Stitches Midwest 2007: Day One - The Sojourn Begins!

On hindsight, let me start with what I learned about preparing for your trip to Stitches.

1. FOOT CARE
Don't forget that you will be on your feet for hours and hours on end walking around in the market and to/from your hotel. Make sure you wear your most comfortable walking shoes ever. DO NOT WEAR BRAND NEW SHOES! I put 2 (two) layers of Dr. Scholls Massaging Gel Insoles in my shoes and was able to survive 90% of the day without ANY foot pain. The logic for wearing two sets of insoles is that they are designed for people of average weight, so if you are a plus size girl like myself you need to compensate for that by using 2 pairs.

2. HOTEL
We were only able to get a room at the Hyatt Rosemont since the Hyatt O'Hare (connected to the convention center) had already sold out when we made our reservations. For me, this was a big mitzvah because I discovered that the Hyatt O'Hare is an atrium style hotel that was filled to capacity with folks from the Wizard World Comic Book Convention (more on this later) and, of course, the Stitches Midwesterners. I'm sure it was VERY VERY noisy in that hotel what with all the commotion from the comiconers rising up through the center of the hotel. That would have pissed me off. By stark contrast, the Hyatt Rosemont was smaller and had a very quaint boutique layout. All we had to do was take the FREE hotel shuttle from the Hyatt Rosemont to the Hyatt O'Hare and walk across the air conditioned breezeway to the convention center.

3. TRAVEL
Leave yourself plenty of time to get to the airport, get parked, get checked in and get to your gate. Traveling with Gwenie Gwen was great because she hates to be late so we were never rushed. LOVE THAT! Thanks Gwenie Gwen.

Don't forget that the airlines charge a substantial fee for overweight luggage! Usually $25.00 to $50.00 per bag. Therefore, only bring the most absolutely essential items with you. You don't want to put yourself in the position of having to decide what to leave behind so you can squeeze one more ball of yarn in your bag. It's best if you can pack an empty backpack and/or tote bag in your luggage to use to bring your yarn back on the plane with you since we get 2 carry ons. I brought a large capacity High Sierra Access backpack and a tote bag with me.

4. SLEEP
I never stay in a hotel without my trusty ear plugs and plush sleep mask. MUST MUST MUST have, especially if you are sharing your room and one or both of you snore. ;) Might want to use a hair clip to pin the drapes closed, too.

The Thursday Night Market Preview Haul
You must attend the opening night of the market! It's a must.
After getting settled into our hotel. The girls (Gwen, Beth, Suzie) and I hoofed it over to the convention center for the Market Preview. There were samples of Malabrigo Baby Merino Lace and SWTC Vegas . It was while at the Southwest Trading Company's booth that Joe told me about the new LIMITED EDITION colorway #740 for the August 2007 SWTC "Sock of the Month" club. I saw a sample of it knit up and I was instantly smitten. I had to have it. Joe tracked down some of it at one of the vendor booths and I snapped up 3 balls of it. Then, off to The Fold booth for some Socks That Rock! *drool* By the time, I made it over to the booth, there was a long line just to check out and a swarm of women drooling, pawing, you get the picture. I managed to hoard as many hanks as I could hold and added more while I was standing in line to pay. After spending a small fortune at The Fold, we visited the Brooks Farm booth and Gwen, heretofore referred to as the YARN SEEKER, found some Duet on sale that would be perfect for the Clapotis.

We stayed until the market closed then dragged our weary bodies back over to the Hyatt. *phew*