Chicago recap, part I

Well, I survived my airplane flight to Chicago and arrived at O'Hare to find this welcoming committee:




Ha ha, just kidding, the lovely Kristen Rengren met me at baggage claim (the brass band didn't make it through the security checkpoint):



and was kind enough to drive me chez Franklin. (Don't forget: Kristen's beautiful book, Vintage Baby Knits: More Than 40 Heirloom Patterns from the 1920s to the 1950s is available for pre-order, and having seen some of the garments and photos, I can assure you it's a beaut!).

Of Franklin's lovely home I shall say only that I have never before stayed with someone who owned a bust of Queen Victoria:


His hospitality, warmth and companionability are truly unequalled.

Our next stop was equally thrilling for me: a visit to the studio of Lorna's Laces. The folks at Lorna's could not have been nicer or more friendly, and being surrounded by skein after skein of their gorgeous yarn was an unbelievable experience.



Then it was off to Loopy Yarns.



Now, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, Loopy Yarns is really rather an amazing yarn store. First of all, they have EVERY COLOR of Cascade 220 in stock. Don't believe me? Look:



They also have just about every color of Lorna's Laces imaginable, in every weight. The only reason I didn't buy $500 worth of Lorna's was because there were too many great colorways to choose from, though I did get 2 skeins of Shepherd Sock in Amy's Vintage Office. And a skein of worsted in one of the new colorways. I also snagged a skein of Malabrigo sock yarn (perfect for the Goldengrove socks from KSWHY) and a skein of Misti Alpaca sock yarn. And if that weren't enough, Loopy has a huge wall of Koigu, lots of Berroco, Artyarns, Hand Maiden/Fleece Artist, and tons of other great stuff. Loopy is so awesome that they even have their own library of books, which is truly wonderful, since many shops just don't have the space to stock books.


Plus, Loopy has a second floor. It is rare that you actually come across a yarn shop (especially in an urban area, where rent is so high) that has TWO FLOORS.


They very kindly wrote my name on the big blackboard:


and the booksigning went extremely well. Meg, and Heather, and Stephen (don't tell Tom, but I think I have a tiny crush on Stephen, you know, in a knitterly, cougarly but entirely platonic kind of way)

made me feel welcome and were just plain phenomenal. Thank you to Loopy and everyone who braved the subzero windchill to say hi!


Today I have a kid with strep at home, so I'll sign off here, but I will continue the Chicago recap tomorrow...

P.S. In order to conserve space, I borrowed the teeny tiny digital camera that Elvis got from Santa this year. I don't know how to use it as well as my own, but hey, it still takes pretty decent photos for something the size of a business card!