This last weekend I did the Yarnosphere Show in Long Beach, CA. This is the second year for the show, and it was nice to do it again. I particularly love the show’s mascot, Shirley Wool!

Shirley’s professional headshot.

Patty Nance of Bargello-KnittingTM and I teamed up and created a kit, the Starry Night Cowl Kit. Patty also had samples from her book on display in the booth. It was so nice to have her in the booth, and she was a great help since my family was not able to come help at the show. The kits were a great success, and I even got one to make. Patty got me started, so I think this will be a fun, quick project to work on.

Our neighbors at the show were Mette and Sue from Ranch of the Oaks. I first “met Mette” at Stitches in 2011. Ever since then, we love having booths next to each other. Her ranch raises alpacas, and also has a mill for producing yarn. The yarn is lovely and soft, and the natural colors are beautiful. Needless to say, her booth was a busy spot during the show.

On the other side of our booth was Yarn Del Sol from Mission Viejo, CA. Rosemary and her team of fun ladies had a beautiful booth filled with great yarn, needles and patterns. Their specially dyed Lorna’s Laces colors were so fun, and represent a Southern California palette very well. It was also wonderful to reconnect with Rosemary and get a glimpse of her store in her booth. I am looking forward to visiting her store in the near future!

Across from us was Alexa from Oink Pigments. Her yarn is so vibrant! I still love the one that is turquoise and orange called Goldfish Bowl. I have a skein of it and plan to make a scarf to wear with jeans. Alexa bought a Single Yarn Keeper and started using it right away, which was super cool. She is making a log cabin baby blanket. It was great fun to have a booth near her again as well.

The show was well attended, and it seemed that everyone was having a good time despite the 100-degree weather outside. At least the inside was air-conditioned and cool. I did feel for Barbra and Maridee of the Yarnover Truck since it was so hot outside: They would take turns coming inside to cool down, but luckily the heat didn’t deter people from going out and visiting the truck.

There were classes going on throughout the two days, along with raffles and book signings. It was fun to be a part of this event again this year. Caroline and Amy have done a great job organizing it. Most of the vendors are from the Southern California area, which really makes it a local, homegrown show. I am looking forward to next year’s Yarnosphere — the dates are supposed to be announced soon!