Survived Stitches West (SW) 2014!





 The good things:

Where I spent the day at Feb 23, 2014

• Spent the day with an old family friend walking up and down the aisles of booths touching and feeling all the wonderful yarn and fiber.
• Got our SW passports stamped by going to 16+ vendors one hour before the 1 pm deadline (This was new and fun because we walked the entire floor in 2 hrs and got to visit many new exhibitors I wouldn't have seen.).
• Dropped off my 3 hats at the Halos of Hope booth and received this cool Thank You ribbon. 

  

  Read on Ravelry's SW Group that Halos of Hope collected

  over 3,500 hats! Mine were in the General Hat, non-Team

  category.

•  WON a $50 credit at Wagtail Yarns!  First time I won something by filling out a survey ever!! Was committed to buy their wonderfully silky soft 100% kid mohair yarn if I didn't win the 2:30 pm drawing. Lucky me, my friend and my knitting group friends both called and text me to let me know I won since I was in the middle of buying yarn at WEBS and didn't hear my name called over the PA. Was at their booth last year and was so overwhelmed by their gorgeous kid mohair I walked away because I couldn't decide what to buy. They are from Australia, yes, down under. I have never touched mohair that was that soft. It feels like silky, airy cashmere.

What I chose for my $50 prize:  830 yards

of luscious heaven (2 ply 100% Fine Kid
Mohair, Blackberry Bloom) and a pattern.

• Got everything I wanted to purchase and I stuck to my list! My belief is to buy from local or small independent businesses, unique, one-of-kind stuff I can't get from my local LYS at fiber events like SW.

Phydeaux designs - I was first introduced by my knitting group Brenda's lovely, well written patterns and she has them up on Ravelry. I made a mental note when I saw she had a booth on the SW site. This is my first time I saw her yarn collection and I had to buy something! Soie: Danaerys - Fingering 50/50 Superwash Merino Wool/Silk.  Her unique hand-dyed yarn is gorgeous, and it didn't hurt she had this for $5 off!

 

Truly an artisan! Brenda's hand-dying skills
are amazing. This looks like a shimmering
Monet watercolor.

Alisha Goes Around - Read about Alisha on the Ravelry's SW Group site. It was her first trip to SW. She had a very limited quantity of this Superwash Merino Wool/Silk/Nylon/Sterling Sliver floss, yes sterling silver, Tiding of Magpies fingering yarn that peaked my interest because her vendor will only be using aluminum going forward. I made a beeline first thing since she was at the very last row in the corner across from the eating tables to check out this yarn. Because I was there on the last day, there was only this hand dyed black brown and green color left. It's one of my 2014 knitting goals to knit with metallic floss woven into the yarn.

 

It's going to be interesting, will probably go blind, to knit this almost black color yarn. But it's so soft, not scratchy and machine washable I am ready for the challenge. Now I just have to search for the perfect pattern. 

Had a hard time trying to take this picture.

The black and dark brown colors are evenly

distributed. The 2% sterling silver makes

the yarn twinkle.

The bad things:

• The day before my car wouldn't start in front of my garage (Luckily, DH was able to fix it and get it to start while I was at SW!) so my friend had to drive us down.
• Did not finished my current shawl project because I missed a stitch which I was now off and I can't have imperfection so I frogged 7 rows back at around 300 stitches/row to figure out where my mistake was Saturday night. UGHHHHHH!!!!
• Overwhelmed by so many booths and so much yarn and fiber to choose.
• Had a hard time figuring out how to spend my $50 credit because I was so overwhelmed and wanted to maximize my winning. My poor friend had to wait for me.

Sensory overload -- Only a small portion to choose from!

• Didn't win the SW Passport, $1,000 in cash, prize -- A girl can only dream, can't she!

OK, really, I don't have anything to complain. Luckily, I have more than enough shawls to wear so I wore what I already had. Received a few compliments.  A couple ladies came up and touch it and asked what the pattern was.

Since we went on a Sunday, it wasn't a zoo. Able to easily move around. Had a great time and spoke with some great exhibitors. Thought the Yarnover Truck, yes, it's a fully operational truck that happens to sell yarn and stuff in it, was very clever. You walk right through it and they sell their wares in custom built shelves on either side of the truck, kinda like a Librarymobile. They're from SO CAL and they drive this like a food truck and go to local events, such as farmers markets, festivals, etc. Saw many taking pictures, like me. I'm sure they got a lot of social media buzz from all of us posting! 

Brilliant branding! Using a truck as their retail storefront.

Saw one of my knitted shawl samples at Black Diamond Alpacas. Donna told me they sold a quite a bit of their CA raised, hand-dyed Charcoal and Chili Pepper fingering yarn for this free pattern. Donna and Mike have a great alpaca ranch out in Brentwood and she dyes a rainbow of colors in her kitchen. They do tours if you make an appointment.

Always feels great to see my handy work help make

sales for wonderful small business owners and

pattern designers!

Got some great, one-of-a-kind deals. Especially love, love, love WEBS. Every year they have a selection of name brand yarn where you can buy one or in packs of 10 for usually half off or if you spend $60 or $120 they will give you 20% or 30% off. The 20% or 30% is great if you want Malabrigo or Madelintosh  and they had Noro at 50% off (Another one of my 2014 goals is knit a large self-striping shawl for me.)!

What Heaven looks like -- 5 skeins of colorful, fluffy Nadeshiko!

So all together, here is my haul for this year. Not as much as last year's because I was very good; there wasn't any impulse buying.  I returned one skein of cream mohair I bought last year at Terilyn NeedleArt for one skein of sport weight Chocolate alpaca because I only needed one skein for a fluffy scarf I knitted for a friend and wanted to reduce my stash to only yarn I would use. Terilyn was very nice and did the exchange with no questions asked. I will remember her service and kindness!


My 2014 Stitches West haul.