YARN TASTING! ROAD TRIP!

My knitting buddy, great friend and all around funny lady, Linda, retired from her Elementary Principal position June 30.  You would think that we would be spending every day knitting together but we haven't.  How have our lives gotten so busy!?!?!?!?!  She even wanted me to go to Ann Arbor to Spun but it was the week of July 4th and that was one crazy week with  pre-op testing for Dick, cardiologist appointment for Mom and trying to catch up on the summer list before Dick's surgery.  I was sad but not too sad because I knew Saturday was YARN TASTING AT TWISTED FIBER ART.  I gave Linda the day as a retirement gift.  In preparation, I started a Bandito scarf made out of Evolution in Catnip with the club colorway from last fall Hello.  

Oh my!  Once again the picture doesn't do the beautiful yarn justice.  It is a pale blue moving into a teal moving into a purple moving into a copper. It is so amazing.  I thought I should have something Twisted on my needles to knit during our two workshops.  Bandito, a scarf designed by Anne Campbell, the grandmother of Twisted Fiber Art, seemed like the perfect option.  After the four rows of set up, it is a one row pattern.  Every row is the same with the kfb at each end making this beautiful 2 row 2 stitch pattern.  It is the perfect example of sequence knitting.  We left at 9:00, talked all of the way to Mason, Mi and before you knew it we were there.  

We were greeted by three of Lydia's relatives wearing beautiful shawls in TFA Evolution.  You may remember that Twisted Fiber Art and their upstairs neighbor Keen's had a fire last year.  Keen's is all set to go, but TFA will be moving into a lovely new home soon.  I can't wait until the open house.  The YARN TASTING was in the basement of Keen's just like in the old days.  It was great to be back.

See the lady in red?  I saw her come in and she looked so familiar.  Being the shy person that I am, I went up to her and asked if she had been to a yarn tasting before.  She hadn't but said she was from Royal Oak.  At the same moment we recognized each other.  We were both in the first Detroit News Knit Detroit.  Let me introduce you to Barb.  We reminisced a bit about what a great time we had with Jocelynn Brown.  This table of women is paying rapt attention to the wonderful Beth.  Now let me reintroduce you to the Twisted Women of Twisted Fiber Art.

This is Meg and Twisted Fiber Art is her baby.  I love the story behind TFA. I am sure I have told you this before but I think it is worth repeating.  Meg wanted Anne her mother to knit something for her with colors that blended together.  At that time there was no such yarn.  Anne said there would be too many ends to hide even for her beloved daughter.  In came Hazel Meg's daughter.  Meg wanted to find a way to work from home with her new baby and Twisted Fiber Art was born.  Meg invented a process to ever so slowly blend one color into another.  And the rest is history.    

This is Anne, mother of Meg and designer extraordinaire.

This is Hazel, daughter of Meg and a genius at the cash register/computer.  She is the problem solver on all things involving that frightening machine.  This isn't a picture from Saturday as I don't seem to have one.  Hazel has grown up so much since my first meeting with this adorable girl.  On my first sighting,  Hazel had on this great stocking cap made out of Evolution.  I told you the story about me stalking Anne begging her to give me the pattern.  She wrote it up (hand written for me) and I loved making it.

This is Beth, the wonderful woman who always solves my buying issues and answers my myriad of emails.  Beth always shares Knitting: A Love Story with the Twisted customers.  I get some of my biggest reader boosts after a trip to TFA.  

The morning session talked about the different types of fiber dyed into TFA.  Each of us got a little bag full of beautiful little Twisted Flowers.  The Twisted Ladies talked about each yarn and its properties.  We also had other little surprises in our adorable little bags that one of the Twisted Women had made.  We had a pen with the end to touch touchscreens, a little note book, stitch markers and a Twisted pin.  It was like opening a magician's bag and finding their bag of tricks.  The morning was lovely but the afternoon was a mind blower.

The afternoon was about how to make the most out of the different kinds  of Twisted fibers.  Meg says she's not a public speaker but she was great.  When Meg talks about TFA, it comes right from the heart.  For every technique talked about, there was a sample knit up.  You know what a sucker I am for a knitted sample.  

My new friend Jen is holding up a sample of Evolution.  Jen is a hoot.  She is a friend of Beth's from long ago.  They are both upbeat and funny.  I loved meeting and spending the day with Jen.

This is a sample of what two colors of self striping can do. I am going to use this pattern with pink yarn for my yarn bombed chair.  We got this great folder with pictures of all of the samples and blurbs.  It is a treasure.  Each time Linda and I have gone to a yarn tasting (this was our third time), they have gotten better and better.

Oh, wait!  Look what I just found!  Three generations of Twisted Ladies.  Hazel (Isn't she growing up), Anne and Meg.  Some how this felt like a family reunion where you see the cousins once a year and remark on how their children are growing up.  Hazel is getting tall and beautiful.  

Look at that fabulous Brioche scarf made from two colors of long striping yarn.  The garments made from TFA are all exquisite, unique and unforgettable, as are the Twisted Ladies.  

​The relationships built with a LYS are very special.  You can buy comparable yarn at an online shop, but you can't build relationships.  I have online shops I love but I have never been able to give and receive a hug or see the look of pride in the eye of the owner or catch a smile of pleasure at a compliment like you do at a LYS.  It can feel like a a great seller/buyer relationship but it can't feel like family.  I can buy (and have done plenty of it) beautifully, exquisite yarn from an online shop, but I will never have that friendly person look me in the eye and say, "That is really beautiful, what are you going to make?"  I can never have Laura from Silver Threads and Golden Needles walk me around the shop and help me find patterns or Mary from Yarn Quest help me choose colors that blend together. When you buy beautiful yarn online there is nobody to make you feel like you have just picked the perfect yarn for the perfect project.  I encourage you to pick a LYS you love and develop a relationship.  It will always feel like home when you walk in the door.   

My day was great.  After many hectic, busy and chaotic days, this day with my dear friend Linda was like like a cool drink of water in the dessert.  It was like a dish of ice cream after a day of yard work; a cold beer after a round of golf on a hot day.  It was a a happy/sad day.  When Linda goes to Oregon in later this month, she and her husband will begin looking at homes for a potential move.  Both of Linda's sons live in the Washington/Oregon area.  As we were enjoying Twisted Fiber Art and our day together, I couldn't help wonder how many more days like this we would have.  Linda has been a very important part of my life for a long time. Our trip to Twisted Fiber Art reinforced for me the importance of relationships, friendship and family.  May your life be filled with warm, friendly relationships and beautiful yarn.