After about 4.5 hours of sleep Friday night, I got up and drove to Indianapolis and boarded a bus for Chicago that was sponsored by Mass Ave Yarn Shop here in Indy. The bus wasn’t even on the road, yet, when the knitting needles were out and various projects in various stages of completeness were being worked on. I always find it interesting what other people are creating, in what materials, and for whom or for what reason – everything from sweet and precious baby sweaters to funky and eclectic scarves and from the softest wool to the wildest synthetic blends.
This year, Stitches Midwest had moved from the Rosemont Convention Center to the Renaissance Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. I like the facilities better as they were less warehouse styled and more hotel styled. I believe the room for the vendors was larger, too, and the food available was a HUGE improvement over the fair available at Rosemont.
Back to the vendors’ room. My friend Sandy and I had stated that we’d like to see the whole place one time before buying anything, but barring that, we’d like to make it longer that the first aisle, at least. We’ll, we did make it past the first aisle, but barely. On the second aisle, I broke down and purchased 8 ounces of 64’s merino top in eight different colors (one ounce per color) in lovely greens, browns with a deep purple and black in it as well from the Village Spinning and Weaving Shop. I immediately saw the four two-ply skeins that are to come out of it. I cannot wait to get out the spinning wheel for these lovelies!
Sandy made it a little longer than me, but not by much.
I really was proud of myself. With the economy being as tight as it is and with my gasoline, propane gas, and grocery bills climbing to areas that make me cringe just thinking about, I took an amount of cash and stayed within my budget. I spent less than $100 and I believe I got my money’s worth. Besides the merino top, I bought a DVD on advanced spinning (I’m ready to take my spinning to the next level) and which was nearly half my budget, 5 Picture Jasper buttons (a semi-precious stone) from Color in Stitches for a vest fabric I want to weave (the buttons remind me of the cave drawings found in France), an itty bitty sheep figure that will have the top of my desk at work to wander over each day (okay, I’ve never said I was all grown up!) some Pony wool needles (with a loop at the top instead of and eye – great for weaving in ends and tapestry weaving), the 2009 Never Not Knitting calendar from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee,
At the Windy Valley Muskox booth, Sandy and I fell into conversation with a gentleman named Ron, who immediately plunked a 100% qiviut scarf in my hands. I have to say, it was light as a feather and soft as a cloud. But $90 for a one ounce ball is a bit out of my range at the moment. Of course, $90 is a LOT less than the $325 it was four years ago. They had some wonderful blends there, but I had spent most of my budget already, and they were outside the amount I had remaining. Then, my friend, Sandy bought me a one ounce ball of a 15% qiviuk/80% extrafine merino/5% silk blend in a heavenly green color. This booth also had some one ounce balls of Vicuna yarn for $300 each – lovely, soft, but way outside my budget at this time. One day though…
Later, after we had looked the place over, I was down to $5 and Sandy decided she wanted to go back to the second aisle to purchase some laceweight yarn she had seen earlier, we ran into the same salesman, Ron, with whom we had spoken at the Windy Valley Muskox booth and he told us about and showed us some buffalo yarn that his company, 2hl Buffalo Ranch & Co., produces – they actually own the bison the fiber comes from! He ended up talking Sandy into a skein of this yarn in a lovely color. He then noticed my shirt that proclaimed I was a weaver, and we made a deal that I will tell you more about later when things come together and everything is organized. Let’s just say, it’s is a wonderful opportunity for me as a weaver and a great opportunity for him as a bison fiber producer and seller.
As a dyer, I took this trip as the opportunity to see what colors were most in dominance. I would say colors in what I would call the High Autumn theme. Lots of deep oranges, deep reds, dark purples, golds, greens, and some of the most beautiful shades of brown I have ever seen – a very warm color way. I saw very little pastels and VERY little neon and brights that have been predominate these last few years. I am excited about the colors coming up and these are my favorites of them all.
The styles, too, were more classic than I’ve seen in a year or so. Sure there were some interesting patterns in unusual styles, but, for the most part, I saw classic sweaters, cardigans, shawls, scarves and jackets, with beautiful cables, lace and colors. These are items that will be in style and be staples of anyone’s wardrobe for years to come. This is good for as much work as these garments contain. These are the items destined to become heirlooms.
On the bus trip home, most of the people slept, but I purposely made myself stay awake and knit on the Happy Blanket – I am so close to being done, I am getting anxious to finish it. Needless to say, though, I was happy to see my bed last night.
I wish I could have brought you pictures, but Stitches has a very strict “No Photographs” policy and I, for one, did not want to get kicked out of the place. I do not blame them for this policy in the least, but it is still sad that I couldn’t show those who cannot attend these events just how lovely they are.
I understand that next year, Stitches Midwest will be in September, which is good for me as Wizard World Chicago is in August again. Two trips to Chicago in one month is a bit much even for me. And I highly recommend taking the bus. Then you can knit and/or sleep and leave the driving and traffic to someone else.
basicallybenita | 
08 31st, 2008| 
