Warning, long post is long. Get a cup of coffee and your knitting. But there are lots of pictures to make it worth your while.
Last Friday, my mom and I went to the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival. I wasn't totally sure what to expect, since I'd never been to a knitting/fiber/yarn show before. I did ask around before buying tickets and none of my friends had been either, but we decided to give it a shot. I'm glad we went, but I'm not sure I'd go back unless I was taking a class.
The marketplace was small and didn't really offer much that I couldn't already find locally. However, it was really nice to have a lot of independent dyers and spinners in one place; I was happy about that. I loved being able to see all of the yarns and fibers in person and compare from booth to booth. Before the show I knew I wanted to buy a braid of fiber, since I really want to get more in to spinning this year. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted, but I knew there would be plenty to choose from, so I wasn't worried. I decided on this beautiful braid of Falkland Wool from Gwen Erin.
I also found 3 skeins of Tosh Merino Light in Composition Book Gray. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them yet, but they were too pretty to pass up. If you have any pattern suggestions, let me know!
My mom and I don't get to spend very much uninterrupted time together since she lives so far away. When we do visit each other our time is usually spent with my kids, visiting my siblings, and visiting other family members. As the title suggests we wanted to really take advantage of her visit, so we decided we'd go to a few local yarn stores too. She wanted some Rowan Felted Tweed for a poncho pattern she bought at the show. So we went to Yarns Unlimited, one of the only local stores to carry Rowan. I wasn't expecting to buy anything, but decided to browse while she picked out her yarn. I headed to the Madelinetosh section (no surprise there, right?) and was completely surprised to find 3 skeins of Tosh Merino Light in WASH! I had quite the drama trying to find this colorway while knitting my Rocky Coast Cardigan, so I was especially surprised to find a sweater quantity of my favorite (now discontinued) colorway. I plan to knit a Bayside Pullover with it.
On Saturday, we decided to visit Natural Stitches, "just to see what they have." Yeah, right. I went in looking for yarn to knit Ease. I originally picked out Tosh DK in Tart because it's a stunning, complex red color. My only hesitation is that the pattern calls for worsted, and Tosh DK is, well, DK. I've made that substitution before (heck, that's how I got into that whole mess with my Rocky Coast), but they only had 6 skeins and I knew I'd need at least 7 to be safe. I didn't want to risk it. So I wandered over to the Malabrigo and was deciding between a hot pink and a purpley-blue colorway, when Jenn (one of the lovely worker-bees at Natural Stitches) suggested Dream in Color. I've heard awesome things about DiC, but I've never considered it. Don't know why. She lead me over to the Dream in Color Classy section and I was immediately drawn to Charged Cherry. It's not as complex as Tart, but it definitely satisfies my red sweater craving. The best parts: 1. it's the right weight, 2. there are 250 yards to a skein (vs. Tosh's 225) for basically the same price, 3. they had all 6 skeins I needed and 4. I get to try a new yarn. Win all around, am I right?
My mom and I don't get to spend very much uninterrupted time together since she lives so far away. When we do visit each other our time is usually spent with my kids, visiting my siblings, and visiting other family members. As the title suggests we wanted to really take advantage of her visit, so we decided we'd go to a few local yarn stores too. She wanted some Rowan Felted Tweed for a poncho pattern she bought at the show. So we went to Yarns Unlimited, one of the only local stores to carry Rowan. I wasn't expecting to buy anything, but decided to browse while she picked out her yarn. I headed to the Madelinetosh section (no surprise there, right?) and was completely surprised to find 3 skeins of Tosh Merino Light in WASH! I had quite the drama trying to find this colorway while knitting my Rocky Coast Cardigan, so I was especially surprised to find a sweater quantity of my favorite (now discontinued) colorway. I plan to knit a Bayside Pullover with it.
My mom also surprised me with the yarn to knit a Gramps Cardigan. I'll be knitting it in Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Dove Gray. So I'm really all set on sweaters for the next few months. Maybe. Either way, my stash is looking pretty happy these days.
Have you done any stash building (or stash busting) lately? What's up next in your queue? Are you planning any sweaters?
If I could, I'd reach right through the screen and snatch-up those skeins of Composition Book Mad Tosh. Holy moly. Those are a treat. Well, it all is, but I'm not so nasty as to steal all your yarn. :-D
ReplyDeleteCareful - those are fighting words! :)
DeleteIsn't it pretty? I don't usually buy yarn without already having a pattern in mind, but this was too pretty (and in a sweater quantity!) to leave behind.