Oh, heaven

I started this post on 9/29 but it took me a while to find my camera cable for the pics…

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I went with my mom to the Knit & Crochet Show in Oakland today. It was so much fun! (When is the next one?) Oodles and oodles of yarn and notions. I headed straight for Stitch Diva’s booth (of course).

I drooled over the brilliantly luscious hand-dyes at Carolina Homespun. As I was pawing a ruby pink/orange variegated hank of woo/mohair/silk, I told the woman next to me, “I want to die and be buried in this.” A guy there demonstrated spinning with a drop spindle. Must resist that temptation. (I’ve already tried Kool-Aid dyeing, the gateway drug; it leads to spinning and then the next thing you know, you’ve got a sheep in your back yard.)

Also made off with some great bargains at the $4 booth; $4/skein (5 skein minimum) on a wide selection of novelty yarns. At a lunch joint across the street, my mom stopped a woman to ask about her knit/ribbon-woven jacket. Her name was Marty, with the local Maching Knitting Guild, and she joined us for lunch. I learned why my machine-knit sweater attempt ended up with armholes large enough for an elephant trunk. Apparently you have to account for the weight of the anchors that pulls down the bottom of the work.

 A couple of these, from Trendsetter Yarns, for a scarf (?)

Got three skeins total for a Fat Bottom Bag, but ran out of yarn (aargh). Will have to find another purse pattern.

Shoulda-woulda-coulda. Having received my first paycheck (yay, job!) in three months, I refrained from picking up the 600-800 yard hanks of superfine alpaca at about $24 each even though they were an AMAZING DEAL! I’m going to kick myself later.