There's no reason for the photo, except I finally was able to catch him at rest.

As far as Stitches West posts, this is definitely saving the best for last!

First, the yarn from LaLana Wool in Taos:

Sample skeins of Forever Random Fine in "Dream Time" and  Forever Random Worsted in "Iced Tea".  (That's a little sample skein from SWTC hiding with them.)  I talked with Luisa Gelenter about substituting colors on a pattern.  She says call, and they'll work it out with me!  Yippee!  I've loved Sonoma Spring Cantata forever, but cannot wear pink.  I want to substitute peach and yellow for the pink, and it will be lovely!

And, truly the best:  enough yarn for a pair of socks for Mr. Ken, spun and dyed by Dez Crawford for her Knitting Asylum Yarn label, and designated for him.  

I've mentioned before that he's not a fan of hand knit socks, so I generously offered to take this off his hands and knits socks for me.   No go.  He wants warm socks to wear at night knit from this beautiful yarn. 

I’ve started and frogged any number of shawls and wraps in the past few years.  Every year at Stitches I admire another boatload of beautiful shawls; many are versions of Charlotte’s Web.

After much soul-searching and a lot of time (over several years) in various booths that carried Koigu PPPM, these are my choices for Charlotte’s Web. 

(I know the pattern calls for 5 skeins but many blog posts and emails have mentioned needing a sixth, so I chose 6.  If it’s not needed, that’s fine.  I also reserve the right to change any of these colors should I find something I like better before the shawl is actually finished.)

And see this?  I don't know if I want to knit it or pet it!

This is Hand Maiden Camelspin, 300 meters of 70% silk and 30% camel.  The color is way off on my monitor.   It's not royal blue, it is teal.  It's not rose, rusty coral.  The blue-green is really green and yellow.  I cannot capture the color, no matter how hard I try.  

I hadn't planned to go back to the Market on Saturday, but I did.  Dez Crawford was only at Stitches until early Sunday and I wanted to spend a bit more time with her.  I also got to know Lisa Louie a bit as we shopped while Dez was in class.  Lisa is a bad influence - she convinced me that the Camelspin was my color, and that I had to have it.  She was right!

I also wanted to try Colinette Jitterbug, because I love the other Colinette yarns I’ve used, and the colors are so wonderful.  This is Toscana.

The Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth, home of Socks That Rock yarn, was mobbed most of the time.  I’ve still not finished even a single sock from the various Socks That Rock colorways purchased in the past 2 years, so I gave it a pass this year. 

In fact, I didn’t really see much else in the way of sock yarn that excited me.   Of course, it’s not like I’ll run out of sock yarn anytime soon.  At last count, I have enough sock yarn in stash for about 150 pairs of socks.  Given my annual production of not more than 12 pair, I’d say I’m set for a while.

*We talked with the Yarn Lady’s husband.  He says they are looking for new owners for their store in the LA area.  If you are interested, or know anyone who might be, give them a shout.  Joan and I were mildly interested, but neither of us would be willing to move south!

Every year since they've been at Stitches I've bought yarn from them.  Sometimes I buy yarn with a pattern in mind, sometimes I buy yarn because it makes me happy.   This year I did both.

I managed to resist the siren song of the Clapotis (from Knitty) until two weeks ago, and suddenly it seems I must knit one.  This is 750 yards of Riata, which is a wool-mohair-silk blend.  If I don't knit Clapotis, I'll just pet this - it's that soft and luscious!

Last year I feel in love with Sonnet (also from Knitty) as shown in the Brooks Farm booth.  This year I decided to buy yarn for it.

This is 1350 yards of Four Play, a wool and silk blend.  Yum!

Finally, this is 1500 yards of Primero, which is 100% (or 1100% on the  label) kid mohair.  I have ideas for thi, but it was bought because the color made me happy!

The color is perhaps a little brighter in real life.  This might become a Pearl Buck jacket, or it might not.  Whatever it becomes must be a drape-y design, to better show off this gorgeous yarn.

Still to come:  sock yarn, Charlotte's Web yarn, La Lana Wools yarn, gift yarn, shawl yarn. 

Books as promised:  A Gathering Of Lace (to replace the copy loaned to a co-worked who's vanished off the face of the earth), Modular Knits, and New Pathways for Sock Knitters.  There were other books I pondered, but the lines were long and I really dislike lines.

Next, a package of DP WIP Tubes.  These ingenious little tubes hold sock needles and protect the needles and the sock-in-progress using 2 interlocking cardboard tubes.

Finally, the most bizarre purchase I made: a Nomex ironing board cover!  (Nomex is used in fire suits worn by race car drivers and of course, firemen.  It's not fire proof, but is fire resistant.)  I have been looking for a new ironing board cover for a couple of months and this one is amazing.  Less heat is required because Nomex reflects heat back through the fabric being ironed.  Buttons sink into the Nomex so the button band on a blouse becomes smooth and bump-free.

This is going to make ironing (yes, I do iron on occasion) and pressing seams open so much easier!

Next post? The first of the yarn! 

Dez Crawford and Lisa Louie were there.  Nancy and Alison were too.  (More specifically about people later this week.)

I bought stuff.  Specifically, I bought stuff from Brooks Fiber Farm, Koigu, Colinette, La Lana Wools and Handmaiden Yarns.  I bought yarn for Clapotis, Sonnet, socks, shawls, Charlotte's Web, and projects to be named later.  I bought books and buttons and a cover for my ironing board.

Here's a photo of all Stitches West purchases reclining on my office chair:

Over the next few days I'll show and tell about all these beautiful things.  

Stitches West was larger this year than last, and I heard there were 1700 students registered.  Even though the weather was less than wonderful, the lines to buy Market tickets were amazingly long Saturday at noon.  I had a blast!

Today was a holiday, and I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about what I expect to find and buy at Stitches this year.

Books

Koigu PPPM for a Charlotte's Web shawl 

Koigu for something else! 

Noro Kureyon for a felted cat bed for Sweetie (I'm really conflicted about this.  I'm using my first ever Kureyon  for the Serape sweate and I love the colors, but hate the amount of straw and junk I'm finding in the over-spun thick and thin yarn.   That said, every time I take Serape out and  knit it, Sweetie hops up on my lap and kneads the thing like mad - and she never sits on my lap!)

Buttons

Shawl pin

Sock yarn - Surprise, surprise, surprise!

Brooks Farm Yarn  

La Lana Wools

Newton's Yarn Country

Seaport Yarns

There are a lot of Bay Area shops exhibiting this year.  There are even some I've never heard of, and a few I've not visited.  Normally I don't shop at the local places while at Stitches, but this year I may have to make an exception to that rule!

What do you think I should look for or buy at Stitches?

* My goal is to someday soon attend the complete Stitches West.  I'll check into the hotel, attend the banquets, take classes and shop until I drop.  I just can't stand the idea of driving back and forth, and this year I didn't plan far ahead enough, but soon...