Yarn Blast in the Midwest

This year's Stitches Midwest was a blast. Aunt E & I met up with Jen in the burbs of Chicago this past weekend for a knitting getaway of yarns, gadgets, and books. This was our 3rd year in attendance & we were immediately greeted by....... What a hoot!

I got to visit all me favorite vendors - Signature Needle Arts, Miss Babs Yarns, WEBS, and Habu Textiles - as well as some new favorites: Erin Lane Bags, Flying Fingers, The Yarn & Fiber Company, Windy Valley Musk Ox, and Fiber Optic.





Plenty of goodies but I think my favorite has to be the Habu hand-dyed cashmere & the silk/mohair blend from Capistrano Fiber Arts (sold by Habu). Planning a couple of luxury scarves for me & only me (lol). Here's some shots from the weekend ................



I even managed to start & finish a project over the weekend. WEBS gave away a mini-skein of Berroco Boboli at the festival that I turned into a headband for DD#1. The Boboli is ultra soft & great to knit with.




Happy knitting

Knitting Nook - DIY Style

Trying to get my "knitting seasons" in sync. Seems that by the time Autumn rolls around, I should have at least a couple of cardigans, car coats & wraps completed. Headed in the right direction. I finished Jared Flood's Guernsey Wrap in an olive color which will be great for early fall. Didn't follow all the repeats but it's certainly long enough to wraparound a couple times.

Also finishing the Mohair Minimalist by Anna Kuduja. It's a top-down seamless top in stockinette stitch. Found myself with an extended ER wait with Mom earlier in the month so this baby was practically finished in a weekend. That was the positive - the not-so-positive was that I obviously used a heavier mohair than the original pattern envisioned so mine isn't so sheer. But it will be perfect for winter when I'm going for the fuzzy-wuzzy-wuzza-bear look (lol). Making it tunic length so maybe mama bear?

All my years & years of watching HGTV have finally paid off. I needed to convert the former knitting room back to a bedroom & find some space for the yarn & knitting paraphernalia. Drum roll please........... meet my Knitting Nook!








With a great chair find on Craigslist, floor tiles from Lowes (love them!), and all my knitting gear, I'm in knitters heaven........also known as the oversized closet of my bedroom. I had a blast & looking forward to starting my next project when I return from Stitches Midwest this weekend.