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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.

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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.)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

13 Comments
  1. Loved seeing you guys at Madrona!  Couldn’t resist the lure of your yarn and fun dinosaur.  My daughter just got a kick out of seeing a picture of her “monkeypal” on the computer!  I think he needs some socks to go with his sweater.

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  2. So glad you had some time for fun!!!  Looks like an amazing time!!  And I love your Debbi too and can’t wait to see her soon!!!!

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  3. Oh, Tina, I am used to being the photographer and not the subject: partly because no one ever takes such wonderful pictures as yours, of me (and my knits) and my friends!  Thank you!  Especially for the one of me and Debbi.  Those smiles kind of say it all.  (And me with my Blue Moon Sheep-to-Shoe kit tucked firmly under my arm, heh.)

    I have *so much* enjoyed getting to know you and the Blue Moon family.  Knitters/spinners/dyers are amazing, singly and en masse, aren’t they? 

    That just sparked a philosophical musing, despite the hour of the morning.  When I think of highly creative individuals like famous visual artists, most of them are not known for their personal virtues.  They seem to accomplish what they do by single-mindedness, to the detriment of personal relationships and being a whole person.

    Fiber artists: totally opposite.  It seems as though, as a whole, knitters/dyers/spinners are warm and giving, creative people, who value friends and family.  I could ramble on and speculate about this, and it probably ties into Steph’s talk Thursday about knitting and niceness, but I’ll refrain.  But it is interesting, isn’t it?  Anyway—thanks! For a lot of things.  Hang in there—looking forward to Camp (once I catch up from Madrona, anyway).

    P.S. For anyone wondering about the blue-green shawl I’m modeling just below Lucy Neatby’s pic….it’s the wonderful Shetland Triangle shawl pattern from Wrap Style.  Many knitters have used STR to knit this; it’s a very versatile pattern and shows off hand-dyed yarn well.  (In fact, I have plans to knit another, or perhaps a variation, in yummy red Blue Moon BFL sport weight that is following me home from Madrona.) This version happens to be knit from a hand-dyed color-morphing yarn from an indie dyer, Meg at Twisted Fiber Art, the which I had been directed to stop by and show Debbi and Tammy, who’d seen it on my blog.

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  4. marcy #

    Hurray for Tina! She took time to have fun for herself.

    Three cheers for Tina!

    T-That means you won’t be rusty for Camp!!! Don’t put your fun cap away!

    Thanks for sharing your fun with us!

    ps. Cockeyed may look nice but she has an evil streak I fear! grin lol

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  5. Lou Bolster/Happystasher #

    I’m so glad you had time to play and enjoy Madrona! It sounds like it was another special, fun, zany gathering of knitters and they fun they create where ever they go. I wish I could have been there, but at least I got to exprience it vicariously through my friend, Jude, who you met as she enabled me in making a few STR purchases on my behalf. :o) Mobile phone technology is so helpful. I’ll get to Madrona some day!! See you at the Summit.

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  6. Belinda Giliberti #

    Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experience!

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  7. Jennifer #

    It was so good to see you again Tina!  I’m the one in the middle lace picture wearing the shawl I knit for my upcoming wedding in April.  The yarn is Laci in the Ghillie Dhu colorway and the pattern is the Cap Shawl from Victorian Lace Today.

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  8. Sue #

    I love the Fair Isle Cat Scarf.  Did you happen to have a conversation with Marie-louise about possibly drawing up a pattern?  It looks like it would be great fun to knit.

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  9. I’m so happy to see photos of Madrona!  I will eventually make it there one year.  It’s great to see a photo of Lucy here – I’ve gotten her friend Karen hooked on you guys.

    I can’t even imagine the awesomeness if you and Lucy ever collaborated on a design.  I plan to eventually knit her Faroese Flower Shawl out of your Geisha in Citrine. smile

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  10. Really nice to meet you in person “my new best friend” your yarn is beautiful and your smiles and hugs were wonderful.

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  11. OMG but I love Cockeyed and Cathy-Cate’s shawls!  GORGEOUS!  I’m so sad I wasn’t there, as I heard Lisa K. was there and won’t be at camp! 🙁 Thanks for sharing, Dear Tina!

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  12. Aaaaaaahhhhh…and I saw OUR Lara, too, methinks!  And darling Cat!  And could that have been Morgaine hidden behind the mini-sock?  Oh, soooo JEALOUS!  And soooooo missing YOU…

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  13. Delighted to see you had fun.

    Holy Sh**. Re-Dyed Beans???? ROTFL. Only Mama Tina could turn that image into something beautiful. Can’t wait.

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