Home at last. Boy, that was a long trip. Denver was nice but hotter than it should have been. Plus with my gimpy leg, the walking was a bit challenging. The conference went extremely well and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. My coworker was loads of help which made it much easier on me. In past years I had to do it all myself. I loved having help.
I then went on to TNNA in Ohio. That was like nothing I have ever been to. The size alone makes MD S&W seem tiny! There is no way you could see it all in one day. We did our best, though. The first day they had a meet and greet where some of the vendors had little things for sale. I bought two skeins of cashmere from Jade Saphire to make a cowl. The kit was $20, a great price for cashmere. I also bought a shawl pin for $20 and a skein of black yarn with flowers in it for $10. We got in at the tail end, though, so we did not get to see all the vendors.
Saturday the real thing opened at 10 am. We were there at 10. I was surprised by not only how large it was but by how scarce the buyers were. I thought it would be jammed but it was far from that. We later learned that a lot of the retailers had left employees home, where as in past, flush years they used to bring them along. Thus sales remained good but the crowd was way down in numbers.
It was all a bit overwhelming so I let Linda lead me around. She knows way more than me so she took me to what she thought were the best vendors. Shock number two was that most vendors were dropping their minimums for designers/teachers, something they have not done in the past. A lot of vendors said no minimum while others had a very low amount. This meant we spent and spent. I bought cashmere from Jojoland, lots of pretty yarn from Tilli Thomas, lambs wool so soft it felt better than cashmere, Namaste stuff and Lantern Moon stuff. Then I saw a toy vendor (toys for knitters) and she sold for cash on the last day. Got lots of good stocking stuffers there! I also bought two Nantucket bags, one for me and one for Sandy. Linda and I bought Sandy a 'sorry you couldn't come with us' gift.
Next time we know we don't need to go for all three days. Sunday and Monday would have been enough. I also need to bring a little restraint along. Whatever I did not spend at the S&W I made up for here. It's hard to control yourself when the prices are so much cheaper than you can get them at home. I certainly could have spent way more but thankfully I was keeping a running total!
I got cashmere for two friends and Mel and I was also able to get Berrocco to drop the minimum on the last day. They had said no the day before but on Monday we got a salesman who said he would do it.
All in all I had a fantastic time and would love to go again. Maybe in a year or two!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
OFF AGAIN IN A FEW DAYS
Feels good to be home, even if it is only for a few days. I leave for Denver on Monday then Columbus on Friday and finally home again on Monday the 14th! The only travel I really enjoy is going to see my kids or grandkids so even though I get to go to TNNA, I still would rather be home.
Nashville was great and my dad did really well. I was really proud of him. The only things we had to do for him were wheel him around. Everything else he did for himself. It was much easier than I had anticipated. I was so nervous about the whole thing I did not sleep even one minute the night before we left. Needless to say, I was asleep before we took off, maybe even before we taxied!
The wedding was beautiful even if it was in the rain. The reception was very nice except for the food. The dinner was sea bass. I have NEVER been to a wedding where the only thing offered was fish! Needless to say I did not eat it. Thank goodness the appetizers were good!
Becky is in Yellowstone this week. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did when I was 15. It is a gorgeous place and she is hiking all over. I know she will be happy if only because she has Shawn all to herself for a whole week!
Nashville was a bit slow so I got a lot of knitting done. I finished the May and June scarves and started working on July. I actually had to buy yarn. No really, I did. Frank took me to Haus of Yarn which was a very nice store. They had sale yarns so I bought 3 skeins each of two different wools. I am making the July scarf out of one and the August will be out of the other. I know my stash is large but every time I look for wool to use, it turns out that the bookclub women are not worthy of it. So sale yarn it will be!
I am also working on Becky's sweater and I promised Sandy a cowl. She is yarn worthy of just about anything in my stash so that should be easy. The baby blanket is done, yes i fixed the mistake, and now I have to block it. All the scarves also need to be blocked as well as the quiveat cowl I made.
The floors were measured yesterday and now I am waiting on the estimate. I hope it comes in around the estimate we got before the measurement. That was at the high end of my budget so I would hate to have to change anything if it comes in even higher.
I am not looking forward to getting the back room ready. We have to pack up the corner cabinets, undo the tv etc, and disassemble the table. Such fun! Plus we want to paint the back room and get the new couch delivered, which would include getting rid of the old one!
So much to get done, so little time. Oh well, let's just take it one day at a time!
Nashville was great and my dad did really well. I was really proud of him. The only things we had to do for him were wheel him around. Everything else he did for himself. It was much easier than I had anticipated. I was so nervous about the whole thing I did not sleep even one minute the night before we left. Needless to say, I was asleep before we took off, maybe even before we taxied!
The wedding was beautiful even if it was in the rain. The reception was very nice except for the food. The dinner was sea bass. I have NEVER been to a wedding where the only thing offered was fish! Needless to say I did not eat it. Thank goodness the appetizers were good!
Becky is in Yellowstone this week. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did when I was 15. It is a gorgeous place and she is hiking all over. I know she will be happy if only because she has Shawn all to herself for a whole week!
Nashville was a bit slow so I got a lot of knitting done. I finished the May and June scarves and started working on July. I actually had to buy yarn. No really, I did. Frank took me to Haus of Yarn which was a very nice store. They had sale yarns so I bought 3 skeins each of two different wools. I am making the July scarf out of one and the August will be out of the other. I know my stash is large but every time I look for wool to use, it turns out that the bookclub women are not worthy of it. So sale yarn it will be!
I am also working on Becky's sweater and I promised Sandy a cowl. She is yarn worthy of just about anything in my stash so that should be easy. The baby blanket is done, yes i fixed the mistake, and now I have to block it. All the scarves also need to be blocked as well as the quiveat cowl I made.
The floors were measured yesterday and now I am waiting on the estimate. I hope it comes in around the estimate we got before the measurement. That was at the high end of my budget so I would hate to have to change anything if it comes in even higher.
I am not looking forward to getting the back room ready. We have to pack up the corner cabinets, undo the tv etc, and disassemble the table. Such fun! Plus we want to paint the back room and get the new couch delivered, which would include getting rid of the old one!
So much to get done, so little time. Oh well, let's just take it one day at a time!
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