I got to.......

go to Stitches West. Now you know, I just went there to fondle the yarn and to see what all the fuss was about in some of the yarns. (Yeah right!!!!) I wasn't going to buy anything but a skein to finish the DH's socks, but he is an enabler. He's the one that told me I had to limit my stash, but he's also the one who told me to buy the 10 skeins of yarn to make the Kerry sweater just because we were in the booth and she happened to have all 10 skeins. He also told me to buy ___________________________ (fill in the blank) because it had to be less expensive at the show cuz you don't have to pay shipping. Any how, we got into the show about 3 p.m. and had done a really quick run around by the time they closed at 6 p.m. That allowed me time to think I saw all of the booths and to buy way more than I had gone there to buy. Oh such "cool" yarn. I fed the sock yarn monster and then some. Went to the Brooks Farms booth and could have spent oh so much in there, but decided that I would either see them at MS&W in May or order online. They had a cardigan that I want to knit, and I want to use their yarn for it, so I could only buy one sweater's worth this go around.

I had an extremely hard time resisting the cashmere yarns. At $30 an ounce (yes you read that right), I was just a little leary of "messing" it up. Besides that, you have to buy at least 3-4 ounces and that would make for some expensive _____________________.

I was on overload while at the show. I saw so many things that I wanted to use, but only had so much time and so much money. At least now I know that I want to buy a bunch of yarn from Brooks Farms. Their yarn is incredible. I did buy some, in an incredible red/brown colorway that my camera just doesn't do justice to. The colors are much richer and the sheen is just amazing. Granted this yarn is 20% silk, but it just screamed my name when I saw it.

I also got several skeins of sock yarn: some Tofutsies, a skein of Trekking XXL pro natura in a blue/green colorway that reminds me of the colors in blackwatch plaid. I also got some hand painted Kangaroo dyed yarns that have a green/gray/purple colorway that is rich and yummy.

I found myself being drawn to the natural colors and more muted colors. Nothing I bought, except for the bright pink Tofutsies, was anything but muted colors. All of the colors were rich and deep and vibrant. I can hardly wait to get started on the projects and the socks for the yarn I had, plus the yarn I bought.

If you want to see pictures of the other yarns I got, although the pictures aren't great, go to Stitches West Haul.

I have decided that if I get to plan to go to another Stitches event, I am going to plan to take a couple of the classes that they offer. There were a lot of classes that sounded like they would be something that I would like to take, but I didn't know I was going to get to go and by the time I did, all of the classes were full. It is soooooo hard to plan anything with the vagaries of the trucking industry. We just never know if we are going to be able to go where we have asked to go, or if they are going to send us in the opposite direction.

Anyway, it was a good time and I would have liked to have a lot longer to wander and fondle and make purchase decisions.