We're shopping for yarn in Long Beach, California this week!

On Wednesday, Alex and and I are flying to Long Beach so we can attend the TNNA Show where hundreds of yarn manufacturers present their new spring and summer lines to thousands of yarn retailers. We're going a little early so we can visit Namaste Farms. We've never been there before and we're excited to meet Natalie's wonderful critters who give their clothes to us so we can make our own.

I'm also excited about finally meeting Natalie. We've been working together about six months now and have never met so this is going to be fun. In "Deb's Visit to the Farm," Natalie will play the role of the tall, young and gorgeous shepherdess while I'll be the pint-sized troll scurrying after her. Maybe she'll let me kiss and hug some of her animals. (What can I say? I've been required by law to kiss only Alex for over 30 years now. It would be nice to kiss some other old goat every once in a while...and an angora goat would be fun to hug, too!)

Here's a bit of a preview of what I'm in for at Natalie's farm...



Jan will be joining us on Friday so she can attend the big fashion show that evening. Then the real work begins.

Alex and Jan will be meeting with the various companies and decide which new yarns to add to our inventory. We've already got 800 yarns now, but there are lots more out there to be examined and considered.

Since the last TNNA show, we picked up the superb Bergere de France line. We'd seen their yarns at shows in Columbus, Ohio; Florence, Italy; Cologne, Germany and Paris, France. Finally, we were able to add them to our shop and it appears our knitters are glad we did!


While Alex and Jan examine all the yarns, I get to meet with authors, designers, magazine editors and others who keep the yarn industry vibrant and changing all the time. It's fun to see what new patterns they've created, which styles they think are going to take off, and which trends they think are going to catch on. For the past few years, there's been a lot of buzz about eco yarns and we've seen new ones introduced from a variety of companies. They've brought us yarns in everything from bamboo and seaweed to milk! It will be interesting to see what they've come up with this time.

I'll be taking lots of photos so I can share my experiences with you in our Knitch Magazine. If any of you would like me to check out anything in particular, just let me know!