You know how it is. You go to Stitches Midwest and you squeeze a bunch of fiber and you rub a bunch of yarn on your neck and you eat a bunch of curry (and cheesecake) and then you spend the next few months thinking of nothing but spinning and knitting and curry (and cheesecake).
Tempe, my mom, and I have now made six summer yarn trips. (If you’re interested, a summary of my yearly purchases can be found here! You love that sort of thing, right?! Right-o!) Because two people asked, I shall now share what I loved (and purchased) this year.
This is Greenwood Fiberworks Polwarth Wool Roving. The colorway is “Paper Roses.” (I originally thought it was called Harper Roses, and that’s what took it off of the rack and put it into my hands. What kept it in my hands was the memory of being three years old and sitting on the couch at my grandparents’ house watching Marie Osmond on the television as my aunt drew huge faces on my belly with an ink pen.) It’s lovely.
This is Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace. It looks gray, but it’s actually a very subtle green. This yarn is available just about everywhere, but I couldn’t pass it up, because I also purchased this pattern, and I couldn’t go home without the appropriate yarn. (I was searching for subtle with a bit of shine and a bit of haze. Done.)
This is Sunday Knits Eden, which is a light worsted weight merino. It will be used to knit an It’s the Berries cardigan. (I tried on the sample sweater, and all of a sudden I felt harmony and understanding, sympathy and trust abounding, no more falsehoods or derisions, golding living dreams of visions, mystic crystal revelation, and the mind’s true liberation. It was the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.)
Finally, I went a little crazy at Lisa Souza’s booth. (I did the same thing last year, with no regrets.) This is a Silk/Merino top named “Iris Garden.”
This is a Merino/Tussah Silk/Bamboo top named “Salt Marsh.”
This is a Superfine Merino top named “South Pacific.” (I already have plans for this one. I want to spin it bulky.)
And this is a Merino/Baby Camel/Silk top named “Bayberry.”
I failed my practice run yesterday morning, and I failed it again yesterday evening. (I have a cold. I’m learning that I have absolutely zero patience/endurance when my nose is running. The failure makes me very nervous, because I’ve now fallen out of my schedule to complete the Ease into 5K plan before Saturday’s 5K. Urgh.) To make up for my disappointment, I took an hour to finish plying the merino/silk blend that I’ve had on my wheel for the past few weeks.
Ahhhhhhh. Much better. (Fiber is my Enya.) ((I wish I had a bumper sticker that says, “Fiber is my Enya.”)) (((Or a t-shirt. With Enya sitting at a spinning wheel. (Or Enya knitting.)))) Enya. Parentheses. ‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>
next time you’re up this way let me know and we can both breech our introverted boundaries and meet up for cheesecake or curry or both. : )
Enya is my Enya. Also puffy clouds. Best of all would be looking at puffy clouds while I listen to Enya. That sure is some beautiful fiber.
I am envious that you spin – but let’s face it, I barely get to the hobbies and obligations I already have. Also, I think spinning is one of those things where my desire to have the exact thing I want will not outweigh my inertia against doing the work to get it.
So glad you had a good trip!
You make me want to take up this craft…so beautiful!
Oh my that’s beautiful yarn! The one you made, I mean, though the others are lovely too. Ahhh.
Gorgeous uh wool? Yarn? I’m not a knitter so I have no idea. I chimed in to say: don’t worry AT ALL about falling out of your running schedule. I did the same thing before my first 5k, so that I was going into the actual race having not run a 5k at all before, and did fine. And I barely ramped up my 1.5 mile running habit for the Color Run I did last week and that, too, was fine. I actually ran most of the run this time because of the fun of being around a bunch of other people, the setting, the inspiration of getting to that next color station. You’ll be fine, you’ll be swell, etc.
I’m not knitter. But I feel like I should tell you that every time I see your posts about knitting and spinning and stuff I always flash to that part in Harry Potter (books, not movies) when Dumbledore finds Harry at the Mirror of Erised and when Harry asks what he sees in the mirror, Dumbledore says he sees thick socks. Because, you know, he wants socks but people always give him books. Someone get the man some socks already!
The way my brain works kind of concerns me sometimes.
You’ll be fine for the 5K. There is NO shame in walking part of it, OK??? You’ve done awesome, no matter what!!
I’ll have the shawl knocked up in the Salt Marsh any time you’ve got 10 spare minutes (yeah right). Go the parentheses.
Oh Lordie, I just ordered the “Berries” pattern online – you enabler, you! It’s a beautiful sweater.
I really, really love their names.
Regarding the running: (a) you are already doing way better than me on it. (b) I totally get the not wanting to run with a stuffy nose thing. (c) Remember that even if you can’t run the entire 5k, walking is great. Like Jen above said – there is no shame in walking part of it. And hey, sounds like you are going to have FANTASTIC 5k weather this weekend – when does that EVER happen in August in St. Louis?!
That’s not the image I think of when I read “Fiber is Enya”, but I like your spin better.
Good luck on the race!