Lunch and A Yarn Shop

Two weekends ago (gosh, has it been that long already?) I meet up with some dear knitterly friends (Melynda, Erica, Carrie and a new friend Debs) for lunch and a little yarn shop hop in the Detroit area.

As always, it was a great time! Here are some pics from the day. Sorry for the blurriness, these were taken from my phone.

Hey, I thought my camera was supposed to take good pics???

Here's a photo of Melynda with Sam and Erica with Padraig. It was my first time meeting the boys and they couldn't have been more adorable. Decked out in handknits too of course!

It also was the first time the boys meet each other. They were so smiley and happy to finally meet :)

Of course there were knitted gifts too!

(Hey, nice gift tag!)

Carrie was in all the way from California! It was so nice to be able to visit with her in person.

After a delicious lunch at Pronto we headed across the way to a charming yarn shop called Ewe-nique Knits. I was very excited to find my Knitterella stationery featured in both Vogue Knitting Holiday and Interweave Holiday Knits. Below is a shot of me happily posing with the magazines. It's always a thrill to be featured!!

Don't forget the blurry group shot!

What a great day! I always feel rejuvenated after meeting with friends that share my knitting passion. Hopefully our next meet up will be sooner than later!

TNNA 2012 Photobook

What a wonderful and inspiring time I had at TNNA last June in Columbus, Ohio. This year my wholesale distributor, Deep South Fibers, invited their designers to come and have their own half booth space. It was my first time having a booth and I had a BLAST! Below are some photos of the event…

(My own Knitterella booth - not too bad for a first time exhibitor.)

(Free buttons!)

(Sample knits and promo cards for my newest pattern - Mojavé)

(I had a tshirt made for the event - I really like how it turned out, maybe I should add some to my shop?)

(Kate was the best booth-mate.)

(She was super-mom running her busy booth and taking care of her precious 8 week old baby at the same time! Oliver was so good. He made the cutest hat model too.)

(My girl FPK.)

(It was so cool to have the talented Gudrun in the booth next to me. I'm an admirer her work so it was extra cool to meet her.)

(My friend Erica and my new friend Anne came to my booth. These girls are so fun - isn't Erica's custom maternity tee too cute?!)

(My new friend Hilary. Such a sweet girl.)

(FPK and I in Tiny Owl Knits booth. I love her magical designs and did you know she can sing? I mean REALLY sing - check her out - Amazing!)

(I was bummed that my friend Carrie wasn't there this year but her Fiar sample knit was - I've got to make one of these!)

(Here I am with my friend Sarah, from Ravelry - I always love seeing her.)

(Meeting Vickie Howell was awesome. I'm a longtime fan and being that I just finished the logo for her new charity initiative, The Purple Stitch Project, meeting her in person was extra special.)

(The long days always came to an end at the Hyatt lounge where every gathered to knit. SO many laughs there. Here I am with FPK, Brandy, Anne and Allegra - love these girls and miss them tons!)


What a fun time I had. I'm already excited thinking about next year's show!

Sweater from FPK

Last week my dear friend Melynda of French Press Knits and her sweet baby girl Elise came over for a play date and to meet LZ. They came bearing gifts too. Gifts of the best kind… handknits! Check out this adorable sweater Melynda made for LZ!!! I squealed with excitement when I opened it.


LZ is only 3 months and already wearing 6 month clothes so I squealed again when it I saw it fit! My lil' man looks so handsome in it.


I just love the color combo Melynda knit and the red buttons are an awesome pop of color. For more details on this pattern visit her blog post HERE.

Thank you so much Melynda!

Pin It

Meet Rebecca

The other day, on a routine Knitterella run to the post office, I meet a local artist. While waiting to ship out my orders, Rebecca was in line behind me ready to do the same. We got to talking. Asking about what the other did/sold, talking about Etsy, etc. We exchanged websites and from then have kept in touch. It's always great to meet fellow creative entrepreneurs - Especially when they are local!


Rebecca is a creator of rustic sterling silver jewelry and woodland hair adornments. She's inspired by her love of nature and all things whimsical. She's also a freelance graphic designer. Below is a photo of her home studio where she is surrounded by the nature that inspires her.


I love her style and look forward to adding her unique jewelry to my collection. In the meantime I simply couldn't resist this beautiful hair adornment. As soon as she posted it in her shop I had to have it! I plan to wear it over the holidays. Isn't it lovely?


Be sure to check out both of Rebecca's Etsy shops, Sweet Everythings and Vernon Bea. You can also follower her facebook page under Vernon Bea Studio (she posts often with new creations and you can even request custom orders). If you happen to be in the Michigan area she has a continuous booth at Yellow Door Art Market in Berkley, MI.

FYI - You still have time to get something from her shops in time for Christmas. Her cut off date for Christmas delivery is December 12th.

TNNA 2011 Photos Recap

With all the excitement that goes on during TNNA I always forget to take photos. I so wish I had more but I'm thankful I have these 4.


That's me and Jennifer Hansen from Stitch Diva Studios. I've only been emailing and working with her since 2003 so it was so so awesome to finally meet her in person! She was the first online company to carry my Knitterella product line and she is also the women behind the great Fiber Buzz Ads that I'm thankful to design for. She was so nice, pretty and easy to talk to. Meeting her was probably the highlight of my trip! The amazing red wrap she's wearing is one of her newest patterns - soon to be released - it was gorgeous!


This is the lovely designer Kate Oates of ToT Toppers with sweet baby FPK sporting Kate's Millie Monkey hat pattern. Being that I just finished the design work on her Math For Hats booklet it was a treat to meet her in person. Could have hung out with her all day!


This is a photo taken my last night at a lovely dinner had at Knead with Joanna Johnson and Melynda Bernardi. Joanna is a writter, knitwear designer and blogger. She's the woman behind the adorable children's books Phoebe's Sweater and Freddie's Blanket. It was such a pleasure meeting her. She was so easy to be around. I admire the work she does and am so glad we meet. Melynda (my partner in knitting crime) is not a stranger to my blog, as you know she's the talented designer behind French Press Knits. Although we didn't drive down together this time I'm glad we were able to hit the show together. Both being rep'd at the Deep South Fiber's booth this year made it extra special.


Here's Melynda, myself and her sweet baby Elise. Elise looked ever so adorable in her handknits - she was a hit on the showroom floor!

I got to meet so many talented designers and bloggers… TenTenKnits, P.Y. Knits, Woolly Wormhead, Angela Tong, Alison Stewart-Guinee, Ysolda and Susan B. Anderson to name just a few. I also got to visit with Allegra Wermuth and Brandy Fortune of Petite Purls. Their new issue of Petite Purls went live during the show. It was an exciting time to say the least.

I'm already looking forward to the next show so I can see my friends again. It's just such an amazing and inspiring atmosphere. I'm so glad I've found a place for myself in this great, knitting community!

TPK Open House Recap

The Plucky Open House last Saturday was a success! We had so much fun. Here's some photos to recap the event courtesy of Sarah.

A sample of my hat pattern.


Lots of yummy food.


A couple of very cute babies.




So much beautiful yarn!


Meet lots of knitters and visited with friends.


(Photographed below: Erica, Melynda and Elise, me and
Sarah)


A special thanks to Melynda for opening here home and welcoming us into her amazing studio. To Sarah for making the trip and bringing all her gorgeous yarn! And to all that came out for the yarny fun. It was such an awesome way to spend the day!

FO: Playful Stripes Cardigan

I finished that special little something I was working on. If you guessed that I was knitting this for baby FPK then you were right!


This adorable little cardi is the Playful Stripes pattern by Alana of Never Not Knitting. It's a pretty fast knit with minimal seaming. Doing the stripe work was so fun. A totally adorable and well written pattern.


I made the trip yesterday to hang out with Melynda and meet Elise. I was very excited to meet sweet Elise and happy to hand deliver this knitted gift (notice the ever so fashionable and handy Knitterella Gift Tag *wink*wink*). Elise is so precious! I was nervous that this 0-3 month sweater was going to be too small already but thankfully it fit with room to grow.


I had such a nice visit with the FPK girls. Spending the morning knitting, chatting and have a sweet baby close by was wonderful. I always have such a good time when I'm with Melynda. She inspires me. Hope to visit again soon!


************************************************************************

Pattern Source: "Playful Stripes" from Never Not Knitting
Yarn: Debbie Bliss, Eco Baby
Notes: More details at my Ravelry link HERE

More Slouch

This was a quick knit - finished it while WZ napped - gotta love that! I knit this hat with Malabrigo… OK, so I never understood what all the fuss was about with Malabrigo yarn but now I totally get it… this yarn ROCKS! The yarn is so wonderful to knit with. Love the color too. I will totally be knitting with more Malabrigo in the future. I think this hat did turned out good but I was hoping for it to have a bit more slouch. Nonetheless, it is a cute hat and I will wear it proudly.


I want to give a special thanks to Melynda for taking these photos. I always feel a little awkward when I have someone take photos of me and my knits, especially in public. We had some good laughs doing this in the parking lot after our fab (but CHEESY) dinner. From there we made it down to the SE Michigan Crafter's Meetup. The Meetup had a really great turn out. Lots of girls sewing and knitting. (see photos HERE) I had a really nice time and meet a lot of fun and crafty girls. So glad I got to meet the lovely Rae - she super nice and has inspired me to get my sewing machine out again. She was working on a super cute top and also a quilt that I feel in love with. I also left the meetup feeling inspired to try some designing of my own. It's something I've always wanted to do. Maybe a hat with 'more slouch' just might be my first pattern design. hmmmmm… let's see if I can keep the motivation/inspriation going!


************************************************************************

Pattern Source: "Star Crossed Slouchy Beret" from Natalie Larson (FREE pattern)
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted
Notes: More details at my Ravelry link HERE

Crafter's Meetup

Attention Detroit area crafters!!! If you haven't heard about the SE Michigan Crafter's Meetup check out the details HERE.


I just heard about it this a.m. from FPK. I'm totally going! Sounds so fun. Hope to see/meet you too!

Stitches Midwest

Like I said before, I had a great time at Stitches Midwest last weekend. Unfortunately I only have a few photos to share - I left my camera back because needed the extra space in my bag for all the yarn I bought! (Actually the only photo I took was from my camera phone - thanks FPK for the other three photos!)

I shot this from my camera phone. It was a sure sign that we were in the right place! This crazy van is the 'Yarn Buss' from Flying Fingers Yarn Shop out of New York. How fun!


I think the biggest highlight was meeting so many wonderful people. I really had the best time with these girls. Everyone was so inspiring and fun to be around. Such great sense of humors too - we had a LOT of laughs!


(pictured left to right: Erica Owens the VP of Marketing and Social Networking for Kollage Yarns, Melynda of French Press Knits, Me and Allegra of Petite Purls)


(pictured here: Erica Owens along with Carrie of Irish Girlie Knits)

Saturday night at the Student Show, Erica, Melynda, Carrie and I had so much fun chatting it up that we were the last ones to leave the banquet hall. We even had a bit of a swag swap in the hallway outside. I poured out my Knitterella stash and walked away with a lovely blue skein of Sock-a-licious from Kollage Yarns and a copy of Irish Girlie Knits newest pattern Bellingrath!


I even have the possibility of some new graphic design work coming my way. Designing for knitters - my favorite. What a successful weekend!

Of course I bought a lot of new yarn and projects to knit too. So much so that I'm a little embarrassed to post a photo of everything. I don't know what I was thinking, I mean I have a lot of projects to finish up as it is. Then again, I know exactly what I was thinking, I was thinking I TOTALLY HAVE A KNITTING ADDICTION!