Home and unpacking

We're home again and unpacking from the Kitchener Waterlool Guild's Knitter's Fair. We've been doing this show for, mmm, 10 years? Something like that. When Deb and I did the first show (which might have been one of our first ever shows) we packed up my Honda and drove over to find that the show was in a sports complex. We picked up our boxes and started up the stairs, and up more stairs, and UP more stairs! Yes, we were on the top tier of the hockey arena! It was a great view (kids playing hockey) and gave the right atmosphere for knitting (cold and hockey, how Canadian can you get?) but, oh boy, those stairs. Needless to say, the show has moved on to a convention centre location now with nearly 80 vendors. It's easily the largest knitting show in Canada.

A little bigger than a Honda? I was pretty white knucked driving it at first, but got quite used to it (except on hwy 401 - scary). We thought we'd dress up the truck ... cute look?

What a great show! It was terrific to see many, many old friends and convert new customers to the ease of no-sewing. We had wonderful helpers: Dana, Judy, Carolyn and Zelda. And they worked like crazy Friday night, unpacking the boxes and setting everything up, then back at it at 7am Saturday morning for more setting up. We got done (more or less) at 9:29 am and the show opened at 9:30.

OK, back to the unpacking.

- Lynda

PS Deb got her adult version of the A-line Cardigan done in time and we sold out of those patterns, along with Sophy's new shawl (which, oddly enough, is called Sophy's Shawl : )

To Weave or Not to Weave

That was a real question because ... I'm really a knitter. Having said that, weaving has always been a bit of a draw. I love the look of hand woven scarves, table runners and throws. I've had a local weaver, Carolyn Houlden, weave several items for me out of knitting yarn, for me and for my sister.

A friend was looking to get rid of her loom, oh, about 8 years ago, and loaned it to me with the hope that I'd fall in love with it and buy it. But that didn't happen. It was one of those very large (took up a whole room), complicated looms. I just didn't know where to start. Too much for the first go. So I "stored" it for her for a bit until she found a buyer.

Years passed. I continue to mildly hanker after a loom. I look at little table looms but they always seemed to be using fine cotton thread (I say thread instead of yarn, as it really did look finer than I would happily knit with) in vaguely unattractive plaids. Not for me.

Then, this year, I read a post by the Yarn Harlot about weaving. Now, I read Stephanie's blog because she is a clever, real, immensely funny, knitter. And there she was blogging about her weaving efforts. And lovely weaving efforts they were! And she made a couple of important points:

• simple looms really are simple - she uses a "Cricket" but also pointed out the new Ashford Knitter's Loom - now if that didn't have me rushing over to the Ashford site, nothing would! A loom made for knitter's ... how cool is that??!!
• you can use knitting yarn!! Wow, I don't have to buy that skinny cotton stuff!!
• it only takes 5 hours to make a scarf!!! Zowie
• it's portable. Really. It has a cute little bag and everything. It folds up and doesn't take a whole freaking room! (Bear in mind that I already have a whole room of yarn, I can't afford another room for weaving - my house is too small for that.)

So, I am now the proud owner of an Ashford Knitter's Loom. Photo to follow!