TNNA snapshot: more.

Posted by Julia on June 13, 2016

Yesterday’s snapshot posts only offer a tiny glimpse into the whirlwind that is TNNA. We saw lots of other familiar faces, not to mention plenty of new ones. Heather at Ewe Ewe was showing her new Baa Baa Bulky, the thickest yet in her line of squishy superwash merino yarns. We also made our annual stop at the Swans Island booth to admire their singular naturally dyed yarns, and to refill our emptying bins of the stuff back home. Baa Ram Ewe is always a favorite booth of mine. Verity was there showing new designs and colors in Dovestone DK, along with a lovely new yarn.

Now it’s time to head home, exhausted but excited, our minds abuzz with new ideas. The shop will be open at our regular business hours tomorrow; see you there!

TNNA snapshot: Fibre Company.

Posted by Julia on June 12, 2016

Last month, our sales rep gave us a sneak preview of Arranmore, the newest Fibre Company yarn, so Anne placed our order long before the show. Still, somehow we found ourselves at their booth today for more: skeins for sample sweaters, reorders on dwindling colors, and perhaps, just maybe, a new yarn. Now the show floor has closed for the day, and we’re sipping drinks and plotting dinner. Til tomorrow!

TNNA snapshot: Alchemy.

Posted by Julia on June 12, 2016

We were so excited to catch up with Gina Wilde of Alchemy Yarns, having missed her at TNNA last year. Our Silken Straw supply had gotten low, so we reordered some favorite shades and picked out a few new ones, admiring all the beautiful garments along the way. Anne and Rosi are both sorely tempted to make Purl Soho “Silken Straw Summer Sweaters,” so we picked colors with that top in mind. After Alchemy, we saw a few other old friends–more on that after some lunch!

TNNA snapshot: Shibui.

Posted by Julia on June 12, 2016

Every year, Anne, Rosi and I attend The National NeedleArts Association’s summer trade show–TNNA for short. This year, it takes place in Washington, D.C., a shorter drive than the usual Columbus, OH. We opted for an abbreviated trip, leaving after closing up shop on Saturday evening. We got in late, ate the take-out dinner we brought from Hillsborough, then tucked into bed to rest up for the long day ahead. This morning, we started our day with Shibui, peeking at and ordering plenty of their new fall yarn and designs. Now we’re taking a coffee break, knitting a few stitches, and planning our next stop. More soon!

Another day at TNNA.

Posted by Julia on May 31, 2015

One of the great opportunities at TNNA is to take classes with skilled designers and teachers in the field of fiber arts. This morning, Anne and Rosi tried spinning with Nancy Shroyer, and Amy and I had classes with Lily Chin and Cat Bordhi, respectively. After two educational hours, we headed back to the showroom floor to continue shopping. We had to stop by Baa Ram Ewe, of course, having become obsessed with their new Dovestone yarn. I’m hoping to use it to knit “Epistrophy,” from Kate Davies’ Yokes, and was delighted to find exactly that sweater hanging on the rack in the booth, in exactly that yarn, of course. Yarn Hollow attended TNNA for the first time this year, and we stopped in to order a few new colors in Photograph. From there, we wandered the showroom floor, taking it all in, and discovering exciting new products that we can’t wait to bring into the shop. We even ran into Clara Parkes, of Knitters Review, and chatted about our favorite new yarns for this coming season. It’s always a pleasure to get her take on these things, and a treat to do it in conversation with Clara herself.

Somewhere along the way, we came across this display of Anna Zilboorg’s swatches and samples from her Splendid Apparel book. We’re looking forward to seeing her at the shop this coming Thursday, June 4th, for an informal book-signing and perfect buttonhole tutorial. We’d love to have you join us and meet Anna; sign up for this free event on our website!

New yarns from old friends.

Posted by Julia on May 30, 2015

It’s been an exciting day at market! We visited some of our favorite people today, and it was great to chat about what’s new, see sample garments, and admire each company’s full range of fibers and colors. Shibui has a luxurious new yarn for fall, and a bundle of new patterns to boot. We were happy to return to the Sincere Sheep booth to admire their US-sourced yarns, which are all hand-dyed with natural dyes. I was particularly taken with Fibre Company’s newest yarn, Cumbria, and the exciting new patterns that go with it. I also spotted this gorgeous woven scarf made in Meadow, which I could not stop looking at. Malabrigo surprised us all with a brand new yarn in an unexpected fiber. Perhaps the most exciting moment of our day occurred in the Isager booth, where we ran into Helga Isager herself, in from Denmark. Over the years, Anne and Rosi and I have admired many of her designs, and knit some, too. Anne was wearing one, “Robin,” knit in Isager Spinni, so I had to snap a picture. We’ve already placed so many exciting orders, and there’s more to come. Our trunk show schedule is growing quickly, too. We can’t wait for all these goodies to arrive throughout the fall, to share the new yarns with you, and knit with them ourselves!

We’ve gone to Market!

Posted by Julia on May 29, 2015

Each year, we travel to the National NeedleArts Trade Show, where we place fall and winter orders for the shop from some of our favorite vendors and look out for new favorites, too. This year, Anne, Rosi, Amy and I piled into the car to drive to Market in Columbus, Ohio.

Our first day here started with knitting, of course, and scanning through the list of this year’s vendors, deciding who we’d most like to visit. Then came Sample It, a boisterous event where yarn companies sell samples of their newest offerings. Attendees lined up hours in advance to get the best selections, including the Hillsborough Yarn Shop contingent.

We picked up a few exciting skeins and we’ll spend the rest of the night swatching. If any of these yarns move us, you may well see them at the shop this fall! After Sample It came the fashion show, which is always entertaining. This year, the fashion show was packed with ponchos, Anne’s recently-completed “Easy Folded Poncho” seems to be right on trend. Tomorrow brings our first classes and our first day of shopping. We can’t wait to see what’s new this year!

TNNA, day 3.

Posted by Julia on May 4, 2014

Another day of yarn-ordering is behind us, and we have so many good things coming for the fall! Early in the day, we checked in with Malabrigo.

We also paid a visit to Dream in Color, mulling over their full range of colorways, mixing and matching.

We always love to see what the Fibre Company is cooking up, and this year was no exception.

We also ran into Sandy Blue, who designed the “Autumn Tam” I just finished knitting in Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift. I was so glad to meet her, as it gave me a chance to thank her in person for her amazing pattern and impressive color-sense.

Tomorrow we have a few loose ends to tie up before we hop on a plane and head home. Looking forward to opening the shop again on Tuesday–come in and see us at our regular business hours!

TNNA, day 2.

Posted by Julia on May 3, 2014

It’s been another busy day here at market, walking the showroom floor, seeing the latest yarns from some of our favorite vendors, and placing orders, of course.

The wild and colorful Alchemy booth was our first stop this morning. It was, as always, delightful to catch up with Gina and Austin Wilde, seeing their newest patterns and selecting new colors and yarns to bring into the shop this fall.

Next, we spent time at Shibui, marveling at their fall and winter pattern collections, new colors, and newest yarn.

We always like to visit Habu Textiles, too, to restock the Nerimaki Slub Cotton, Silk Stainless Steel, Nontwist Cotton Boucle, and check out what’s new.

Tomorrow promises more of the same. We are so anxious to share new yarns and projects with you at the shop this fall!

TNNA, day 1.

Posted by Julia on May 2, 2014

On Thursday, Anne and Rosi and I flew to Indianapolis for the National Needlearts Association’s annual trade show and marketplace. Our flights were delayed, but we passed the time knitting, of course. My hands have been busy with another Shibui sample for the shop, “Mix No. 26.” Meanwhile, Anne and Rosi have been stitching on sweaters, the Isager “No. 15” and a self-designed cabled pullover, respectively.

This morning we got up early for 8:00 am classes, which were followed quickly by a luncheon and lecture, another round of classes, a crazed kit and new-product sampling event called “Sample It,” and a fashion show.

It’s been a long day, full to the brim with ideas and activity. Tomorrow brings more classes, and the most highly-anticipated part of TNNA for us: visiting all of the vendors on the showroom floor, seeing new yarns, colors, and designs, and placing orders for the shop. From us here at market to you here on the blog: more soon!