The Haul

Before I get to the haul I want to say Happy 30th Birthday to my brother, Micah. This is a picture of him with his wife Lucy who I've never met. The picture was taken somewhere in South Korea because that’s where they live. He teaches English to Korean kids. It’s hard having my brother on the other side of the world and I can’t wait ‘till he’s back in the U.S.

On to The Haul. I put that in caps because I really outdid myself in the shopping department. I bought enough so that at the end of the day my shoulders (and my feet) ached. I went without a budget but, instead, with a mental note about how much I was prepared to spend and how much would break the bank. I would up somewhere in between. I’m really very satisfied though because I did exactly what I hoped to – I bought things that were new to me. I missed the STR but buying that wouldn’t have satisfied my purpose of broadening my horizons with new things. Without further ado I present The Haul.

The recycled sari silk in this picture was my first fiber purchase. I love the colors and see it becoming a scarf or a decorative element. The blue sock yarn is from Spirit Trail Fiberworks and I had a weird thing happen to me when I bought it. A woman stopped me and asked if I’d seen “Big Girl Knits.” Well, yes I have but... huh? She thought I looked just like one of the models in it. I’m not quite sure how to take that. Other than the fact that I am larger than I’d like to be I’m not sure that I resemble any model of any type. Hmmm….

Don’t you love this Flock Bransonas sock yarn. I had to buy it. The deep red color is fantastic. They had other great colors too but I was sampling – not stocking up.

To the left is more Spirit Trail yarn. This is their silk/wool blend in a warm yellow and orange combo. I see it as the highlight of an otherwise solid sweater – maybe a fancy collar or an edging. It's really soft and has a great shine to it. I’ll have to think about it.


This charcoal gray and taupe yarn was the best deal I found at the festival. It’s 100% alpaca from A Touch of Twist and it’s so soft and beautiful. I really wish you could feel it. One bunch is 8oz and the other is about 7. They were each about $20. I’m thinking of shawls from each. I’ll start one very soon because I just can’t keep my hands off this yarn. It’s just that soft!

Below are some silk caps that I bought in the spirit of trying new things. The woman who sold them to me demonstrated how you can knit with them as they are – without spinning them into yarn. I was fascinated and I had to get some. I’m only sorry that the picture doesn’t do them justice.

Here’s more sock yarn – this is from Cherry Tree Hill which I’ve never tried before. I also got some Morehouse Farm lace weight for yet another shawl. How many shawls do I really need anyway?

One of the things I was looking for at the festival was a drop spindle. I’m intrigued by all the people out there spinning their own. I’m not sure if I’ll like it or be able to figure it out so I don’t want to invest in a wheel but a spindle seemed like a good start. Here it is resting in a cloud of roving. I can’t wait to play with it.

The last entry is more new toys. I got a lucet to make cord and dye for the Dye-o-rama. I also bought some silk hankies and silk cocoons. I mostly bought them because they fascinated me and truly have no clue what I’ll do with them. I gave a cocoon to my daughter because she learned about silk in school. I think that you may barely be able to see the sock holder in the background too.

I also bought a t-shirt and a bag and some Eucalan.

Tomorrow I hope to show you the progress on the U-Neck top. I could barely put it down last night.