Overheard at Thursday evening's Stitching Social..."They didn't let me out of jail just because I was crying!"

Teresa -- [noun]: A lewd street performer 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Janice -- [adjective]: Sexually stunning 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

It's about time for me to post again since I have been spotted on the Yarn Harlot's blog. I did get to knit with her and Cat Bordhi and of course, Laurie Stone. I talking about Camp Cockamamie sponsored by Blue Moon Fiber Arts creators of Socks That Rock (STR). This sock knitting camp sounded like a dream when I first heard of it and did not let me down.
These are a few reasons for traveling across the entire country sitting cheek to jowl with a man who stuffed a huge wad of kleenex into the seat pocket and was miserable the entire flight.

1. The beauty of the San Juan Islands in Washington.
2. Knitting
3. Knitting socks
4. Knitting socks with STR
5. Knitting with Stephanie Pearl-MacPhee for 4 days.
6. Knitting with Cat Bordhi for 4 days
7. Knitting (and eating and drinking) with Laurie Stone for 4 days
8. A whale watching trip while knitting.
9. The chance to knit an award-winning chicken.

Do I really need to list any more reasons???

You have to see
this!!

Another local gal, Laura Aylor, hits the big time with knitting design.
On Knitty, this time.

Did I mention that the design is "oh so lovely"?

And I'm only bothered a tiny bit that I know she bought her yarn elsewhere since I don't carry Noro.

Congratulations Laura! It's a great view of the Peaks of Otter, too.

Now to recreate this using something from Dancing Fibers. Hmmm.

Color is very essential to my life.

I can't just pick my favorite colors to put in the shop, because they may not be your favorite colors.
Have you ever had to spend good money on an ugly color just because it makes the rest of the colors look "right"?
It's not an easy thing.

When I lived in Minnesota I used to teach at a shop called "Zandy's". Zandy is a real live person and is still a great friend today. Zandy taught me and important lesson about combining colors. She said to make a pleasing palette you must throw in a poison color. It's the one that doesn't exactly belong, but makes all the others pop.

Another nationally known teacher made this even simpler. She said that if you have a cool palette, throw in a little lime green to make it wow. And if you're using a warm palette, add periwinkle. We tried it in a workshop and she was telling the truth.

So here's the solution to another nagging problem. When you visit a shop and see some yummy yarn that you must have, but can't afford enough to make a sweater, just buy a skein of lime or periwinkle and know you'll use it sometime.

Here's a photo of some pretty yarn that's arrived. It is a loopy mohair. It comes from Misty Mountain and is a hand-dyed yarn from here in Virginia. Notice how the colors aren't all in the same warm or cool palette. It's much more interesting to combine warm and cool. Wouldn't you love to see some of this floating through your fingers!

It's hot and humid today in downtown Bedford. I am grateful for my working air conditioner! If you need a place to cool off, come join me. It's cool enough to knit unhampered at Yarn Theory.

Several new yarns arrived this week. One is "PomPom" by Filatura de Crosa. It's a fine yarn in either white, blue, yellow or pink with little pom poms of bright colors all along it's length; sort of a soft novelty for babies. It is incredibly cute.

Another yarn is "Oh My!" from Plymouth. One touch and you'll know where it got it's name. It's made from 100% nylon and comes in the softest baby colors you can imagine. Only $5.25 a ball makes it a super choice for an extra special baby gift.

Two other yarns return to stock. New colors of "Bravo" from Classic Elite are in. This is a bulky yarn with strands of mohair and silk. I couldn't resist the eggplant color. It's very rich.

The second yarn to return in tons of colors is "Lamb's Pride Worsted" from Brown Sheep. It's here just in time for felting projects made for Christmas. Plus, there are lots of new felting patterns including bags, bowls and vases! One bowl even has a matching lid. I can't wait to start on some of these. I'm thinking of using the new soy and wool combination "Karaoke" from South West Trading Company. It has nice long colorways that will be awesome in the vases. Really cool shapes there, too.

I finally, finally got all the new yarn put up and away so the floor of the shop is clear enough to vacuum. I hope to get to the mound of paperwork on the counter. But procrastinating on my blog is way more fun than that. But not as much fun as bobbing in the lake would be today. If only the yarn wouldn't get so messy when I do that! So many things, so little time.

I can't believe how many people have told me to update my blog. Coolbana, Becky, dfifer, you know who you are!

The hurrier I go, the behinder I get. The UPS man brought me 6 boxes of yarn in one day about 2 weeks ago. I haven't found room for all of this yet. And I haven't been able to catch up since that day. The yarn was my shipment from South West Yarn Company that I ordered at TNNA. It includes soy silk and bamboo yarns. I want to knit with each of the 5 different kinds that came in.

I started with "Pure" 100% soy silk. The colors remind me of an Indian sari. The drape is fantastic. But I couldn't get gauge for the summer cardigan I'm making for a class that starts next week. It came up as a great 5 sts/in but I needed a definite 4.5. I would change the calculations if the sweater was just for me, but seeing as how it's a class sample, I didn't feel like I could fudge gauge.

So, next I tried "Phoenix" a soy silk tape yarn in a great multicolor called Imposter. What color do you imagine Imposter to be?? I won't tell so you can leave me a comment with your guess. Anyway, the tape knit to a perfect 4.5, so I'm off and running.

I'm going to try and attach a photo this time. We'll see how it goes. It will be a photo of me in Haiti with the girls from the orphanage there that my church twins with. I hope to see them again in January.

So, Imposter. Hmmmm.