How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Good morning, friends! I fully intended to post on Friday, but the honest truth is that I was too busy having fun. And even this morning I'm still processing it all, so I'm going to keep my wrap-up post fairly brief. Suffice it to say that I was having such a good time that I often forgot to take photos. I met some amazing people, including crafters from all across the United States and Canada and as far away as Ireland, England, and Iceland (I had some great conversations with Magnea and Heiða from Iceland about politics and language and what things are like in their country). I came home with great memories and some new friends -- and some new stuff for the stash, of course. So here are some highlights.

I shared a cab from the airport with three other knitters and one gnome:

L-R: Siri from Colorado, Sarah (the gnome lady), me, and Laura from Michigan

I contributed to the baby pool of fiber minis and brought home a bulging bag of them:

I took two fabulous classes, one on finishing details on toys:

and one on playing with color in spinning:

There was pattern twinning:

L-R: Amy Beth (aka The Fat Squirrel), Emily, and me in our Recalibrates

There was gnome gathering:

There were trips off campus to an LYS:

and to a bookstore on my bucket list:

And of course there were acquisitions at the market as well as a couple of door prizes. I know you all really want to know what I came home with, so here's the haul (and yes, I did need to check my bag on the way home and use a tote bag as my carry-on because it wouldn't all fit in the suitcase).

Click to embiggen!

On the left are bags of fiber from the minis swap (top) and from my spinning class. At the top are the two books I came home with from Parnassus, both signed (sadly Ann Patchett was not at the shop that day; she'd gone to Alabama for a book festival). I also preordered Tom Lake, which will be signed and personalized and sent to me after it comes out. The bags -- books for me, cats for Mo -- are from Fat Squirrel Fibers. The fiber on the right is from the two door prizes I won, Charollais from Into the Whirled and a set of two batts from Bricolage Studios. And the yarn, from left to right: a set of minis from Camellia Fiber Company, a skein of sock yarn from Old Rusted Chair (purchased at Haus of Yarn), a skein of Targhee sock yarn from Woolens and Nosh in the show colorway, a skein of Targhee sock yarn from String Theory Yarn Company (from the goodie bag), two skeins of linen/silk fingering from Miss Babs, a skein of sock yarn in the show colorway (called Dolly!) from Geektastic Fibers, and two skeins of fingering from Stranded Dyeworks.

Non-yarny things: a rope bowl from StarKnits, a lotion stick and lip balm from Tuft Woolens, and a set of sheep stitch markers and earrings from Twin Mountain Handcrafts (the other notions were all from the goodie bag, which was the big canvas tote they're sitting on; the other bag was handed out heading into the marketplace).

And the two little things I forgot in the other photos -- a mini bucket bag from StarKnits (to hang on my wheel and hold things like oil) and the bumper sticker they gave me at Parnassus. I also bought a sticker at Parnassus featuring Ann Patchett's dog Sparky, but it's already on my laptop cover.

I expect I'm going to be playing catch-up all week from a very busy weekend, but I regret nothing. It was an amazing trip! I certainly hope I get to do it again sooner than six years!