What an absolutely fantastic weekend at Stitches Midwest! Let's start at the beginning. The hotel was really nice as it always is, but this year for me they were ever so accommodating. Switching me to a king from two double beds at the very start. I had my own room this year and although it is nice to have someone to talk to, it was really nice to be able to crank the thermostat up, leave the bathroom doors open and move about however you want!
When check in gave me the wrong room # and I had to go back down, they gave me $10 credit for my trouble. The Housekeeping Gal on our floor was super nice. When I asked for extra decaf for the next day, she supplied it.
After caravanning and lunch with the Knit Wits, I headed off to market. This year I was very methodical on my times at markets. Each time, I went Thursday night, Friday and well, at least the start of Saturday, I had lists of specific booths I wanted to go to and what I wanted to look at. Of course that can all be shot to heck, when you gather with friends and see what they got and then another booth is added to your list. Or if you have down time and start to see all the lovely knits that everyone is wearing and then you have to scurry back to market to check that booth out!
Thursday night, I knew I wanted to hit my main stops. I had signed up to hear Franklin and his lecture on Five Women, Five Shawls after market was over, and I knew that I pretty much had all of Friday and Saturday in the market, so I had plenty of time to shop, so I really just got was on my first list and then headed back to the room for a light dinner before heading down to hear Franklin.
Friday morning, after it was a reasonable hour to request it, I ordered room service for breakfast with a pot of coffee. Yes, it cost me but it was a super start to a great day!
I realized after I got home last night, that there is not a sweater quantity of yarn in all of my purchases, it is all scarves and cowls and mitts and one baby thing. From my pictures, I am pretty sure that you are going to come to the conclusion that this Fall is going to be a shawl knitting season!
Friday's purchases, though, were half and half. Half gifties Half Me! I am not going to single out all of the purchases, but will rather show them as I get to knitting on them.
Saturday was the major damage day! On Friday night, I still made my list for have to get to places the very first of the market, and when the doors opened, I headed right down to visit several booths on my list Unicorn Books, Yarn Culture, Fiber Story, Sun Valley Fibers, Miss Babs and the Yarnery. I knew exactly what I wanted!
But, then, the bus came from Peoria, I secured us a table to sit at, I sat down to knit my afternoon away until my travel mate was out of classes and was ready to go at 5. Several Knit Wits came, friend Becky came and then I had to go to some places again (Yarn Culture, Windy Valley Muskox)
Around 3, Becky and I headed up to the hotel lobby area for ice tea, knitting in comfy spaces, talking and waiting for her bus to leave and my car mate to be done. It was the only way to get away from that darn market and save some of my retirement money!
I've some knitting to do now, but it is raining and I am loving the prospects of (after showering and laundry) of sitting and knitting today and watching it rain with some coffee or chai. I'm off tomorrow and have the whole house to myself and will get back on the weight watching/exercising thing, but for one more day, I'm going to enjoy the life of knitting and no worries.
It was a wonderful weekend, spent with friends, seeing and getting hugs from my Knit Camp people (Holly, Denise, Mary, Sheryl) and seeing all the lovely knits that were every where you turned. And a lot of new things are going to be going into my queue!
No comments:
Post a Comment