Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Craft Expo Review

Image belongs to http://www.expomanualidades.info/

Here are the trends I spotted at the Expo on May 12. If I can post pictures & links to similar crafts, I will. But for now, just the notes.
  • sequin roses (fabric roses with exactly matching sequins on the edges of petals)
  • pop top bags crocheted in nylon
  • a vegas showgirl at Coats & Clark!
  • napkin pineapples (hard to explain, but colored paper napkins folded and arranged in the shape of a pineapple or possibly an artichoke. i know.)
  • washcloth cakes
  • twill tape flowers
  • accordion booklets
  • hairpin lace crochet technique
  • more loom knitting
  • i-cords
  • weaving sticks
  • wrap n' roll
  • super-chunky wool yarn faux fur
  • super-chunky wool yarn with flowers
  • amigurumi dolls
  • Pintart-brand scented glitter
  • flat felting from fiber
  • finger knitting
  • free sequins (from Coats & Clark)
I also got a better handle on where I can find my coveted crafting supplies at a good price. I want to do a post later on where to find what you need in Mexico City.

I did see Rebecca Pick again, and she remembered me from last year! It was her company's 20th anniversary and so I bought a metallic tote bag for Jenn and one for me. The designs at her booth were totally inspiring. She is always on the cutting-edge of the newest trends. I love her yarn. She had some great knitted necklaces (i-cord) with knitted flowers on them. I was actually knitting with the yarn that I bought at her booth last year!

The Filati Estambres (Puebla, PUE) booth was actually really great. They finally started disclosing the fiber content and yardage on their ball bands. To my delight, some of the yarns I had enjoyed in the past weren't 100% synthetic. The only info they had on their ball bands before was "technacril". What the hell is that? They even had some 100% cotton stuff. I bought some glitter yarns.

I connected with Claudia from the Red Heart/Coats & Clark booth. I have been lobbying hard to try and get them to sell Stitch Nation here in Mexico. It is distributed from Xochimilco, which is located in the southern part of Mexico City. Seems like a no-brainer, right? I called the distribution center, twittered with @RedHeartYarn, emailed the Mexican branch of Coats & Clark, and met with them in person at the fair. Claudia was really nice and introduced me to some of the new yarns they are distributing in Mexico currently. She said it takes a year to get a new product launched, which I can totally understand. But I want cheap Alpaca in pretty colors right away!

The Omega Booth was great. There was a helpful salesperson there who introduced me to all of their natural yarns. They had more than I knew! They even had cotton chenille. Nice. I am planning a visit to their store sometime before the summer ends to get samples of all the yarns I need. I'm really into size 3 crochet thread, and I want to get a ball in every color. Omega is a popular, Mexico-based yarn & thread company and their items can be found in big box stores in Mexico, and even in the United States.

Well, that's all for now. Get crafting!