cosmicpluto knits!

back at the hook

Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes! I had a pretty good birthday, with lots of presents to myself.

New workstation! Still working on getting it set up – restoring from Time Machine is being a bit finicky. Might have to do a computer-to-computer transfer instead.

A free-to-me piano! Needs work, but it really belongs to one of the guys that lives upstairs from me. Just somewhere to keep it until he has somewhere else to put it – in the meanwhile, once the innards come back from the piano repairman, I’ll be playing it all. the. time.

And this week, I’ve been crocheting. I’d kind of forgotten that crochet really is awesome.

happy birthday canada!

You sure look good for 143!

Hope you’re all out enjoying the sunshine and having a cold one.

(I sure miss Jeni’s. Mmmmmm!)

some housekeeping

A little cleaning up of the blog here and there – I’ve updated my Wholesale page with a new up-to-date price list. I’ve lowered the price on a couple of the accessory patterns to match the retail price of the patterns here, so if you’re interested in carrying my patterns at your shop, drop me a line and let me know!

I’ve also updated my Classes page – due to a lack of registration I won’t be teaching at Knit Camp this year. Anyone who signed up for my classes should have received an email with an option for switching or a refund. If you haven’t, you should probably let the Knit Camp people know what you want to do!

Since that means I’m in town all summer now, I’d love if the locals would come and take a class with me at lettuce knit – I’ve got lots of spaces available in my July and August classes.

I’ve spent all day doing computer work (especially final polishing up of the new pattern that’s been seen out and about lately) and haven’t had a chance to knit at all! Time to change that – I’m almost at the end of my first ball of cashmere on this scarf:

Say it with me now: oooooooooooh.

a week past

I’m sure you’ve seen Ysolda’s awesome TNNA booth around the internets, but I’ve some photos to share too! Who cares that they’re a little late?

Looking into the booth from the aisle. Featuring Olgajazzzy in the middle!

Gudrun’s beautiful corner.

My own corner!

I LOVE these posters for Ysolda’s upcoming book, Little Red in the City – those buttons and skeins of yarn were surprisingly difficult to pin up there though!

Small Bob hangin’ with the toys and trains.

Fantastic photos hanging outside the photobooth. So fun.

And for a bit of knitting content, the shrug I was working on before TNNA, and before I was sidelined by my elbow pain:

It’s in Sweetgeorgia Merino Silk DK, and though I didn’t get to wear it in Columbus, I’m back working on it now! Mmmm, silky.

post-TNNA recap

There are a couple of main reasons why I attend the National Needlework Association trade show in Columbus (this was my second year). A big one is, of course, to see the show floor – new products, be they yarn, notions, bags, patterns, random other stuff for fall. Touching the new yarns, trying on sample sweaters, talking to yarn industry people! I helped out in Ysolda’s supercute booth this year, putting together Ikea furniture, helping people take photos in the photobooth, serving tea and cake at the afternoon tea parties.

Then there are the other reasons I go – the people. Hanging out with my yarny internet friends that I might talk to all the time but see in person only a couple times a year. The parties are great (the Ravelry Ice Cream Social was super fun!) but even more fun to me are the quieter gatherings that happen organically all over the place during TNNA – at North Market, at the bar, on the street. So many awesome people, old friends and new ones.

And then there’s the Jeni’s! I’m not sure if it’s the best ice cream in the world, but that’s just because I haven’t tasted all the ice cream in the world! It’s damn good, and I made a point of trying as many flavours as I possibly could in my 5 days in Columbus – I did pretty well at that, and had half scoops of TWELVE flavours! And yep, they were all delicious.

I just got home this evening, and already I can’t wait for next year.

P.S. If you’re curious about all the great new stuff coming out this year, check out Hello TNNA!. The roving Ravelry reporters did an awesome job walking the floor, talking to people and blogging it all for you!

on the road again

I’m headed down to Columbus, Ohio tomorrow for Jeni’s Ice Cream (and a little trade show called TNNA). I’m super excited, because this show is a chance to see all those people I only see once or twice a year, eat yummy food, and check out the new yarns and patterns!

I might blog on the road but then again I might be having too much fun – you can follow along with the TNNA exploits from our friendly neighbourhood Ravelry peeps by checking out their twitter @hellotnna!

I knit up a pair of Cairn mitts for ysolda’s booth, since we both bought the same yarn a few years ago in London and she’d lost hers. Otherwise there’s no really new knits for this show – unfortunately my elbows have been bugging me and I’m on a bit of a knitting break! Darn!