A Good Day of Looking at Yarn

I just returned from the TKGA Knit & Crochet Show in Oakland. I had such a good time! I met up with my good friends (for 26 years!) Katy and Andrea. Katy's a knitter and Andrea's a crocheter; both are, sadly, blogless. In some ways I enjoyed this event better than Stitches West. It was MUCH less crowded, which is a huge plus for me. I get a little overwhelmed by the crowds. It was quite a bit smaller (fewer vendors), but that was fine too, since again, I am easily overwhelmed. Highlights for me:

• We got goodie bags when we arrived (free yarn!), and that was quite thrilling.
  
• I fell in love with this shawl, and the yarn is just beautiful, but they were out of it, so I ordered some. It is Interlacements Rick Rack in Colorado Treasures . It's a simple feather and fan pattern, but I just thought it was so stunning in this yarn. (Sorry about the sorta crappy pictures.)


• I also fell in love with some beautiful silk laceweight yarn from RedFish Dyeworks. I did not buy any because I have so much laceweight yarn waiting to be knit, but I will definitely keep them in mind for future projects. This 100% silk yarn (20/2) is so gorgeous, and vast array of colors are just stunning. Their sample project was a Print O'the Wave Stole in a lovely variegated yarn.
• And, of course, spending time with my high school girl friends! I was just astounded to realize how long we've been friends. We've been through so much together; it was such a treat to get together for a day of yarn.
• And a big highlight for me was getting inspired. Seeing all the beautiful yarn and projects really made me want to finish up my current projects and get working on some others. I love that feeling of being excited about what's next!

On the drive to Oakland I listened to a couple podcasts. The She-Knits podcast is one of my new favorites. I can't even say exactly why I like it so much. Sharon has a friendly voice and a chatty, comfortable style. She talks about her knitting, her felted handbag design business (gorgeous bags!) and her family (she has 7 children!). If you like knitting podcasts, you might want to check this one out. My other favorite knitting podcast these days is Stash and Burn. I love those guys!

Have a great week all!