Former Leader of The Free World, or The Yarn Harlot?

Was it even a choice?

Once my watch moved to that magic block of time where, if I didn't hop into the car and head out to the train station, I wasn't going to make the Yarn Harlot book signing -- I fled from an impossibly long line of people waiting to meet Clinton at the Brown Bookstore, where he sat, signing copies of his book before giving a talk about the [abismal] state of the Democratic Party.

Despite the excitement of Black Hawks hovering overhead and Secret Service guys moving about our little "artsy" corner of the universe, all I could think about was getting to that train on time for The Yarn Harlot event at Circles.

It's good to know my priorities are in order.

Here is the Yarn Harlot herself, happily knitting along while being funny, charming and down-to-earth (check out her gorgeous cardi):

It was such a good time. I had no idea there were so many Boston Knit Bloggers! Many of the bloggers I've been reading for some time are from Beantown, and for some reason,this little factoid completely passed my radar. It was very odd to see people walk in and recognize them from their blogs, not knowing they actually lived so close.

Even weirder, was the fact that I associated them with their projects and I kept saying things like "You're the Mitten Woman!"

Even WEIRDER still, was recognizing the projects themselves before registering the people wearing the projects. Like, when the extremely friendly and cool Melanie walked in with her beautifully executed Rogue. I shouted "Look! It's Rogue!"

I know. Bad Paula! But it was just so cool to see it live and in-person! So, imagine my delight when Claudia walked in with her version! It was almost too much to bear. Hers was the cardie version and she even used one of those super-cool zippers that zip both ways -- the one I want to use for MY Rogue!

Here they both are looking equally fabulous:

Melanie's Rogue

and

Claudia's Rogue (and orange skein for effect)

I'm telling you, people. Seeing Rogue was better than that time I met Soundgarden (well, sort of...hehe). Oh and meeting the knitters behind the Rogues was great as well (ahem!).

I love that pattern and have everything I need to begin. I've just been waiting for the "right time."  But now, I am so inspired, I may begin after Cool Cagoule! (I'm going to use a few more exclamation points in this post, so bear with me and please don't hate me).

Other highlights included meeting Margaret (sadly, no pic or site), a woman who was knitting up a lovely Estonian mitten from a workshop she took with Nancy Bush. Since I am a HUGE fan of the Estonian mittens, she and I chatted for quite some time about the workshop and the cultural significance of knitting in Estonia.

I was also able to meet Colleen and see her beautiful tank in person. The fabric really does look like ripped strips of t-shirt! And the shaping was right on (there she is munching on some cookies in the corner...hehe).

Another treat was the opportunity to fondle some KnitPicks yarn! Kellee allowed me to bask in the glow of her Andean Silk. I couldn't believe how soft and yummy this yarn was at only about $4 per skein! KnitPicks, here I come! (Kellee is on the far left with the Andean Silk perched on her lap).

And, to my surprise, I found another Rhode Islander. Poor Judy decided to brave the winding streets of Boston instead of taking the train, but she made it! I was drawn to her gorgeous wrap -- look at those colors! Apparently, she spun and dyed the yarn herself. Check out more of her spun and dyed creations on her web site. She has some amazing colorways. Isn't that wrap gorgeous?

The best part of the evening was meeting the Yarn Harlot and chatting with her about my Estonian mitten. She gave me some great advice on how to achieve a nice black border along the decrease edges -- something that becomes difficult to do when the bind-off interferes with a contrasting color in the pattern. She was funny and attentive and just an all-around pleasure to meet. I was all giddy when she complimented me on my mitten. It ruined the whole cool and collected thing I thought I had going. I thanked her for writing such a great book and moved on back to the open space to finish off the evening chatting with a few other bloggers.

The funniest part of the evening was when the Yarn Harlot and a few of us moved aside to let some of the staff through doorway with store furniture. The woman moving the cabinet was dangerously close to wedging her hands in the doorway frame and at the same time that a few people chimed in to warn her, the Yarn Harlot chimed in to warn about the yarn that had fallen off the cabinet and was close to being squashed. I jokingly said "Who cares about her hands..." and the Yarn Harlot finished with "The yarn! The yarn! Save the yarn!"

All in all a good time. :-)