I got to meet up with some wonderful people – many of them for the first time, and re-unite with friends I have met in previous years. This year’s weather was extremely hot and shade was a very sought-out commodity. So, the meetings all happened under the shade trees, in the shaded pavillions, or standing in the cold drink lines!  One such meetup, near the lemonade stand, was the re-unite with Tania “Mikomiao”, a long-time Flickr contact.  We met briefly last year, but had the chance to snap a pic this time.  Tania was down from NYC for the day with several friends.   I also had the wonderful opportunity to meet Kim and Heather as well as Heather’s daughters.  Heather’s daughter Pia also happens to be a huge Penguins hockey fan – so it was wonderful to meet her!

She’s even wearing her “Got Evgeni?” shirt! 

I also got to see several Ravelry friends, and many more Flickr friends too.  Funny how it takes a big festival like this to actually see the local people!  I got to talk to Mai and Emily (who both live in the area, but we never meet up, unfortunately) and Tina who was down from NYC.  And many thanks to several people who said hello and introduced themselves while standing in lines, walking down the aisles ~ it’s so much fun to meet everyone!

On Saturday, my mom and aunt and I melted in the heat, but still had a lovely day.  My aunt is visiting from Alabama after years of hearing me talk about the festival – she finally got to experience it herself.  She knits a lot, and like my mom is also interested in felting.  They both bought a bag-full of roving, and my aunt bought this adorable felted animal book.  I can’t wait to see what they come up with!

Auntie with her felt book – first purchase at MDSW! 

 
Mom with her bag-full of roving on the scale 

I picked up Jenna from the airport – in from Seattle – and I think this is her fifth MDSW as well (four of them we have been together).  We enjoyed a fun night with Kris, Kelp Kelly and Allison at my favorite Indian restaurant… and although tiredness from all that heat (and sunburn) was hitting me square in the face, we also went to a pub for a few drinks.  I was such a lightweight and I nearly fell asleep at the table!  Nevertheless, it was great fun – and I only wish we had some photos to share!  (that happened last year too with no camera!)

Stashbusting has been forefront in my mind for several weeks, and while I did make some purchases at MDSW this year, I didn’t buy nearly as much as in previous years!  I tried to stick with unique fibers/designs that I haven’t seen in other places – as well as some very utilitarian non-yarn purchases…

Non-yarn purchases:  Kookaburra Wool Wash, Size 10 55″ needles, buttons from Jennie the Potter, a *wooden ball winder*, and two knit patterns from Noni (felted jacket) and ShiBui (mohair pulli)

The wooden ballwinder has been on my list for three years – I always look at it at Stonemountain Fibers – but this year, I took action!  Now, it is mine!  I haven’t tried it yet… but as you can see below, I have some new yarn to try it with! 

1. Farmhourse Yanrs Silk Spun Cotton, 2. Brooks Farm Acero, 3. Davidson Domy Heather – Sportweight, 4. ZWool Natural Dyed Wool, 5. Creatively Dyed Yarns Worsted, 6. Davidson Natural Bulky Wool, 7. Creatively Dyed Yarns Fingering, 8. Spun Monkey Handspun 

I didn’t realize until I got home that several of the yarns are in three distinct color families – neutrals, blues/greens, and golden browns.  I guess I am particularly drawn to these colors now!  I don’t have specific patterns in mind for many of them – but single skein projects are usually hats and scarves/cowls, so that is what these might become!  The Davidson Domy Heather in the periwinkle seems very well-suited for the Plain and Simple Pullover (Ravelry link) and may become that for a fall/winter layering piece.  The Creatively Dyed Yarns and the handspun were my splurges – I just fell in love with the color explosions!  The green CDY is  a fingering weight and seems very well-suited for some funky socks.  The worsted weight will probably be a hat.  The handspun will be a hat and cowl or mitt combo. 

For the second year in a row, we got to see all of Jennie’s lovely pottery pieces!  Last year, Jenna bought a mug, and I picked up a necklace and several buttons.  This year, I was thinking about a mug, but I held off.  She does have a particularly cute cookie jar that I had my eye on!  We met up with my friend Amy  and Little J at Jennie’s booth, and Amy got a mug and a little bowl – Jennie’s stuff is just too cute to pass up!  Here we are after the purchasing - hot, but happy!

Jenna and I enjoyed some downtime on Sunday afternoon over some potato ribbon chips.  MDSW is such a fun festival, but they are *severely* lacking any healthy eating options.  With the exception of drinks, this is the only food that I know of that a vegan can have at the festival – and that’s only after checking that is indeed fried in vegetable oil – and asking them to hold the cheese and sour cream.  Any vendor who offered some healthier fare would do so well there!  I do bring my own snacks – nuts, a fruit, etc. - but it’s another thing to carry in, and I would be happy to patronize a vendor that offered something other than meat-on-a-stick.   I don’t like to complain, because I know that MDSW is a big effort by lots of volunteers – and they remain admission-free to keep people coming in – but a local vendor/community group would do so well offering up something simple like sandwiches, wraps, or falafel.  I am wondering how a letter-writing campaign would go over… 

Nevertheless, MDSW remains a highlight of the year – both in seeing friendly faces and sweet animals, but also in taking the pulse of the fiber community.  Even with the down economy, it seemed like there were so many people out, enjoying the day, and buying lots of things.  It is always a pleasure to buy quality products from small businesses – with the proceeds going directly to them.  Even more of a pleasure to actually meet and converse with these vendors – and sometimes see the sheep/alpaca/bunnies/goats that the fiber came from! 

I got to meet generous people who offered their time to come up and say hello.  It meant so much to me, so I thank you.  It is truly a pleasure to see so many friendly and welcoming faces.  This festival is such a highlight of my year for many reasons, but it is definitely the connections with people that mean to most.  Spending the weekend with my best friend Jenna definitely sweetens the pot… I visited her in Seattle in March, and just a few weeks later, she is here to see me (and to go to the festival, of course!)

…and of course, the yarn.  Practicing mindfulness at a commercial event can be a challenge.  Obviously, the point of the festival is to celebrate the animals, their fiber, and the arts surrounding the uses of said fiber – and you celebrate all of those things by pulling out your wallet and taking things home with you.  So, I thought that the best way to take this mindfulness aspect into a commercial event was to truly think about my purchases, and to support the companies/shops/farms that I bought from.  I went in with the intention of buying from small local farms and dyers- my definition of local expanded a bit, but nevertheless kept to the “small” qualifier, because nearly every vendor at MDSW is a small business, often family-owned and operated.  I wanted to support the local economies of my state, Maryland, as well as the few surrounding states.  My parameters expanded down to North Carolina, and up to Maine, and hopped over more than a few to Minnesota, but I am happy with what I got and the vendors that I supported.

1. Shetland Tweed fingering, 2. Hoodie + Pendant, 3. Handspun Wool,

4. Folktale Handspun, 5. Three Waters Farm Handpaint, 6. Pucker Brush Farm Handspun,

7. RoseSpring Farm handdyed, 8. Angora/Wool handspun, 9. Tess Raw Silk,

10. Noro Cash Island, 11. March Hare fingering, 12. Tess Merino Worsted

I still did enhace the stash by quite a bit, but believe it or not, much less than previous years.  The Noro was the only commercially available yarn I bought, and that is because the deal was almost too good to believe.  Noro has that power over me…The vendor highlights for me were definitely 1) Jennie the Potter’s booth.  Jennie creates amazing pottery, buttons, and pendants.  I bought one of her pendants and two sets of buttons that I have not photographed yet.  She is so talented, and I am now officially a huge fan   and 2) ever-present love for Melinda and her beautiful yarns as Tess Designer Yarns.  I was tempted by so so many, but came home with a beautiful blue merino (more story on this later!) and a lovely golden raw silk.  The thing that was so special about both of these booths is that I got to talk to both Jennie and Melinda for awhile and get to know them better.  It is wonderful to make those connections.  They both do such amazing work!

I didn’t take as many photos this year as I usually do – maybe because it was rainy and overcast – but you can view what I did take over here.  I had the opportunity to meet some really amazing people that I got to talking and did not even get a photo… I regret that, but I don’t regret the chance to talk more with them.

—

So, for all of this talk about me procuring new yarn, I thought it was about time I did another contest around here – a chance for YOU to procure some of your own!  Plus, I would love to hear from some of you that rarely comment but tell me that you read my blog (you know who you are!)

The new cowboy kerchief from Morehouse Merino (who sadly does not come to MDSW anymore…) The winner will be able to choose between the two colorways in the middle of the photograph:  the gray/yellow or the maroon/blue combo.   I will choose the winner randomly by Wednesday afternoon (May 6th) at 4pm EST.  If you like, you can leave me a comment telling me more about a time when you were completely “in the moment” – whether it be while knitting, spinning, doing yoga, or just about anything else.  I would love to hear about it

~Thank you~

]]> http://lollygirl.com/blog/2009/05/04/mindful-mdsw-and-surprise/feed 158 http://lollygirl.com/blog/2009/03/19/the-yarn-odessey-around-puget-sound http://lollygirl.com/blog/2009/03/19/the-yarn-odessey-around-puget-sound#comments Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:09:24 +0000 lolly http://lollygirl.com/blog/?p=1642 You know me well enough by now – and  you know that I never turn down a little yarny tourism in a new city.  Luckily I had my girl Jenna to help me plan for a fun evening of shop hopping.  And it was so much fun to meet up with a few Seattle friends, Rebecca and Laura!

FIRST STOP: Fiber Gallery in Seattle – a lovely shop with so many beautiful yarns.  What a treat to meet Jessica, the manager of the shop, and a fellow long-time blogger!

Rebecca is a shopper with a mission!  she picked up some lovely things in record time – while I was still waltzing around on yarny high, she already had yarn in hand and was at the register!  Jenna was instantly drawn to a cute little ball of single play variegated yarn (Zauberball!), and I poked around being indecisive for a good amount of time.  Of course, once I decided, I was very happy with my choice … see?

Malabrigo Lace in gorgeous colors: Tuareg, Verde Esperanza, and Bobby Blue

…next to Bad Woman Yarn to meet Laura!

A lone ball of Schulana Sojabama came home with me – a nice color match for the leftover ball I have from my Pintuck.

…and we wrapped up the evening with a quick trip to Weaving Works.  Unfortunately, our time was short – the shop was closing, and I had to make a decision fast.  Of course, once I saw the yarn, I knew it was for me right away… I wanted something unique and special to this location.  I found it!  …and finding this kind of made up for the fact that I didn’t get to look at any of the huge book selection or the weaving things.  Next time

Spincycle Handspun

We had a great dinner with Laura and Rebecca at a yummy Indian restaurant.  As always, I am always so pleased with how easy it is to find conversation and common bonds with online acquaintances.  Laura is in grad school and her classes sound like things that I would absolutely love – she shared a few of her required text titles with me   and Rebecca and I had plenty to talk about since we both love yoga!  So nice to meet you ladies, and I hope we have the chance to talk more soon!

At the Nordic Knitting Conference, there were several vendors selling beautiful yarns, and I picked up some lovely laceweight (hey, it packs pretty easily in an already-full suitcase!) in these muted tones.  I was thinking about a lightweight sweater – maybe with stripes.

Last weekend, Jenna, Kris, and I headed over to the Bainbridge Island and the Olympic Peninsula – we crossed the Puget Sound on a ferry!

That was a fun process in itself, and once we got to the other side (we passed under a rainbow to get there – what a great way to start the day!)  we headed a beautiful yarn shop on Bainbridge Island: Churchmouse Yarns and Teas.  And it seems like they knew I was coming… the whole display in the front of the shop was yoked colorwork sweaters!

Churchmouse had a nice little clearance bin going and I also picked up this old Rowan book and a shop scarf pattern.

My yarn odessey around Puget Sound was complete!

…but I do have some more Washington adventures to share…

Knitters who love hockey?  Knitters who practice yoga?

Ah, life is complete!

After meeting some fabulous yoginis who love knitting last weekend, it was all about meeting hockey fans who knit this weekend!  Many thanks for Judy for spearheading the awesome NHL Sticks n’ Stitches matinee game between the Washington Capitals and the Ottawa Senators! We knit, we cheered (we had so much to cheer about!) and had such a fun time together!  and it is always fun to actually *be* with the people that you talk to so much online!  Amy and I talk all the time through forum posts, emails, and private messages, and now we got to have a whole afternoon together!

(Judy, Jessica and her BF, Kelly, Melissa, me, Amy, and her adorable daughter J)

A full house – surprising on Super Bowl Sunday

The Caps Drumline – entertaining before the game and during the 2nd intermission

[All Game Day Photos Here!]

It was the perfect day for a game!  The weather was downright balmy after the below-freezing temperatures of late and Kris and I got in to the city with time to spare before the game.  We met up with the peeps and headed to our seats where we were highly entertained by both teams – and the final score was 7-4 win by the Caps.  So exciting!  and the Caps’ big star, Alexander Ovechkin definitely put on a show – he got a hat trick!  So much fun!  I hope we can do it again soon – maybe next season?  Even if you have never been to a hockey game before (or know nothing about the sport, the atmosphere is so much fun!  … even when your husband’s beer spills on your coat after you celebrate a magnificent goal… )  And while my #1 team is the Pittsburgh Penguins, I definitely enjoy watching the Caps play – they are my solid second team – and it is wonderful to see them having so much success right now. 

To commemorate the fun Sticks n’ Stitches game, and because I lack any Capitals gear, I decided to cast on for a cowl to wear to the game.  I finished my cowl quickly with the bulky  Chinese yarn that Kimberli gave me back in 2005 – it is a great variegated red and maroon wool and really worked up well in the seed stitch. Simple, easy, and warm.  I love to wear red and black together!

…and then we promptly got home from the hockey game to head to the Super Bowl party – we had time to change the red to black and gold for the Steelers.  Football doesn’t usually hold my attention as well as hockey, but last night’s game was one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory.  So happy with the final results!  What a sporty day!

]]> http://lollygirl.com/blog/2009/02/02/rockin-the-red/feed 17 http://lollygirl.com/blog/2008/12/15/namaste-knitters-meetup http://lollygirl.com/blog/2008/12/15/namaste-knitters-meetup#comments Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:51:24 +0000 lolly http://lollygirl.com/blog/?p=1255 It was an absolute joy and pleasure to meet up with the DC contigent of the Namaste Knitters this past weekend!  We met through the Ravelry board that I started in 2007 for knitters and crocheters who practice or want to learn more about yoga.  Please feel free to join the group if you are interested!

 Theresa, Jen, Amanda, Rossana, Flissy, me, and Shani
(missing from the photo are Rayna and Petra who had to leave early)

Rossana organized the space and led us in a wonderful practice at the Quiet Mind Yoga studio in the Columbia Heights neighborhood.  Before the yoga, some of us met up at an Ethiopian restaurant and then headed to the studio to chat, knit, and snack on some yummy treats before we practiced. 

We did a short flow practice in the beginning with sun salutations and some triangle poses and then set up with props galore for an amazingly relaxing restorative practice. Restorative yoga is just what it sounds like – you rest, you relax, you de-stress.  It is like the “dessert of yoga” – indulgence!  WIth the assistance of some props (bolsters, blankets, straps, scented eye pillows) you can completely relax into stillness of mind and body.  Perfect!  Our restorative pose was Supta Baddha Konasana (click to see complete photo)  which is a particularly relaxing.  Petra, at right, was enjoying the pose so much that a grin came to her face!  (well, that and she knew I was photographing her!)  We were in the pose for about 15 minutes and then moved into Savasana .  Afterward, we were all peaceful and full of smiles as we gathered our knitting projects and our bags to leave the studio.  Many thanks to Rossana for leading the session and to everyone who came to join us!

I am hoping that we will have many more Namaste Knitters meetups in the future.  I announced the meetup in some of the regional groups on Ravelry as well to gain interest from a wider audience.  This is a difficult time of year to commit time on the weekends, so the meetups in the new year may work better for others.  This was our fourth meeting of the year in the DC area.  May 2009 be filled with knitting, new friends and yummy yoga too! (and if you want to make sure that you hear about DC-area meetups, please join the group for the lastest news!)

We started the day off with a great lunch at one of my favorite spots in DC: Teaism in Dupont Circle.

Veggie bento boxes for P and me – Udon needles for R and M

Over lunch, we discussed travels (Rangsiwan just returned from Brazil), photography (we were all outfitted with our Canons – but I think I am the only one who took photos?) and the yummy food.  And the best part?  It was so natural.  Meeting “old” friends for the first time.  Very nice. 

A freak monsoon-like rainstorm hit DC as we were leaving the cafe – we made a break for Marissa’s car to head to Silver Spring for the Crafty Bastards fair.  It is great to see that the fair has reached such popularity that they can now do it twice a year! 

The heat was the resounding topic of the day.  The sun was beating down, and while it was nice to have so much light, it was nasty hot.  Luckily, there was some shade to cool off, and even an indoor area with more vendor/artists.  And some Italian Ice. 

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet a Flickr friend who was showing at the fair – so cool to meet you, Tess! – and met the very talented Abby at Folktale Fibers.  I caught up with Paula at Woolarina - pulled up a chair and made in the shade for a short while.  What a fun time. 

After the fair, we said goodbye to Parikha, and headed into Silver Spring.  Even with the heat, there were a lot of people out and about.  We stopped off in Cake Love and R got a scrumptious cupcake, and then headed to the green. 

~Kids playing in the fountain~ (I was tempted myself)

After seeing the capoeiristas, I decided that I couldn’t complain about the heat anymore.  Amazing to see. Great music too!

Rangsiwan and I made plans for later this summer (when I will be in SF) and we parted ways.  I had a permagrin when I got home.  What a nice day! 

…and I even came home with a few goodies to remember it by…

Felted soap kits from Woolarina / Folktale Fibers Handspun
(and the pretty turquoise necklace in the shot above from Block Party Press)

We checked in at the Waverley Inn, a beautiful 19th-century Victorian mansion-turned-B&B in downtown Halifax.  The furnishings were quite fancy – mostly antiques.  The Waverley has been a mainstay in the Halifax scene for over 100 years, and Oscar Wilde even stayed there when he visited Nova Scotia…

Halifax’s Public Gardens had just opened, and since the season is later there, the spring flowers were just coming in – daffodils, tulips, budding trees!  It was great to relive spring all over again (with an added dose of allergy medicine, that is).

Our walking tour of the city continued to the National Historic Site of Citadel Hill:

We also toured the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, a quality museum that includes many artifacts recovered from the Titanic, as well as some really beautiful sailboats.

Next come the three Fs – all very important, and well-represented in Halifax:

FOOD!

I was pleasantly surprised to learn about Halifax’s happening food scene.  There was an abundance of quality eateries in the city – so many offering organic and vegetarian options.  This particular meal was our lunchtime stop at Sweet Basil Bistro.  Kris started his long seafood tour of the province here with a seafood chowder, and I warmed up with an amazing Cream of Chestnut soup (intriguing, eh?  I have to figure out how to make it!)  Served up with a little side salad and some freshly baked bread.  Other foodie highlights include Jane’s on the Common for brunch, The Wooden Monkey for local veggie cuisine, and The Bitter End for a nice drink with dinner.

FIBER!

It was an honest-to-goodness coincidence that this great yarn shop was located so close to our hotel.  I swear.  The Loop of Halifax is a cafe/yarn shop with a lovely selection of commercial staples, and several local(ish) yarns as well.  I contacted Mimi, the co-owner a few months back through Ravelry, and it was very nice to meet her in person.  (Too bad I missed Cathy and Bill - next time?)  That is Mimi and me in the third picture.  I am holding a very adorable needle felted puffin doll.  Mimi gave us some amazing tips about hiking trails, restaurants, shops to visit… we used her suggestions throughout the whole trip!  Great to meet you, Mimi!

FRIENDLY FACES!

I got to meet Megan (and her adorable shoes)!  and it was a mighty fine pleasure.  I had stumbled across Megan’s photos on Flickr and had also visited her blog, but it was on Ravelry where I really got to know her!  We had arranged the meetup before I left the States, and it just so happened that we also got to meet her very cool “other half”, Brent.  Brent and Kris talked hours of photography and hockey, while Megan and I caught up.  We got dinner at the Economy Shoe Shop, and then headed down to a bar for a little hockey action (this was before my Penguins lost the Stanley Cup series… Game 2).  Despite the loss, we had an amazing time with M and B.  There is a chance that they will be coming our way sometime soon, and we hope to show them a good time in DC   SO great to meet you both!

Oh, Halifax, I miss you already…

Next stop on the NOVA SCOTIA road trip:  Camping, lighthouses, and national parks on the South Shore! Stay tuned

As you might expect, I took a few photos - but not nearly as many as I planned. I was pretty busy handling yarns and hugging people. For the full set of MDSW 2008 photos, go here. Here are some highlights:

Amazing people: Isel, Jenna, and Kate. I met so many people that my mind is a little dizzy. Long-time blog friends (so many many many many more!) and some new(er) Ravelry and Flickr friends alike. I was thrilled to meet everyone!

So many beautiful animals! The sheep breeds are probably the most ubiquitous animals at the festival, but it is common to see the goats, llamas, alpacas, and (sometimes) bunnies too. Amazing coincidence: this handsome llama is actually owned by my old friend that I used to work with (in my first year of knitting!) We reconnected at the festival when I was up in her llama’s face taking photos! It was amazing to see Holly again! (remember Holly? she helped me overcome my fear of DPNs so many years ago!)

YARN! oh my gosh. I bought a lot. I really need to work on this attachment to material objects philosophy.  It seems to get me every year around this time.  I enhanced the stash, as they say.  Surprisingly, I did not buy any sock yarn this year.  A big step, considering that that has been the bulk of my purchases in previous years.  Nope, this year it was all about sweater yarns, and some drapey luxury fibers for elegant accessories.  My companions bought a few things too; I am sure they will be talking about them very soon!

[Click here for details about each skein]

It was not clear to me until I saw them all grouped together, that this year’s yarns are not my traditional color palette.  You may have noticed that I tend to group around certain colors, namely blues/violets, pinks/reds, and greens.  I also love brown, and have a lot in my stash, but not as many FOs in that particular color yet.  However, this year seems to be all about neutrals, or subtler shades of my usual choices.  Maybe it is a subconscious nod to the upcoming Project Spectrum AIR element with the grays and whites?  I got some very unique things this year – namely the beautiful handspun yarns from the Navajo Churro Cooperative.  The natural colors and wonderful texture of the yarn was enough to put them in my bag!  I also ran into some fabulous deals that were too good to pass up(Fingerlakes Wool and The Fibre Company).  I splurged for the linen up top, but I figure the stuff will last forever (if they found it in Egyptian tombs…) I was also very happy to see the Botanical Shades booth again this year – I used their indigo dyed alpaca blend for my Aftur pullover, and this lovely grass green will make an amazing garment as well.

Saturday’s weather started out a little gloomy, but the day brightened up and actually got a little warm.  I got a minor sunburn, even when rocking the SPF 45.  Sunday, always my favorite day to attend, was milder weather-wise and crowd-wise.  Mom, Jenna, and I had a lovely relaxed time.  We even got to sample some goat and sheep cheeses, drink some lemonade, and try one of the yummy dip ice cream cones.  At the end of the day, we sat out and reflected on the experience.  We smiled with contentment… one of those tired genuine smiles after a great day. 

The real highlight of this year’s festival was observing the very real success of Ravelry in a relatively short time period. I joined Ravelry in it’s infancy, and it has grown into such an amazing community. Casey, Jess, and Mary-Heather (and all the volunteers!) have poured so much of themselves into it, and we all reap the benefits in the form of the website and the activities surrounding it. For this, I am so grateful. Maybe a little less knitting since I find it so hard to click away from the forums, but no less gratifying or enriching!  There was a festival meetup for Ravelers, as well as a wonderful post-festival Ravelry party at one of the local hotels. 

I had met Jess several times at previous festivals, and it was wonderful to see her again.  This time, I got to meet Casey and Mary-Heather too.  They were the stars of the show! Mary-Heather and I have corresponded for years, and I was so happy to finally meet her!  …and Kris (who came to the party with me!  surprise!) chatted with Casey and met so many of my online friends.  I think he was surprised that he was recognized a few times as well!

Mary-Heather and I were all smiles!

We stayed at the party and witnessed the way that Ravelry has touched the community.  Everyone was so friendly and excited to be a part of it!  I met so many nice people, and reconnected with some old friends as well.  I don’t have the time to link to everyone, and my memory may fail… but know that I was very happy to see you!

…and now, back to real life… the fiber event of the year has come and gone, once again. 

 It was so sweet while it lasted! 

The adorable furry animals!

The wonderful people!

The luscious fibers!

This will be my fourth Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  I still marvel at the fact that I live in the town that attracts thousands of fiber enthusiasts from all over the country (world?) on this one weekend!  When we moved here in 2001, I was not a knitter yet – I had no way of knowing.  Pure luck or providence?   Whatever it was, I am grateful.

I don’t have a particular list this year, but I do have some stops I want to make.  This is my first year as a weaver, so I am planning to get some more linen for rugmaking, as well as a new reed so that I can weave finer gauge items.   As for knitting, I am planning to look for beautiful complementary colors from local sources – I want some good wool for colorwork and sweater making.  I am not planning to go crazy this year, but I guess that is all relative.  I have a large stash already, and plenty of projects I am planning that use those yarns.  Then again, the festival (and my vacations) are the only real yarn-buying times for me anyway.  Maybe I shouldn’t feel too guilty…

My dear friend Jenna is flying in from Seattle tonight (late!), and we will be at the festival on both days.  On Sunday, my mom will join me!  We are planning to attend the Ravelry meetup, and also the Ravelry party later in the evening.  I would love to meet you, so if you are there and you see me, please say hi! 

Habu’s selection was quite tempting, but I remembered the kit that I bought during last year’s trip, and resisted the urge to get more.

Erin had plans for a bag, so we headed over to Mood Fabrics, made famous by Project Runway. We didn’t have any celebrity sightings, but we enjoyed going through the store and looking at their HUGE selection. There were three large floors stacked floor to ceiling with fabric bolts of every imaginable fabric.

Connie and I were in awe – since neither of us regularly sew, we were overwhelmed by just how much variety there was! In the end, Erin chose a great corduroy. Stay tuned to her blog for plans and progress! After that stop, we headed over to School Products, one of my favorite NYC yarn shops. We got a little turned around, but luckily Connie’s husband (via cellphone) helped us find our way to the shop! I picked up a lovely cone… more details in the next post.

A few hours later, Kris called to say that his meetings were complete, and he walked down to West Village to meet us at The Point. We sat around the table, ate some delicious snacks from their cafe (Connie got the most beautiful cupcake – I wish I had a photo!), and I flipped through some of the new books on display. Erin played with our wide-angle lens (we have the same camera, so our lens fit on her camera) and the infamous baskets-of-yarn-wall. It was about this time that some strange wind blew through the city, and set me sneezing and sniffling. My allergies got worse throughout the evening, but how could I let them get me down while I was having fun?

Connie headed back home after our time at The Point. I was so happy to meet her and to learn more about her “real life” as well as her knitting and designs. She was such a great help to me while I was knitting the cardigan, and meeting her was a real joy! Thank you, C!

After a fun dinner at Cowgirl in the West Village (yummy margaritas and some good veggie options too!), we headed back to Times Square for some night photography. Of course, there were hundreds of other people there doing the same thing, but we still had a lot of fun.

The next morning, I went to Bryant Park to check out the new location of one of my other favorite NYC stops: Kinokuniya Japanese bookstore. Their needle craft (knitting, crochet, embroidery) book collection is larger than any other book store I have been to, and I decided to take my time and go through the books.

Sitting on the floor, I poured over dozens of patterns and stitch directories. Even without reading the language, it is relatively simple to understand the schematics and charts outlined in the books. I am hoping that when I cast on for one of these projects, it will be intuitive. If not, I can ask my Japanese friend to help me with some translations…

It was the perfect day for photography, so when Erin met me for lunch, we decided to head towards Central Park for a photo afternoon. On the way, we stopped by Gotta Knit! a great yarn shop on 34th Street, and talked to Goldie, the owner. I bought a beautiful skein of yarn… more details to come.

Central Park was filled with people, but Erin and I had plans for some improvisational photography, and we didn’t let the crowds stop us. With her handy camera remote and my wide-angle lens, we got some great action photos!

Down | Middle | Up

We did about 20 cartwheels before finally getting the middle shot with both of our legs in the Y position. The funny thing? there were several groups of people sitting within a few feet of us, but no one even looked twice when we did all the jumping and cartwheeling!

Kris and I were completely beat after the busy two days in the city. Once we got home (after a two-hour Amtrak delay) we broke off some aloe for the sunburn, and went right to bed. It was a short and sweet trip!