HKF

A wet and rainy Hand Knit Friday morning is perfect for a sweater. What hand knits are you wearing today?


Threepenny Pullover
Project details on Ravelry

HKF

It's a rainy Hand Knit Friday in the parched Bay Area, and that's perfect weather for a sweater. What hand knits are you wearing today?


Threepenny Pullover
Project details on Ravelry

Stitches West 2014 - in my shopping bag

I really enjoyed Stitches West this year. There were a lot of new products and vendors mixed in with the familiar names, all with quality wares. A few items came home with me:


Lisa Souza Spinning Fiber
Cashmere Merino Top, Forbidden City Silk Merino Top, Water Garden


Valley Yarns Colrain Lace


KCL Woods Spindle


Bar Maids Lo-Lo Body Bar

On Sunday, Steph from Three Fates Yarns and I talked about her business and the knitting friends that we have in common. She left me with this lovely hank of kettle dyed yarn that I'd like to design something with--


Three Fates Yarns
Three Fates Yarns Etsy Store

All in all, it was a great show filled with beautiful fiber, yarn, and friends.

Friday at Stitches West 2013

Save $5 off admission to the 2013 STITCHES West Marketplace: STITCHES West Coupon [PDF], courtesy of Craftsy, booths 926 & 1025.

Erin's extremely useful PDF maps of the marketplace:

• STITCHES West Market Map for printing on 2 pages
• STITCHES West Market Map for use on tablets or phones (one continuous map)

Friday started bright and early at the Registration Desk at Stitches West 2013.


May I help you?

Joyce and I kept the line moving and the show books stocked on the tables.


Working the O-Z line with Joyce Wyatt

And who showed up at the desk? CookieA!


Look, it's the infamous CookieA!

While I'm name dropping...


The man himself, Benjamin Levisay


The incomparable Annie Modesitt

What a day, what a day. Oh yes, I did buy a few things.

This beautiful sweater is Chimney Fire designed by Melissa Goodale of Stick Chick Knits. It's such a lovely cardigan and the sample was knit in Zen Yarn Garden Serenity, 80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon. Oh. My. Goodness. It felt sooooo good. Yup, I bought the pattern.


Chimney Fire in Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Worsted

Then it was back to Purlescence Yarns to buy the ChiaoGoo Interchangeables set.


ChiaoGoo Interchangeables (Small)

I picked up a few spools of strings and cords at Accent Bead Design.


Accent Bead Design Braiding String and Braided Cord

Then we ran into Margot & Margit who we spin with on a regular basis. After looking at their purchases, we made a beeline to Greenwood Fiberworks. I don't usually go for sparkle, but the Painted Sparkle Roving was pretty and the bling-factor was subtle. I chose Paper Roses.


Greenwood Fiberworks Painted Sparkle Roving

When we were getting ready to leave, I thought I heard my name announced over the PA. Sure enough, I won a door prize. *grin* It was a good day at Stitches West 2013.


Door Prize: TKGA Membership

Jaunty

The way Anne Kuo Lukito's Morgan hat is constructed is quite amazing. Most of it is knit in one piece, then there's some grafting and some sewing up, but nothing that's toooooo complicated.


Morgan hat
Project page on Ravelry

I found a notebook with a thick plastic cover, so I tore it off, cut it to size, and sewed it inside the peak (brim) to give it shape. The pattern suggests using 2 snaps to attach the brim to the body of the hat, but that didn't look right on mine so I sewed the hat to the brim along entire front edge.

This is weird. I'm not a hat person.

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing


Threepenny Pullover
Project details on Ravelry

and


Goldilocks Clog socks
Free knitting pattern

HKF

It's the first Hand Knit Friday of 2011! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing

Threepenny Pullover
Project details on Ravelry


Dye-o-rama Socks
Project details on Ravelry

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday!

If you're at Stitches West there's a good chance you're wearing hand knits--let's hear it, what do you have on today?

I'm wearing


Threepenny Pullover
Project info on Ravelry


Stitch detail

and


Mars Mission socks
Project info on Ravelry

The enabler has been enabled

Years of enabling others to buy yarn has come full circle. My friends are now turning the tables and steering me towards fiber and yarn that they know I'll like and they're *really* enjoying it when I buy.

Fair enough. It's a win-win. Stitches West 2010 Market Preview:

• Juliet is on display in the Habu Textiles Booth. They have 20/2 linen at the show if you'd like to make this.
  
  
  Pattern: Robin Melanson's Juliet Pullover from IK Summer 2004
  Yarn: 12-1/4oz. 20/2 linen from Habu Textiles, double stranded
  Beads: approx 45gm silver lined 8/0 hex
  Needles: Inox Grey 3.25mm circular
  Approx 2-1/2yds velvet ribbon
  
  Habu Textiles
  Booth #512


• Lisa Souza has beautiful batts and fiber. You need to touch this Cashmere-Merino-Tencel blend to truly appreciate it. (Stop by her booth. She has more.)
  
  
  Lisa Souza Opal
  
  The BFL is pretty amazing. It's one of my favorite fibers to spin and I love these colors.
  
  
  Lisa Souza BFL Wild Things
  
  
  Lisa Souza BFL Olive Tones
  
  Lisa Souza Knitwear and Dyeworks
  Booth #714


• Miss Babs has a beautiful booth with lots of eye candy... like Cleopatra. (Thanks Lisa!)
  
  
  Miss Babs Cleopatra
  
  Miss Babs Hand-Dyed Yarns and Fibers
  Booths #98 & 99


• Discontinued Brand Name Yarn has Louet Gems at a great price. (Thanks Seltsame!)
  
  
  Louet Gems - Ginger
  
  
  Louet Gems - Neptune
  
  Discontinued Brand Name Yarn
  Booths #627 & 726


• Jordana Paige has her bags and patterns available and is giving you an opportunity to win a JP bag. I was carrying my Knitter's Satchel so she videotaped me describing what I like about the bag. I was caught off-guard and I think I was babbling more than talking. I hope I didn't ramble too much. ;)
  
  In return, I received her latest beret pattern, Mila. Nice!
  
  
  Mila designed by Jordana Paige
  
  Jordana Paige
  Booths #622 & 624


• I've never tried selling my handspun, so it was very rewarding to see Beat the Blahs in the KnitWhits booth in the Humanity Handspun display. Hey, I did that (and you can buy it)!
  
  
  Humanity Handspun / KnitWhits
  
  KnitWhits and
  Humanity Handspun
  Booth #96

What a nice evening. Thank you to my friends--I had a good time hanging out with you tonight.

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing


Threepenny Pullover


Stitch detail

Project details on Ravelry

HKF

It's Hand Knit Friday! What hand knits do you have on today?

I'm wearing

Threepenny Pullover
Project details on Ravelry


Pomatomus Socks
Project details on Ravelry

A visit from Lady Luck

Knit & Crochet Show Fall 2007

Spinnity and I met my mom at the Knit and Crochet Show in Oakland today for some morning shopping. When we arrived, we filled out our door prize coupons, turned them in, and proceeded into the marketplace.

We dropped Juliet off at the Habu Textiles booth so she could work the show.


Spinnity, Juliet, and me

It wasn't long before we heard my name over the PA system--they had drawn my name for a door prize! It sounded like I won some yarn, but I couldn't hear where I was supposed to go. We kept shopping and soon I was lost in the fiber at Carolina Homespun. I didn't walk away empty handed.


1 pound Merino Top


2 pounds Merino/Tussah Silk

Before we left, Mom & I searched out the door prize. I thought it would be a hank of alpaca or something. Oh no, it was much better than that.


Door prize

As if the box wasn't enough, there was yarn inside. Very very (very) nice yarn.


Soooo soft!

The prize was from Argosy Luxury Yarns in Orange County, a new small company that specializes in custom one-of-a-kind hand painted yarns. I received 2 hanks of Haiku 4 Ply 55% silk 45% cashmere in Raven (gray), 2 hanks of Nicole DK 100% silk in Plum, and 1 hank of Zen 4 Ply 100% cashmere in Wall Street (multi).

The box and its contents attracted the attention of a few people--like Donna from the John Marshall booth (absolutely gorgeous fabric). Spinnity captured the moment.


Donna

Donna pointed out that the colors went perfectly with what I was wearing--how about that?

\

As Sandi said, I did very well. One word that I heard from Spinnity, my mom, and my other knitting friends was, "Again?!". I know. It blows my mind. I've been very fortunate.

Thank you Argosy & TKGA.