Stitches Midwest

I am wondering how many of you have had the chance to visit a Stitches show? This past weekend was Stitches Midwest, so I had to attend.

Your Local Yarn Store, in Battle Creek, MI, sponsors the best bus trip in the world! When we boarded the bus, they provided us with tote bags full of coupons, goodies and raffle tickets. Snacks were plentiful and they raffled off many great knitting prizes (no, I didn't win anything!). Kelly J had the microphone, so she kept us laughing as we traveled the 3 hours to Stitches Midwest in Chicago. Lots of time to knit, chat with friends and think about what projects we might need yarn for.

We arrived shortly after the show opened, and had the entire day to explore the rows and rows of vendors. I have been going to Stitches for several years, and it is interesting to see how the show changes. This year it seemed like more Indie Dyers were there, vs the earlier shows that seemed to have yarn retail shops setting up booths, and major yarn companies selling their yarns in partnership with a yarn store.

Shawls were everywhere, so I found myself jotting down the names of new shawl projects to consider. I have seen some of them on Ravelry, but there is nothing better than seeing them in person.

I raved about Miss Babs at FiberFest, and she was at Stitches too. She had two items on display that I have considered, but seeing them in person has put them on my project list.

Vermont shawl is a lovely semi circle that seems good sized. It was pretty in Miss Babs and I want to make one.

I picked up some fingering weight from an Indie Dyer that is new to me - Mocha's Fiber, Jewel (65% merino, 35%bamboo), 1100 yards! Her color combinations were lovely, a little different and on the softer side. I bought Velveteen Rabbit and can't wait to wind it up. Should I use it for Vermont? Still debating how to use this fabulous skein of yarn.

I saw two models of the Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig. Miss Babs had it done in Yet, and I also saw it in Isager 1. Both were adorable. The pattern had me concerned because it isn't meant to close in the front, and the edges looks strange in the photo. Seeing it in person, you could see how it is meant to roll back on itself. When I got home, I read the projects listed on Rav and found quite a few comments and variations. I think this will be a perfect Florida sweater - and might look classier than my usual sweatshirt hoodie??

From Miss Babs I bought Yet, to knit the pattern Cia. But now I am considering using it for Festherweight Cardigan.

I probably should have quit then. But no, not me. My dear friend Dawn owns a wonderful yarn store in Milwaukee, called Ruhamas. She is also the US distributor for Crystal Seyfarth kits. I got the Massai shawl kit from Dawn. There are some new kits now available, so I decided to buy another kit. This is a huge knitting commitment, but very fun to knit. I need to spread out when I work on it and I think it will be a great project for Florida. So take a look at Beach Rose.

Dawn also has some yarns in sports team colors, so I had to buy some Green Bay Packer yarn. Oldest son is a fanatic and I'm thinking He will need a packer hat this winter and maybe some team socks for Sunday's game days.

It was a long day, especially since I had just finished a three day trip in northern MI with friends, and an overnight trip to Chicago. Of course, lots of time on the road means more knitting time, so that worked for me.

The bus brought me back to Kalamazoo, and I still needed to drive another 45 min back to South Haven. It was around 11 pm as I neared town, and saw some very pretty red, white and blue lights behind me. The police stopped me to see if I had been drinking - luckily drunk on fiber goodness doesn't count. As I sat there while he ran my drivers license, I noticed my glow stick necklace, a goodie handed out on the bus. Hmmm, mental note to self, remove the party necklace before driving home next time!