Membership is $195 per year. And for a designer/teacher like myself, joining also meant acquiring some letters of recommendation and copies of my published designs. It wasn't a five-minute process.
And then I needed to decide how to make the best use of my investment.
Recognizing that I need to write a book (actually, probably more than one) on versa lace, I decided to attend the summer convention in Cleveland, Ohio, to meet directly with potential publishers. Of course, that only took a small amount of my time. I also walked the entire floor, meeting vendors I didn't know. I reminded several vendors that STITCHES United will be in Atlanta next year and that we knitters would really love to see them. It has been five years since we had a major convention in Atlanta. The knitters are going to show up for this. I also reminded the vendors that we have two guilds with over 100 members. Both Atlanta Knitting Guild and North Georgia Knitting Guild meet monthly and both are usually looking for programs. A yarn representative with a trunk show is usually a pretty good program.
Some questions/observations:
Is the market segmented geographically?
I hardly knew any of the vendors from the other side of the Mississippi. There were also some vendors from New Jersey, New York, and up into New England who I didn't know. If I who attend Maryland Sheep and Wool, SAFF, STITCHES South, and read Interweave Knits, PLY, Vogue Knitting and Cast On haven't heard of you, chances are good my 250 guild friends haven't heard of you, either.
Are vendors using guilds to their best advantage?
Guilds are groups of the most devoted crafters. At a meeting, they are gathered in one place. Guilds often need programs. Communicating with guilds could be a way to get new products into the sight of enthusiasts who will then share with friends and pester their friendly local yarn stores.
Where's the hype?
When I attended Gen Con last year, the place was pumped. Now, this is not an apples-to-apples comparison to TNNA, as Gen Con is a consumer convention. Tabletop game companies know how to build excitement. They release new games at Gen Con, often with promotional items available nowhere else. If TNNA wants shop owners to attend the winter and summer shows, then the show-only premiums need to have greater prominence, both for the shop owners but also for the customers.
And what did I see?
Tools, gadgets, and assorted items:
Atenti. This wholesalers has a range a bags for every sense of style. Many of these bags are large enough not just for projects, but also to use as overnight bags.
BambooMN. This vendor imports a range of bamboo-related products, many of which are not knit- or crochet-related. That said, they do have a nice Amish-style swift as well as gorgeous lidded round yarn bowls and square lidded yarn boxes in three colors. They also carry wool, bamboo, acrylic, and cotton yarn.
Clothe Zure. These buttons and toggles attach securely yet removably with magnets. They remind me a little of Jūl. These would be good in a holiday gift-exchange. They can be used to jazz up a plain sweater, shawl, bag, or hat. And if you find a favorite, you can keep moving it between garments.
Dill. Based out of Germany, they manufacture a full range of buttons from natural shell to colorful plastic to metal. They also make these lovely spiral closures, perfect for holding a shawl in place.
Dimensions. Raku clay buttons and shawl pins, made in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I am thinking the gentle color shifts of raku would be great with kettle-dyed yarns, such as Malabrigo, or a variety of hand-dyed effects.
Fairy Knitting. This is a new book coming out in September by authors Alice Hoffman and Lisa Hoffman. From the trifold sample and the pictures on Ravelry, it is a combination of fairy tale stories matched with knitting patterns and gorgeous photography.
Katrinkles. I mentioned them after I won some of their items as a door prize at Unwind. They have a lovely line of buttons and gadgets for knitters, crocheters, and spinners. I very much like the 4-inch/10cm square frame for determining stitch gauge.
KnitBaahPurl. If you are looking for mugs, glasses, project bags, shirts, tags, cards, posters, and more, this is the place. Their stemless wine glasses should be required equipment for those who knit and sip. And as you can see from the pin, they have a wry sense of humor.
Prym. These alabaster-colored plastic knitting needles have a triangular cross-section and slightly hooked tips. The straights clip together, both preventing the loss of a needle and preventing stitches from sliding off while stuffing the work-in-progress into a knitting bag. The women distributing these are based in South Carolina. I am hopeful I will see them again at South Carolina Knit Inn. Even if you aren't a fan of straight needles, the double-points and circulars are worthy of a test drive. As a fan of square needles, I do like the shape of these triangular needles.
Reading Glass Co. Apparently, if you live long enough, your eyes work less well. (Ask me how I know.) This vendor out of Marietta, Georgia, carries a nice array of stylish reading glasses. You need never mar your carefully-crafted sartorial message while reading a pattern written in young person's typeface.
Shelli Can. Maker of craft-themed pins, key chains, and stitch markers. I do love the octopus with 8 balls of yarn. She also has a golden stitch pin — a golden snitch remade as a golden yarn ball with wings. Clever!
Travelin Along. The Knitting Memories Along the Danube cruise scheduled for next summer includes hand-dyeing, Bavarian stitches class, a shop hop in Vienna, and a textile museum tour.
Tomorrow: Wholesale yarns.
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