Taking A Break

I snuck in here to take a quick break from packing and thought I would put together a post while I am thinking about it. So far I’ve packed 68 boxes. Basically all that is left is the kitchen, bathroom and clothes in the bedroom. It’s going to take anywhere up to a full week to get our POD delivered once we get to IA; which makes some of the packing decisions a little tricky. We can only take what will fit in the cars, but I envision needing to cram a whole lot of stuff into the cars to make sure we survive the time between our stuff being picked up and delivered. I’ve already had a few oh %#@ moments when I realized that I might actually want something that I already packed but have absolutely no desire to open a box to get it back out… like my sock blockers (duh!). There’s also stuff like the TV that can’t be packed until the very last moment, even though we’ll be packing the stand it sits on before then, I’m thinking it might end up on a box until then??? So you can tell it’s just fun and games here in Nana-land. It’s a good thing that I can knit. And speaking of good things, I promised to tell you about Stitches.

As trips to these big events go, this one was pretty laid back for me. I didn’t attend any classes, I didn’t go to any luncheons, dinners, fashion shows or any of the really cool stuff, but I did go to the market. And I went with a list. And a friend to make sure I stuck to the list. I think I actually did a pretty fair job of not straying too far off my list. Here’s a quick peak at my goodies:

I’ll start with my impulse purchases and then tell you about what else I got.

Impulse purchase #1: as I was standing in line to purchase a beverage for lunch (since I packed a sandwich and didn’t need to purchase overpriced vendor food) I noticed the person behind me wearing a really cute necklace. I complimented her on it and then she told me where she bought it and oh-so casually mentioned that the person had a booth here at the market. Well, I thought it couldn’t hurt to look. I caved…. See:

Impulse purchase #2: you saw the yarn bus in the previous post about the fabled Flying Fingers yarn shop being at the event, well, that booth became a must see… and then they did it… I had not bought one ounce of fiber the entire time we were there, even with tempting offerings around every turn. My friend didn't even have to talk me down from the bargain bin that had five skein bags of Noro Kureyon Sock yarn for HALF price. (pitter-patter). Because I had a LIST. On my list I had given myself permission to purchase yarn if I saw a certain brand and it called my name, well we visited the vendor who sold it and I kind of went “meh” at the colors (sometimes they just don’t talk). I also had a back-up suggestion which I couldn't find. Since I knew I shouldn’t go back for the Kuryeon, when we got to the Flying Fingers booth, it was sort of “game-on” … they had Crazyfoot a new sock yarn by Mountain Colors. I have a secret soft spot for Mountain Color. The Bearfoot sock yarn has a little mohair blended in which makes it really soft, but a little on the fuzzy side. I love the colorways though. So I was casually looking through the bin when a beautiful fall colored skein begged me for a ride home… who could resist that?(see skein on right side of above picture)

Oh, and, the shop was offering a free tote with purchase and it was PURPLE, nothing was going to stop my wallet at that point. So that is  the impulse stuff.

My other purchases were mostly tools of one sort or another.   I bought the Intwined Knitting software, a set of Signature dpns in size 2.25 (my favorite); a new needle case for my interchangeable needle set and cuteness of cuteness in a practical way, the Iddy Diddy Bag from Nantucket bags to use as a take along when the bucket bag is way too much. 

The most amazing thing in my mind, though, for the whole day was the amount of really nice freebies and samples that vendors were giving out.  At the Mission Falls booth they gave out generous samples of each of their yarns.  I made about a 4” cabled swatch out of the cotton.  There was also a mini skein and free pattern from Malabrigo yarns, a mini skein from Miss Babbs and the two most amazing things:  The booth where I bought the software from also had a designer who made pins and accessories out of wire and she was making a stitch picker tool for anyone who came by wearing a Ravelry pin. Mine is heart shaped and my friend got the swirl.  The other amazing thing was that when I got home and started putting away all of my purchases, I discovered that along with the purple tote, Flying Fingers had tucked in a set of purple (size 13) needles with my yarn! (Not that I knit much with that size, but, um, purple... free)

So I feel like I got far more than I planned and stayed well within my budget 

I’m still slogging along on the same two pair of socks I was working on before, not much progress to report.  I finished one Sandalwood sock and am still making my way through the first Staccato.  Both socks have presented me with different challenges calling for much frogging and re-knitting.  But I did do a quick little project for a new baby who made his debut last week.  Sometimes you just need a little instant gratification:

Pattern: Baby Sheep Hat by Melissa Burt

Yarn: KnitPicks Shine Worsted in Grass and Seafoam with some scraps (Sprout and Mission Falls Cotton). 

I suppose I had better go do some more packing now.

Happy Knitting!

Nana

And Off I Go!

Stitches Midwest has come and gone. I am catching my breath and preparing for my next big adventure today. I’ll be meeting up with my hubby this evening for a get-away in Las Vegas. I’m sure you are wondering if I showed the proper restraint around the sock yarn. The answer is “it’s complicated” LOL. Actually I did pretty well, but a couple other types of yarn might have twisted my arm a bit and charmed my credit card right out of my wallet. But before I get to my haul, I just wanted to talk about my class. I took the class called Argyle Socks in the Round with Suzann Thompson and boy did my brain get a work out! The class was excellent. The technique was completely different than what I expected, but I was up for the challenge. The best way I can describe it is as sort of an entrelac-meets intarsia sort of thing happening. But anyway, here is a look at my partial sock. I had quite a few reversal episodes in class so I didn’t get it any farther than this, but I did go home and practice it some more with some different yarn and I think I have it down now.

The rest of stitches left me quite inspired; from the beautiful Jane Slicer-Smith book that was introduced during the opening session to the wonderful garments modeled by the students at the banquet. It was a full and busy weekend! So here’s what I bought:

From the top left; a sock pattern; a skein of Buffalo Gold, 2 skeins of Kauni yarn (see credit card charming) (I couldn’t pick between these colors), free pattern for a Kauni shawl; two heel and toe skeins of sock yarn from Miss Babs (see “it’s complicated”); one skein of lace weight from creatively dyed (see arm twisting); three mini skein’s of Planet Earth Fiber beaded yarn (bling!); buttons from Gail Hughes; Signature sock needles (size 1.5); highlighter tape, a sheep yarn bobbin w/ mini sock and mitten pattern; and the book “7 Things that Can Make or Break a Sweater” by Margaret E. Fisher (autographed). There’s also a really nice needle gauge that is already in my gadget bag. Whew! That’s a few more things than were on my list, but I tried.

And just in case you were wondering, the kitties have figured out that I’m leaving them….

I’m off to see my sweetie! Happy Knitting

Nana

Getting Ready for Stitches

There's been much to do here and at work the last week or so, but I'm getting a few things done that need to be.

The Swallowtail Shawl is off the needles and blocking!

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark

Yarn: Knit Picks Shimmer in Cumulus Size 4 Additurbo Lace needles

Mostly, though, I have been working and helping get the shop ready for our first time as being a vendor at Stitches Midwest. We have been busy creating kits for several different patterns which is busy work at its best. I think Linda has been doing nothing but for the last two weeks. I won’t actually be working in the booth since I signed up for classes, etc. But, I will be covering some store hours to keep the shop going while we are at Stitches.

In addition to that I finished my homework for my class and of course I’ve been thinking/dreaming about what I will find at the market. So like so many others, I did a little review of what’s in my stash and UM, I might have a wee little bit of sock yarn.

(it’s divided into cool and warm colors here) I’ve heard it doesn’t count as stash, but yeah, I think I might be good for a little while.

I think it got that way because I’m not exactly effective at saying “no” to the acquisition of new sock yarn. Here’s a skein that has recently been acquired, thanks to my friend Kelly who attended sock summit and picked this out for me. (I might have slipped her some money before she left) The two little knitted socks in the pick were from other summit attendees who sent them as gifts. (Thanks to knitnana and melidomi) So if you are going to Stitches and see me lurking outside of any of the booths selling sock yarn, tap me on the shoulder and point out something else QUICK! Especially if you see me reaching for my credit card. Finally, at some point last weekend I needed a little knitting diversion, so I whipped this up. My dishcloths all started falling apart recently so it seemed like exactly the right project:

Pattern: My Coffee Cup by Enid Danforth

Yarn: Peaches & Creme color 89 Camel

Size 8 needles

Now I'm off to try and finish some socks....

Happy Knitting

Nana

Stitches Midwest Report

I had a nice time. I checked out the free fashion show, attended a class, and of course checked out the market. I really didn’t have too much that I needed to buy, so I enjoyed looking around the market mostly to see what is new, to check out gadgets and books and of course feel-up as much yarn as possible. I stayed with my wish list as far as purchases went. I made one substitution for an item I couldn’t find, and I bought one item left over from the Midwest Fiber and Folk fest list (the vendor had a better selection this time). There were several items that I will be giving serious consideration and possibly putting on my wish list for Christmas. I also WON a prize at the banquet which was cool and received a lovely parting gift just for attending. Since posting pictures of each individual would make both blogger and I crazy, I’ll just give you an overview. There are also a few freebies in this pic! Clockwise from top: Interlacements sock kit(Door prize), 2 skeins of yarn& pattern; Yarnzone sample; Creatively Dyed Yarn 100% Merino fingering; free patterns; Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn; Heartland Knits Fanning the flames sock pattern; XRX Guy Knits (parting gift); Addi Turbo Lace needles size 4/47”; Debbie McComber Twenty Wishes (autographed); amazing wall of stash yarn samples; SWTC Bag (underneath) and sample skein of Cherry Tree Hill yarn. the only thing not in this picture is: Debra’s Garden Spiral Needle gauge… isn’t that the coolest thing ever? It can be worn as a pendant, attached to a key ring, used as a zipper pull, whatever it takes to keep it handy! (and it’s purple!) My Class was excellent. The instructor Candace Eisner Strick was enlightening and entertaining. She introduced us to several different ways to intentionally put holes in knitting to create different pattern effects, here’s my swatches: Clockwise from top left: Zauberglockhen (little magic bells); The Strick hole; Fluct Nach Kenilworth / one row buttonhole (on same swatch) and Kleeblatt (cloverleaf) .

I’m sure I’ll find uses for a couple of these techniques! I came home tired, but filled to the brim with information and having made several new knitting acquaintances while getting a chance to chat and catch up with a few previous ones. To borrow a phrase “Too much good stuff… “