(More F&W author blog posts and pics from Shannon, Hanna and Cosy.)

A lot happens at TNNA…you meet TONS of people and (usually) mayhem ensues. Several times. I had so much fun this year catching up with old friends and meeting new ones at the Stitch Cooperative booth!

(Mary-Heather, Jess, Me, Amy on Saturday night.)

It was kind of a whirlwind trip for me (Just the one full day, one partial day.) I’m back home already, and have lots of things on my “to investigate further” quicklist:

Lorna’s Laces Green Line
Shibui Knits yarns
O-Wool
Yarn Thing podcast
SWTC Therapi
Tilli Tomas Fil de la Mer
Knit a go-go

…I’m sure there’s more that I’m too punchdrunk to remember.

TNNA is such a great time for me as a designer to go through all of the booths and check out new yarns and toys. Usually the vedors are really nice but sometimes when I tell them that I’m a designer, I get the “OH. (eyeroll)” reaction and they turn away or just shut down.

To me it seems like a yarn company would WANT their yarn to be included in a book or in a pattern that might reach a few tens of thousands of people. Fitted Knits is in its third printing of 15,000 copies! But I suppose not everyone is on the internet or knows which books are even out there. SO, rather than blog about the people who don’t talk to me, I’ll just spend time raving about those who do! (…and just not ever use the mean ones’ yarns.)

Here’s me and (new mom) Lexie Barnes. I’m checking out the Jinx model in the diablo fabric. I carried this bag with me on the trip home…and I was stopped three times by people wanting to know about it! I LOVE this bag! It reverses to a cordura-type of fabric in a copper color. Really, really cool!

I also really enjoyed my personal tour of Lorna’s Laces Green Line. The colors are just beautiful, and the yarn is soft but has a great stitch definition. They had lots of projects on display that were knit with it. The yarn does great in cables and lace and holds its shape really well. You will definitely see some Glampyre projects in this yarn!

Tilli Tomas had some intriguing new things in her booth. One that I hadn’t yet seen in person (but really do covet) is the Fil de la Mer. It catches the light and shimmers like pure silk, but has the resiliency of the sea cell along with a binder thread that holds the whole thing together. One thing I’ve heard people say is that 100% silk both grows and pills, and I think that this blend is a great solution. Amy was wearing a blouse that she crocheted from this yarn, and it was so pretty!

Another company I always enjoy meeting with is Malabrigo. They are always such a pleasure to deal with on email and in person. Just really lovely people. (There are FOUR Malabrigo projects in Glam Knits!) I got to see a super-secret preview of 2 hanks of the new sock yarn! It is so pretty. It’s going to be one of those yarns that knitters covet. It’s dyed in that speckly process that produces a semi-solid with flecks. They’ve also got some colorways that are dyed in their traditional non-pooling multicolors. (They said that they are doing fine under the circumstances, and will be fully recovered from the fire in about 3 months.)

Mission Falls launched their new DK weight yarn, and are bringing out a DK-weight organic cotton that’s also organically dyed. I’m coordinating the pattern booklets for both of these yarns, so I’ve known about this for a little while, but wanted to wait ’till the official launch to say much. The DK wool is really easy to work with and knits up into a SOFT fabric. I took home several hanks of the cotton to get started working on my patterns for that book. It’s similar in feel to the 1824 cotton, but (obviously) finer.

SWTC is known for their unusual fiber combinations, and this weekend I got to try out the new Therapi. It’s a blend of jadeite, wool, and silk. The geology geek in me f***ing LOVES this! And the knitter in me also effing loves it! When on Earth have I EVER had the chance to combine my two nerdiest passions?? Jadeite is a MINERAL, dudes! And now you can KNIT with it!! I’m definitely making a project with this.

I also stopped by Berroco and oogled the samples of Norah’s garments. Ooh. Can I just say, “ooh.” and you know what I mean? SO cool. They also had a wall of “Comfort” in all its colors that was just beautiful. I love Comfort.

Artyarns had an amazingly light-catching display of beaded and sequined yarns. Iris was wearing a shawl that she made from one of the sequined ones and it was casting so much sparkle that I could track her from all the way over in the F&W booth! (I’m a glitter girl, so this was a good thing in my opinion!) I love that she uses beads of several sizes AND sequins all in the same hank of yarn.

Another favorite of mine is the Blue Sky Alpaca booth. Sylvia showed me their new Skinny Dyed yarn, which is a smooth, silky organic cotton.

Neighborhood Fiber Co from DC was there in full effect. One of the garments from Glam Knits was on display (sneak peek!) in Karida’s worsted semi-solid yarn. Karida and Libby have a book coming out soon from North Light (my publisher.)

Shibui Knits has yarn in the most gorgeous colors. Bright but not trendy…with a depth that just reaches out to you from across the room. I have to use this in something soon. (The owner, even though we had never met, was very warm and welcoming to me, too.)

I also really want to try O wool. I love the colors, love the concept. The yarns are soft and the colors have a very natural feel.

Well, Mazie’s getting cranky, so I’d better wrap up my wrap-up. Check my Ravelry stash for enhancement photos …in a little while… as soon as I can get them taken and uploaded! Ok, don’t check any time today…but maybe soon. I didn’t pick up much yarn to bring home this time, it’s easier for me to manage if I just take cards and contact the people later.

**I keep editing this to add more links and things as I remember them. Mommy Brain strikes again! (and again, and again…)

Today starts the official “fun part” of writing a book!

Look what arrived on my doorstep this morning!

It’s the galley proof for Glam Knits! I think you’re going to really like the look of this book. Where the photo-shoot for Fitted Knits was all outside in the garden, this one is all photographed against a dark background, really highlighting the garments. The models are just gorgeous, too. The only thing is…is that it doesn’t look like they ended up using any fluffy models, which I had really hoped for. The patterns DO go up to plus sizes! Really!

I consider this the “fun part” because all of the major hustle is over, and it’s time to do the promotions, go on signings, schedule workshops, classes, launch parties, and things like that.

Here’s the promotional postcard that Justin at F&W made:

I just love seeing the photos for the first time! When I first opened the padded envelope containing Fitted Knits, I actually felt a little bit of trepidation. F&W hadn’t done many knitting books at the time, and I wasn’t sure what the look and feel of their books was really like. So when I saw THAT one for the first time and it was so pretty, I was like, “WHEW!” more than anything at first, and then settled into being really happy with it.

For Glam Knits, I already KNEW that they had great photographers and book designers, and that the printing would be nice. So THIS time, I’m just going, “WOW! This is even prettier than I imagined!”

Here’s another little tease:

(This is from the little promotional booklet that we are giving away at TNNA and gave at BEA, too. It contains a free pattern for the sweater in the picture. If you’d like one, be sure to stop by the F&W booth and / or the Stitch Cooperative booth.)

Hopefully soon I’ll be sent some more photos that I can share. The galley is in black and white…probably because they KNOW I’d be sneaking you peeks otherwise. Part of the promo is the hype. You know.

I’ll be doing three book signings (of Fitted Knits) over the weekend:

Saturday at 10 at R&M
Saturday at 2:30 at F&W
Sunday at 10:30 at F&W

They have started a system at TNNA where you have to get tickets for signings early, instead of just standing in line. So make sure that if you want to have *any* book signed, you go get a ticket in advance!

Last weekend was my first ever overnight away from Mazie! I went to L.A. for Book Expo America. This is the first time that it’s worked out for me to go. The past couple of years, it’s overlapped with TNNA.

It’s so fun to do these events. I get to hang out with people that I normally talk to only on email or phone, like the reps and PR people at F&W, and get to meet other authors at my same publisher. This time, I met Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club fame. Jennifer’s new book is coming out SOON!

I got to see a few more photos from Glam Knits…they had a little press release for it. I’m *so* thrilled by the photography! I think it’s going to be a beautiful book.

On Friday night, we went to supper at Spago! And I met Wolfgang Puck. (I have one of his saucepans in my kitchen at home!)

So *this* week, I’m finishing up a garment for Mission Falls (I’m coordinating the pattern booklet for the new DK weight Mission Falls yarn…more later!) and trying to get myself together to display at the Stitch Cooperative booth. If you’re going to be at TNNA, stop by and see us! I won’t have my own booth this year, but you can order any of my patterns and see previews from Glam Knits at the co-op booth!