Skip to main content

YarnCon & While She Naps Podcast

This weekend was my favorite fiber show of the year: YarnCon! I went with my friend Lauren (it also happened to be her birthday) and enjoyed checking out the many varied vendors. There were several returning favorites such as Fleur de Fiber, Cloudlover, Yarn Hollow, and Yarn Geek Fiber, plus some new faces, too. YarnCon is always a well-curated affair, and besides having a fantastic range of vendors, they also have lots of interesting classes and other events happening, too.
Cloudlover BFL Roving
I think this is the first time Cooperative Press has had a booth at the show, and I also discovered a brand-new magazine called Chicago Knits - I bought the first issue and will be sure to share my thoughts with you once I'm done reading it!
Somehow I managed not to take any photos while shopping the marketplace - oops! I was apparently focused on the task at hand: increasing my fiber stash as much as possible. I came home with two pounds of fiber from two of the three vendors on my hit list: Cloudlover and Yarn Geek Fibers. 
I usually try to find fibers from sheep breeds I haven't worked with, but this time, I came home with all BFL fiber. I don't think it was intentional, but it did get me thinking some insane thoughts, such as: what if I knit a version of Martina Behm's Angles blanket made entirely with handspun yarn? Everything I purchased at YarnCon would be an excellent start....so this might actually happen, unless someone talks some sense into me in the next few weeks. 
Angles by Martina Behm
Image © Martina Behm
After YarnCon, a few of my friends came over to knit and catch up - it has been quite a while since we all hung out since we had all been hibernating through the winter and 2013 was kind of a crazy year for all of us. We each brought a special beer to share and ordered pizza - it was the perfect end to the day! 
In other news, I am honored to be one of the guests on today's episode of a fantastic podcast called While She Naps. In fact, I'm in pretty good company: the other guest is one of my favorite crochet designers of all time, Stacey Trock of FreshStitches! 

We recorded the interview early one morning a few weeks ago, so I have to admit I'm a little nervous to hear it today - I'm really not a morning person! It was so much fun to talk to Abby and Stacey, and I came away from our conversation with lots of ideas and inspiration. I hope you do, too! 

Labels:

Comments

  1. AliciaApril 7, 2014 at 10:29 PM

    I'm pretty sure that blanket NEEDS to happen since those are all amazing colors!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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
1 comment
Read more

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
3 comments
Read more

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
Post a Comment
Read more