TNNA Day 3

I only made it through 5 rows of the market on Day 2, so there was more to explore on Day 3. There are at least 15 rows, but beyond row 9 or so it’s all needlepoint and cross-stitch, which I didn’t peruse (sorry, Dee).

I made it to the booth of Michelle Miller, Fickleknitter, and checked out her beautiful shawls. Michelle is the third designer in the first round of the {Among Friends} yarn and fiber club. I’m among great friends in the club!

I met Fiona Ellis, who is the designer of the Clark Cable Mitts pattern that comes with the red Soakbox. What’s a Soakbox? A nifty package that contains Soak (my favorite wool wash) and hand creme in a matching scent, nail polish, yarn, and a pattern for fingerless mitts. All color coordinated, of course. Check the link for other colors and designs.

Fiona gave me a tip on managing the cable pattern with dpns; keep the needle change at the point just to the left of where the cable abuts the purl section. No ladders in the purl sections!

My friends at Lantern Moon always have a beautiful theme to their booth. This year it’s hand knit and embellished bird nests in Vietnamese bird cages.

I particularly liked this notions holder that looks like a retro handbag.

Cute! (You do have to stock it with your own goodies…)

I met Bonnie Kellogg, who has come up with an ingenious little tool for fixing mistakes. When I teach my Tink Drop Frog class, I teach dropping and picking up columns of stitches with a crochet hook from the knit side of stockinette stitch. Garter stitch and seed stitch are a little bit harder to fix with a crochet hook, but Bonnie’s double-ended tool makes it a snap. It has a hook on each end, which makes it easy to manipulate your way around the back and forth of garter stitch. The package includes three sizes and instructions. You can see the Fix-A-Stitch tool in action here.

And I stopped by the Christmas at Sea booth. They’re running an awareness campaign about the importance of the work of seafarers. I participated in a similar tiny hat campaign through the Mason-Dixon knitting blog back in 2008 to raise funds for home heating help in the UK, so I know how quick and do-able this is. I took this little kit home to knit because I didn’t have any dpns with me. You can participate too; follow this link.

Dinner means knitting, right? No idle hands!

And a last trip to Jeni’s, afterwards. This is the mural on the side of their building. Love it! Tonight’s flavors: brambleberry crisp, and a repeat of my favorite, the Riesling poached pear.

Late night knitting in the 2nd floor lobby bar at the Hyatt, and then my TNNA was done! It was a very fun weekend. Thanks again to Knitted Wit and Sincere Sheep for featuring my designs with their yarns at Sample It!