Hi Knitters,After our fun evening out, we woke up Saturday to get ready for a late breakfast with my brother. He made reservations for us at Nougatine. We love to walk everywhere so we started out walking to our breakfast spot but the weather got the best of us. It was still raining sideways with a wind that nearly blew you over. We gave up after a few short blocks and jumped in a cab. The restaurant was beautiful. We sat by a huge window overlooking Central Park. The food was gorgeous, fresh and delicious. We got to have a good visit over a leisurely breakfast. It was good just being together. I wish our other brother could have been with us, too, it would have been a full Barrett set.
After breakfast we headed back to the hotel. Checked out and grabbed our cumbersome luggage. I have to carry two suitcases, one with the trunk show and one with my clothes. It is a lot. My sister and I jumped back in a cab and headed off to Knitty City for the event. Due to the weather we weren't sure if anyone would even venture out of their homes. It was really rough out there, no exaggeration.
When we arrived at Knitty City the store was already pleasantly packed. People were taking a class at the back of the store and a few were hanging out for the Itty-Bitty event, too. It was a nice welcoming. I set up and we had no idea what a wonderful time we were about to enjoy. The thing that struck me most on these last few events were the number of people traveling 2-3 hours to get to the location of these events. That is beyond awesome and surprising.
This sweet baby, Anna, was one of my early visitors. Her sweet mom, J-A or j-a, has commented on my blog many times and I remembered her. She was so fun. Anna of course is wearing the Cupcake Hat from Itty-Bitty Nursery. What a model. Wow, is she pretty.
Look in my hands, I am holding ja's Chubby Bunny and Garden Mouse, both from Itty-Bitty Nursery. They were beautifully done! These are two of my all-time favorite toys. I did a lot of toys in the Itty-Bitty Nursery book. If you are an avid toy knitter you may want to check out this book for the toys alone. I love it when people bring in their Itty-Bitty knits for me to see. Nothing is better than that.
See how the little ones always search for the tiniest doll in the Russian Nesting Doll set? That is a given. Notice the rain coat! It was a drenching downpour outside. But the knitters still came.
This little girl was fun. She really examined the toys. She is holding the Wrap Me Up Puppy, which continues to be a favorite in the book. Sleeping puppies can't be beat, I guess. Her mom was part of a collaborative group knitting of the Cupcake Tea Set also from Itty-Bitty Nursery. Pearl (the owner) had the entire set in the window of the shop. It was fabulous!
Here they are enjoying their creations. I still just love that tea set. I had the privilege of meeting several other tea set knitters, too.
This is Susan and she is from New Jersey. She has emailed me a few times and I remembered her. She brought her set of three Itty-Bitty books for me to sign. She is delightful and fun. It was great to meet her in person.
She shared her Rosebud Wreath Hat with me from Itty-Bitty Hats. Gorgeous!!!! Love it.
Here is a distinguished group from my publisher, Artisan Books. I was honored to have such a showing of support at the event. On the left is Chrissa, my handy publicist, next is Suzanne, one of my editors, and on my right is the lovely Ann Bramson, the publisher. I love these people from Artisan. I can't say enough about them and their work ethic and support. It is a joy to work with Artisan. I feel like they are a part of my family. Thanks for coming and showing support at the Itty-Bitty Toys event in NYC. I appreciate the effort.
This lovely mom and daughter enjoyed the toy table. Look again, the little girl is looking for the tiniest Russian Nesting Doll. I can't make this stuff up! Make a set for your house and see what happens, kids and adults alike.
I mean....
These two ladies breezed in, or soaked in, and the woman on the left had an interesting connection to Madison. She asked me if I knew Kevin Henkes, the famous children's author who lives in Madison. Being that Mr. Henkes is one of my all-time favorite children's authors I knew right away who she was talking about but no, I don't know him personally. He lives pretty close to me though I've heard. She was kidding around but it turns out that she works at Kevin's publisher in New York. She was great to meet and I loved signing her books.
Okay, here is Kristin. She came all of the way from Boston to come to Knitty City. I am holding her Baby Bear from Itty-Bitty Toys. She hung out quite awhile at the shop and I so appreciate her effort. It was an honor to meet you. Thanks for bringing yourself and your bear!!!
Here is my beloved Suzanne. Suzanne is one of the moderators for the Itty-Bitty Knits Forum on Ravelry! Suzanne is awesome as a person and a knitter. I feel like I know her or we met before or we were friends in a different life or something. She is like being with an old friend, comfortable and warm and patient. She sat in a big comfy chair and just soaked in the event from the best seat in the house. I LOVED meeting her. She traveled a couple of hours, too.
I love the ramp that welcomes people into the store. It is the perfect spot to take in the shop. That is one bustling neighborhood knit shop I tell you. There were tons of people in and out of the shop, packed full, not much room to move kind of shop. Plus there is some sort of great knitting energy going on, too. Everyone is friendly, Pearl is so hard working, she never stops. Knitty City is the epitome of a great community knit shop. It is my second event here and I would come back any time!
Here is Susan and her friend checking out the hats book. People were all smiles even though there was a hurricane aftermath happening right outside the door.
My brother is in the center. He came up from D.C. to see his sisters. He stood on the ramp by the door for awhile until I coaxed him to come and sit with us at the table. It was so good to see him. Thanks for coming all that way. We loved it. He survived the knitting event, too.
Here is a mother, daughter, granddaughter group shot. The daughter loves knitting Itty-Bitty things. What a lovely group. Do you see all of those books behind us? There is just about every book you could ever want. Knitty City has an awesome selection of books, patterns, needles, magazines and most of all, yarn!
Okay, Suzanne (sitting) and Suzanne (my editor) hit it off. Both Suzannes hung out at the event from early to late. I love that. They even went out for dinner together after the event (yes, I'm jealous)! Editor Suzanne was so kind to flag down a cab for my sister and me after the event. It was brutal outside and we were thankful for her cab savvy help. We aren't cab people being from Madison so it is a skill I don't possess.
Here is Melissa (?). She is another tea set knitter. She made the sugar cubes and a few cupcakes. She is adorable and sweet.
Here is my friend, Suzanne, again. She is so lovely and kind. What a treat to get to spend time with her. Especially toward the end of the event when it had kind of cleared out. That was the best. Suzanne writes a blog, is a mother to a little boy and she is a social worker.
In her spare time (lol), she whipped me up this beautiful hat. I had complimented her on her hat like this awhile ago so then she makes one for me. Everyone needs a friend like that, right? I love my new hat and will wear it proudly. What a sweet gesture. Thank you, Suzanne.
This sweet baby, Anna, was one of my early visitors. Her sweet mom, J-A or j-a, has commented on my blog many times and I remembered her. She was so fun. Anna of course is wearing the Cupcake Hat from Itty-Bitty Nursery. What a model. Wow, is she pretty.
Look in my hands, I am holding ja's Chubby Bunny and Garden Mouse, both from Itty-Bitty Nursery. They were beautifully done! These are two of my all-time favorite toys. I did a lot of toys in the Itty-Bitty Nursery book. If you are an avid toy knitter you may want to check out this book for the toys alone. I love it when people bring in their Itty-Bitty knits for me to see. Nothing is better than that.
See how the little ones always search for the tiniest doll in the Russian Nesting Doll set? That is a given. Notice the rain coat! It was a drenching downpour outside. But the knitters still came.
This little girl was fun. She really examined the toys. She is holding the Wrap Me Up Puppy, which continues to be a favorite in the book. Sleeping puppies can't be beat, I guess. Her mom was part of a collaborative group knitting of the Cupcake Tea Set also from Itty-Bitty Nursery. Pearl (the owner) had the entire set in the window of the shop. It was fabulous!
Here they are enjoying their creations. I still just love that tea set. I had the privilege of meeting several other tea set knitters, too.
This is Susan and she is from New Jersey. She has emailed me a few times and I remembered her. She brought her set of three Itty-Bitty books for me to sign. She is delightful and fun. It was great to meet her in person.
She shared her Rosebud Wreath Hat with me from Itty-Bitty Hats. Gorgeous!!!! Love it.
Here is a distinguished group from my publisher, Artisan Books. I was honored to have such a showing of support at the event. On the left is Chrissa, my handy publicist, next is Suzanne, one of my editors, and on my right is the lovely Ann Bramson, the publisher. I love these people from Artisan. I can't say enough about them and their work ethic and support. It is a joy to work with Artisan. I feel like they are a part of my family. Thanks for coming and showing support at the Itty-Bitty Toys event in NYC. I appreciate the effort.
This lovely mom and daughter enjoyed the toy table. Look again, the little girl is looking for the tiniest Russian Nesting Doll. I can't make this stuff up! Make a set for your house and see what happens, kids and adults alike.
I mean....
These two ladies breezed in, or soaked in, and the woman on the left had an interesting connection to Madison. She asked me if I knew Kevin Henkes, the famous children's author who lives in Madison. Being that Mr. Henkes is one of my all-time favorite children's authors I knew right away who she was talking about but no, I don't know him personally. He lives pretty close to me though I've heard. She was kidding around but it turns out that she works at Kevin's publisher in New York. She was great to meet and I loved signing her books.
Okay, here is Kristin. She came all of the way from Boston to come to Knitty City. I am holding her Baby Bear from Itty-Bitty Toys. She hung out quite awhile at the shop and I so appreciate her effort. It was an honor to meet you. Thanks for bringing yourself and your bear!!!
Here is my beloved Suzanne. Suzanne is one of the moderators for the Itty-Bitty Knits Forum on Ravelry! Suzanne is awesome as a person and a knitter. I feel like I know her or we met before or we were friends in a different life or something. She is like being with an old friend, comfortable and warm and patient. She sat in a big comfy chair and just soaked in the event from the best seat in the house. I LOVED meeting her. She traveled a couple of hours, too.
I love the ramp that welcomes people into the store. It is the perfect spot to take in the shop. That is one bustling neighborhood knit shop I tell you. There were tons of people in and out of the shop, packed full, not much room to move kind of shop. Plus there is some sort of great knitting energy going on, too. Everyone is friendly, Pearl is so hard working, she never stops. Knitty City is the epitome of a great community knit shop. It is my second event here and I would come back any time!
Here is Susan and her friend checking out the hats book. People were all smiles even though there was a hurricane aftermath happening right outside the door.
My brother is in the center. He came up from D.C. to see his sisters. He stood on the ramp by the door for awhile until I coaxed him to come and sit with us at the table. It was so good to see him. Thanks for coming all that way. We loved it. He survived the knitting event, too.
Here is a mother, daughter, granddaughter group shot. The daughter loves knitting Itty-Bitty things. What a lovely group. Do you see all of those books behind us? There is just about every book you could ever want. Knitty City has an awesome selection of books, patterns, needles, magazines and most of all, yarn!
Okay, Suzanne (sitting) and Suzanne (my editor) hit it off. Both Suzannes hung out at the event from early to late. I love that. They even went out for dinner together after the event (yes, I'm jealous)! Editor Suzanne was so kind to flag down a cab for my sister and me after the event. It was brutal outside and we were thankful for her cab savvy help. We aren't cab people being from Madison so it is a skill I don't possess.
Here is Melissa (?). She is another tea set knitter. She made the sugar cubes and a few cupcakes. She is adorable and sweet.
Here is my friend, Suzanne, again. She is so lovely and kind. What a treat to get to spend time with her. Especially toward the end of the event when it had kind of cleared out. That was the best. Suzanne writes a blog, is a mother to a little boy and she is a social worker.
In her spare time (lol), she whipped me up this beautiful hat. I had complimented her on her hat like this awhile ago so then she makes one for me. Everyone needs a friend like that, right? I love my new hat and will wear it proudly. What a sweet gesture. Thank you, Suzanne.
Here is the hat close-up! Love it.
There was a baby boom in the shop, too. Right after my event some knitters were gathered around to have a knitted baby shower for this Knitty City worker. She was so friendly and helpful.
Adorable twins came to visit the event. They were funny and fun and hung out for hours. Thanks for coming.
Janine blew in at the very end of the event. She had traveled in from New Jersey with her husband and kid(s?) who had dropped her at the door to come to the event. Simply walking from the curb to the door of the shop got her completely soaked to the bone. What a good sport. I signed her set of Itty-Bitty books and we got to visit briefly. It was nice.
Her rain boots were awesome (her jeans were stuck to her legs with rain water). They were actually knitted striped fabric, like you could see the knit stitches. Her boots caused a major stir in the knit shop. Everyone wanted a pair. Here is Janine's email to me about her boots if you want to track them down:
There was a baby boom in the shop, too. Right after my event some knitters were gathered around to have a knitted baby shower for this Knitty City worker. She was so friendly and helpful.
Adorable twins came to visit the event. They were funny and fun and hung out for hours. Thanks for coming.
Janine blew in at the very end of the event. She had traveled in from New Jersey with her husband and kid(s?) who had dropped her at the door to come to the event. Simply walking from the curb to the door of the shop got her completely soaked to the bone. What a good sport. I signed her set of Itty-Bitty books and we got to visit briefly. It was nice.
Her rain boots were awesome (her jeans were stuck to her legs with rain water). They were actually knitted striped fabric, like you could see the knit stitches. Her boots caused a major stir in the knit shop. Everyone wanted a pair. Here is Janine's email to me about her boots if you want to track them down:| Hello there! I hope you were able to stay dry! What a day. We had a great time at the Children's museum and then came home to a flooded basement - ah well... I checked my boots and they are from a company called On Your Feet and the boots are Raindrop. (makes no sense to me but...) I got mine at DSW last year for about $30. Thanks for chatting with me. It was a pleasure to meet you and see all of your wonderful creations in person! It was a great forum and a "meet and greet" I really didn't think I'd get to talk to you at all. Have a safe trip home. Again, it was so nice to meet you! Janine from NJ (the waterlogged one!) |
This woman knitted the tea pot for the tea set! It was a great day to be in rainy New York and the always wonderful Knitty City. There were lots of other people at the event so I am sorry if I didn't get your photo. We tried our best. What a huge success. I also signed a big stack of a mix of all 3 Itty-Bitty Books so contact Knitty City if you'd like a signed copy!The big thing at Knitty City this year is this fabulous tote bag (see below)!!! Pearl generously gave my sister and me each a Knitty City tote bag and me a $75 gift certificate to the shop (of course I went over!). I want to tell you that you can order these slick waterproof and cute and perfect project bags right from her shop! I believe after spending a certain amount at the shop you get a free bag, too. Give them a call to order one (price is around 5-7 dollars, can't remember exactly), (212-787-5896).
the other side view! Who doesn't like a cute striped and dotted tote like this? We were thrilled. I will share my yarn purchases at a later date.
Remember these scarves from Knitty City on my last tour to NYC? Pearl sold a ton of these scarves after I posted this photo with Jaime Harder Caldwell after our event in 2007. She currently has more of these gorgeous crocheted scarves in her shop. The newer version is even better because it is wider and there are wonderful colorways available. I love my scarf like this and wear it all of the time. You should get one! Call Pearl at Knitty City to get one for yourself: (212-787-5896). Okay, it took me two days to write this. I'll be back soon!
Love ya, Knitters!
best, susie
p.s. Please check out my newest free pattern for Spud & Chloë for a Mini-Reversible Duck to Bunny! Here is the pattern link. Here is the Ravelry project page link. Have fun with your Easter and spring knitting. Craig at Loop has 4 Duck to Bunny Kits left if you are interested.
16 comments:
I love all these pictures. It looks like you all had a wonderful time! Those knitty bags are so cute, I'm going to have to get me some. Thanks for the discriptive words and pictures. I look forward to reading your blog everyday, especially when you talk about your events. It makes me feel part of your world :)
Eliana
I just love the joy that comes with all of your book signing 'parties'. I can just imagine you make every person feel like a new friend which is such a special thing to do. I just love all of your books so much and I am still knitting an ittybitty hat pattern for my big 7 year old. It just gets adapted each year to his directions. I have just finished another one but apparently with this one I now have to crochet elf ears to go with it. I thought I might make them detachable because I just don't know if he will still want them when he is 8! Lots of love, Kate XXOOXXOOXX.
What love ebbs over at your book tours. It must give you such adrenaline to return and dream up more ideas. Even though traveling is stressful and you have lots of additional "knitted friends" to bring along, seeing such love for your craft must be so meaningful.
For me, I just wonder what wonderful things you are going to bring to us next. Then, there is the duck to rabbit waiting for me. Thanks for your creativity and making all of us part of your world.
I LOVE to read about and look at the different pictures of the great yarn shops you get to visit!
I purchased Itty Bitty Hats a bit ago and love it :) Thanks so much for "taking us along" on your many adventures... reading your posts and looking at the great photos makes it almost like I was there :)
Thanks for the mini vacation! :)
~HoneyB~
Hey Susan,
Oh my I am so glad you had a wonderful time in NYC. We were so honored to meet you at Knitty City. Thanks for including our pics in your blog today. My mom, daughter and I really enjoyed playing with your knitted toys!!! Love Liz
Wow! what a trip, such great photographs of people you met and shared your passion for knitting. You will remember it forever and thanks for sharing - your blog is just brill and I am so inspired.
Looks like you had a great time! What a fun looking store!
Guess what? I could see my Watermelon Sweater hanging in the background of some of the photos! Yay!
Hello Susan,
I've been following your blog for quite a while now (first comment)and as always, your pictures are so colorful and wonderful. Funny enough, I also noticed today that we bear the same maiden name (except for an extra ''e'' for me since I'm french!).
Enjoy your day!
Isabelle
Oh Susan, it was such a pleasure meeting you. I am honored to be able to attend your awesome event at Knitty City! You are an awesome woman and it brought me great joy to spend some time in your Itty Bitty world. :)
Susan, it was great to meet you! My baby was very happy to meet you too, although the photos don't show her smiling. This year is going to be a very Itty Bitty Toy year - there are so many toys that my baby would like that I'm afraid I will end up making all of them. Thanks for spending time with us and I hope you come to NYC again soon.
Help me out here, please! When was Itty Bitty Toys actually published? When you say "new", how new is new? I remember falling in love with the giraffe on the cover what I'm sure is months ago. Since I only get back to the U.S. once a year I had my daughter add it to a book order she was placing. I'll be home in less than a month and I'm so looking forward to getting my hands on it.
KarenJ,
Itty-Bitty Toys came out in October, 2009. It's still pretty new.
susan
I love to see the joy that your books bring to people.
Oh my - the stories! First, how awesome of everyone to show you the love, Susan! You so deserve all the love you give away to come back to you on this very rainy day!
Secondly, I love, love, love all the pictures of you and Suzanne and the beautiful cloche she made for you! I love the Knitty City tote and shop and those Raindrop "knit" boots -- the picture of the two of you gals in those circular scarves, the stories of the knitters, and the children - you sum it all up so beautifully we feel as if we are sharing in the event with you!
A knit baby shower must be like heaven on earth - I have never even imagined something that gorgeous - what a loved and lucky little one that will be!
Thank you with love from "the ranch"!
Cindy
You are so dear to take us all on your book tour with you. One of my favorite things when traveling is, of course, to check out the local knit shops so I have enjoyed tagging along with you by way of both of your blogs and it's high time I shared my thanks. Your posts are always sweet and fun and interesting. Josey
I am so glad to see you have published another book. And the signing party looks so fun! I am not really a 'knitter', I dabble, but your Itty Bitty Nursery is wonderful and really got my nursery knitting off the ground. Have just finished (slowly) another non-'Flower Hat' for my boy: http://fionaeason.com/2010/04/07/hats/ Thanks for the inspiration!
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