trunk show

Hello everybody!  I am once again very tardy in posting to the blog but I do have a few wonderful new colorways to share so maybe that will make up for it.

First off is "Aurora" it is an incredibly vibrant colorway.  Purples, blues and greens.  Each color gradually fades into the next.  This one was inspired and dyed on a very wonderfully sunny spring day. 

I haven't come up with a name for this one yet but obviously this is a Spring colorway.  Looks like a little girls Easter dress to me or maybe just Spring flowers.  I enjoyed blending the colors together and watching them change into the next color.

Now to introduce "Deviant Behavior"!  Little Sister and I are both fans of the movie "Empire Records", Liv Tyler, Renee Zellweger and Robin Tunney. In fact one of the first movies I ever saw any of them in.  Well this yarn is from a rough quote from Renee Zellweger's character "Shock me, Shock me, Shock me with that Deviant Behavior".  A little Black and little Red a little blue .... Deviant for sure!  I think we will be watching Empire Records this coming weekend.  I will be visiting OKC for a Trunk show at SWAK in the City Friday and Saturday.  All of these colors and many more will be available there, hope to see some of you there!

The Knit Out in Guthrie Ok. was an incredible trip and I am way way tardy in posting about it. 

 My Knit Out experience began with a trip to the OKC airport where I picked up Wendy.  How lucky can one woman be?  I have been very fortunate to be able to say that Wendy has become a dear friend and so getting to spend yet another weekend in her company was incredible.   We (my lil' sis, my dd, Wendy and myself) immediately heading downtown to the Bricktown area of OKC.  I tried to think of some place to eat that Wendy couldn't really get anywhere else, so to Toby Keiths I Love this Bar and Grill we went.  Not sure but I think a good time was had by all.  We also were joined by my buddy and dear friend Courtney. If you follow Wendy's blog you have heard of LB, well I have chosen Courtney as my LB, since Wendy won't share I figured I better find my own.  Seriously, Courtney is an amazing woman and I absolutley love being in her company, she is so much fun.

Our next stop was the OKC National Memorial. I really could go on and on about this but if I did I would just sit here and cry.  It is a heart wrenching site and there are not words to describe how this Memorial touched me.  I had not been to the bombing site since that day and it had a profound effect on me.

We then made our way up to Guthrie and SWAK, once there we met up with several wonderful knitters all getting ready for our big weekend of knitting fun.  People drove and flew in from all over the place from Canada to Texas. 

The weekend was filled with wonderful people and lots of great classes.  My first class was with Mags Kandis, I really got a lot of color inspiration from her.  Then on to a class with Joan Schroader, talk about a talented knitter.  I truely think she knows everything that there is to know about knitting. 

OK I say all that to lead up to this great little story.  I have a little sister that from here on out will be called theif...no she will be called BFF of Wendy.  My sister who lives in Guthrie invited Wendy over for the evening after all the knitting fun was over.  I think that Wendy is some sort of a witch because she has placed a spell on theif, OH I mean BFF of Wendy.  I have been trying for years to get my sister to knit with absolutely no success but one night with Wendy and she is addicted.

Now since Wendy got her started I think she has finished 2 projects.  Honestly I am so proud of my baby sis, she jumped right in and is trying to learn all she can.  Lucky for her she lives within miles of one of Oklahomas best yarn stores.   Before the weekend was over I had gotten to spend some time with family and friends and even get in some knitting what could be better then that.

Continuation:  I had such a wonderful time with all the ladies at SWAK.  I know many of you haven't been able to visit the actual store but have probably heard about their annual retreat so I will give you my opinion.  I am a knitter first and foremost, I love all things fiber related but there is nothing more wonderful then walking into a yarn store.  I can totally get lost in all the colors and textures, bright and dull, soft and rough.  Walking into the Guthrie store is like going to a favorite Aunts house, warm and inviting.  The decor fits the town it is situated in, Guthrie was the first State Capital of Oklahoma and the shop is (I think) in one of the original buildings from the late 1800's and early 1900's.  The store has almost an antique feel, but there is nothing out of date about it and it is just extremely comfortable. 

Towards the back of the store, once you have made it through the mountains of color and texture you come to the classroom area, and boy do these girls know how to put out a spread.  We had veggies, crackers, cheese, cupcakes, pop and of course a little wine.  I didn't get back to the food till later but I did get the above pic of some of these amazing ladies.  Like just about every other yarn shop with places to sit and enjoy your knitting friends it was a space filled with laughter and happy conversation.  I did finally get to join in the chatting and got to tell you I really had a great time talking and drinking my glass of wine.  

It was getting late and I am happy to report that though I had showed up with 2 very large tubs of yarn I only left that evening with one.

The next morning I got up spent some time with my niece and daughter, got ready to go and was at SWAK in the City by 10am.  I am still kicking myself for totally forgetting to take any pictures of the large lime green house that contains SWAK in the City.   I have seen other stores in old homes and they are always fascinating to explore.  I could spend hours walking from room to room and back again and see something I had missed before.  This one has a great perk, it is immediately next door to a little cafe that makes an amazing Vanilla Latte, always a good thing for knitters.

I had a wonderful day there too and got to meet a whole new set of knitters.  There was a wonderful knitting class taking place and I think I picked up a tip or two.  Can't express how much fun I had getting to talk and meet all the wonderful folks in OKC.  I could not believe that I forgot to take any pictures though! 

Thank you so much for all the wonderful knitters who gave me such a warm and encouraging welcome.   A very special Thank You to Keely and her incredible staff, you really made this weekend wonderful and made me feel so at ease. 

There has been much other news since my trip to Guthrie and OKC, I will save that for the next  post.  

You can trust me I managed to post 2 days in a row!!!

Hello strangers where have you all been???  Just kidding, I know I haven't blogged in a while but I am always apologetic and contrite, and once again I will try to do better.  LOL  You believe me right??

Ok, so I find this title kinda funny on several levels, one being all the recent (last couple of months) drama on Ravelry and I have such a difficult time blogging regularly.   My take on the first is that although I do not agree with the actions of the dead/undead vendors. I can see how they, getting severely overwhelmed and thus discouraged and then way in over their heads, got a little crazy.  As for myself if and when I get tired of dyeing yarn all the time and it stops being fun I think I will bow out as gracefully as possible without any fictional death.   As for my lack of blogging see previous paragraph.

Now on to some of the news....

The SWAK trunk show was amazing!!!  In preparation for the show not only did I dye a bunch of yarn but I received a couple of very generous offers to borrow some completed knitted items from The Knitting Patch and Wendy.  The Knitting Patch made a Susan Shawl out of the Moondance Glam Grrl.  Ellen was kind enough to take a picture and allow me to share it here. 

Don't I look like I am having a wonderful time, that and I am wearing The Knitting Patches beautiful shawl, who wouldn't be ecstatic.  Wendy sent me 2 of the actual socks she designed and knitted with Tempted yarns.  There is a little crazy story attached to that too.  Wendy was not only kind enough to offer to send the socks but she also shipped them overnight via the USPS to my sisters house in Guthrie.  However they didn't show up overnight :-((  and when the mail ran on Friday they still weren't there but they did leave a little note saying that I could pick it up at 9am Sat morning.  THE SHOW STARTS FRIDAY NIGHT!!!  I decided I had to try to get it Friday night anyway.  I barely had time to breath and change clothes before I needed to be at SWAK, so I made a mad dash to the post office and of course NO Parking anywhere near the post office.  At this point I am tearing my hair out and finally after going around 3 blocks trying to find a spot I got one.  I RUN ,in heels, into the Post Office only to be confronted with a line 10 people deep.  Screaming on the inside I smile and try to be patient, however I think I must have looked a little crazed, they were really nice to me, probably afraid I would go "postal".   Luckily the package had just gotten back to the office and I got it, in my hot little hands were 2 of "Wendy's" hand knit socks in Tempted!!!  I am seriously a very lucky woman.  I have made some of the most amazing knitting friends!

Finally get to SWAK and begin to unload all the loot.  You have to check out my helpers!

Now you could not find nicer and cuter helpers then these two.  It was after nap time so they were in a great mood. :-) They are both barely 2 and were already naming off all the colors as the set them out.  Smart kids huh? 

You may remember my neice from the butterfly wings photos around Thanksgiving last year.  I did bring that shawl to show and when Ivie saw it she started squealing for her butterfly wings, it was so cute.  It took a little coaxing and a bribe to get her to leave them for the show.

I think I will have to continue this post later, this Daylight Savings time thing is making me very tired.  I will continue telling about the trunk show soon. Really I will!!