My Yarn Stands Alone

Five Fiber Fests in seven weeks.  Whew!  And what a whirlwind of events it was.  After years of being in our homes more than out; trying to share the fun from working on our fiber projects through zoom events, it was such a complete JOY to get back together again.  Although I will admit, having five shows in seven weeks is hard and somewhat exhausting.  But wow was it fun.  Being able to see and hug and laugh with friends was amazing.  I sold a LOT of yarn!  I laughed more.

And for those who think that fiber events are boring and low key, let me fill you in on a few details from last Saturday's event.  3 Kittens had their annual knitting retreat last weekend.  I was lined up to vend for a couple hours during their evening knit and chat time.  I decided since it was only for a couple hours I didn't need to bring my whole booth set up.  Two hours right?  Saturday during the day, I loaded up the car, decided what to bring and waited for Anna.  The two of us headed about half way to the event from my house for dinner at a favorite restaurant.  We had plenty of time before we needed to be at the hotel to set up, so we wandered through a nearby Trader Joe's.  Who doesn't want to wander through Trader Joe's!  There is always something you need and didn't know how much you needed it.  After meandering our way through and picking up just essentials (sparkling raspberry lemonade anyone?), we headed to the hotel.  We arrive with about an hour and 15 minutes to get set up before it was time for the attendees to come into the room.  I start unpacking the car and realize to my horror that I had not brought my tub of samples.  For those of you who don't know the intricacies of having a booth at an event like this, let me explain.  I sell my handspun yarn. In my booth, I sell my yarn and fiber for others to spin into yarn.  But I also have lots of things I've knit with my yarn to show how it works up.  I make yarn kits for some of my more popular samples (Crazed Scandinavian Cowl, Rams and Yowes Blanket, Leftie). But I do not sell those samples.  Just the yarn.  Having samples really makes a booth pop I think.  People find my booth because of my Crazed Scandinavian Cowl, it has become part of my booth identity in a way.  And here I am, 45 minutes one way from home where ALL of my samples are.  In a tub that I walked by to get to the garage and into my car.  I walked past it multiple times while loading up the car, yet somehow did not ask myself, oh look, I should put that in the car.  Yup, still there, need to put it in soon.  Oh I will put it in last, I'm not bringing everything (two hour show and all), so it will slide in at the back.  and boom that is how I arrived to be standing in a parking lot, before an event, with NO samples.  Thank heavens I had my YARN at least.  

I try and figure out what to do.  We are too far away to go back and still be set up before the attendees come.  We toyed with the idea of one staying, setting up, the other racing home, grabbing it and racing back, I frantically call my other daughter, but she is not at home and can't get there and to us in time either.  I'm nearly crying in frustration.  I'm just so mad at myself.  But we went in and started setting up.  Anna made up a slide show on my iPad of all my yarny pictures.  I have a lot, I probably have more pictures of my yarn and booth set ups than I have of my girls and dog combined.  While sparse looking to my eyes, it still looks nice.  We keep reminding ourselves, it is just a two hour show.  A two hour show.  Yes Gilligan's Island theme was coursing through my brain and we know how that ended up right?  

The attendees started coming in and I held my breath.  Trying to not think of what could have been, what SHOULD have been.  Instead I sat at my table behind all my pretty skeins of yarn.  No samples, no wheel.  I usually have my wheel at all my fiber shows and spin during the day.  It is a true education for people.  Even avid knitters/crocheters may have never seen how the yarn they use daily is actually made.  And for novice people it is a true eye opener.  But that is for another post.  So there we sit.  And the first woman came over and in the blink of an eye, chose 3 skeins and bam we were off to the races.  And at the end of two hours, I was shedding tears of joy.  It was a GREAT event!  Like really really good.  

The next day I was going through the night with my daughter Emily and she simply replied, "see mom, your yarn can stand on its own".  And that is what I need to remember, my samples add fun and brightness and color to my booth.  But bottom line is, my yarn can stand on its own.  And that is pretty special.