Wool-a-pa-what-a?

Wow! Next week is Memorial Day weekend! You know what that means?!?

Wool-A-Palooza, Bay-beeeee!!!

As I look forward to a whole day of yarn and fiber and friends next Saturday, I thought I'd give you a look back at why I love this event so very much! For me, it started in 2009...my first year...the year I went in with a plan. I had a list of things I wanted to knit, and the amount and kind of yarn I'd wanted for each, and I walked away with so. much. yarn!!! And a spindle! And some Eucalan soak! I even pilferred some yarn from somebody else's stash, after the festival was over, and it is possible that I have actually knit all of this yarn! lol!

I settled down a little bit in 2010...

Yeah, in my dreams! 2010 was the year that Calla Lily (now out of business, sadly) had a half-off sale just a couple miles down the road from the fairground festivities, and my plan was a little looser than the year before, leading to this stash enhancement...pretty impressive! Still, I have managed to knit much of this up into something...

Then came 2011, the year with NO plan...no plan at all. There were a lot of moments like this in 2011...

and this...

and there was still an impressive haul, and I've mostly knit up this stash. 

2012 was the first year that a baby came with us to Wool-a-palooza, and it was fun to see even the youngest member of CKW drooling on yarn...like, literally!

More goofy photos, and photos of photos being taken!

and not quite as big a haul...but there was definitely yarn in my bag when I got home, and some fun jewelry, too! 

That white cotton there is supposed to be a light, summer-weight top...but it's not yet. I don't think I've spun that red fiber either...no plan at all apparently leads to much stash!

In 2013, I went nuts buying fiber to spin...I bought like 2 pounds! It was a little crazy, but I don't seem to have a photo of it all together, so here's a picture of my friend Debbie, in front of some of the softest, prettiest fibers...I bought a purple one! 

There was more sock knitting in the sun, too. (I'm actually knitting a sock from 2011 yarn!)

Just before we went last year, I remembered that I had set a goal to take a lotta selfies, so I totally did! You can check THIS LINK if you want to see all of them, but for now, here's a photo of four fiber friends, basking in the funtimes... 

and the final stash, which has been largely untouched for the last 51 weeks...

Aren't those neon, light-up needles fun!?! One of my favorite finds last year! Finally, bringing this post full circle, here's Pretty at Pollywogs in 2014, wearing a sweater knit in 2013 from yarn bought in 2011 and jewelry from 2012's wool-a-palooza, carrying a bag knit from 2010 yarn, holding yarn that may not be knit until sometime in the next decade.

Boy, oh boy! I can barely wait until next Saturday! I'll bet you have lots of questions...

"What will you buy, Pretty? Yarn? Fiber? Jewelry? Livestock?"

Hahahahaha! Well, I probably will not buy any livestock...this year anyway! 

"Will you have a plan? Will you knit the new yarn? Or the old?"

Right now, my biggest decisions involve casting on a project to knit in the sun after the shopping next Saturday, and whether I will travel to Wooster with or without a plan...hmmmmm...I suppose I still have time to figure all of that out, right?!? Right! For now, I'm going to go knit some dishcloths...I'm up to 15! lol!

If you're a knitter, I hope to see you at the Great Lakes Fiber Show (aka WOOL-A-PALOOZA, bay-beeee!) next Saturday. If not there, then maybe I'll see you around Blog-land, where I'll update you on all the fun in '15 at Wool-a-palooza!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! (Knit...and buy yarn...and fiber...and learn to spin...with friends...in the sunshine!)

Layers of Knitting

Sometimes it takes a fresh eye...

to inspire the simple knits! This little cutie came over while his parents were moving into a new house. He walked into the "yarn room," and he said (eyes open wide in wonder), "Is this all YOURS???" It was a beautiful moment, and even though this guy isn't even a blood relation, he is clearly the smartest little boy I've met in a long time! He then said, matter of factly, "My favorite color is yellow."

Naturally, I immediately located a ball of yellow yarn, and we sat down with needles and yellow yarn. I asked if I should start his knitting for him, and he said, "Nooo. You needle YOUR yarn. I needle dis." A-do-ra-ble! So, I found something simple, a pile of cloths I have been working on for a few days, 

and we "needled" together instead of napping. Well, I may have napped a little...but I'm pretty sure he did not give in. lol!

Oh, to have the energy of a three-year-old...what I wouldn't give!!! Well, I probably wouldn't give up my yarn stash...or these new cloths!

I was tired at the end of our visit, but I sure had fun, and so did my little friend. What have you been doing for fun lately? Whatever it is, thanks for taking a break to stop by, and Knit in Good Health this week!

Throwback Saturday?

Up until this week, I had never done a throwback Thursday anywhere. Then, on Wednesday, I found some old photos, so I slapped up a photo of me and a couple of my cousins in 1983...

As I looked through some of the other photos of photos that I had hanging around the hard drive, I found this one...

It only seems appropriate to post an old family photo this close to Mother's Day. This one was taken at my grandparents' house, circa 1973. I'm the one with ponytails and straight bangs. :)

When I look at this photo, and I think about it, I had a pretty good childhood. I know that our family wasn't rich...but we weren't poor...and my sister and I were certainly loved! We still are, as a matter of fact. Even though Dad has been gone for over 20 years (yes, he died wayyyy too young, at 57), Mom is still around, and she still loves us well...very well. It's a pretty good feeling to know that you are loved beyond reason. 

My mom with Peanut, a couple summers ago...love.beyond.reason!

Even though I'm all grown up, with grown up kids (and now grandkids, and kids-in-law!), I know that my mom still loves me beyond reason. Thanks, Mom!

If you can, call or see your mom this weekend. Unless she currently lives with you, I am sure that she misses you...and I'm pretty sure that she loves you beyond reason.* **

Happy Mother's Day tomorrow! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health...maybe knit with your mom for a bit!

*If your mom isn't around anymore, I'm sorry. I know that this is likely a painful weekend for you, but I hope that you will find time to linger over a treasured memory.

**If you feel, for whatever reason, that your mom doesn't love you beyond reason, I'm sorry. Try to remember that she is human, and all humans make mistakes. Do what you have to do to honor the sacrifices she made for you, and remember that you are human too.

I Thought She Was a Mouser...

I've never thought of Black Cat as adventurous, or outgoing. She has a lazy side, and a bit of a foot fetish. (Ewww, please look away from my feet!)

But White Cat, she's adventurous! I've always thought that she would be a mouser, if only she had a mouse...so I knit one!

White Cat checked out Miss May Mousie...

She even tried to nudge it with her paw...

In the end, however, she wasn't that impressed. 

And Miss Mousie wasn't very intimidated by the "mouser" either...I think she actually mocked White Cat a little. (Yee-haw! Ride 'em kitty! Backwards even!)

I thought the mouse was really cute, and I was impressed...I mean, look! I knit a mouse!

I dressed the mouse!!!

"So what?," says my mouser, "Can you knit a cat?"

Well, White Cat, I can. And I have. But I don't need any more cats.

Is anyone out there in blog land in need of a sassy calico? Free to a good home, but know that she's got a bit of an attitude, and she can't even catch a stuffed mouse! (Just kidding. I have to keep White Cat...she is such a good prop for the knitting photos! lol!)

Thanks for stopping by, friends! Happy hump day, and Knit in Good Health!

Brightly Colored Crafting

So, the last time I picked up my plastic canvas, this is what I found...

Somebody's been sewing on my craft! lol! Too funny! I Suppose I could go ahead and cut another square to finish the silly cube I was planning to make. Or I could do something else...what else could I do?

That's right! I could knit! Indeed I have been knitting...just take a look!

There's a knitted ball, which actually looks way more like a cube in my case. (I wonder if it would be more round if I knit those strips shorter?) Maybe I'll just accept it as a cube, and perhaps I'll even miniaturize it for the next one, because we all know there will be a next one! 

Besides the ball, there are actually TWO pair of baby socks, one toe-up (in brights) and one top-down (in pastels) for my favorite Sweet Pea! The photos above show approximately 1.75 socks, but the photo below shows that I have finished both pair...4 socks...yay!

And that's not all, NO! That's not all! I may or may not have purchased another skein of Destination Yarn...seriously, I love this yarn!

This one is called "Color Run," and even though I have never done a color run, the idea of knitting a Traveling Woman Shawl with Destination Yarn named for a 5k just slays me with the coolness! So much movement...I bet I'll burn off many cheeseburgers knitting that one! Right?!? Right. I mean, here's a closeup... (drool!!!)

Don't ask me to be accountable to that project anytime soon, though...there are some projects promised to Peanut that I haven't even started, so another shawl for me may have to wait. (I don't really mind...I think my next knit is a mousie!)

For right now, I'm only accountable to the cats (for lap time and noms) and Peanut (for knitted toys, of course). I hope that you and your knitting are loved beyond reason, and that you are enjoying your Saturday afternoon!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!