Stitches West

Debbi and Susan left bright and early yesterday for Stitches West. You can track their travels here; http://goddessknitters.blogspot.com/

I have sent a massive amount of yarn with them and promised that they would not have to pack it back up and send it home so my dearest knitters the rest is up to you.

There are Mill Ends and Rare Gems And lots and lots of heavy weight for those February Lady sweaters .

New colorways and some ol’ friends back for a visit/ There are some lovely shawl kits that were so much fun to put together.

irishgilie and tapmouse will also be there helping so ... certainly stop by and say hi to my lovelies, both yarn and women.

have fun all!!

These are a few of my favorite things @ Madrona

I have been downloading the pictures and memories and experiences from this past weekend at Madrona and trying to find the words to convey how I feel.
There is so much it takes me weeks to process all of the knit brilliance and love.
All the talent and sharing of experience and knowledge is at the very least inspiring and at best life changing.

It is am opportunity for me to visit with my peers. ( Not that I really believe that it is true that I am anywhere close to the same league as these talented knitting,spinning,dyeing goddesses, but they inform me that this is true and I am not going to argue with the likes of these women.)

I get to see all the lovely knits that are made from my yarns. I really love this part a lot because I do not often get to see them in real live person. I love the one on one, the personal and of course the tactile.  We all know that a photo is nice but adding in touch is really important for me, it completes the relationship.

I have quite a few favorite moments from this Madrona but there are two that stand out among the others. The first one is meeting Sivia Harding in person. Sivia and I have been working together for years and have not had the oppurtunty to meet .
She made me cry and laugh and we had the best in real time designing color fun.

The other moment was Marie-louise and her Fair Isle cat scarf. She and I spent lots and lots of phone time on making this work for her and I got to meet her and her extremely cool Fair Isle feline.

There was also hearing Elsbeth Lavold speak about her life and share her knit journey.  I also got to hear my dear friends Cat and Stephanie speak which I always love.
So many friends, some old and some new.  I made a new friend ( Ana) by saying hi and telling her I put her label on the sock club package a lot. Well, it turned out she was in fact not part of the sock club. Just a familiar name and now a lovely new friend.

Catherine I hope they put us side by side forever…so much fun.

I think the only thing I will not miss is the Mexican food for breakfast, lunch and yes, dinner. There are not a lot of food choices and the vegetarian thing puts more of a limit on it.
Also there are a lot of knitters looking to eat in a short period of time.  It actually inspired a new colorway.
Look soon for the lovely new Re-dyed Beans. hehehe

Thanks to Suzanne and Cornelia for all of the work and love they put into making this such a wonderful time for us all.
A special I love you and you are oh so wonderful to Debbi and Gail and Tammy and Susan and the blue moon team for working so hard and giving me some much needed time to play.

In case you have not had the pleasure this is “My Debbi” also known as cockeyed the sockateer.

p.s. please claim your knits. I have no memory....none! It is filled with sock summit and camp stuff. oh and colorways.
p.p.s. cathykate I know this is not my yarn...so pretty and so pretty.

the yarn beggar

( or when the things go way,way wonky)

Imagine a dyer, spinner, knitter who owns her own yarn company ( I think a bit of obsession can be assumed here) finding herself out in the world with no knitting, not a stitch.

I was leaving for the day to go to a few Sock Summit type meetings and running a bit late, which is now the norm for me, and left the house without my computer bag in which lives my travel knitting.

So not only do I not have my knitting but also no computer for my meeting. Honestly I was not really upset by forgetting the computer, just the knitting.

Although I have stopped knitting at these meetings. I have a hard enough time getting them to take me seriously (really lady a sock summit? are ya sure?) break out the yarn and needles and their eyes just glaze over which makes me completely want to go ballistic. I do not see that helping the situation so for the time being, no knitting.
It really was not about the meeting it was more about it being Knit Night.

I was pretty far away from my knitting in Scappoose ( I could hear it calling) which is about an hour give or take 10 minutes from Portland, so no way were we going back for it . I did entertain the possibility for a fraction of a second but I was not driving so ... vetoed that idea. If I had been driving, no problem because I have an emergency knitting project in the glove compartment.

Debbi suggested we go to Twisted and look around and visit Emily and Shannon. Surely I could find something to knit on there. Problem solved right?

Meanwhile Debbi is quite amused by my lack of yarn on knit night. Actually Debbi was amused all night, so were Emily and Shannon, especially when I could not make myself buy more yarn. I mean really I have a pretty impressive stash at home. I have been trying to knit from my stash for quite awhile.

I also have a lot of projects going and not a lot of time . I am ashamed to admit that there was some whining.  Debbi will tell you that there was a lot, just keep in mind that she exaggerates.
In my defense, I have a sweater I am working on , a very pond scummy sweater I want to finish to wear to Madrona and again with the not a lot of time. (You know how long it takes to put a sock summit together?) I have at least three pairs of socks I am working on and wanted to join the Leyburn group and think I promised to join the Twisted Lady February KAL so… we left Twisted ( a really great yarn store in Portland Oregon run by the lovely and a bit quirky Shannon and Emily) with, yes thats right my knitterly friends, No Yarn, not a single ply.

Are you getting this? Really how can I go to knit night with no knitting. It is in fact KNIT NIGHT. Named I believe for the knitting at night with friends together...knitting.
I thought that maybe there was an ever so slight chance I was projecting some of the meeting stress onto my lack of yarn and needles.
No, I hardly ever get to go to knit night and I am not still whining. Truthfully I think I should get credit for not weeping openly at this point.
I was brave.

Off to knit night we went,me and my friend with her knitting.  Knit night held at one of my favorite McMenamins pubs where believe it or not they do not sell yarn.
Debbi and I are the first ones there because it is in fact not night, but late afternoon. We ordered our beverages of choice and went over the vendor notes from the meeting. I might have heaved a deep and heavy sigh of “ I cannot believe I have no knitting with me” every so often.
I believe with all my heart that is was her deep love for me and not the need to stop the whining that inspired this next oh so brilliant move on Debbi’s part.
She called Marilyn, aka Hotflash the sockateer and told her of my plight and asked her if she had any yarn.  What happens next is a bit over spun, so if you are weak you might want to skim over this part.  She said no, Marilyn said no.
Yeah right, puhleease no yarn my bfla.  Ha, likely story Marilyn.  Silly woman poking the crazy wild knitting deprived bear-woman.
I grabbed the phone and well was maybe a wee bit desperate in my plea for yarn and needles.  “ What do you mean you have no yarn? Bring yarn please bring yarn. I am begging you bring yarn. Ohhh and do not forget needles...I have no needles either.”

It was at this point that I switched to a heavier more robust brew to keep me from completely loosing my $%^&*, going.
Marilyn came through as she always does, she showed up not too long (an eternity) after with dpns, lovely bamboo ( what no wood?) dpns and Str lightweight in Atomic 6 ( a half ball of it, you’re kidding me right?).
Ahhh sigh. 
I cast on and sat and knit. I f-i-n-a-l-l-y sat and contentedly knit and drank my beer and had a tot or two and laughed and laughed and knit with Debbi and Susan and Marilyn and Lynn and Wally and Jeanette and Trish and I am sure I am leaving someone out and other non knitting locals, lots and lots of fun.
I have been laughing about this all day and the image I have of myself begging for yarn just does me in.
I can see the knit headlines now, “ depraved dyer seen begging for yarn” details so much later.

I decided my knitting last night was for Marilyn, I am knitting her a sock. one half ball sock.