Thursday, March 13, 2014

NAMASTE!

So, Life has whooooooshed by again, and in doing so, Stitches West 2014 passed in grand style.

Stitches West?  Only part of the Knitting Universe--the hugest fiber arts confab in the Western Hemisphere, dontchaknow.  For five days every February, thousands of knitters descend upon the Santa Clara Convention Center and commit the dirtiest most breathtaking feats of retail consumption imaginable.

In addition, tons of classes by awesome, famous knitters are offered. The Lily Chin Bust Darts Class Incident of 2013, in which a certain correspondent, after spending a frustrated hour and a half attempting to suss the physics of knitting into thin air, suddenly exclaimed in revelation, "Bust Darts are Heel Flaps for Boobs!" shall live in infamy.

There is also drinking.

In quantity.

This correspondent also moonlights occasionally on The Knitmore Girls and Knit Knit Cafe Podcasts and as such played Sherpa and Sidekick for the weekend.  Over the preceding months, several podcasts, including Throwdown initiators The Knotty Girls Knitcast competed in collecting hats for the fabulous charity Halos of Hope, an organization which distributes hats to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.  It may have become a bit competitive.  We may also have collected several hundred hats at the Stitches Meet 'n' Greet in the Purlescence Yarns booth alone.  Knitters are awesome.

Know who else is awesome?  Sponsors. They liven up a charity contest like nobody's business. Several cool companies sent prizes to the podcasts for their listeners (see podcaster's show notes for details), and one special sponsor did a little something for us.

Meet Namaste:



They create absolutely beautiful, purposefully vegan, fantabulous bags, accessories and knitting paraphernalia.  Their bags are so thoughtfully designed and gorgeous that I already own five of them, plus a couple of accessories, knitting project snap-top bags and a needle case. The one I just received in the mail, (full disclosure) as a gift, is the Harlow.  I already own one in Pumpkin Spice, it is my favorite of the entire line, and I will SHOW you why:

I carry a lot of stuff.  You all do, and we all know why.




And this is how it all fits in a beautiful cross-body bag:






Yep, that's everything, cleared and zipped.  I haven't even filled the two sides or the back zipper pocket.  Those two side pockets you spy there, left and right, will hold an additional TWO regular size water bottles.  This thing is so elegantly designed I actually sigh when I look at it. Yes, this one was provided, but I am a long-standing Namastarian, and when I am stopped in shops and parking lots (yes, it really happens), I will actually disgorge my bag and show people just how cool it is. Check them out at www.namasteinc.com and commence squealing and toe-tingling.
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