Today I met with my rep Donna from Skacel who showed me the newest yarns from Sheep Shop, Skacel, Lobster Pot, and Frog Tree. I fell in love with this new DK sock yarn from Trek. This is a child's sweater knit up in Trek. It looks like Fair Isle. One of my customers considered having the rep send the yarn overnight mail because she was desparate for it. The colors in the photo do not do it justice.
It looks like this Fall is going to be big on color and the hot item is socks and more socks.
I have another picture which I would like to add to the blog, but my computer keeps freezing. I can't mess with it much longer because the final episode of Law and Order: SVU is on and I am a L&A addict so I will try one more time and if the picture does not upload, I will call it a night. Oh well, something is wrong ...will try again tomorrow.

I have been thinking about the Needlearts Trade Show which is coming up in the beginning of June. It is a very exciting time for retail store owners because we get to see all the new yarns and fibers along with seeing what is "hot" for the fall. The highlight for me is the fashion show held on a Friday night. There are probably about 100 garments from the major and minor companies, all displayed on those too thin models strutting down the runway. My favorite last year was the one from Koigu which was a long coat. It was so colorful and meticulously designed.
So, in preparation for my visit to Columbus, Ohio where the show is held, I thought I would get in the mood by designing my own little ensemble. I use the word ensemble loosely because it is just one piece...a sweater. But, I wrote my pattern, added little embellishments, and voila it is almost completed. I have one more sleeve and the collar to complete. Then, of course as we all know, the hardest part is next...sewing it together. If I could tell you or even show you all the sweaters that are in pieces waiting for me to seam them up. It is very sad but yet I reconcile it by telling myself that the process of knitting, of creating, is as gratifying to me as seeing and wearing the finished product. It is like going on a vacation. The planning can be as much fun as the trip itself. Well, maybe not as much fun but certainly it adds to the whole gestaldt. So, here is my uncompleted sweater. I am giving myself a deadline, Sunday night, as to when it has to be finished. I have so many other projects I am waiting to do. I am just saying that. I have so many projects on needles waiting for me to work on.

I used Rowan All Seasons Cotton in this sweater.This is the back(above).

Above is the sleeve. Below is one side of the front of the cardigan. I knit various stitches so blocking is going to be essential. After this little "show and tell" I feel much more motivated to complete it. At least I hope so!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to everyone...we celebrate our mothers and ourselves as mothers. It was such a beautiful day today, and what made it better was the weather was perfect for the Race for the Cure. Our charity kjnitters organized by Flo, knitted over 130 chemo caps for the race. It was a remarkable achievement and fortunately or unfortunately depending on your perspective, we distributed most of them. The knitters have already begun knitting for next year.


This is what the table looked like at Knit One with many of the chemo caps displayed.














Here we are at the Race with the chemo caps hanging on display at the gazebo.



























Meet our famous knitter/instructor/professional clown Steven who gained notoriety from his meeting with the Yarn Harlot. He was there entertaining young and old.





















We went to a friend's house for lunch after the race. She made this fabulous strawberry cake. It was made from Twinkies, strawberries and cool whip. It was a chemist's delight.

I thought I would do a little "show and tell" today.

This is my favorite knitting bag in the world. It comes from Be Sweet who hires women from South Africa to make their lovely products. There is a wonderful story behind their company so if you get a chance check out http://www.besweet.com/.

Check this out. Our own Linda P made this shawl from Sea Silk...a yarn from Hand Maiden. It is 70% silk and 30% sea cell which is a type of algae that comes form the ocean. Some say it has medicinal benefits. I think the benefits come from knitting with this yarn-so smooth and luscious. Linda taught a class on how to make this.







Here are my favorite scarf and shawl pins from Moving Mud. This company is a two person husband and wife team who make remarkably colorful fused glass ins, buttons and belt buckles.

This vest/scarf is called the tuxedo scarf and it comes from a book called Special Little Knits for One Skein Wonders. It is so simple to make and yet the effect is really cool. The best way to wear it is over a white shirt and you can use any kind of yarn but I think a boucle works best. I made mine from my favorite, Tanglewood. Or I should say my favorite at the moment, but I have seen it knit up with every kind of yarn imaginable.

I hope I have not bored you with my showing and telling. I just thought you might be interested in some of the things that give me pleasure so that maybe they will give you pleasure too.

I

Here are some of the pictures of the friendly folks that I met at the Sheep and Wool Festival.

I am in love with this cutie!

I wish my cocker spaniel could stay as still as this guy when he is being grromed.

After seeing these beautiful wheels I seriously thought about learning how to spin.

Taking a little snooze.

Are these the world's largest needles?

These photos do not do these sheep justice. You really miss out on seeing their personality.

<;">I had the best time at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Unfortunately, I don't have my camera to upload my pictures today to my computer but since It has been a while since I blogged(?) ,I thought I better get to it right now rather than wait until I am home this evening to get my pictures on here.

What did I enjoy most about the festival? That is a hard one but the thing that first comes to mind is the community of knitters and crocheters that I felt akin to and connected. I think the second thing I enjoyed and in part because it was so novel, was watching the judging of the sheep. For those of you who have not seen this before, it is like watching a dog show but with sheep. The major impediment for me was that I could not hear a thing because the sheep were all baa-ing. I was really interested in hearing a description of the sheep, how they were judged, etc. but what can I say- sheep got to baa. However, I did meet up with really beautiful sheep in the barns, watched them being sheared, and learned a little about their historys.

I saw, felt, enjoyed some beautiful yarn, too. I loved the yarn from Brooks Farm. Too bad they don't sell it wholesale. I as always was mesmorized by the beautiful colorways and textures from Autumn House. I bought organic cotton from a distributor out of England-name escapes me. There were soooo many vendors and so much to exprience that it was a little overwhelming. Also, I saw many people that I knew from my store which was really fun. I could see that needle felting is very popular so I bought some pencil roving which I will try out. I have never really enjoyed using needles to felt with because they are a little hard on the hand but I think I am going to give it another shot. And, finally I have to say that while there I was having fantasies about becoming a spinner. I saw the most gorgeous wheels there-they were like works of art. I watched the spinners for a long time because there is something so melodious in what they do. It was relaxing to watch them.

Now for my complaints. First, bring your own food. I could not tell you if the food was good or bad because I refused to wait in a line that was over 45 minutes long and most of them were. Second, I had to opt for kettle korn as my appetizer and it was not quite up to snuff. I did enjoy a soft serve as my entree though. Second, do not drink too much liquid because the lines for the indoor bathrooms were huge. I have never been a fan of outhouses because when I was 7 years old I went to use one and I sat on a caterpillar. I am now scarred for life. Third, be prepared to allow plenty of time to park your car. I was told that some people waited for nearly 90 minutes before they got into the parking lot. The lines were huge.

With all that said, I had a blast! I will add my pictures later. I can't wait to show you the world's longest knitting needles. Until then...

Stacey