Minneapolis!

Hi Knitters,

I'm here in Minneapolis this morning and this afternoon I will be in Anoka at Shepherd's Choice (see my sidebar for details). It's their grand opening today at 1:00pm. Yesterday I got off the plane and was whisked to KARE 11, the Minneapolis NBC station to do a live segment for Showcase Minnesota. That was very fun. The host Corbin sincerely loves the knitting and the toys. She was really funny and cute and silly. You can watch the segment here if you missed it.
Here is the table I set up for the show. There was a chef preparing his segment right next to me. Cooking segments are so much work. I can't believe all of the prep for a quick few minutes. It smelled spicy and yummy. My set up is simple in comparison.
The toys looked so sweet and inviting. They did me proud.
Everyone loves seeing the reversibles in person. There is nothing like holding one of these in your hands.
The puppies wrapped up in their blankets is one of the most popular patterns so far. You never know what will take off. They are pretty sweet.

Anyway, it was fun and fast. In the green room before my segment I got to hang out with Bobcat Goldthwait. Love it! I thought it was him but he looks different than when I last saw him. He has short or no hair, he wore big dark rimmed glasses and a little plaid newsboy hat. I realized for certain it was him when the station staff kept filing in and telling him how much they loved him and what certain skit or movie or David Letterman appearance they loved. He was very gracious and kind. He was performing in Minneapolis. Bobcat was interested in my book tour and where I was going. I found him really nice and quiet and humble. It was good to see. He talked about his daughter who is currently in Massachusetts filming a documentary on the Kennedy family. Prior to that she was working on a reality show about Carnie Wilson called, Carnie Unstapled. Fantastic.

Seriously, I can't make this stuff up. Last tour I was in a green room with a child star singer who sang Jesus Take the Wheel for her segment and her stage mother behind the scenes was craaaazy. It was incredible. I just smile and soak it all in. These are the kinds of moments when you can't believe you are where you are. It's so removed from my everyday life.
That afternoon I went to Needlework Unlimited in Minneapolis. I love coming to this shop, it is my third visit. The beginning of the event was fast and furious. I signed so many books, the staff kept bringing out stacks and stacks. The shop owner had already sold several boxes of books before my event. That is so good to hear. We almost ran out of books by the end but there were a some left and I signed the remainders if anyone wants to pick up a signed book at the shop.

This grandma, daughter and granddaughter came with Itty-Bitty Hats all knit up. The grandma is working her way through the entire book. They were so fun and enthusiastic and proud. I enjoyed them thoroughly. Thanks for sharing!! What a beautiful baby. Itty-Bitty Hats continues to be one of this shop's best-sellers in books. They have sold hundreds and hundreds of copies since it came out. That is amazing for a yarn shop. I love to hear good news like that.
I had lots and lots of kids show up with parents. They enjoyed all of the toys but especially the reversibles and the felted super balls. This little guy reminded me so much of my nephew. I had to do a double-take when he walked in. The brother-sister pair were very fun and spent lots of time at the table with their mom.
Here she is! The gorgeous model from page 155 came to the signing along with her little sister and mom. Her name is Anya and it was a treat and a half to meet her. Her mom was so excited and proud.
Anya was kind enough to be in a picture in with me. Thanks for making the effort to stop by, it was great to meet you and thanks for being a part of the book. I think the mom bought four copies of Itty-Bitty Toys and had me sign all of them.
The shop had a couple Kristin Nicholas pillows on display.
Aren't they gorgeous? I will be reviewing Kristin's new book as soon as I get a chance.
Finally, Amy Jensen stopped by with her mom and daughter. I had to get a photo of her Spud & Chloë leg warmers. She looked so incredibly cute with her skirt, boots and leg warmers. I loved it. Her daughter and mom were really fun and stayed a long time. You can get the pattern for these right here. Pretty cool, right Rachel?

I'll be back with more about Minnesota, Anoka and Shepherd's Choice soon!

best, susie