Stitches Report, Part 2

Where I begin to describe the wonder that is Stitches Midwest.

So that's most of what I picked up at Stitches. The first place that I stopped was at Sutters Gold 'n Fleece. This is always one of my first stops because the woman who runs the store is the sister of one of my guild mates and I always buy something from her in the spirit of friendship. It's also good that her husband Joe makes swifts. They are very cool and come in a couple of varieties. There's the umbrella which does NOT need to be clamped to the table, and the traveling version which looks like this: That's Joe giving a demonstration. He sold out of his whole stock of travelers on Saturday and was taking orders by the time I got to his booth. Luckily he had one umbrella left and I snagged it.

After visiting Sutter's I then proceeded on to The Fold. Their booth was FULL of Socks that Rock yarn. I nearly hyperventilated just looking at them. I came home with 3 skeins and Cat Bordhi's new book, which is very cool. I've already made the two "starter socks" and I'm ready to move on to some real socks for myself and my daughter.

After The Fold I don't really remember the order of where I went. If you've never experienced something like Stitches I can't really convey to you how overwhelming it is. In the years that I've taken classes I've used a good strategy for keeping my brain from melting. On Thursday night the people who have registered for classes are allowed to go into the market (no general admission people.) I usually go that night and just walk around, not buying anything. If you go in knowing that you'll do your shopping the next day it's much easier to control yourself. At least that's what I like to tell myself. This year, however, I was not a registered student so I couldn't use my cool strategy. I just wandered around spending money like a mad woman.

The last place I'll mention today is the Interlacements booth. This is one of my standards and I always end up getting something. This year I got some Dyer's Choice which is a wool/angora rabbit blend in a nice mossy green colorway. I also picked up a bag of closeout yarn in an Autumn colorway. (God save me from the discount tables, I can't control myself near them.) I also joined the Interactive Sock Gang. I chose to go with Gang 1 which is the size that uses US#3&4 needles rather than 1&2. This is what put the biggest dent in the old credit card, but I say it's worth it!

Tune in next time when I finish showing off my loot.