Edging toward adulthood...

So I'm back from Stitches Midwest. Once again, it was great fun. I feel like they're little five-day internships for me because I learn so much from Andra and the Elkins, directly and indirectly. They're all very shrewd people and I mean that in the best way. I feel like a broken record saying this but this year has held so many surprises for me, and so much unexpected training. I just wanted to have a way to pay my share of the rent but instead I discovered a whole other career possibility and got a crash course from people who are right on top of the industry--ridiculous luck, eh?

But enough about that, you probably want to see my haul, eh? Well, it is small but precious. The first thing that caught my eye was this giant shawl pin hanging on the burlap walls of the Moving Mud booth. It looks like a huge piece of cherry candy!


The artists and owners staff the booth and they (Sarena and Jon or maybe Serena and John) are both lovely, hilarious people and their glass has to be seen in real life to be fully appreciated. They just had a tiny newborn baby, Scout and she was super fun to make faces at and coo over. I ran into Jillian Moreno and she agreed--Jillian by the way is gorgeous!! Perfect skin and blue eyes and her hair is a mass of curls the color of my shawl pin! She wore a rocking black vintage shirt-dress with big yellow roses on it--Girl is straight-up fashion plate.

Some Brooks Farms Primero in a very mermaid-y color, a gift! Thank you, giftee =) There was a mega-soft sample with a halo that looked and felt more like angora but Sherry the dyer confirmed that it was just well-loved Primero. While I was talking to Randall from Brooks Farms he noticed my name and asked if I would be okay with them using it! I said it'd be an honor, their stuff is gorrrrrrrrrrrgeous! We'll see what happens with that.

Speaking of hand-dyed yarn, Gail's yarn did VERY well and I had to reserve this one for myself because it looks exactly like a real rainbow. Oh and it happens to match the other shawl pin I picked up from Moving Mud:

Shelridge Farm was right across the way and after squeezing a few of the super soft woolie skeins I had to buy a few.

Believe it or not, I got tons of crap from my co-workers every time I bought something. I was called a sucker a number of times, which only pissed me off the 18th time I heard it. Whatever, it was a welcome change to be the yarn customer and not the yarn seller. I want to make something vaugely Icelandic with this.

I also got a few things from Habu, a booth filled with modern, Matrix-y sweaters knit in very cool fibers. It got more of what I bought at West, a kid mohair silk thing in greenish pewter and some vegetable dyed cashmere.

Koigu, in a wildly pretty coral pink:


And a demure beige/sage/purple mix that will become gloves for me:

And guess what--I actually knit! This is the first of two Blooms (like this one), about 1/4 done:

The color (Treacle--think Harry Potter would find me fetching in it?) is soooo cool, a reddish brown-black with yellow and blue tweed nubs. I'm really into yellow these days, oddly.


Well, that's everything. It's the final countdown at Webs. Graduate school starts soon and if I stop to think about it I'll definitely start to fret about it. Guess I'll just dive into the fall magazines and start sketching so that when I get my birthday present to myself I will be ready to rip.

Hardwood floor,

Cirilia

P.S. Yeah, I know, I gorged. I feel slightly guilty. I'm having a tag and/or eBay sale soon to make up for it. Speaking of guilt and eBay...I just purchased my shoes for grad school. In an effort to look a little less teenaged I have been slowly inching toward shoes that are more substantial than my favorite Reef flip-flop/Vans slip-on rotation. I refuse to be uncomfortable and I am wildly picky about shoes, but I finally settled on these Frye Campus boots. I have always liked the look, it's been around since the 70s and everyone on Zappos swears that they're sturdy and comfy. I like the heel and the height and I think the robin's egg blue/grey is something that will force me to put together creative outfits. I hope. Fingers crossed!