Harlot Hangover in Halifax

I overslept this morning and when I woke up, I was still tired. I'm attributing this to several factors:

1. Yesterday was my first day back at work after vacation
2. Mr. Happy left for NYC yesterday - I didn't sleep well b/c I knew he was on the road.
3. The Yarn Harlot was in town last night.

I don't know if it was the anticipation of the event, or the time I spent laughing my arse off, but I think I have a Harlot Hangover (which, I suspect, is quite different than a regular hangover, though no less fun in the making). The Ninja and I didn't stay out nearly as late as the rest of the KOLers, so I can't imagine how they're feeling today.

We met at Your Father's Moustache for a quick bite and then headed over to The Lord Nelson. Because we are nerds, we were first in line. We may have used the sign as a battering ram (see photos of that action here) .

Once in the room, we quickly claimed the first couple of rows and took a quick photo. Many thanks to Stacey who took this photo for us.

Honestly, everyone, this is the better photo of the two on my camera. Only one person is blinking and Meegie's got that "Someone is gonna get a hurt on real bad!" look on her face. Heh heh. I think there are a couple on Lesley's camera.

From left to right:

Back row: Jennifer D, Juliana, Rhonda, Moe/Terra, Jen K, Julie, Me

Seated: Meghan, Jesslyn, Cate, The Ninja, Alison, Lesley, Baby Gabriel and Henry
On floor: Mary*, Deb B.

Absent: Lots of people! Alumni and current KOLers.

There was some mutual blogging, or facebooking, going on:

I did take a couple photos of the Harlot while she was speaking (rather, making us laugh so hard that I almost had to stop knitting), but you can barely see her head over the podium.

I did attempt to "Kinnear" her while she was getting ready to sign books.

I'm not sure if this photo counts as a Kinnear. Perhaps I should check the criteria for Kinnearing someone. (Do you see her bag? I thought Moe was going to abscond with it.)

Deb cast on as she was walking in the door for the Harlot reading.

When Deb walked out of the room afterwards, the sock was to the ankle. Apparently, an evening with the Harlot is about the length of a child's foot.

We had a grand time waiting to have our books signed, acting silly:

(Movie Starlet or Jen D?)

listening to our yarny consciences:

(which one is the angel? and what is the internet for if not for posting fugly photos of yourself?)

and playing with Gabe:

who promptly fell asleep just before meeting the Harlot:

Henry, on the other hand, was wide awake for his moment with Stephanie. He brought the sock he made, but he was so star struck that I don't think he remember to tell her about it (it's toe-up, made with Opal solid).

When Stephanie pulled out the travelling sock, Henry almost fainted.

Stephanie, the consummate caring knitter, fanned him with her hand (which explains this photo). He kept slumping over, so I had to prop him up against her book in order to get this photo:

He told me later that he was deeply honoured to have held Virginia's hand dyed sock yarn. He had tears in his eyes (trust me on this one, he did) and so did I. The yarn is so pretty. If the way a woman uses colours is even a hint about the kind of person she is, then I have to believe that Virginia was a very beautiful soul indeed.

It was a wonderful night. I think it was just what the Maritime knitters needed. Despite the knowledge that Stephanie can pull knitters out of the woodwork, it was still a pleasant surprise to see that many knitters in one place.

A couple of my favourite lines of the night:

(Paraphrased) - Knitters: a creepy sub-culture

In reference to Elisabeth's boyfriend: "Take his yarn away and then see who's the crazy knitting lady."

*Mary came out to KOL a few times when she lived in Halifax. She was in school at the time, so she was super busy and we didn't see her often. She made the trip from New Brunswick on the bus and got a ride back afterwards with some knitters from NB. That's dedication worthy of a t-shirt and KOL alumni status!