A Very Harlot Adventure

When I found out the Yarn Harlot was coming to town and that you needed reservations, I immediately sat down and made a list of all the people I thought would want to go, and RSVPd for 10 people. Of those 10 people, because of various spousal health issues, birthdays, vacations, etc., only three of us from the original 10 went. I gave my extra seats back to the library for the waiting list, and off A’Harlotting we went.

First off, it was at the Central Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library. I have never been there before, so this was going to be particularly fun for me, as I’m a big fan of both books and the LAPL. LOL. Also, I had with me my knitting teacher, Anita. She not only is one of the sweetest, nicest people on the planet (not to mention has the patience of a saint…or former elementary school teacher), but she’s the one who taught me to knit. And I was going to see the woman who wrote the first blog I ever read, and we were doing it only weeks after my 2 Year Knitiversary.

So my friends Anita and Alyson and Alyson’s daughter M piled into my little Guppymobile and off we went. On the way down, we hit a little traffic. It seems a house crashed into an overpass while driving up the 101. Yes, you read that correctly. A house. I looked to see if there were any shoes sticking out from underneath, but it was on the opposite side of the freeway. But even with all that, we arrived at 1:45 and hooked up with Guilty Pleasures and Fiber Dreams. (Sorry for the bad picture!)

I took a look around the library. Remember, it was my first time there, if you can believe it. I DEFINITELY need to head back there and spend the day wandering. The place is massive.

This is standing at the bottom of the stairs looking at the library building with a “skyscraper” behind it.

Here’s only a portion of this really great ceiling…

Then we were off to the Mark Taper Auditorium. It started more or less on time and she was introduced by Ellen who has the best Los Angeles blog. I learn more about the town I live in from her than anywhere else.

Then…Stephanie arrived.

We were promptly informed that clapping was creepy and to knock it off. LOLOL. She took the obligatory sock photo…

…And so did we. In this next picture, click on it for the large image and look at the audience. LOLOL

She was funny, witty, charming, and had me laughing so hard I was wiping tears from my eyes and at least at one point I could barely breathe. She spoke about those who try to undermine knitters, why knitters are “super responders” to things like charities and helping one another. She spoke about so many things and made me laugh so many times that I can’t remember it all.

Here she is knitting on the Traveling Sock and answering questions…

And in this one, she’s stroking her yarn. She had just been telling us different response to “Wow. You have a lot of yarn.” And this particular picture went with the suggestion that we pick up a ball, pet it lovingly, and look at the person and say “Yarn? What yarn? These are my kittens.”

Here’s the Table Of Hats…

And my friends and I stood in line for a while to get our books signed…

While in line I met the charming Lori who helped pass the time with Alyson, M and I. She knit Stephanie a washcloth to freak out the muggles…It has a golden snitch. LOL. And I’m very jealous, because her picture is cute, whereas I look like crap in mine. LOLOL.

See?…

And what I’m holding in that picture is my first sock. I had read she wanted to see first socks that look like “arse.” And mine more than qualifies. BTW, she thanked me for a first sock that looked like this and very kindly suggested I might have started with the wrong diameter. LOLOL Here’s a better picture of it…

And finally, this next picture needs an explanation. LOL Mainly because I’m sure Stephanie is puzzled by my request, but she didn’t even blink. She just looked, said, ok, and put the Traveling Sock up there. LOLOL I think that comes from years of saying to random muggles, “Here, hold this sock.”

Through an affiliation with her hometown baseball team, the Hagerstown Suns, Nora Roberts got her own Bobblehead. It was so entertaining for herself and her fans, that her husband’s bookstore is selling them.

One of the moderators of her messageboard got the idea for Bobblehead Nora to go on an adventure. So people are taking Bobblehead Nora (BHN for short) to museums, on family vacations, to work, to the beach, and I thought “Why not take BHN to see another author?” I thought BHN would have fun at a Harlot Event. So I give you, Nora Roberts and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee…

And that’s it. That was the Grand Harlot Adventure of 2007. We had lots of fun, and it was a beautiful day spent with good friends.

What more could a Guppy ask for?

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Fish with Sticks