So last night I made it to see the Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. I got my ticket for this event about a month ago - ticket #9 in case you were wondering. Seating was to begin at 6:30, and I got there at 6pm so I could get a coffee and maybe wander around the bookstore since I never get to. Yikes! There was already a line to be seated so I joined it and knit while I waited. My sockapalooza socks which a number of people asked me about, and I directed them to Knitting Daily for the pattern.The crowd was pretty decent in size - I am guessing right around 150 people (the photo down below does not have the standing room only people - they hadn't been released yet.) Lots of faces I recognized, but I am not part of the real active knitting community so I didn't know too many people. I sat next to a very nice woman named Flo, who handles all the charity work for the guild. I swapped stories, patterns, and techniques with the knitters around me. It was a nice wait. There was one woman working on a gansey in the row behind me - I kept turning around and staring at her trying to make eye contact with her. I wanted to look at that sweater since I am burning to knit a traditional gansey. Man, it was gorgeous.
Anyway, Stephanie was as funny as I expected. She told a hysterical story about biscuits in Tennessee that had me rolling. Mostly, her talk was about how we need to have more respect as knitters because we are a force to be reckoned with. The thing I liked the best about her is she seemed genuine. It has to be hard to give the same talk over and over to knitters across the two countries. At one point, she offered a woman who was coughing terribly one of the waters the bookstore provided and asked us not to clap when we started to because "she was just changing the cat's litter box 4 days ago."I waited in line about a hour to have my book signed behind the rudest woman on the face of the planet - she snapped at the gal who was helping with the book signing because she gave her incorrect directions to the books for purchase and now she had to wait in this very long line. I seriously wanted to say something right back at her because the bookstore gal certainly couldn't, but my anger kept me from coming up with something clever and passive aggressive to say. Anyway, by the time I got to Stephanie to have my book signed I was feeling really bad for her. She seemed tired - very tired. And who wouldn't be? She was kind to everyone and smiled, but I just wanted to get my picture taken, have my book signed, so she could get out of there to have some pizza and beer at Moose's Tooth. In the process, I, of course, managed to be a dork. Look I have it in pictures - let's take a run down shall we?
Stephanie: "Wait a second, why am I holding the sock? YOU are supposed to be holding the sock!"
Stephanie: "It's like she comes all this way and she doesn't even read the blog."Me: *desperately scrambling to say something funny* "Well, the line was long, I am hungry and nervous." *obviously failing miserably at the humor*
There we go - how the photo should have been from the beginning. Except, dammit, I forgot to have her hold MY sock. I seriously should not be let out in public after 8pm. Kudos to the nice woman behind me for capturing this embarrassing moment. :)
13 comments:
Okay, that's too funny. (And that's so something I would do - go alone, be a dork). I love the three pictures; they're like slow motion or something. Anyway, no one can be expected to come up with something intelligent and witty after waiting in line for an hour and being all worked up by a rude idiot. ; )
Been there. It's the dorks that authors enjoy the most. They are real, just like the authors.
I was there, too!!! I sat right next to the woman who was knitting the gansey, and kept fondling it. And then I would realize what I was doing and say, " I'm sorry, I just had to touch it again." So trust me, you were not the only one who felt like a dork that night! It was knit out of Peace Fleece, which I had not seen before but can't stop thinking about. Did you see the sweater that Stephanie was knitting??? I asked about it and she wrote where to find it and the yarn on a sticky note in my book. I kind of already ordered it. I'm such a sheep....
I always think of the good things to say after the fact, whether they are funny or a comment to someone rude. It stinks. I'm sure she didn't think you were a dork! I'm glad you got to go and have some fun!
I totally didn't think you were a dork. I thought you were charming.
I'm so jealous that you got to see Stephanie! She was in Texas last year and it was the one week all year that I had to be somewhere else.
Cute pictures!
Hooly Jo:
Just saw your comment on my blog and ended up here! I was a dork too. You feel so silly, when you know she is just a person like you, but you've been reading all her stuff, so she is a clebrity, so you try not to be too dorky...sigh. Anyway, I totally was so irritated by the woman behind me. I could not believe she so was so nasty to that poor girl. I gave her several looks, but also did not want to start an altercation with the rude things I wanted to say to her! I liked your entry about our visit with Stephanie...you nailed exactly what the evening was like for me! I will have to stop in more often and read a fellow Alaskan's blog!
Not a dork at all! Have you had a chance to listen to Marly's podcast about seeing Stephanie? (Yarn Thing) Looks like you had a wonderful time! I had fun reading Stephanie's blog on her way to Alaska knowing that you were going to see her! Looks like a wonderful time!
See? You're charming. :)
Glad you got to go!
I can relate. I remember seeing you at both the WWKIP & Title Wave. I was sitting in the front row. In fact, in your photo of the group, I'm the one standing, wearing the cap. Great to meet you! You are certainly not a dork. I felt the same way when I gave her the AK washcloth - as if I didn't read her blog, etc. Geez... Glad you had a good time - hope you see you again. Ciao
I was there too! I was in the "standing room only" seats. I didn't wait around for an autograph-the line was too long! She sure is funny!
You are suppoesd to think you are a dork in the prescence of someone you admire so much--even though no one else thinks you are a dork! Heck, Stephanie thinks she's a dork sometimes, too. And she canges the kitty litter, too. :)
So glad you got the chance to meet her! I think it's awesome that she made a stop in AK - met so many nice knitters when I moved up there, and ya'll deserved the love of her visit!
My sister relayed the biscuit story to me and I have to agree - living in the south now, it would have had me rolling haha.
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