Just What the World Needs

Another knitting blog...so here I am to fill the void. Besides, my friend Mary started hers yesterday so I already feel a little behind.

I started knitting the week I quit smoking. I figured it would give me something to do with my hands. Five-and-a-half years later, I'm obsessed with it. I love everything about knitting. The beautiful colors and luxurious textures of the yarn, the intricate patterns, the way a project takes shape as the yarn flows off my needles, and that wonderful *aha* moment when I see a new, better, way to do something, or learn a new technique.

I enjoyed the market at Stitches Midwest Sunday--there was lots of lovely yarn to look at. Like Mary, I was most impressed with the Just Our Yarn ladies and their yarn. But there were some gorgeous samples all over the place. Interweave Knits had samples of everything from their newest issue--most impressive was the felted bag. It reminded me of Mary Poppins' carpetbag--I half expected to find it full of all kinds of impossibly big objects. It was awe-inspiring. There was a lot of fair-isle, lots of books. The beautiful Irish yarn that Mary wrote about. And lace. Lots of lace. I think lace is my favorite thing to make so I was pleased to see how much of it was out there. And finger- and lace-weight yarns. It seems the bigger yarn companies are phasing out the finer gauge yarns, so it's nice to see that there are still places to find it.

I've heard that the Michigan Fiber Fest is really great, too. I was hoping to go this year but I don't think it's going to happen. Maybe next year...