Shopping and Eating My Foot at MDS&W

Thanks for all of the lovely birthday wishes. I read them to Stinkerbelle last night and she enjoyed them very much.

So, do you wanna see what I got at MDS&W? I'd love to share.

Last year I went to MDS&W and I bought all kinds of yarn and I'm a little embarrassesd to admit that most of it is still sitting in my stash. I love all of the stuff I bought and I intend to knit it up at some point but I haven't gotten to it yet. This year I prepared a shopping list and I stuck to it pretty well. There were must and wishes and I addressed both.

The very first purchase of the day (after the festival merchandise) was pure impulse. We stopped at a booth with great looking yarns and even better prices and the next thing I knew I had bought this pretty green yarn. It was in a bin of mill ends and it has no label but it's really soft, it's got great colors and these 2 skeins only cost $6 together. A steal! I even have a plan for it.

Stopping at the Brooks Farm booth was on my mental list. It wasn't a must but it was definitely a wish. I stopped there and I drooled for a while before seeing a sample Clapotis that was knit up in their Four Play yarn. It was gorgeous and soft and I could just see myself all wrapped (pun intended) up in it. It was meant to be because I recently printed off a copy of that pattern to knit and I was hoping to buy more Four Play since I really love this yarn.

The Brooks Farm booth was not only the source of fab yarn. It was also the only place I ran into anyone I knew and the person I saw there was someone I know from the local library association - not from knitting or blogging. Can you believe that? MDS&W was packed. There were people everywhere but I didn't really see anyone I knew. I guess I was just very focused on the shopping.

One of the things I was really looking for was a spinning chair. I know that I can use other chairs and I have been using a dining room chair till now but the chair I grabbed most often was the Drama Queen's and she objected. It was also a bit of a pain because it was very heavy. I looked for a replacement but most of the chairs available in my house were heavy or padded or just not right. If my beautiful Charlotte is going to sit in my living room then the chair with her should be beautiful as well.


This chair is perfect! It's cherry wood which is one of my favorites and it feels so good. It's signed on the back too. I' just love things that are signed by the artist because they feel a little more special. I also got an orifice hook made of curly maple from the same vendor. He just gave it to me when I bought the chair. It turns out that he lives very close to my house. How funny! It's such a small world.

The other item on my must list was a new Lazy Kate. Charlotte came with one but I wasn't crazy about it. Every time I ply it starts out well but, as the bobbins get lighter, they start to bounce around and plying becomes awkward. I was on a quest to find a new one. I asked a few Lendrum dealers for suggestions and they agreed that the Lendrum Kate needs to be improved. At the Mannings, I was speaking with tom about this when a woman approached. She also noted the same thing and suggested the Kate a go-go from Nancy's Knit Knacks. I got one from the Mannings and I think it'll solve the problem well - and it packs up nice and small so I can take it places too!

As I searched for a new Kate, people kept telling me that Mr. Lendrum was there. It seemed that everywhere I went, he had just been there. Finally, I stopped at the Yarn Barn of Kansas to check out the Ashford spinning chair they had and guess who was there! Mr, Lendrum! I should have just moved on but.... it was late in the day and I was feeling a little punchy and.... I walked up and said hello. Then I started gushing about how much I love my wheel. (Yes, I am a complete dork. I admit it.) Finally, I mentioned the Kate. He asked what the problem was and I told him. To his credit, he didn't look at me like I was nuts. He said that he'd look into it but I'm quite certain that he thinks I'm a crazy. Wouldn't you?