k2tog: A Very Harlot Evening

Hey Robin,
I know I know, I should have written this as SOON as I got home last night! Heaven knows I was too excited to sleep! So here's my account of what fun there was to have...

I got there about an hour and a half early and was by far NOT the first knitter to arrive. The event staff was just setting up the auditorium style seating (they have to remove much of the food-court's dining tables/chairs for any speaking events) and the early-birds were already saving space for their knit-groups and what-have-you. It was just as fun as last year! Only this time I met FRIEND'S!!

On Ravelry Peanutga11ery1 and Dancing Sheep (and Ornerie too... sorry you couldn't be there!) said they would attend and Peanut (sorry for the abbreviation but I just realized I STILL don't know your real name!) was nice enough to tell me what shirt she would be wearing. She was also surrounded by her knit/spin group but was sweet enough to let me sit with her and chat! She also brought her beautiful daughter who was making a go at some garter stitch. I admit, i tried to take a flash-less photo, but the result was more like a spelunking pic than a photo or mother and child so I was nice and deleted it. Peanut ALSO introduced me to knitters more local to myself AND she gave me some pointers on drop-spindle spinning. Was there ever a more lovely person on the planet?? Oh AND... she shared a stitch-marker with me that was one of many she made to share with her group and with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. How nice is that?? I had offered my woodworking skills up for trade for the spinning lessons, but turns out she is filthy-with-woodworkers in her family so i am unneeded in that arena. How am i ever to repay her kindnesses??
She also introduced me to this fine fellow (Brian?) who shared his teaching-shawl with us. A remarkable piece of knittery to be sure:

On to the focus of our program! THE KNITTERS!

I hope I didn't blind that poor woman in front...

Just kidding, the focus is Stephanie. As last year, Stephanie came out and just started talking. She was brilliant and hilarious and kept us all in stitches for I would guess about an hour and a little bit over? She spoke about how knitters are going to take over the world (eventually) because we are constantly getting smarter. It has a lot to do with Theta-brain-use (an idea for CoH?) and repetitive motion. You would have to go listen to her speak to get the explanation, I don't want to ruin it for the SCADS of knitters that read this blog!! Right? ...hello?

Sorry my flash doesn't reach very far

Anyway! She kept us laughing for a nice, long time and then opened things up for questions (or staring blankly at her, that was an option too) and THIS time she got a couple of good ones. They were mainly setups for her to be more-funny which is certainly all right by me.

Then she made her pre-boarding announcements and we were OFF! So many people had waited to buy their book so that they could purchase from the store like Harlot asked, that the HUGE stack that was there when I arrived was gone long before she spoke. The manager informed us that more were on the way and would arrive before she started signing. How great for the store to sell out all their copies!! Just saying....

My benefactor-in-seating and spinning-lessons went to get her copy and get in line. While Dancing Sheep and I waited a comfortable interval to hop in (ok, we were gabbing but I'm not going to point that out). We got in line somewhere near the end-ish and had fun chatting with our neighbors and each other. I couldn't knit in-line because I didn't bring a sock... but I WOULD have!! Really!

We got to the front in what seemed like no-time (nothing like knitters to make time seem to pass more quickly) and Stephanie was amazingly gracious and pleasant to everyone (again!!) and I loved every minute (OK more like second) of time speaking with her.