On December 8, I took part in my first knitting event as an exhibitor! And let me tell you, I loved it! I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot to take more than a single photo. Luckily for you, the organizers of this day thought of it for me!

Who? What? When? Where?

The first edition of Tric’au Sud was held in the south-east of France (very surprising considering the name, isn’t it!), in the countryside around Valence. The one-day event brought together some 70 knitters and 9 exhibitors.

The event was organized by Laure and Elise, both equally adorable, thoughtful and welcoming. I’m very (very!) shy by nature. Participating in an event like this is not something that comes very naturally to me, but they managed to make me feel almost at home, which allowed me to relax and really enjoy the day.

Their aim with the Tric’au Sud organization is to enable knitters to get to know each other better and create links between people, and let me tell you, they couldn’t have succeeded better in my opinion. The size of the room was perfect, allowing everyone to sit quietly and knit together, or to browse the various stalls and shop without stepping on each other’s toes.

My stand

The day was filled with lovely encounters, long-awaited reunions, laughter, little pleasures and the stars I saw in your eyes when you talked about my creations ❤️ I can’t wait to see all your creations! I brought along a nice stock of markers, with a few new ones specially created for the occasion, such as Gingerbread, Christmas Fawns and Bottles filled with dried fruit. Some of them were very popular and I was out of stock just before noon. Fortunately for those of you who didn’t see it coming all the way to Valence, you can now find most of these markers in the store!

I also carried with me printed versions of my patterns written in French. Choosing the right paper for good print quality, a pretty object and an environmentally-friendly paper required a bit of research. I didn’t want to wrap them in plastic to avoid over-packaging, so I opted for a cover printed on thicker paper and an inner leaf printed on thinner paper. All pages are stapled together, and a PDF pattern download code is also included with each pattern. I don’t currently sell the printed versions of these patterns in the online store, but if it’s something you’d like to see there leave me a comment! As I had anticipated, shawl patterns such as Falling Slowly or Brioche for Teatime were among the most popular.

My purchases

Of course, I couldn’t resist all day, and some of the wools and fibers available from other exhibitors found their way into my backpack.

I haven’t spun in far too long, but I couldn’t pass up these fibers, could I? And by the way, it’s a good reason for me to get back into it! 😊 I’ve been wanting to test Mondim for ages but never got my hands on a color that spoke to me … until Tric’au Sud! My idea at the moment is to knit myself large knee-high socks with contrasting heels so I’ll probably need a second ball 😆

Were you present at Tric’au Sud? Would you like to (re)come if there’s a next edition? Do you go to knitting events near you?