Finally! I think Knitting: A Love Story (meaning Jan!) is back on track in a technological sense. I finally experienced the phrase "from great disasters come great learnings!" I feel confident that should a post ever disappear again, I will have one more strategy in my bag of trick to find it. That doesn't mean I won't desperately email Catrina for help.
I definitely have cultivated the biggest yarn stash dump from LYS BUT the biggest one day dumps have always come from Fiber Festivals. The Washtenaw Fiber Expo definitely has contributed the most.
I definitely have cultivated the biggest yarn stash dump from LYS BUT the biggest one day dumps have always come from Fiber Festivals. The Washtenaw Fiber Expo definitely has contributed the most.
The weekend of April 14 and 15 was the 2018 Spring Fiber Expo. I decided I wasn't going to go because Fiber Expo was something Linda and I did together. I miss Linda so much that I couldn't imagine having fun with anybody else this year. On Friday (April 13!), I went to Ann's By Design for Social Knitting. Linda Schwalm asked if I wanted to go to the Spring Fiber Expo and I rudely said, "No. I've decided I won't have any fun without Linda." Can you believe I really said that?!?!?!?!?! That just shows you how much I miss Linda. My social skills have been diminished. My company manners have been gutted! Linda Schwalm wasn't offended though, she's a social worker so she understands my Linda Loneliness. She just said that she wanted to go and wanted me to go, too. Well, you know how this turns out. When it comes to fiber, I have no willpower. So, I said, "Ok. I'll go." Thea was going to go too but she had a terrible headache the next morning and bowed out. The next morning, Saturday, April 14, it was pouring cold rain. ICK! But we sucked it up and met at 8:30 for a 9:30 start. We got there VERY early but that was a good thing because we got a parking place right by the entrance. That began our great adventure.
Somethings are too good to change. The first booth when you walk in for the past few years has been Why Knot Fibers. We walked in before things officially started so we got to see people rushing around to unpack treasures and stock shelves. Well, we just couldn't wait. We walked just to the right of Why Knot Fibers and who was there?
Twisted Fiber Art! The wonderful Beth was working the booth on Saturday. I love her. She is so creative and nice and energetic. We see each other and it's hugs all around. See this wrap right in front? The colorway is called Nessie. I love it. An important learning from this adventure: Twisted Fiber Art Evolution looks even better knitted up than it does in the cake. They weren't really ready for a sale, so we decided to walk around then come back and buy.
Of course, I had to visit my friend Kelly at Knitting On The Fringe. Kelly said she'd just come from a festival in Pennsylvania where she sold everything she took. I've always wondered, "What if you pack up all of this product and don't sell much." How depressing to pack it all up! While we were looking at all of Kelly's treasures, we heard a mild crash. Well, really, how loud can a crash of fiber be?????? The top section of several racks of yarn fell over. I think a vendor on the other side was stocking shelves and accidentally pushed the shelves over. Then I heard somebody say, "JAN!" I looked over and there was. . .
My dear friend, Debbie Krause. I met Debbie when I was a Strategic Planning consultant to her school district. You know how when you meet someone and things just click? That's what happened with Debbie. We met and it clicked. See that smile? That is exactly how Debbie is all of the time. She just makes me happy when I am with her. AND if the shelves hadn't crashed, we wouldn't even have noticed each other. I would have continued looking at and feeling gorgeous fiber, she would have walked by and that was that! I hope this pushes us into a real get together.
Then there is FiberStory. I love FiberStory. I love their fiber and I love their colorways. I always come away with many skeins of yarn. The FiberStory fiber is heavenly to touch. It feels like a very a soft kitten or a Wheaten Terrier or dandelion fluff or, well you get the idea. I have been known to salivate and swoon in the presence of FiberStory fiber.
Then we made the rounds looking at other vendors like. . .
Then we made the rounds looking at other vendors like. . .
This was a new vendor I had never seen before. The interesting object wasn't the yarn, it was the jewelry that you see over in the wooden box made of some kind of nut. Taugne or something like that. I am too lazy right now to find the card that has the answer.
Finally it was time to do some buying.
Finally it was time to do some buying.
I bought this at Why Knot Fibers. Isn't it adorable!?!?!?!?! I can't wait to start it.
This is the yarn in the kit. I love kits! They make decision about "how am I going to use this UDY (undesignated yarn)" unnecessary. I may take this to the Coastal Condo to knit on there.
This is from FiberStory. It is much more beautiful than my miserable photograph shows. And Soft!!!!!!!! It is so soft. This is UDY. This is the amazingly yummy Glow made from 55% Blue Faced Leicester and 45% silk. You know my philosophy. A little silk makes wool feel so much better. The colors from left to right are: Mist, Flutter and Keen.
This is also the deletable yarn from FiberStory. The first set had a pink skein and a blue skein with a transition skein in the middle. This is pink and green and transition. I have all of these fabulous shawl patterns who are just crying for a trio like this. These also are Glow with colors left to right Moss, Wander and Emma.
These are the perfect cakes of Evolution from Twisted Fiber Art. In case you think this is a small purchase for me at my favorite LYS/online store/Fiber Expo vendor, you would be right. But the next day I did go online and buy 2 more cakes I decided I couldn't live without adding to Twisted Fiber Art South collection. Starting from 12 o'clock and going clockwise we have Le Cirque in Ariel, Dusk in Ariel, Pinot Noir in Ariel and Arboretum in Tasty. Have you read Night Circus? Le Cirque just reminded me too much of that fabulous book. I just couldn't leave without it. Pinot Noir was a festival special. Arboretum is for a pattern I just found on Pinterest. I saw something knit with Dusk and it was just too beautiful to pass up.
Really, who among you could resist buying beautiful fiber from this beautiful young woman???? Beth ask me what I thought of a Twisted Fiber Art Art retreat. I said, "SIGN ME UP!" That sounds like a blast. I might even entice Linda to come to Michigan for it. I'll keep you posted.
This scrumptious Flax is from Knitting On The Fringe. I bought a pattern for a top that is ever so cute but the picture on the pattern is too faded to take a picture. Just take my word that it will be very cute.
Linda and I were both fascinated by the jewelry and shawl pins made from the nut.
Some day I will knit a shawl that these look perfect with.
Well, that was the day. It was fun. I barely missed Linda. What can I say. I'm a yarn harlot (in small letters because nobody can be Stephanie Pearl McFee.) Put beautiful yarn in front of me and I pretty much forget everything else. Notice I did say "barely." There were moments when I turned around to say something only Linda would get then realized she wasn't there. This was a spring festival so it is much smaller than the one in the fall. I was a bit disappointed because there were no animals which meant no shearing. I love to watch that. I was very glad we went Saturday instead of waiting until Sunday because Sunday we woke up to heavy freezing rain.
Now why do I buy more in one festival than in a LYS? You have 30 and up LYS in one place. Without walking more than 5 yards in any direction, you are in the next shop. I really do major damage in a very short time at a festival. Yarn crawls don't affect me the same way. I have a chance driving from one shop to the next to come down from my hyper-passion. At a festival it is literally, "Look at that! I want that! WOW! Is that awesome." One sight builds on the next with no opportunity to decompress. One of the things I will do at the Fall Fiber Expo is try new vendors. I need to expand my horizons. I met a wonderful retired nurse who has just started her business. I feel sad I didn't support her with a purchase. Festivals are just filled with one fabulous vendor after another.
Next I will tell you about the online stores who have been co-conspirators to the growth of my stash.
Well, that was the day. It was fun. I barely missed Linda. What can I say. I'm a yarn harlot (in small letters because nobody can be Stephanie Pearl McFee.) Put beautiful yarn in front of me and I pretty much forget everything else. Notice I did say "barely." There were moments when I turned around to say something only Linda would get then realized she wasn't there. This was a spring festival so it is much smaller than the one in the fall. I was a bit disappointed because there were no animals which meant no shearing. I love to watch that. I was very glad we went Saturday instead of waiting until Sunday because Sunday we woke up to heavy freezing rain.
Now why do I buy more in one festival than in a LYS? You have 30 and up LYS in one place. Without walking more than 5 yards in any direction, you are in the next shop. I really do major damage in a very short time at a festival. Yarn crawls don't affect me the same way. I have a chance driving from one shop to the next to come down from my hyper-passion. At a festival it is literally, "Look at that! I want that! WOW! Is that awesome." One sight builds on the next with no opportunity to decompress. One of the things I will do at the Fall Fiber Expo is try new vendors. I need to expand my horizons. I met a wonderful retired nurse who has just started her business. I feel sad I didn't support her with a purchase. Festivals are just filled with one fabulous vendor after another.
Next I will tell you about the online stores who have been co-conspirators to the growth of my stash.
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