TNNA 2013: A Huge Success

Stitchers from all over descended upon Columbus Ohio this past weekend for the summer TNNA needlearts market to shop for new products, get inspired and see friends old and new. It was a huge success. 

When walking the show floor frequently people ask if you have found anything new and exciting. As this is my tenth show there is a lot that I have seen before - with many new booths sprinkled in.  I find it all exciting. 

One of my first stops is Lorna's Laces to say hello to Beth & Michael.  Their yarns are a staple in the shop fall lineup. Shepherd Worsted is a wonderful machine washable wool that is hand dyed and lovely.  I am also very excited for their new yarn, Haymarket, which is 100% Bluefaced Leicester wool. It is so very soft and in Lorna's colors- amazing.  

I was very excited when I was walking down the 1000 aisle and ran into Lesley Scanlon who is the amazingly creative mind behind Mac & Me.  She was displaying her new patterns, all classic designs with a modern twist.  I was so happy to catch up with her and place an order for the shop.  

The Koigu booth is always full of buzz and excitement.  We picked through their hundreds of colors deciding what stayed and what didn't (this is never easy.  I love it all!).  Below is the beginning of the process... 

Wow, I love Koigu!

The show wouldn't be complete without seeing some favorite knitwear designers.  The cherry on top was visiting with Ysolda Teague. We talked about her designs, her new book, and even got some new tips for casting-on toys! She is such a nice person to chat with and I am so excited to work with her distributor, Crafty Diversions. 

With all that in mind I still have quite a few surprises up my sleeves for fall.  I cannot wait to share them with you.

Knit, Crochet, Create!

Mac is Back!

Our Mac & Me patterns have arrived just in time for these fall temperatures to tempt us with cool weather knitting. Leslie has done it again with great new patterns we are thrilled to have and can't wait to knit!

We love the cabled leg warmers or socks:


They are very cute for yourself or a gift for a friend. Hello, holiday knitting!

Speaking of cute, check out Natalie's Slippers!! They are adorable - a fantastic gift for a baby shower or favorite niece or nephew. A quick knit on large needles with Blue Sky Alpaca's Bulky yarn.

A final favorite is the Outer Throw - a large version of the Outer Baby Blanket which is a shop favorite.
This is such a great pattern and its no wonder that that Leslie expanded the pattern for a full size throw that would be a great addition to any living room.

Greetings from TNNA

If I tell Margaux one more time how happy I am about this June's TNNA she might smack me. But to be honest it's been a fabulous show and I am so excited for the Fall!

We visited old friends and met new ones and we're all excited about what's in store for you all this Fall!

First we visited Michael & Beth at Lorna's Laces. We will once again be stocking their Shepherd's Worsted and Helen's Lace in more colors than we've ever had before!

Next was Koigu.

It was fun picking out colors again this year and that is only half of what we are bringing to you! We love Koigu for so many reasons and we love them even more now that Rhichard bestowed lil
Scribner with their first toy!
Thank you again Rhichard for being so thoughful and generous. We know our lil' Scribner is going to love it!

Next up, Blue Sky and Spud & Chloe. There's so much we love about this company. The yarns are delicious, the patterns lovely and their brand - genius! Margaux showed them her latest sweater creation to their delight! I think they got the idea of how much she loves their skinny cotton! Now get cracking on that pattern, Miss Margaux. We ordered all their new colors in Brushed Suri, S&C Outer and Sweater and a little limited edition surprise.

Even though we're still in the midst of the summer warmth we do have our sights set on the fall and all it's pattern offerings! Margaux enjoyed this great hat from Mac & Me. Made with 4 balls of the Blue Sky Bulky, we think its going to be a hit.


We had great expectations going into this year's trade show and we left with so much more than we could have expected. Our "to-do" list was long and we managed to check every item off in what feels like a whirlwind visit. As for the new yarn 'friends', we hope you pop in to the shop to meet them - we will be sure to let you know when they arrive.

Looking forward to cast on and seeing you all of you soon!

Oh how we love Spud & Chloe

Spud & Chloe was an instant shop favorite when it arrived in fall 2009 and continues to be as we progress in the new year. They have great patterns for adults & children and the yarn is fantastic for family knits as it is machine washable. Mac & Me have a few patterns written for the yarns as well - a very popular one is #106 outer baby blanket.



This blanket has been knit by customers in every shade Spud & Chloe outer that we have! Here it is cabon #7203. It is a great blanket & cuddly and warm for any special little one in your life.

New Arrivals

This week we were happy to receive new patterns from Mac & Me as well as new clutches from Persnickity Knits!

Leslie at Mac & Me has worked overtime creating new patterns that are beautiful in design and offer something for everyone.

The skirt pattern would fit tweens to adults!

She truly has outdone herself with this collection.

Persnickity Knits clutches are really great little knitting bags. We have two sizes available, Lulu which is the small brown one in front & Fifi which is a mid size clutch, the green one to the back.

They are well constructed with a soft green lining sure to hold up to years of use, great to toss into a bag to take your knitting everywhere with you!

Day Three

We are sitting in the Drury with our favorite sales rep (Rowan, Manos, Misti, Fibre Company), Antonia, thinking about the great day we had at the show. We are pooped from all the knit excitement!

Above isone of our signed books, Vintage Baby Knits, a note pad from Blue Sky, a skein of superior & our ring for ordering Mac & Me. It is so fun seeing friends!

It all started at Lorna's Laces. We beelined right over to our favorite yarn line to put in an order for the fall. A few color choices later and we were feeling mission accomplished and it was only 10:30am!

Our next stop was at the Fibre Company and we got to meet Kate and Courtney the distributors. You know them best as the distributors for our "crack" yarn, Road to China. Kate has some great designs that are showcased on their website and a popular pattern coming out in the Fall Knitscene. (Margaux's pretty excited about that one!)

We got to see so many great knit designers and industry influencers including Veronik Avery, Norah Gaughn, Kate Gilbert(Twist Collective), Teva Durham and Stacey Charles (Takhi Stacey Charles).

From our book distributor we got a few great books to show you including one that we believe was made with us in mind called Pints and Purls. How can you not love a pattern book that has drunken knits!? We also were particularly excited about the Vintage Baby knits book which Margaux can't stop looking at.

We also got to stop at the Mac & Me booth and see the great new designs by Leslie Scanlon. Patricia enjoyed the new Mac&Me patterns as well as Margaux modeling some of the garments - especially the bling we got for our new fall order!!

Another new yarn that we are excited to bring to you is Aslan Fibers. This great wool is soft and has a beautiful palette of colors.

Our last stop was at Blue Sky and their new line, Spud & Chloe! The new line is fantastic and we cannot wait to get it in for you to enjoy. It's such a great line that even Margaux forgot her inner monologue and exclaimed for joy as our order was being made. It caught the Blue Sky rep a little off guard but she said it was understandable ;).

We snapped a few photos from the Rowan booth,
The actual new magazine, number 46, which we will have to wait to receive along with the ball of Lima & an image from the Lima Collection.

The cover image from their new book the Lima Collection with a ball of it which we are very excited about.

Getting ready to head out for dinner with Beth & Michael from Lorna's, Antonia, Craig & Mark from Loop & the two of us! All in all a great knitting day! We cannot believe we have to leave tomorrow.