I can’t believe it.  Saturday I met the Yarn Harlot at the Bluegrass Festival of Books.  I finally decided Lexington was as close to Cincinnati as she was going to get so I made the pilgrimage.  I got in line with the rest of her disciples and waited patiently as she examined their knits, posed for sock pictures, signed books and generally being just as gracious and sweet as you imagine.  I was very nervous, although I suppose I should have expected that.  Getting to meet someone you admire very much and feel like you know even though you’ve never met is bound to make one a little anxious.  I don’t remember what I said but I’m sure it was completely stupid while she on the other hand was completely charming.   Jim (who drove down so I could knit…of course the FPS… and sat patiently through all of the knitting festivities) acted as paparazzi as I got my books signed and chatted with the harlot and posed with “THE SOCK”. 

Side Note:  Unfortunately, I have been so caught up in the FPS saga that I had NO socks on the needles.  I seriously though about throwing sock yarn and DPNs in the car but blew it off at the last minute.  I have never felt more in need of knitting a sock in my whole life.  Everywhere I looked in the Lexington center people were knitting.  Mostly socks, a few garter projects and one afghan.  Of course I had the FPS in my bag but there was no way I was whipping out that thing while distracted with all the harlot business.

I could have left the festival a happy woman, but instead I dragged Jim to a session entitled “A Good Yarn — Knitters, Fiction, and More!” with Susan Anderson, Stefanie Japel and Ann Hood.  I mainly just went because Stefanie was there.  I recently purchased her first book,  “Fitted Knits“.  I rarely can say this about a pattern book, but I would wear/make almost anything in there.  The authors talked about how they got into knitting/writing, what it meant to them and knitting as a career.  All of them had different stories but in common the obsessiveness that is knitting.

After a break for lunch I tried to go to Stefanie Japel’s booth to get my booked signed.  Apparently she had some lunch issues of her own and didn’t make it back to the booth.  I waited as long as I could but I didn’t want to risk not having a seat for the harlot talk.  I needn’t have worried…this venue actually devoted to her a space worth of her following…not one but THREE connected convention center rooms.   She again was completely delightful as she warned us all of the the CHOKE (c-something harassment of knitters everywhere…can’t believe I forgot the acronym) movement.   As she spoke, everyone (ok me and and like maybe 10 others out of hundreds weren’t) everyone knit.  I have never in my life felt so out of place NOT knitting.  Strange experience, that.  It gave me a chance though to take in the wonder of that moment…all of these people there to see her and all happily knitting away.  It was cool.  There was also a sit and knit afterwards where I finally could have vindicated my nonknitting myself by working on the FPS but sadly we had to leave right after she finished.  The dogs were home alone and I fear Jim had reached his absolute maximum threshold for knitting related events (in all seriousness…the man is practically a saint…he acted interested in all of this and was very happy for my having the fortune to meet the harlot).

Side note the second:  Herald Article 

FPS Totals: As of today (more car knitting on the way to and from Miami for a baseball game…payback for Saturday from Jim) starting tier 6.  Total hours: 23 (including one hour Saturday night in which I almost started crying because I whipped out the shawl again after the car knitting to find the needle missing. Patiently Picked up stitches and unknit until I could be sure all stitches were properly back on the needles.)