Stitches 2008, Part 2

So, Stitches is over and my stash is bigger and I know everything there is to know about short rows. Well, maybe not everything, but after three classes dealing with short rows, I was glad when Sunday rolled around and my last class was not about short rows.

The first class on Saturday was about using short rows to make pinwheel shapes. Candace Eisner Strick taught the class and she brought some really nice examples of how you can use color and the pinwheel shape to make fun hats, bags, round-bottom totes, etc. We used both the "yarn-over" and the "wrap" method of short rows. It wasn't quite the class I thought it was going to be, but I enjoyed learning about short rows in a new way. It was also fun to see how you can use short rows in a decorative way too. Here's my little sample:

Next I had a class called "Short Row Savvy" with Maureen Mason-Jamieson. In this class we knit a little sample using three methods: yarn-over, wrap, and Japanese.

So what are short rows? Well, I'd best point you to a better source for that answer since I don't have the knitting experience or artistic talent to draw your a diagram. And besides, I'm a lefty and my perception of it is backwards. So here's a link to a Vogue Knitting article about short rows. The article describes the "wrap method."

On Sunday I had one class, in the morning, on knitting a hounds tooth pattern. Jean Frost taught this one and it was a treat. She makes the most beautiful Chanel-inspired jackets. The class itself was rather easy. We spent the time knitting two color samples of various hounds tooth patterns using either fair isle or slip stitches. But the real treat was seeing her gorgeous jackets. I've put her book on my Amazon wishlist but I may not be able to wait for my birthday or Christmas and may just buy it instead.

Even though my weekend was chock full of classes, this did not deter me from the market floor. Oh no. I did the bulk of my shopping on Thursday night during the market preview, which was open only to registered students and vendors. But I had time during lunch on Friday and before the fashion show Friday night. Then again on Saturday during lunch and again Sunday afternoon. Just when I thought I'd seen everything, I'd run into a friend who had a lovely purchase of something I hadn't seen and had to go check out. So, without further ado, here's my Stitches 2008 haul:

Back row from left to right:

• Newtons Yarn Country: 8 skeins of 60/40 cashmere/merino wool, 320 yds per skein (could not pass up at $6/skein - yes, you read that right, for cashmere!)
• KnitWhits Sienna Hat kit: Fair Isle knit in some really pretty jewel tone colors
• Chameleon Colorworks: sampler pack of 1/2 ounce roving (camel, yak, merino/silk/angora, tussah silk, angora, optim, alpaca, cotton silver) - I'm going to need a spinning lesson to learn how to spin this!
• Chameleon Colorworks: 4 oz merino roving
• Verb for Keeping Warm: 10 oz Black Blue Faced Leicester, indigo dyed
• Creatively Dyed Yarns: 1 skein of merino sock yarn
• Just Your Yarns: 2 skeins of wool/camel - I bought this to weave with

Front row, left to right:

• Amazing Yarns: "Dancing Kit" - I saw this in the fashion show and really wanted it. It's a vest with the main body out of Mountain Colors mohair/wool and the shoulders out of the funkier looking hand dyed/spun wool
• Blue Moon Fibers: 3 skeins of "mill end" lightweight Socks That Rock and 1 skein of lightweight Socks that Rock in "Monsoon" colorway.
• Habu: 300 yards of silk/mohair and 300 yards of tassar silk boucle, intended to be knit together into a scarf. They're both a pale green color.
• Habu: 574 yards of lace-weight red bamboo
• Habu: 450 yards of orange silk (it's like a raw silk, plan to make a scarf or small shawl)
• Malabrigo: free mini-skein of lace weight in orange
• Belisa Cashmere: 500 yards of purple cashmere for scarf. As soon as I finish my orange Lara sweater I plan to cast on for a scarf using the ivory cashmere I bought from them last year!
• Bijou Basin Ranch: 125 yards of yak/silk - this was my splurge fiber this year
• Wild Fibers magazine: free mini skein of alpaca for subscribing for 1 year
• Fiber Fiend: 1 skein of merino tencel sock yarn
• Fiber Fiend: 1 skein of merino/bamboo/nylon sock yarn
• Fiber Fiend: 2 sock patterns
• Caroline Homespun: Denise Needles companion set and size 1 double point rosewood Colonial Needles

Whew!