With apologies to Cameron McIntosh

I just returned from my overnight venture to Baltimore, host (for the last time) of Stitches East. I was joined by intrepid traveling companion Mindy -- who for the first time in a long time, was NOT working the show.

This was my third (I think) Baltimore Stitches, and I was just beginning to get to know the city a little. Alas, the X-men are moving next year's Stitches way further north: to Hartford, Connecticut. They even had a guy from the Hartford Chamber of Commerce sitting at a table to give out literature about new locale. Bye-bye, Baltimore -- it's been fun.

While many of the regulars were there -- WEBS, thank God, and the Mannings, and Yarn Barn of Kansas -- some of the smaller yarn shops and many of the farms and smaller vendors weren't. Blue Moon Fiber Arts was one conspicuous absentee; Morehouse Merino and Green Mountain Spinnery and Kid Hollow were three more; I'm sure there were others. The crowds also seemed smaller. There were only a few times where I was aware of there being a long line at a vendor or more than one or two people looking in a booth. I guess the struggling economy had to affect the knitting world, too.

And while I enjoyed myself, I couldn't help but feel a bit bereft. Oh sure, we had a delightful lunch with the charming Mama E. I got to say hello to some of my faves, like Kathy from WEBS (her husband Steve is quite a hottie, too -- way to go, Kathy!), and Linda P., whom I dearly love, and Kristen Nicholas (maybe someday when her slutty licentious kitteh gives birth for the forty-seventh time, I can convince Tom to let me take one of the kittens: an itteh-bitteh kitteh from the knitterateh?); and, okay, Li'l Ricky was wearing something awful (in this case, pants the color of stale ketchup); and I bought some fab yarn and books, including the yarn and pattern for a Norah Gaughan sweater (she is the best thing that happened to Berroco. Ever.).

But something was definitely missing.

At dinner, an empty chair at our table mocked me.


The maid left three pieces of chocolate in our room, when there were only two of us.



As I stared into a box of pastries that Mindy brought, I thought wistfully: Vé-vé would have loved these...


AHA!

It wasn't that something was missing; it was someone.



I missed Vé-vé.

Yes, it was all coming clear now.

Here was the lonely, empty chair where she would have used my laptop to check her email and send saucy billets-doux to her sexy husband.



This would have been her wineglass, to share the impertinent yet inexpensive (with a hint of poir) bottle of red that we (finally) tracked down.


(I never thought I'd find a state with even more bizarre liquor laws than Pennsylvania, but Maryland is pretty weird. I mean, what kind of state sells wine at a Rite-Aid?)

Mindy would have (sniffle) showed her the Salt Peanuts she made from Vé-vé's pattern:




and I would have shown her this advance copy I just received of my new book:



When I saw Mindy's clothesbasket full of coffeemaking equipment -- Mindy brings her coffee press, spring water from her well, a heating source and saucepan, mugs and coffee with her on every trip -- I got morose, imagining how Vé-vé and I would have teased Mindy about her fancy "portmanteau" and about how seriously she takes her café americain.




And this architectural detail, on the outside of the Wharf Rat? We would have admired its decorative lines together as we supped on a light déjeuner.



Yep, Stitches East was fun and all. But it just wasn't the same without Vé-vé.

On my own
Pretending she's beside me
All alone, I walk with her till morning




In the rain the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is she and me for ever and forever, knitting...

Come say hi at Stitches East!

If you will be at Stitches East, please stop by the Rosie's Yarn Cellar booth on Saturday around 3:30 p.m. Lisa, Laura and I will be signing Knit So Fine: Designs with Skinny Yarn so please bring your book -- or just stop by and say hello! I'll be at Stitches East Saturday and for a little while Sunday morning so look for me.

Now that this big election is over, things will be getting back to a more normal state -- which means more book reviews (and I'm working on one for Knotions, too) and more dyeing and other good stuff, too.

What a weekend.

I am physically exhausted, but my mind is bursting with ideas. I got back from Stitches Sunday night (with a nasty cold, no less) and am still processing all that I saw and did. It was the first year in several that I didn't work at the show, and I must say, I really enjoyed being freed from the booth. I was able to play and I needed that.

I was a bit nervous about acting as Véronik's handler for the weekend, but suffice it to say that we got along like a house on fire. (She brought me a bag full of Canadian chocolate bars unavailable in the U.S.! How considerate is that?!) If you think I had a total crush on her before, well, you ain't seen nothin' yet. [And after hearing about her fabulous actor husband all weekend (he looks a little like Liam Neeson, only younger and way hotter), I think I have a crush on him, too.] Apparently the rest of the world shares my affection for Véronik. After the first few people recognized her and gushed, I began the official Véronik Gush-o-Meter:





Every time someone complimented her on her designs, I Kacha-kacha'd.

Charcoal -- who had never met a Canadian before -- was on his best behavior. He apologized for the fact that our president is an evil moron; he refrained from making any disparaging remarks about hockey; he did not hold Véronik personally responsible for Céline Dion simply by virtue of her nationality; and he showered Véronik with bunny kisses (which he's never done to anyone outside the family before). A superlative rabbit, indeed.

My overall impression of Stitches East -- and I've been attending pretty steadily for the past ten years -- is that this year there were fewer vendors and fewer attendees. Not that the X-Men give a rat's ass what I think, but they really need to consider moving the location again. I enjoyed Baltimore but from what I heard people talking about, the traffic (there always seems to be a Ravens game the day Stitches lets out) and the lack of parking (would it kill them to put up some more signs?) have deterred some folks from coming. I also noticed that a lot of vendors north of Baltimore didn't have booths. Even Philadelphia, which is a mere 2 hrs or so away, only sent one yarn shop, and places from New York City and further north weren't well-represented. I'm biased, of course, but I'd love to see the show return to Philadelphia, at the Center City Convention Center. Downtown Philadelphia has changed a lot and there is more than there ever was in the way of hotel space, restaurants, and a clean, revitalized downtown. It has much better access via train, too, and it is very easy to come from New York, D.C. or Baltimore to Philly for the day by train and return the same day.

My shopping was, on the whole, rather restrained. My big splurge was some garment design software that I was overdue to have invested in. I got some Socks That Rock yarn, and I scored a bag of Jaeger Extra-Fine Merino in a raspberry pink that would be perfect for G. for $35, which felt almost like stealing. (Bless you, Webs.) I met lots of nice folks and saw a bunch of people that I'd met at yarn conventions before, too, so that was really fun. I especially enjoyed seeing my pals at Westminster Fibers, and bought about twelve of the Nashua pattern leaflets that I had somehow missed. (Note to L.P.: did you steal this one from a Viagra ad?)

when the time is right, will you be ready....
(to cast on?)

And when I got home, there was a new station wagon in the driveway. I kid you not. While I was at Stitches East, my husband got a new car.* Um, I have to go now: there's a knitting machine I suddenly feel no guilt about purchasing.

*Okay, the lease was up so we had no choice, but work with me, people.

Plotzing at Stitches

I am sitting in my hotel room, sipping freshly-made coffee out of a Dolores van Hoofen mug (Mindy rocks!), about to eat a kick-ass donut from the wilds of Virginia, chock full of Quebecois curses ("Tabernacle!") and knitting industry gossip, and ready to continue knitting my garish Elvis socks

while leafing through the Stitches East program to decide where I will start my shopping today.

Life is good.

Very, very good.

P.S. Don't forget: Vé-Vé will be signing her book at the Rosie's booth at 2:00 today so stop by and say "Bong-joor!"

See you at Stitches?

Okay, I'm going to have to go put on a Depends because I'm so excited I may pee myself: tomorrow I'm driving down to Baltimore with a famous knitting designer in my car: Véronik Avery, herself. (We are like BFF, you know?) (Which means she's a BFF of BBF?) (Perhaps I'm getting a little TOO excited.)

If NikiVéronik survives her first meeting with Charcoal, as well as the trip down with her starstruck number one fan, she will be signing her fabulous book, Knitting Classic Style: 35 Modern Designs Inspired by Fashion's Archives, on Saturday at 2:00 at the Rosie's Yarn Cellar booth. So stop by, pick up your copy of her book, and say hi to us. Roni Véronik has her Sharpie all ready. That Vé-Vé Véronik! She doesn't realize that I'm terrified she will find me underwhelming in real life, as opposed to in my blog. [Note to self: Don't scare way cool designer through premature use of nicknames. Wait until she is in car on highway and can't get away.]

Now that we have all the neuroses out on the table, let's remind you that if you're going to be at Stitches on Friday, the silver-maned fox Kaffe Fassett will be signing HIS new book, Kaffe Knits Again: 24 Original Designs Updated for Today's Knitters at Rosie's booth at 10:30 on Friday, and rumor has it that the devilishly handsome Brandon Mably will also be floating around somewhere some time.

Stop, you say, that's too much excitement for Baltimore to handle! No, wait, there's even more: I'm bringing with me a fresh batch of Black Bunny yarn and roving: superwash sock, laceweight merino and assorted rovings. Maybe some wool/nylon, too. It'll be on sale at the Rosie's booth.

Of course, Rosie's will uphold the fine tradition of bringing a boatload of Koigu -- and this year, the new Schaefer sock yarn called "Heather," Reynolds Soft Sea Wool and Whiskey, and Shetland kits that go with some cool stranded thing that Eunny is making. (But then again, isn't Eunny always making some cool stranded thing?!)

Are the X-Men ready for the Quebecois-American invasion that will be arriving in a green Ford tomorrow morning?

I think not.

Polish yer pointy-toed cowboy boots, Rick, and we'll see you in Baltymore.