Epic Adventure-Part 1

It's a tale or mystery, intrigue, romance, and yarn on the high seas. There was deception, drama, and knitting. And that was just the first day!

Welcome to Stitches South.

Ok, so there was no high seas, deception, and relatively little drama (unless you counted my gasp at an outrageous yarn price) but it was a whole heck of a lot of fun!

I started my day nice and early with a class with Sandi Rosner called You Don't Need A Pattern for That.
She was a delight. We all made little baby sized hats and Sandi answered a ton of questions for us. It was nice to get some ideas about basic design. When she mentioned the Pythagorean theorem for figuring sleeve caps it was funny to hear a collective groan. I don't think any of us will be taking Melissa Leapman's class on design any time soon. I did pick up a pattern for a quick and easy baby sweater so I will be using that to help clothe baby Britt, my new cousin, when he arrives in July.

This is the hat that I made this morning.
And this is one from another lady in our class.
As all the members of the class knit we inevitably starting chatting. I talked a little about my charity knitting and at the end of the class the lady at the end of my row gave me her hat to donate to Warm Woolies. So very sweet of her!

I then headed to the Market and for the first time in my life I was genuinely overwhelmed by the amount of beautiful yarn there was. I actually showed a good deal of restraint as I went from booth to booth. Today I purchased only one of a kind yarns that I thought might get really picked over by tomorrow. It was so cool to see all the hand dyers and it felt really good to support them. Maybe one day I'll be hosting my own booth at Stitches and I hope people will support me as enthusiastically as they did the artists today.

As I was wandering through the concessions seating area to get a water I notices out of the corner of my eye someone watching me very closely. I was wearing my @theknftyknttr shirt and a lot of people had been noticing it throughout the day so I didn't really think twice about it. I just figured she was trying to read what it said. About 2 minutes later she runs up to me and says, "I'm lemonesque!" She's one of my Twitter pals! It was so cool to meet Abby/lemonesque in real life.
Since joining Ravelry and Twitter I've wanted to be one of those people who goes to conventions and knows everyone in the room thanks to my mad networking skills. It would make me feel like a rock star. Abby may be from Georgia but she's putting me one step closer to rock stardom. Look out Yarn Harlot!

I ended up spending a good deal of money in the Market but I feel like I got really good stuff out of it. Tomorrow I plan on picking up some staple yarns (read Cascade 220 and Eco+) and some sock blockers. I have a plan, I have a map, I need to get more cash...

I got a skein of worsted yarn in Where My Beaches At? from the Indie Dyer along with a pattern for the Antarctica hat made with one skein of her yarn.
Because I'm a Malabrigo Junkie (I totally blame Mary Ellen for that one, always talking up Malabrigo at knit nights) I got to meet the totally funny, awesomely sweet duo of Antonio and Tobias. I chatted with them for about 10 minutes (hilarious guys, and sweet, have I mentioned that?) and they gave me a skein of their test yarn. Amazingly sweet. Did I already say that? Can't remember... I tried to get them to join Twitter but Tobias said there was too much on the internet for them to keep up with already. Funny guys. Srsly.
The very first stop I made this morning was actually at the Sanguine Gryphon's booth. I know that Wendy has knit with her yarns before and Mary Ellen (ever the enabler :)) said that her stuff would go quick so I made a beeline for Gryphon's booth. I wasn't disappointed. Picked up a skein of Bugga! sock yarn in Acrobatic Snail. Luscious.
Also one of the first places on my list was Creatively Dyed Yarns. I follow Dianne's blog so it was very cool to meet her in real life. And she is even more positive and nice than I ever could have expected. You know you've meet a gem when the very first thing she does is fish out a Ravelry button for you. As soon as I saw this skein of sock yarn I had to have it. This is her newest method of dyeing. I can't wait to see it on my needles!
Eventually I wandered over to Mass Ave. Yarn Shop where I found this Mission Falls pattern book.
Inside was the pattern I've been drooling over for months now, Natalia. It's one of the few patterns I've wanted to actively seek out to knit. It just looks so modern and classy. Totally my style.
Then I flipped over the page and saw Hillary.
I knew this booklet had to be mine. No question about it. I actually think all the designs in the booklet are really well done. I can already imagine several gifts coming out of there.

My final purchase of the day was from Schaefer Yarns and this was my personal splurge. A lumpy bumpy skein in the colorway Toni Morrison and a skein of mohair blend in Chamomile. These are going to be combined into a shawl/wrap for me.
I wanted to make a little shrug or something and then I saw a shawl in these colors on display and decided to go that route instead. I think I'll use the stitch pattern from the little Arctic Blanket I made and just kind of wing it. Or maybe I could actually research something. Winging it seems to be more of my personal style though.

I came home this afternoon and totally crashed on the couch with Penelope. I've never been so tired! I blame it on yarn fumes. I didn't know that was a side effect. Be warned.

Tomorrow will be more Market, more classes, more fun with friends. And more pictures.

P.S. I would have gotten pictures in the Market but they wouldn't allow pictures or video. Bummer. Guess you'll just have to go.

The Night of the Random Post

1. I would file this under "Things That You Do Not Want to Happen to Your Apartment Complex." Thankfully this isn't my building but the neighboring one.
2. Tonight at knit night I finished the back of my Half and Half sweater for Warm Woolies. That's 100% genuine hand dyed yarn there and I think it looks pretty dang good if I do say so myself. Of course I'm kind of biased...
3. Tonight at knit night my good buddy Albert brought by some shirts for our group.
And some shirts for people who are on Twitter and also happen to be knitters.
Hopefully both of these shirts will be available soon at my store. Keep your eyes peeled!

4. Getting so excited for Stitches! As Laurie said tonight, "There's only one more day between you and Stitches." I've got the stores I've got to hit up on Friday ASAP already marked and a path mapped out for optimum yarn viewing. My swatches are knit and most of my other notions have been gathered. Now just need to clean out my knitting bag. It seems to be bursting to overflowing...

Projects

So, I haven't just been buying yarn lately, though it might seem that way. I have actually been knitting some.

Exhibit A: Partial body and two non-swatch swatches for the Mystery Sweater Knit-A-Long #2 for Warm Woolies.
Exhibit B: Partial body of a self designed sweater in hand dyed yarn for a Warm Woolies sweater.
Exhibit C: One finished Space Monkey sock. The second sock has been started.
Exhibit D: A finished fair island sweater for Warm Woolies (sweater #4 of 10 for those of you playing along at home). I can fit it over my head, the body is long enough for me, but the sleeves are a little too short. I think it will fit a 14 or 15 year old pretty well. I had originally planned to write out the pattern for this sweater but I've had a lot of trouble getting the numbers to work out right so I don't think it will come to pass (at least not any time soon).
Exhibit E: Portioned yarn being knit into swatches for a Melissa Leapman cables class at Stitches South! (1 down, 2 more to go)
Exhibit F...almost: This languishing skein of Cascade 220 (this was before my addiction to Cascade yarns had come to fruition so I only have one skein of this lovely red) will become a swatch and then eventually (I believe) a project at a Sandi Rosner class at Stitches South!
So, as you can see, I have been accomplishing a little bit on the knitting front. I've got to finish up my swatches for classes at Stitches South and then plan my route through the market (gotta make sure I hit all the vendors I want to). I'd love to finish my self designed sweater this month as well but I also need to label yarns before the May Atlanta Knitting Guild meeting when I'll have my table for the very first time. For now it's off to finish those swatches and pet a kitty :)

Cascade

Recently I have come into some new stash acquisitions and I would like to take this post to let you see all the yummy new yarns in my possession. Some are from my recent trip to Seattle and some are other avenues. Before I begin though I'd like to take a moment to admit something.

I have a torrid, unabashed, deep seeded love for Cascade yarns.

My favorites are not the fuzzy, novelty, super expensive or exotic. My favorites are 128, 220, and Eco +. You could probably throw Magnum in there too.

Even though these are considered "workhorse" yarns I cannot resist them. I've tried. I really have! But as you will see, I'm drawn to these yarns like a moth to a flame.

It does not bode well that when my super close LYS Rare Purls opens its doors in a few months they will stock Cascade 220 year round. Not good at all.

The first stash addition came from WEBS and arrived just before I left for Seattle.

3 skeins of Eco + in a bright fuchsia color
3 skeins of Eco + in lilac (both these colors are discontinued)
6 skeins of Cascade 128 in a bright green
6 skeins of Cascade 128 in Puget Sound (bright blue)
6 skeins of Cascade 128 in Sage (a little bit greener/brown in real life)
All of the above yarns were part of WEBS's major sale they have in the spring so I got all that yarn at a very decent price. Of course I wanted more but it was no problem when I went to Seattle to acquire some.

2 skeins of Eco+ in a burgundy color (from Canvas Works)
5 skeins of Cascade 220 in a very bright orangey red (even brighter in real life) from Churchmouse Yarns and Teas (on sale!) and already swatched for a Warm Woolies sweater KAL.
2 skeins of Cascade 220 in a sunflower color from Churchmouse
2 skeins of GGH Kid Melange from Churchmouse. This is a special purchase because I think I'm going to use it to make a lace scarf for a friend's mom (Brandi, what do you think?).
1 skein of MALABRIGO sock yarn in Abril. This is some of the yummiest, cushiest yarn I've owned. The socks I make out of these are going to rock. This also came from Churchmouse.
1 skein of Hazel Knits artisan sock yarn in Cami Chic from Hilltop yarns. Wendee (the dyer) lives in Seattle and works at the Hilltop East store!
5 skeins of Cascade 220 in purple heather from Hilltop
1 skein of Araucania Aysen yarn (silk, alpaca, and merino, yum!) from Canvas Works
And finally, 1 skein of Araucania Ruca in some beautiful Spring-y colors. This yarn is made from sugar cane and feels like silk! (Also from Canvas Works)
As you can see, I had great success with the yarn stores in Seattle (and Olympia and Bainbridge Island). And at all of them I managed to pick up some Cascade yarn :)

One final stash enhancement came from my Aunt Jenny. She and my Uncle Mark are getting ready to have a baby so they are clearing out some things from their house. Jenny's mom used to crochet but she had given it up. However, she still had some stash left over. Jenny asked me if I wanted it and I agreed (you can never have enough yarn). I thought I'd be getting a few odds and ends, maybe enough to make a patchwork blanket out of. Was I ever surprised when I got a 2'x2'x3' box full of this:
It's all acrylic all the time but there are sweaters, nay, afghans worth of yarn in there. I have taken pictures and carefully documented color, amount, and brand of everything in the box. Hopefully I'll get the pictures up on Ravelry but for now I'll spare you (there were a lot). I don't know how Jenny and Mark got all that yarn in the box because, even with careful repacking, it was bursting out of the top.
Here's my list I made as I took pictures:
The total count was 123 skeins of yarn. I'm speechless. I do have plans for several colors I found in there. And no worries Jenny, baby Britt will be well clothed for several (several) years.

The last thing I'll leave you with is not yarn related but just funny. Some of you might be familiar with the monorail cat. Well, it seems like we have an extension service running through my apartment.

The Last Hurrah

Thursday was my last full day in Washington. I started in Forks and drove to Port Angeles, Sequim, and back to Seattle.

Here are a few more pictures from my hotel room. Even the light switches were decked out in Twilight gear.

All around Forks there are landmarks that places in the book were based off. This is the Cullens house.
It's actually the Miller House Bed and Breakfast (or is that just a front...?). Esme leaves a note to let guests and visitors know where they are at the time.
Darn, out of town.

Just down the street City Hall and the Police Station where Charlie works.
Forks High School where all the "kids" went to school.
There's a little community hospital on the far side of town. If you drive around back there's a parking space reserved for Dr. Cullen.
The Swan's house is on K street. They've even left a little sign to let visitors know. Charlie must have gotten a few toys for Renesme because there were a few little push toys in the driveway.
Forks Outfitters was Newton's at one time, the store where Bella worked.
And there really is only one streetlight in town (unless you count the "emergency signal" the fire department uses in emergencies).
After I left Forks it was off to Port Angeles. In Port Angeles there's a Fine Arts Center with a labyrinth. Currently there's an installment called "Art Outside" with local artists dressing up trees, shrubs, and open meadows with art. This path leads up to the museum and has broken glass and mirror shards.
In an open grove trees dance in tutus.
Pillows line the path (but I wouldn't relax on these, they're cement).
Go through a gated portal and find...
A field of people-less sweaters.
Brings a new meaning to fiber "arts."

Come over a ridge and find a beautiful view of the port.
After Port Angeles I headed to Sequim where they have a huge lavender festival every year. It was still a little early to get ready for the festival but I stopped by a little store and bought some nice gifts for friends and family.

From Sequim I went to Bainbridge Island where Churchmouse Yarns and Teas is located. It was a wonderful shop with a great variety of yarns and teas. I could have lived there. They had my favorite tea, Irish Breakfast, and it was the only yarn store I found that carried MALABRIGO! In all weights! Some may have fallen in my basket. Along with some Cascade (on sale!) and a little surprise that has a purpose...more on that later :)

After Churchmouse it was time to head back to Seattle. The only way to go is to take the ferry. It was the first time I've ever driven a car onto a ferry. My gps still kept up with me.
For my last night I stayed in the Executive Hotel Pacific again. This time my room had some interesting "features" in the bathroom. First, the toilet paper was conveniently located at shoulder level.
The shower head was the perfect height for anyone under 5'2". Even I had to bend my neck. Just for the record I did adjust the head before I took a shower.
The window was frosted over but there was no shade!
I hung a towel over the lower half before I showered.

Speaking of towels...they were located at a great height for anyone over 6" tall.
I still had a restful night and was able to hit one more yarn store on Friday before I got on my plane. Tricoter was my last stop before leaving for the airport and I gotta be honest, it's not really my type of yarn shop. Churchmouse, Knitch (my LYS here in Atlanta), and Hilltop Yarns all stock their products by fiber content (Knitch goes one step further and separates it by fiber and then color). Canvas Works separated their yarn by a hybrid system of weight and/or fiber. I like both of these systems. Tricoter separates yarn by color. There is some separation by fiber, winter/fall on top, spring/summer on bottom. One of the ladies explained to me how they work: you can pick any yarn(s) you like and swatch it to find out what needles you need. The staff will help you pick the best needles, figure out the amount of yarn you need, and help you customize any pattern you have. That sounds really nice but I found that the yarn on the shelves was little disheveled (I guess from people swatching with it). I was also approached by all 3 staff members and asked if I needed help. One woman actually seemed a little put off that I didn't need her help. It was nice that there were people there to help but I'm a browser, I need a little time to feel everything and ponder over what I can make. I want to make it clear that I'm not dissing this store or trying to turn people off. It just wasn't my personal favorite of all the ones I visited.

After that one last stop it was off to the airport to turn in my rental car and catch my plane. The flight was a little bumpy, especially as we got closer to Atlanta were there had been thunderstorms and rain all day, but we touched down safely and I stayed with my parents last night.

Monday will be back to the daily grind but in just a few weeks Stitches South will be here! More yarn, more fun! Maybe I should start swatching...