
I could end this blog entry right now and that first sentence would say it all. But I know you'd be disappointed if I didn't have more to say and I feel like there is bit of an Oscar speech coming on!
First, let me say the biggest and loudest of thank you's to Jo and Mica, the two organisers who ARE the Edinburgh Yarn Festival. I actually hope they won't be reading this right now, but rather I hope they are sitting with their feet up and their family are waiting on them hand and foot for a few days. Without them this would never have happened. They wanted to create a yarn event of which Scotland could be proud, and my my! that is just what they did. Not only did they create an event which, as a vendor, it was a pleasure to attend, but I know hundreds and hundreds of people who attended had an equally enjoyable time. What I found with this event was that everyone was as cheerful and sociable (albeit tired!) at the end as they were at the beginning, and this indicated that the stress levels for vendors had been kept to a minimum, and I certainly found that Jo and Mica had attended to as many needs of vendors as they could think of. Secondly, the volunteers. What a grand job they did. I lost count of the number of times a volunteer popped into the stand to see if everything was okay, was there anything I needed .... and if I did have a minor query they were only too happy to go off and go and find out if they didn't know the answer immediately. And also, the venue staff were magnificent. They retained their cheerfulness throughout the weekend - always a help if you're feeling a little nervous or anxious.
And I loved the little humorous touches that were added to the vendor materials during the weekend - this was our vendor car poster.

Of course the a massive, massive thank you also goes to my two glamorous assistants, Dorothy and Lizzi:
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Quite simply without them it would not have been the success that it was, and I would not have had the time to spend chatting to all the lovely customers who came onto the stand. They kept me fed, and watered, and their devotion to duty was unending!! Put simply, they are epic. Although clearly they missed that that table cloth is looking a little dishevelled - may have to dock their wages for that.
It was wonderful to meet so many of you. Thank you for bringing me things that you'd knitted in my yarn to show me - it was lovely to see each and every one of them. So many of you were wearing your finished garments using RC yarn, and I lost count of the number of Still Lights I saw!
I love seeing the unusual things that sometimes happens to my yarn. One of the most unusual I've seen were these Dorset Button row markers, beautifully made by TJFrog on the Isle of Skye.

Looking at them closely you can see the intricate work involved in the making of them. Go and have a look at her website to see the other lovely things she makes! She doesn't have an online shop as such, but I do know she makes kits to enable you to make your own dorset buttons, so if you fancy having a go, get in touch with her.

At times it felt a little manic on the stand with many trying to get onto the stand to have a yarny squish, so I apologise if it was a little crushed at times.
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And like all great Oscar speeches, I feel sure I've forgotten somebody! But I don't want to forget our friends, Ian and Jacqui, who looked after us so well all weekend, and who dog sat perfectly! And to Fingal for hen sitting while we were away. And, of course, Stevan, who did all the driving and lifting and carrying (due to some sore ribs in my case!), and general moral supporting.
There were so many people I missed seeing, for which I am sorry. But to sum it all up?
It were grand!
For us, the week ahead holds rest, relaxation, and sleep. We may have to hang up the "do not disturb" sign. I will update the shop slowly as I unpack the few boxes I bought back with me. I'll make sure that the first thing to go up are the remains of the new Double Knitting yarn which was launched at the show. It was very popular, and sold well, but there are still a few hanks left.
Edited to add ..... I knew I'd forget to thank Ann for her wonderful Chocolate Brownie Muffins which sustained us when we needed a chocolate hit.
6 reactions
1 From Anne - 17/03/2015, 01:33
2 From Barbara Henry - 17/03/2015, 19:37
3 From lizzi - 17/03/2015, 20:34
Great weekend - I was glad to be part of it.
4 From Francine Hibiscus - 18/03/2015, 20:13
5 From Sarah - 20/03/2015, 22:24
6 From Mary - 21/03/2015, 00:01