Friday, September 9, 2011

That magical time of the knitting year

It's tomorrow, people!! I'm making a list and checking it a lot more than twice because the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitter's Fair is tomorrow.


I'm so excited... it's such a great day out.  There are two big knitting festivals I go to every year: the Knitter's Frolic in Toronto in the spring, and the Knitter's Fair in Kitchener in the fall.  Technically the Frolic should be the big spending fest (and is) because it comes after months and months of nothing at all but stash-depleting.  On the other hand: the Fair comes at the start of fall, when one is under a steady barrage of exciting new patterns and projects that can't help but make you need fresh yarn.

Last year as I recall, I came home with a ton of fiber I did not spin until July's Tour de Fleece.  It made for some storage issues and a LOT of guilt*.  Which isn't to say I will turn up my nose at some semisolid blue-faced-leicester fiber, should there be any on offer.

*all worth it, naturally.

I don't need yarn either - ha! like that makes a difference - but I do have a couple of design ideas that I don't think will quite work with the yarn I have in my stash.  So I'm going to be open to yarns at the Fair.  Viola will be there, and shopping at Viola is always the most enchanting experience imaginable (I'm not exaggerating; just ask anybody who walks into the booth and looks at the yarn colour names and touches the angora-blend yarns at the cash).  Sadly it appears my beloved Stoddart Family Farms will not, which makes me very glad I bought at this year's Frolic a lot more of their fabulous sock yarn, none of which I have knit yet, though I would be knitting some right now if I had more 2.25mm double points.

Which brings me to what I do require: needles.  And since I really only use Addis these days that should more than set me back enough to be able to say I did the Fair.  It's a great place to get tools, not because there are great sales there though sometimes that is true, but because if one shop is missing the two things you need, another will have them and you won't be driving across the city to find out.

I'm going to pick up some Malabrigo Sock for Trish, who can't get to the Fair and is feeling compelled by its sheer gorgeousness and fascination to knit Catkin.

I might even look for a shawl clip.  Not a big jabby pin, because I have enough trouble walking around all the time with double-pointed needles sticking out of my socks in progress, but something with the sharp bit tucked away out of sight.  Also (maybe) some buttons for Deco, which reminds me I have to look up what sort of buttons are needed for that.

So many things to check before I go! and... oh dear, some travel knitting to set up as well, because I'm pretty sure that neither Deco nor the baby sweater are quite portable at the moment, and it's a golden 3+ hours in the car I don't want to waste.

Hope you have a great weekend too, wherever you go! and that you too get in some knitting time.

5 comments:

Karen said...

Oh, sigh. I so wish I could come to the KW Fair this weekend, if only to shop with you! But I will be at the Almonte FibreFest, which is smaller but still fun. Have a great time, and wave at the wool for me!

Unknown said...

Can't wait to see the goodies you bring back. I am sure your plan to not buy much fiber and yarn will go by the wayside when you get in all that loveliness!

heklica said...

Have a good time! Will be here to hear the report! :)

Trish said...

Still think you had the better day, although the weather was beautiful for us soccer tourney people. *grin* I'm dying here - did you find any Malabrigo? If I can't shop in person, at least I hope I got to shop by proxy!
Thanks, Mary!

Mary Keenan said...

Sadly - no appropriate Malabrigo sock colours and therefore no proxy shopping for Trish. Until next time I get to Romni, heh heh heh.