Knit & Crochet Show - Shopping

Ok, we'll get to the great classes, teachers, people, blah, blah, blah....lets start with the important stuff, the Portland shopping.

Since we were in Portland for the Knit & Crochet Show, we'll start there...

The vendors were incredible. Seriously. Lets say you know about Village Spinning & Weaving. And, lets say you don't live in California and you really want to go to Village Spinning & Weaving. Ok, here's a solution...if there's a show that they're a vendor at, its like going to their store only with more books and less roving. Their booth was overwhelming. Among the non-Californians, Village Spinning & Weaving was referred to as "the book people." Everyone loved the book people. They were my personal needle source (more on that situation later).

My favorite individual vendor (non-store) was Lisa with Dicentra. That's her baby and she does it all herself. Holy crap. And, her stuff is AMAZING! For your sake, I hope she gets her yarns & roving listed on etsy 'cause she has a fabulous sense of color. On Friday I was able to buy NOTHING...except from her. I was able to resist all but her.

So Regina & I wandered off to lunch between classes on Friday and saw The Naked Sheep car parked on the street.

And, I'm pleased to report that the people who own Naked Sheep are as friendly as you would think people who own a light yellow beetle with their logo on the car would be. I mean, how can you be mean when you have sheep on your car. Even though the lady in front of me in line at their booth was buying about 10 times the amount I was, they treated me exactly the same and rang me up just as quickly. I've added them to my list of interweb vendors to shop from and people to visit on my next visit to Portland.

**Ed. to add - If you're interested in seeing a picture of their booth and a write-up of everything The Naked Sheep had to offer at the show, go check out their blog. I was completely taken with the Wool Pets (as everyone else seemed to be by the buying frenzy) and the hand-spun yarn was just incredible. And, I've now learned through the blog that it was Cheri and Bradley who were so nice! So people of Portland, go shop there. And send me a tote bag, ok?

Ok, next on the list is a company any knit aficionado has heard of and I've heard about their yarns but I wasn't ready. It didn't matter how much you warned me, I wasn't prepared.

Habu.

That's right, I said it. I even went out and bought size 00 needles so I could knit with their yarn, and you're talking to the queen of size 9. I don't do small. But I do for them. The yarn was overwhelming and wonderful. Who knew silk & stainless steel could be soft or that someone would make a yarn from African plant fibers.

And, last but certainly not least was the friendly crew Abundant Yarn & Dye Works. I wasn't planning on buying anything Sunday. We were just stopping in to see what was going on before I left for the airport. But they were so nice and excited about the yarns they carried and how they were from sustainable farms and local and all this really cool stuff. And then I found it...a yarn named with my middle name so obviously I had to buy it.

I mean, duh.