Stitches 2010

Ok, it's been awhile, but I've been busy, which means I have lots to catch up on sharing.  We'll start with Stitches 2010!

Vail and I undertook our yearly pilgrimage to the greatest concentration of yarn, fiber and knitters on the West Coast, possibly the entire northern continent.  All the hotels in the area were booked, and chances were that if you saw some knitted, crocheted, or felted item, it was probably handmade by the wearer.  After explaining what Stitches was to a puzzled male passenger on the hotel elevator, I suggested he should compliment the wearer of any such garment as we were armed with pointy sticks.  He wasn't sure if I was being comedic or serious...

My typical strategy is to scope out the market during the Thursday night preview, armed with my Ravelry queue, noting yarns and prices of interest.  Go back to the hotel room, crunch numbers, and start making purchases Friday morning.  Once the basics are taken care of, then it's time for free-form shopping with the remaining budget and a second-pass through the market.  This is of course, interspersed with squealing, fondling, complimenting others' sweaters and knitted items, and breaking for meals and snacks with other knitting friends.  No one thinks it odd that we are knitting everywhere, and I always find it distinctly amusing to see knitters congregating like so many other convention goers.

Here are Daniella, Barbara Sue, Vail, me, Sierra, Dee, Eva and Sue Flynn waiting in the auditorium for the fashion show.  Thanks to Mardi for taking the picture, and congrats go to her as well for winning one of the fashion show prizes.  Say cheese everyone!

Well, some of you may remember that last year at Stitches I was bit by the spinning bug, and so much of this year's budget was dedicated to all things fiber.  There were five fiber colorways purchased at as many vendors.  Of particular note were Abstract Fiber and Snicklefritz Yarns, both offering hand dyed rovings.  At Abstract we got to talking about drop spindles, and they want to come to the Foothill Fibers Drop Spindle Retreat in May, as they too are on that crazy drop spindle train. 

Snicklefritz has a traveling gnome that she uses to inspire her colorways, and she had this carbonized bamboo fiber, which she likened to crack.  I didn't get any of that, but I think that Stephanie and Rhodi might have.  

I bought Gnome in the Sierra in BFL roving.

There was some Miss Babs mixed BFL roving,

And some Lisa Souza superwash merino roving,

And Pigeon Roof Studio's superwash merino roving.

There was yarn too.  Here's Northampton Bulky wool for the Cabled Hoodie Cardigan,

and more of the silk/cotton/modal blend for the Penelope shirt.

And least you wonder who is this person who didn't buy any sock yarn, well, of course I bought some sock yarn!  Madeline Tosh Sock in "Jade" called my name while I was in line and that was that.

Home again now, and some more posts coming soon.  After all, we have drop spindles, goats, cheese, and chickens to discuss - those baby chicks and goats from last year didn't stop growing you know!