Stitches Loot

Stitches West 2008 was a smashing good time. I got to meet the good folks of Ravelry and scored some schwag. (Note to self: the next time I pick a user ID, pick something a little less embarrassing than "wildtomato"...)


Socks, socks, socks! My gotta-have-it list included sock yarn from Lisa Sousa (front), Pigeonroof Studios, and Blue Moon Fiber Arts (back). There are the items that I got within the first hour of the show because I knew that they would be sold out of my choice colors. Also, these are the online stores I have been stalking for the past year, always too weary to place an order without seeing it and squishing it in person. Surprisingly, I showed an amazing amount of restraint and only bought one representative skein from each place.

I was so sure that I would buy sock yarn in the Mars Quake colorway from Lisa Sousa, but when I saw it in person, it was less purplely and more beigy. Mars Quake was still pretty, but not my bag, so I opted for the gorgeous colorway Olive Tones instead. It is to be determined if this skein will be socks for me or the boy. However, since I'm the only knitter out of the two of us, I have Ultimate Decision Power.

I also bought some naturally dyed roving from Tactile, a fiber arts studio that is happily near my hood! The top roving is carbonized bamboo, and the bottom one is a mix of wool and soy silk. I haven't spun either of these materials yet, so my treadle foot is pump, pump, pumping away in anticipation! They also sell parts for Schact spinning wheels, and they had the elusive extra high speed bobbins and whorls I was on the hunt for. Expect some sock yarn from me soon!


Mingus is just so thrilled to model my skein of Brooks Farm Yarn Duet.You gotta fondle this stuff to see just how squishy soft it is! I'm thinking of turning this into a Clapotis or a some other sort of airy, small shawl. I think it can be elegant enough to wear over a little black dress for an evening out if I pick the right pattern. Ideas? This yarn has a bit of a halo to it because of the mohair, so anything with a complicated stitch pattern will be wasted. (Another note to self: black yarn + white dog do not mix. Duh, I've learned permutations of this lesson over and over, but I still did this photo shoot and had to, subsequently, pick white strand o' Mingus out for what seemed like an eternity.)

All of the above purchases were on my list. I guess I was feeling a little impulsive and rebellious at the end of the day (hey, 6 hours of shopping for yarn can do that to a person!), and I bought a pair of Signature Needle Arts needles. The selling point? Their stiletto needles tips are the pointiest I've tried for a pair of straight needles. I'll be checking their website often because they are supposed to come out with smaller sizes of DPNs! I am a sucker for metal needles. I love the "click, click, click" and the fact that they can double as a weapon. No one messes with me on BART when I'm knitting!

In the picture below, my Signature needle is in the middle, the top is a regular Addi Turbo, and the bottom is a Clover bamboo needle. See the difference? The Signature needles are somewhat customizable: you pick the "hood ornament" at the top and the point, but the color is fixed for the size. Hence, my new gold needles. Gold 'cause, ya know, that's how I roll.


It's getting awfully close to my one year blog-o-versarry and I'm trying to cook up a great contest with some worthy loot! Rest assured that the contest will have something to do with furmiliated animals and fiber.