Dear Ann,
I ended up spending time at Vogue Knitting Live on both Saturday and Sunday, and had a ball.
The Marketplace at Vogue Knitting Live is not for the faint of heart. If you are a new knitter, or unaccustomed to having a large selection of beautiful yarn right there in front of you, it’s overwhelming. There is something panic-inducing about wandering the booths that crowd the overstimulating ballroom carpet at the Marriott Marquis. If you go outside for a gulp of oxygen, you’re in Times Square. Rhinebeck it ain’t.
Perhaps because I’m a veteran of the Stash Wars, in such situations I retreat to a position of LCCV (least credit card vulnerability). I’ve been known to leave a weekend at Rhinebeck with a single hank of yarn and a bag of wooden spoons (c’mon–the wooden spoon guy is irresistible). Another strategy that works for me is to limit purchases to books, or to yarn for a pattern I am already committed to knit. No “just because it’s beautiful” purchases–that way lies Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.
I did pretty well at Vogue Knitting Live. As they were announcing the closing of the Marketplace in 5 minutes, this is what I had to show:
Books and gifts. The Visa was about to exhale.
Then I ran up to the 6th floor and plunked it down for the last hank of this:
Meet Tessa. Tessa is 250 grams of DK/light worsted cashmere. As you know, I don’t usually go in for the handpaint, and my bout of viral cashmere illness was way back in 2011. But they had an amazing sample. It’s a very unusual dye job. A neutral plus not-neutral combo, with no repeats, that I just loved. And my birthday’s coming up…sometime this year. So: spa-lurge.
Anyway, it was fun. The best part was hanging out with friends who do things like this.
Sunday’s catchphrase: “I knit my panties.” I cannot acknowledge the source without risking consequences. SOMEBODY PLEASE PUT IT ON A T-SHIRT. Or at the very lease a wristband.
The icing on the cake: I met Védis. But time’s up. More later.
EDITED TO ADD IMPORTANT ENABLING INFORMATION:
The Japanese book’s ISBN is 978-4-579-11414-6. I bought it at the Kinokuniya bookstore booth.
The grey yarn is from Neighborhood Fiber Company, dyed by the fair hand of Karida Collins, in Baltimore. Karida is featured on the cover of Ann Weaver’s Cityscapes book of accessories. The other Ann Weaver book is Twentieth Century Graphic. (I am a collector of All Things Ann Weaver.)
If you don’t know about Soakboxes, I worry about you. Mine is called Clark Cable; it comes with beautiful Lorna’s Laces yarn to knit up a pair of gauntlets/fingerless mitts to match a certain teen girl’s fingernails.
Love,
Kay
This way you can love that single skein more. No dividing of attentions, jealousies, or closet affairs.
Oh, that all looks so good! I like that cute packaging of the Soak, yarn and nail polish… like when do you need your nails to match your hat? But, cute!
How very restrained of you!
“I met Védis. But time’s up. More later.”
How can you leave us with such a cliffhanger?!?
DBChen, you took the words right off of my keyboard! Who knew that our dear Kay was such a tease?!
So when is she coming over? And what time would you like us all to be there?
I went intending only to buy what I could with the cash I had on hand. But as I was trying to avert my eyes from the scantily clad Koigu fashion show runway models I found Neighborhood Fibers from Baltimore. I’m pretty sure I heard the credit card say “nevermore” when they rung up the sale.
I went intending only to buy what I could with the cash I had on hand. But as I was trying to avert my eyes from the scantily clad Koigu fashion show runway models I found Neighborhood Fibers from Baltimore. I’m pretty sure I heard the credit card say “nevermore” when they rung up the sale.
Love the cardi on the front of that Japanese book. Send it this way when you’re bored of it! B x x
Oooh, does that Japanese book have a name not in Japanese? I’m with Belinda: love that cardigan.
My credit card is sagging a little now, mostly from the weight of knitting books. Isager yarns were my downfall in the yarn department. And some Lopi. Just to test, you know?
I recognized the books, but that is partly because I have enough Japanese to be truly dangerous. I have one soak box. I bought it partially based on getting to try on each of the mitts. Only one of them fit me without any modification, so I decided that was the one for me even though I’ll admit that baby pink isn’t my best love.
I could not remember “Neighborhood Yarn” s name. Since I managed to restrain myself in her booth (on Fri evening) of course I thought of her stuff all weekend. You are my external harddrive of the weekend.
“I knit my panties.” Good one.
Oooh ooh ooh, love soakboxes. The color on my nails today would match Madelinetosh Citrus! BRIGHT!
so great hanging with you, Gale & Sarah! and of course Cara – she of the splits!
OK, I was WITH you and never noticed the Japanese bookstore booth at all, or that you purchased something there, hopefully the day before because surely I couldn’t have been that distracted. Or..maybe I could have been.
ps your 11th hour cashmere purchase was so good, I had vicarious shopping fulfillment. That good.
Soakboxes? No I didn’t know. But now I do, so now you should worry about me! They’re charming.
I made a Juneberry out of a DK silk Neighborhood Fiber Company yarn… love, love, loved it! Her colors are amayzing!!! I’m glad to see her getting some notice.
I made a Juneberry out of a DK silk Neighborhood Fiber Company yarn… love, love, loved it! Her colors are amayzing!!! I’m glad to see her getting some notice.
I too would have bought “Clark Gable”. I’m a sucker for anything closely related to “Gone with the Wind”. I’m just a Scarlet wannabe!
I too would have bought “Clark Gable”. I’m a sucker for anything closely related to “Gone with the Wind”. I’m just a Scarlet wannabe!
“I knit my panties” is totally my new catchphrase.
Now I want “I knit my panties” Tshirt. Giggling at the thought of my middle school students reaction if I wore it to school!
Hey, is that January One? I sure miss her regular blogging.
I have that same Soakbox! Haven’t done anything with it yet, though.
Your yarn is really pretty.
Doesn’t everyone knit their own panties? :ducking:
I do not need more japanese knitting books. I don’t know why there’s a tab open for Amazon.jp, but there it is.
Somebody should go snap up the ONE blue soakbox available on Amazon — free shipping with Prime! (I would have bought it already if I weren’t still doing penance for some vacation yarn shopping)
I so want that T-shirt! Quick-someone with graphic arts skills get on it!