Why you need to go to the Knitter's Frolic, 2012 edition

We all want to go to the Knitter's Frolic here in Toronto, naturally.  Even those of us who live in Australia. If you're near and you can fit it in, the reasons to go are obvious:

Yarny Stuff, and Classes.

But over and above all that, Silvia will be there representing Stoddart Family Farm!

I know I keep saying this over and over, but you will. not. find. softer warmer sock materials than the splendid locally-produced Romney/Mohair yarns Silvia shows.  I know people who swear by Briggs and Little Tuffy yarn (scroll down at the link) and I am sure they have many merits I too would appreciate, but I haven't heard any of them saying ohhhhh, they're so soft! or ohhhh, the colours are so nuanced and beautiful!  which is the general gist of what people say when faced with the splendour of the Stoddart booth.

At the event where I found Silvia this past weekend, she was showing mostly roving, and I could not leave without some.

Here is what I am calling Sunset:

and this is Mossy:

They are both cuddly like teddy bears so I really did have to name them.  I figured out when I was hugging them that each one has a lot more that 115g of fiber, but I got distracted, chatting, and didn't ask how much more.  It's too much to nest on my scales without a bowl, I can tell you that much.

At the Frolic, Silvia will have a lot of yarn too.  Go if you can, and treat yourself, and then make some socks.  You won't believe how much you will love them, come December.  Especially if you don't live in Australia.

The following could be a separate post but you know what? It's related, and I want a longer break from tax stuff.  You're welcome.

Sometimes yarn doesn't listen

I did say Silvia had mostly roving at the last show, right?  She also had some yarns, and since I am still thinking about twined mittens, I couldn't help noticing a basket of bulkier-than-DK weight of undyed yarn.

I thought - just like last time, and I was just as wrong then too - it might match my grey winter coat.

It doesn't.  And why I keep fussing about this I do not know because if a day is cold enough to make twined romney/mohair mittens a practical choice, it is going to be way too cold for this coat; I'd be wearing my dumpy-but-warm black one, which goes with everything.

Worse than my internal argument about mitten colour though is the yarn itself which is saying:

Bob's Socks.

GAH.  So loud.  How can I ignore it?  The guilt alone is overwhelming.  But add to that, the facts:

1. I made Bob try on the Mansocks I made a couple of summers ago for Robert, because they take around the same shoe size.

2. Bob thought I was secretly making the socks for him and only pretending they were for Robert.

3. Bob has been waiting for handknit socks ever since.  He actually looked a little hurt when he admitted this to me the last time I saw him.  Ouch.

Compelling enough?  But wait, there's more!

4. I know there is no way I can knit more Mansocks in fingering type sock yarn.  It's gotta be DK at least.

5. Bob lives in a really cold city and walks to work as much as possible. My go-to superfast DK sock yarn, while lovely and totally worth working with anyway, is simply not warm enough to stand up to that. (I know, I've tested.)

And the last straw?  The absolute most horrible thing to have to ignore?

6. Bob wants me to make him handknit socks.

How many people in your life - people deserving of handknits, I mean - actually ASK you to knit them something?  Okay, it's probably a mixed blessing if they do but honestly, how many?  The more common scenario is
a/ knitter makes beautiful thing and
b/ recipient, with glazed smile, says Ohhhh, how nice!

(this is not true of the people I knit for, especially Lannie.  But it is also true that I hardly ever knit for anybody else because I am not only greedy but die a little inside every time I get the glazed smile.)

Alternatively, you can have in your life a Pete, whose go-to line is Mary.  Please.  Do not knit for me. 

So there's that.

And also, that schedule for the Frolic classes.  Dang, I really wish I hadn't looked at that schedule when I copied in the link, because I am pretty sure I won't have time for very much Frolicking at all, this year.

Hope your yarn is listening to you today - see you sometime tomorrow!