Friday, January 27, 2006

It's fun to stay at the YMCA TNNA...


Yeah, that's cheesy, I know. But it's also true. I had a lot of fun going to TNNA - and in San Diego on top of it.


View from our hotel room.

First of all, winter in San Diego is like no winter I have experienced so far. The people on the radio tell you that it is "another cold day" when the temperature goes below 10°C and that's just too funny.

There were a lot of famous knitters at TNNA and I got to meet a couple. With some I shook hands, some I talked to without being introduced, all in all I kept thinking that I should have brought half of my knitting library and asked to have my books autographed. Of course I am way too timid to do something like that and would feel awkward to no end, that's why I don't have any pictures either. Which, in retrospect, was stupid, because all of them were nice and I am sure wouldn't have minded.

Talking about autographs, when Miss D. asked me for mine on a letter-sized printed photograph of myself at Mary's Christmas party I'd had two glasses of wine already and also, what's the chance I end up in Omaha and meet the people? Heck, sure, hand it over and tell me what to write. What she did. "To my dear friends Julie and Joe, best wishes Mona". Had I known what I know now I would have turned and run.

On Saturday at TNNA I was introduced to the owners of Personal Threads who are friends with my boss. I smiled, shook hands and talked to Julie and Joe, when Véronik (she's a walking talking encyclopedia, this one!) said: "Personal Threads, oh, do you by any chance know Deawn?" Me, of course, me no making connection. They didn't either - at first. Then, after a short explanation, yeah, of course they know her. Now it comes. Véronik says "oh, then you have picture of Mona". I looked a bit closer at their tags and for sure, it says "Omaha, NE" on it. Aaaargh. How mortifying.

That's how I met my "dear friends" I thought I'd never meet. Thanks, Miss D. We had a lot of fun at dinner that night.

We also were joined by the lovely Amy from Patternworks and fabulous Pam Allen. Yes, I sat at a dinner table with Pam Allen and we shared a dessert. (Okay, so I ate most of it, but she had some of that delicious flourless chocolate cake, too...that was ordered NOT by me, I might add, but by my dear friend Joe and served by Jacob. How I remember the name of the waiter? Wouldn't you want to know...)

Now that I have really screwed up the time-line, let's talk a little bit more about food. That seems to be all there is next to working on the trade show floor. Breakfast at "Cafe 222" on Friday morning was great.


I recommend the waffles. Pumpkin waffles with sirup to be precise.


They also had a cool chandelier.


Lunch at "Dick's last resort" is a worthy experience.


Tip: Do NOT ask for a napkin. They throw them at you. I don't know why they do that, but the whole restaurant (except for a taped off section?) looked like that.


The waitress calls you "love muffin" (I swear it's true!) and people get to draw with chalk on the floor. Their Cesar's salad is good, too.


Back at the Convention Center they all seem to know each other.



You cannot really say you know someone after shaking hands with them, but you can say you've met them. I met Amy Singer and Jillian Moreno. Amy gave me a "knitty" sticker - I am such a sucker for little things like that.


I shook hands with Rick Mondragon. I am now able to recognize Norah Gaughan should I ever see her on the street (I didn't meet her, though.) I spoke to Sally Melville about one of our yarns. Lizbeth Upitis walked around knitting. I talked to her, too.

Then the yarn shop owners. Like Ellen from Needles and Pins in London, ON. Her name stuck because she's Canadian and I have her card. They are all such a nice bunch, and it is such a satisfying feeling when they like our products.

People wore handknits like there is no tomorrow. They were much braver than me. The climate in San Diego is not made for wool sweaters or anything providing too much warmth. Shawls, Clapotises, scarves, shrugs, skirts...you name it, there it was.

After this long a post I don't want to bore you with the story how taking the Air train at the San Francisco Airport makes you pass security for a second time or how our luggage got lost on the way from Toronto to Montreal or how the taxi driver handed out a religious mini flyer with the receipt you wanted. Why, compared to the TNNA this is really just a bit of a yawn.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Tag is me

Nadine tagged me while I was in San Diego at TNNA - which, of course, will influence one answer just a little bit...

4 places you've lived:
Wörth, Germany
Karlsruhe, Germany
Frankfurt, Germany
Carbondale, Illinois

Four Jobs You Have Had In Your Life:
Clerk in invoicing
Sales assistant in a department store
Job in supply chain management
Doing inventories in supermarkets

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over: Just four?
My Cousin Vinny
Pride and Prejudice (BBC, 1995)
The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy)
The Replacement Killers

Four TV Shows You Love To Watch:
Gilmore Girls
House
Grey's Anatomy
That 70's show

Four Places You Have Been On Vacation:
Edingburgh, Scotland
Göteborg, Sweden
London, England
Victoria, B.C., Canada

Four Websites You Visit Daily:
Go fug yourself
Google
Amazon.ca
a lot of knit-blogs

Four of Your Favorite Foods:
Chocolate
Pumpkin Pie
Brownies
Pizza

Four Places You Would Rather Be Right Now:
San Diego (perfect temperature, sunny, blue sky, need I say more?)
My bed (four days of trade show takes it out of you)
In Germany for a visit
?

Four Bloggers You Are Tagging:
Deawn (she'll find the "where would you rather be" easy)
Go, tag yourself!


Here's a little teaser of what is to come.


Palmtrees! And 16°C in January.


Stories about yarn and people in the yarn business. Don't expect pictures of the people, though. I am way too shy to just photograph them or ask to be photographed with them.

And, my personal "Personal Threads" story. Especially for you, Miss D.!!

Monday, January 16, 2006

A warm up and a curl up

About ten years ago I made a vest out of bulky, slubbed wool yarn. Oversized, too. I would say that was a lukewarm project, and not in a good way. A while ago I frogged. And re-knit.

Now it's this. I wore it today with my new blue coat. Lovely, warm and the colour matches. That's what I use bulky yarn for from now on. (At least when I am supposed to wear the outcome.)


Yesterday, I woke up and my hair was like this. And that's not even a lie.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

A swift post

Pun intended.


It's new and I love it. (Santa was a little late, you know.)

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Happy New Year, eh!

(Better late than never.)