YarnCon Recap

Swimming in candy.

Since Mr. Nubbins didn't get to go to Renegade or Stitches this year, I thought I should finally humor him and let him hitch a ride to YarnCon in my Wool Dispensary project bag. Mr. Nubbins made a lot of friends on Saturday - he even spent some time hanging out in the candy bowl at the Windy City Knitting Guild table. I managed to catch him before he ate all of the lollipops, fortunately.

Sam is the yarn dyer!

(Side note: I joined the WCKG at the beginning of the year but have yet to make it to a meeting - something always gets in the way! Before it used to be work or a show, now it's stupid things like me forgetting because I was on a bus that got hit by a car - which actually happened last Tuesday! The funny thing about that was, I was marooned fairly close to where the meeting was taking place, but because of my extreme annoyance at the situation, all thoughts of the meeting went out of my head as I concentrated on my Plan B for Getting Home. Anyway, it was nice to finally meet all of the Guilders at YarnCon!)

I'm so pleased to say that The Wool Dispensary was a hit at YarnCon. I've been rooting for Bree and Sam these many months as they prepare for their first official foray into fiberdom. Their booth was quite popular throughout the day, and I'm excited to see what everyone starts knitting with their yarns!

Sam & Bree = The Wool Dispensary

I also made sure to stop by The Sweatshop of Love booth - it's always nice to run into Alysson! She had some supercute kits (I'm partial to the Hello Sailor Knot Necklace) and was teaching as well (you can sign up for classes here - she's an excellent teacher!). Alysson is now officially a Friend 'o' Nubbins....and we might have hatched a plan or two while chatting at the show. More on that at a later date!

Button Bunnies!

Besides The Wool Dispensary, which goes without saying that they were my #1 favorite yarn (except I just said it....oops), I fell in love with some of the gorgeous colorways from Grinning Gargoyle, Fleur de Fiber, and Another Crafty Girl. Happy Fuzzy Yarn also had some nice yarns (and spinning fiber), and I really liked the Evermore Studios booth, both in terms of their neatly-organized display and the pretty yarns they had on sale!

Tightrope Socks & TWD Posters

So what did I buy at YarnCon? Nothing. Yes, nothing. Don't get me wrong - I wanted to buy a ton of stuff - so many beautiful yarns and project bags and stitchmarkers and other doodads....but my monthly budget has been blown by this whole car nonsense, and for once in my life I thought I'd practice a little self-restraint (and do myself a favor in the proverbial long run). So I took mental notes and collected business cards and plan to visit a few peoples' booths who will be at the upcoming DIY Trunk Show.

Postscript: If you'd like to be a friend of Mr. Nubbins, just enter "FriendONubbins" at checkout to receive $2 off your purchase of this pattern! Then be sure to share your newest trouble-making addition to the Mr. Nubbins Army here!

Also, a huge thank-you to Sarah Morton for letting me use some of her awesome photos! You can view all of her photos of The Wool Dispensary @ YarnCon here.

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends, so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks). The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels? I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n

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