Don't you wish you could knit like this?

OK, well maybe you can, but I can't. I really want one of these lions. I don't know why (except that I can't have one and that makes me want one all the more). The photo of the Lion Brand yarn booth comes from the Craftzine site coverage of the CHA winter show that just finished up in California.

I didn't make it out there this time so I had to hunt up photos in the webosphere after I heard tales. And then I had to share. Click the link above or visit the LA blog  to find out more about the show.

Anyone else going?

So I missed out on some people I'd like to have talked to in Pittsburgh the last time I traveled. This time, I'm posting notice that I'm headed to Orlando next week for the CHA tradeshow and the first consumer supershow, so if you'll be around, let me know.

And people, on hearing that I'm going to Orlando, normally say, "Oh, wow, how exciting!"

These people have clearly never walked a tradeshow. If I have any time to make it over to see Mickey and gang, I will have a difficult decision. I have the stamina of a healthy 136 year old woman (yes, that's correct...one-hundred-thirty-six...I said it). And I will have used up all my good stuff trying to see what there is to see at the show...and there's usually a lot to see.

And I have spent my lunch time today lamenting the fact that I've booked a 6:30 return flight home. If I go the cost-efficient route and book the airport shuttle to pick me up...it's coming at 3:45. That would be in the morning. Or maybe in the middle of the night actually. And since it won't pick me up from my bed, that's going to be tough, tough, tough (makes me wish for the Knight Bus. I'm such a Potter geek.)

I should really think these things through more carefully.

CHA summer, part 2

Here are some photos of the Leisure Arts booth. I knew you'd like to see those! At a show like CHA, it's usually broken down into sections,so that the craft publications are together, the knit and crochet, the quilt, etc. New books and bestsellers are in the racks and we show limited product from some of the most exciting new books coming. Along the walls are posters for the hot new things we've got coming. This is the first time I really remember seeing lots of those, but we did have some for the Knit Out in Minneapolis and they really gave the booth an up-to-date look, probably because the photography just gets better and better.

We also had demos going for the DVD's and a television set up to play them. Bestseller Debbie Macomber was there to sign books (and mention to me that she saw my previous post about running into her at Barnes and Noble and just being better off to sit in the corner. This time, I didn't feel like so much of a rock star as I did worry about what I said. And really, if that wasn't a rock star moment, what is?). Hey Quilt department, did you see the big apron poster? Cool, right? And if you look vrey close, you can see a touch of Ireland and a big ol' Emilie Richards Touching Stars poster. For K&C, Vanna was featured as well as some of the best fashion stuff we've done lately. The booth looked great. I have no idea what people thought who hadn't enjoyed the epic battles to get these to the printer, but sometimes it makes it all worthwhile to see how pretty it looks in a rack.

CHA Summer, part 1

As I mentioned in my first CHA post, I've never visited the summer show in Chicago. I expected something like the winter show, only a little smaller and seriously hotter. I thought Chicago in the summer to be a little like Little Rock in the summer. H-O-T with a sizzle at the end. On the plane, the temperature in Chicago was 60 degrees. I was afraid. I had spent an enormous amount of time pondering how to wear as few clothes as possible, still look somewhat professional, and work with my crummy, comfy shoes. And now I thought I might actually freeze. It all turned out very well in the end. The weather was nice. Beautiful, really, for the approximately 32 seconds I was out in it, walking from convention center to hotel.

As we all know, I'm sort of a dork. I'm still impressed by the hotel rooms I stay in while traveling for Leisure Arts (with the possible exception of the Ramada/Thunderbird Motel in Minneapolis. I'm not sure impressed is the proper word for that one.) The convention center Hyatt is beautiful with the most fabulous bed...aching feets and back both appreciated it. And here's the outside of the convention center.

I will say that I had no idea that the world needed as many papers and stickers as could be found inside that building. Finding anything faintly quilt related was akin to finding the proverbial needle in the paper haystack. No real fabrics or even books to be seen. Our booth had a good selection of quilt books and there were a couple of other publishers there wtih books, but I guess that quilting is a little unusual to have such a large tradeshow of its own. Even the knit and crochet opportunities were few and far between. The yarn companies, who all have very large booths (and even fashion shows) at the winter show had scaled down operations here. Of course, they also had lovely new yarns to show and new colors as well. This was definitely a scrapper's paradise.

For those of us there to see the trends, it was interesting to see how all those paper makers work to differentiate themselves...colors, styles, graphics. And for a quilter's eye, it was fun to see which patterns had already shown up in fabric and to try to guess which ones might.

Traveling again

So we're off to Chicago for the summer Craft and Hobby Association trade show. If it's in the world of crafting, no matter how loosely translated, you can see it at this show. I've never been to the summer show, but I have seen the winter show (in Anaheim this year) a few times. Today I'm reminding myself of imporant lessons.
1. Wear comfortable shoes. I used to spend time worrying about my "professional" style...I only worry about that when I'm out of the building. Inside the building, I just worry about making it to work on time wearing clothes of some sort. Now at trade shows, I plan more carefully what I'll wear to go with my crummy, comfy shoes.
2. Move fast. I'm only good for about 1.5 days of travel. Once I hit the afternoon of the second day, my attention span grows very, very short. My feets and my back just distract me from all the good stuff around.
3. Just get ready to suffer for my travel. Flying is never my friend. Leaving Little Rock around 6:15 a.m. and returning around 11:10 p.m. the next day. I hope to avoid waking up hours late and making the 30 minute trip to the airport in 10 minutes or less. I'm tired already, but I'll be glad I did it on Sunday...when I am neck-deep in the last Harry Potter book. If one more person says one more thing to me about midnight parties or getting their copy on Saturday, thus beating me at the start line, I might lose it. And, by the way, Mundane Jane is headed for the train. She doesn't do planes well. She'll probably have some interesting posts to check out.
4. Carry plenty of projects to work on. Since I had such a close scare in Salt Lake City of running out of something to work on, I've planned my knit project more carefully than my "professional" style. A girl has to have her priorities.