The Haul (Stitches Midwest 2013)

When we were planning this trip back to Wisconsin, I really didn't think about doing anything for myself, necessarily......other than visiting some people that I knew I wanted to see. And then, out of curiosity, I checked to see when Stitches Midwest would be happening...and lo, I discovered that it was the first weekend we'd be back in Wisconsin. I looked at Husband and said, "well, if you're going to go drink beer on that Saturday, I'm going to Chicago and buying yarn." He couldn't really argue. I even managed to have someone watch Little Man. Sherri is the bestest bestie to have when it comes to watching Little Man - her kids entertain him and all she has to do is make sure he eats, has a clean diaper, and doesn't fall off the roof. It works out quite well.

So, Stitches Midwest......the last time I was there was in 2011 :)

I did a lot of driving on Saturday. We drove from Husband's parents house outside of Milwaukee to Mt. Horeb so I could drop Husband off with MegAndy (Megan & Andy), then I drove Little Man back to Sherri's in Stoughton (just south of Madison), and then I had to drive from there to Schaumburg. Normally, Schaumburg isn't that bad of a drive. We could get there in a little over an hour (about an hour and ten minutes)...but there was construction so it took me almost two hours to get there. But, I got there in one piece :)

I only planned on shopping because I didn't know how tired I would be, if I could get down there for an early/late class, and I didn't find any classes that interested me on the days I could be available to go. So, just shopping....and I shopped.

I walked down every aisle, looked in almost every booth (there were a couple that just didn't interest me so I passed them by - which is no fault of the booth owner) and bought things that I knew I'd have to otherwise go online for.

"Enough already, show us the damn photos!"

Okay, okay, photos.....(yes, it's another photo-heavy post)

University of Wisconsin Christmas Stocking kit

University of Wisconsin Button Beanie kit

University of Wisconsin Bucky Ski Hat kit

I picked up these three kits from one of the booths (and yes, I'm forgetting which one off the top of my head). There is a fourth one that I may order and it's for the scarf. The nice thing about these is that it's already set to go - you're given enough yarn, the pattern, and you go.

Four Erin Lane Bags

I have a couple Erin Lane bags that I bought at Stitches Midwest in 2011 and I love them so I was quite pleased to see her again. The three on the right were bagged together as a three-pack and the one on the left was purchased alone. You, too, can own Erin Lane bags by visiting her Etsy Shop (which is currently empty but, you know).

Dazzling Ewe Stitch Marker (found in Miss Babs' booth)

More stitch markers (turtles and some knit/purl yarn balls)

I picked up some stitch markers. The first two sets were found in Miss Babs' booth and they're from Dazzling Ewe (Etsy Shop). The second two sets I, regretfully, don't remember from where I purchased them. But, they're cute.

Signature Needles and carrying case

Last time I was at Stitches Midwest, I picked up six sets of Signature Needle Arts DPNs and a carrying case. I did the same thing this time (but this time I remembered I wanted longer DPNs and I picked different sizes than what I had). I think I've pretty much rounded out my collection of DPNs now...

Stardust

This was the first skein of yarn I picked up. It's from Lost City Knits and the colorway is called Stardust. It is, of course, sock yarn.

Sookie

This was a lovely little booth called Fresh From the Cauldron. She had a lot of colorways inspired by True Blood (and probably other places, as well, but I noticed the True Blood ones). If I had planned to send more boxes home, I may have purchased another skein or two from this booth. It, too, is sock yarn.

"One of a Kind"

These two skeins from Zen Yarn Garden called to me. They're both labeled "one of a kind" but, you know, they look like they came from the same dyepot to me. Actually, there were a few more...but I couldn't bring myself to be a total Zen Yarn Garden hog. Did I mention that this was sock yarn?

Hagrid

I picked up these two lovely little skeins from Jeanette at Sun Valley Fibers. I hadn't planned to buy anything from Jeanette but, you know, she went and named these skeins after one of my favorite Harry Potter characters and I had to own them. ::sigh:: Does the sock yarn ever stop?

Splendour Beetle

Copper Demoiselle

These two skeins were from Cephalopod Yarns, Bugga and Skinny Bugga. I'm a sucker for Bugga and Skinny Bugga so, you know, how could I say, "no" to this? I also got talking to the owner about my having to adjust sock patterns all the time because I have large calves (but thankfully no cankles) and she told me I needed to go to the next booth (and they were basically sharing a booth anyway) and talk to them. They might have a book that can help me out...and apparently the sock yarn isn't ending yet...

Big Foot Knits by Andi Smith

The next booth over was Cooperative Press and this is the book in question. I think this may be my next book review so I'm not going to say much about it now...

 

...other than I got it signed by Miss Andi Smith herself :)

Wattle Cup Caterpillar

I also stopped at The Verdant Gryphon. In the not-too-distant past, Cephalopod Yarns and The Verdant Gryphon were the same company: The Sanguine Gryphon. There was a reason they split and I don't remember the whole story and I don't care to rehash it. Either way, they're now two companies but they kept some of the yarn line names the same (Bugga and Skinny Bugga, for instance). In this case, I picked up another skein of Bugga :) Guess the sock yarn thing isn't going to end...

So, that covers everything....except my two BIG splurges (as if the Signature Needles weren't enough):

Qiviuit Sock Yarn

I picked up this gorgeous skein of Qiviuit blend sock yarn (and the bag) from Bijou Basin Ranch. It says it's sock yarn and it's machine washable. That's grand. However, I'm not sure this skein of yarn wants to grow up to be socks. She kind of balked at the idea, actually. I think she wants to grow up to be a shawlette of some sort. We'll see how things go. For now, she's content being a skein.

Qiviuk

We have finally come to the end of the sock yarn. This yarn is Qiviuk, which is also a blend, from Windy Valley Muskox. It's laceweight, and there are almost 220 yards/skein so I have almost 880 yards to work with. This yarn, too, has not told me exactly what it wants to be when it grows up...they've been arguing. They've agreed that a shawl or a wrap would be nice but they can't agree on anything else (size, shape, etc.). So, they're staying in ball form until they can come to an agreement.


So, there you have my Stitches Midwest 2013 haul :)

C'mon everyone, group photo!