that sells Docs (in all their groovy colors) is in Portland. ++Perhaps you can stop and get a pair when you go to Sock Summit.++ Lucy was kind enough to show me her latest creation, the Venus Cardigan which you can learn to knit by ordering her soon-to-be-released DVDs showing the various techniques used in the VC construction. She will also be releasing an Intro to Knitting DVD which, if it's anything like her Sock Essentials or Knitting Essentials dvds, it's going to be a monumental hit with the YouTube set. I bow to Lady Lucy's awesomeness.

After the market work was over, we ran back to the Hilton for a quick rest before heading over to Santa Clara LYS, Bobbin's Nest owned by the hostess with the mostess, Erin McGee. Erin was hosting a yarn release party for Wendee Shulsen (aka HazelKnits) and featuring designs by Melissa Goodale and sock/hat/cowl designs by Jeni Chase. The exclusive release colorway was a lovely baby blue/brown/cream combination that is surely going to turn into a scarf or socks for Anthony. He fell in love with it the moment he saw it.

It was great to spend some quality time with Wendee (finally, after missing her premier party last year due to a prior Ira Glass/This American Life commitment) and to really check out Erin's store. It's such a warm and inviting space and I'm so jealous that we don't have something comparable in the East Bay. Okay, maybe the white wine and cheese is clouding my judgment but I did have the most lovely time hanging with the BobaKnits gals and the Santa Clara crew. I'll be back for sure.

Afterwards we had dinner at Jasmine, a local Thai restaurant. I very much enjoyed the fare, but several in our party thought it was a tad too spicy. I'm a total spice wimp so I always ask for mild. I can't run with the big spice dogs, so I'm happy to chill with the chihuahuas.

At this point, I was supposed to head back to Berzerkeley, but there were still people I wanted to check in with and places I wanted to check out at the Marketplace. When I called Anthony to ask for one more night, he immediately replied, "But of course! Have fun!". Gotta love that man. He knows the way straight to my wooly heart. So, it was one more night at the comfy Hilton and one day at the market.

Next up, Sunday is my Fun Day....