Post- Frolic, and Going on Holiday!

The 14th Annual Knitter's Frolic in Toronto was this past weekend, and such fun!

 I was working at the Tanis Fiber Arts booth, which was so much fun. I had been practising for questions, and was memorizing pricing and yardage info- I didn't quite manage to learn all the colours in time. So many to choose from! And it was really interesting to see that end of the knitting world, how certain colours sell, the way knitters shop- we're all so different, and yet the same.  it's amazing!

G and I are leaving for England in about 8 hours, where we'll spend some family time before heading off for a romantic holiday in Croatia! I've wanted to travel around the Dalmatian Coast for about ten years now, and G thinks I've put it off for long enough.  FOs and holiday photos when I get back!

TTC Knitalong 2010

Another summer, another TTC Knitalong in Toronto!!  If you haven't done it before, let me tell you: It's SO MUCH FUN. This year our awesome swag bags were filled with wonderful goodies from Bernat, The Naked Sheep, The Purple Purl, Plymouth Yarns, Patons, and even some bags had knitting books donated by Simon & Schuster. It was a serious score. And then to top it all off, many of the yarn stores were having special discounts and sales for the TTC Knitalong crews! Talk about getting your fiber fix. If you live anywhere near Toronto and haven't done the TTC Knitalong, you're missing out. Even if you think you're too shy, or don't have any one to go with- don't worry! You don't need to bring a friend. You don't need to be super outgoing. You just need to show up, and the mutual love of yarn and knitting pretty much takes care of the rest. It's a very welcoming, fun day for knitters of all skill levels.

I was fairly restrained in my yarn purchasing this year- I bought with very specific projects in mind, which really helped me stay on budget and on task. Let's get a closer look, shall we?

The two skeins of the Mission Falls superwash is to make my nephew a little Sheldon stuffie. The gorgeous Indigodragonfly skein (which is called "Oh Glenna and her Lemongrass Martinis") is destined to become  these armwarmers. The lovely sunshine yellow skein of Tanis Fiber Arts yarn is going to become Duck Socks (well, probably many, many pairs of duck socks). As for the Malabrigo....I couldn't resist the Pearl Ten colourway (that's the brownish-grey skeins), and then I couldn't leave the lovely, creamy natural skeins behind, either. Sigh. You can never have too much malabrigo laceweight!! Projects? Ahem. So much for staying on task! I haven't quite decided, but probably a whisper cardigan, and a featherweight cardigan. Or maybe this cowl. Or..... we'll see!!

2010 Knitter's Frolic- Toronto

The 2010 Knitter's frolic took place at the Japanese Cultural Centre in Toronto this past weekend, and it was fantastic. 

You all know how much I love a good photo mosaic, so here is the at-a-glance fun that was the Frolic:

I didn't take as many photos as I would have liked- I was so busy fondling the yarn and deciding what to buy I had to do another walk through to snap some photos! The full set is here.

 I tried to be a bit restrained this weekend- funds are a bit tight, but that didn't stop me from making a few purchases:

I'm utterly in love with the new St. Denis spring/summer 2010 issue. There are so many patterns in there that I'm desperate to knit! I also picked up a copy of Royale, a new pattern that I'm so in love with.

 Let's get a yarn close up, shall we? Top: Mirasol Sulka, one of my favourites:

I love Sulka for it's lovely, subtle heathering. The yarn is practically prismatic!

And on the left, a lovely skein by Indigodragonfly, in 'kitchen sink', and two skeins of Tanis Fiber Arts Green label in 'Stormy'. I have to confess I already own a skein of laceweight in the same 'stormy' colourway- I can't get enough of the grey blue and grey green tones. All the yarn is slated for gifts- cowls, shrugs, and the like. If only I could decide on which patterns to use!