Success . . . almost

We went to the Great Lakes Fiber Show this past Saturday.   It was loverly.  The yarns and fiber and alpaca and wheels, truly wonderful.  I save my $5 bills all year to go to this Show.  For me, it is a cash only endeavor. 

Last year, before the show, I had identified patterns to find yarn for . . . I was semi-successful of sticking to it.  There were only two slip ups . . . and, I have to say, if I am going to slip up, I do it in style.  The first was at Fiber Optics.  The other was buying six skeins (huge skeins, like 600 yard skeins) of alpaca.  The goal with the alpaca is to make an Icelandic shawl.  I also purchased a couple of skeins of Wolle Yarn Creations to make Color Affection.  So how did I do with my purchases last year?  I started Color Affection . . . it isn't very affectionate with me . . . if I were to do it over, I would use something other than Wolle.  The Icelandic Shawl skeins are finally wound (last week . . . I think guilt set in).  And, while I started the Fiber Optics shawl thing for my daughter, somewhere I lost the pattern.  Gone.  Poof.  Vanished.  And, because I am an idiot, I didn't right it down in my journal.  The Color Affection with Wolle is there.  The Icelandic shawl in the alpaca is there.  But no Fiber Optics.  Piss me off.  I know it is something with beads.  Isn't that helpful. 

Anyway, due to my lack of success last year, I decided to not overdo this year.  So I came home with a pattern for Undulating Waves.  Now, since I am anal and lose patterns, I always scan in my patterns.  Imagine my surprise when I found that I already purchased a copy of Undulating Waves.  Nuts.  However, it is a loverly pattern and I have beautiful yarn (Lorna's Lace in Flamingo Stripe)

I also bought some wool/silk combo in pinks and orange . . . no idea what I am going to do with it but I am sure to figure something out.  I also bought to other skeins of hand dyed yarn, which I don't remember the colors (gasp).  But I will take picks and figure out what to do with them.   Once I identify the pattern that works with the yarn, I bag them together.  In my own very limited way, I do try to stay organized.

One of the advantages, if you want to look at it as an advantage, since I couldn't find the pattern for the  Fiber Optic yarn, is that I plowed through all kinds of patterns and stash and have decided to unload some of the stuff that I don't like (and wonder why I bought it in the first place anyway).  I mentioned this to my sister and she said that her daughter will take any and all unloved yarns.  So that is where a huge bulk of my stash is going. 

My sister, Peg, spins.  I think I would like to learn how, but listening to the spinners and such, I know that it is a habit forming, mind blowing endeavor.  For example, my sister and her friend, Shelly both were rather disappointed that between the two of them, they had only purchased five raw fleeces.  Now, if I were going to take up spinning, I have to say that I would buy only the stuff that is already cleaned and dyed.  Not that I'm going to take up spinning, I'm just saying that is what I would do . . . although Peg does have five or six spinning wheels.  I wonder if she uses them all?