I don’t know where to begin!
I was mesmerized, star struck, inspired and bursting at the seams. TNNA (The National NeedleArts Association convention) was a wonderland of color, creativity and talent. For serious fiber industry folks, this is the place to be. I am so thankful to work in this industry and to have had the opportunity to participate. I took a class from Gwen Bortner (excellent teacher!), met the people behind my favorite fiber, met designers and dyers and spinners and educators, and came away having a much better understanding of the fiber industry — not only for myself as a designer, but of how we all fit together in the fiber family. It’s a web of interconnected efforts and we need each other to make this industry grow. We have some incredible opportunities to support and lift each other as we work together to bring fiber, color, technique and great design to creative people around the world.
What’s a fiber convention without a little knitting?
Above: We met Maridee and Barbra from Yarnover Truck! Did you know that Barbra (far right) was the knitting model for Rapunzel in the movie Tangled? Star struck times three! Andrea Rangel, Yours Truly, Ysolda Teague and Carina Spencer were there this year and all as charming as can be. These lovely ladies are bursting with talent (and bananas!).
Meeting Mary-Heather and Sarah from Ravelry was one of the highlights of my experience at TNNA. I tried not to gush, but Ravelry has changed the face of the industry — they are a BIG DEAL. These ladies were gracious, helpful and kind, and I left that booth feeling even more enamored with Ravelry and their role in the industry. I {heart} Ravelry! (And just in case you want to find me on Ravelry, I’m here.)
We love Pepperberry Knits! They had such a colorful, fun booth.
Ysolda! (We wanted to ride away with that adorable bicycle.)
This is our friend Michele of PDXKnitterati with me and Vivian (owner of Tangled Purls in Salem) on our final day of the convention. We were a little sleep-deprived by the last day, but who can resist a convention full of yarn fumes?!
I can’t wait to digest everything I’ve learned and put it to good use!
