CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER

The girls went to OFFF - the Oregon Fleece & Fiber Fair for those who don't know. It's been running for years & years & several of the Wednesday Nite Nitters -  my Wednesday knitting & Ravelry group - decided to venture forth this year as a group. Not a bad idea to share the expenses - gives you more money to buy GOODIES!! One of our favorite Vendors is at OFFF every year so at least one of us had to go shopping! Linda, at Sunset Fibers, dyes up some interesting fluff. She's the one who dyed my fibre for the cowl I want to knit from Knitter's Magazine - the Reds & Rounds cowl that extends down the shoulders to mid-arm. She's the inventor of Pink Elephant which I love.  I just joined Linda's Roving of the Month club, ordered a couple more items before I was done & spent my whole TOONIE collection!!  I save all my $2 coins & use them for fibrey purchases - that way it doesn't come out of my budget & I can buy what I want.

And it was just like Christmas when the Girls got back. I got two pairs of ChiaoGoo 24" lace needles in size 1
(2.25mm) for knitting socks! I'd been buying KnitPicks Harmony circs but their quality control has gone downhill - all of the ends where the cable joins the wood is off centre, rough & misjoined. Sending them back gets a new set in exactly the same condition. So, I've gone to a new maker - ChiaoGoo are smooth, lovely & joined perfectly!! I put them into the current sock immediately!

I got the Roving of the Month in the middle in that bluey green with the pnks.
I have no idea what it will be yet - I'm always surprised at the resulting yarn once it's actually spun up.
The bag on the left is a new colorway called Raspberry Mocha. It's designed to spin two colors at the same time for a marled yarn. I just loved the sample of the spun yarn & the buttoned cowl pattern that goes with it.

Of course, I had to get another bag of Blue Jeans. This was the bag with the lovely blue wool, neppy white wool & the nasty beige dryer fluff that shocked me when I opened it. Since it had been a gift, I tried very hard to keep my big mouth shut about it's quality & just worked with it the best I could. It was a challenge to spin - especially that beige stuff! BUT, when the skein hit the water - OMG - it just opened right up. It sucked up the water like a sponge. After rolling it in a towel & beating it several times against the outside post of my patio, I hung it to dry outside, hoping for the best. Well, it sproinged into the loveliest, touchable, hugable skein of yarn so nice that I don't want to knit it into anything. I just love to pet it. I love it so much that I ordered it a friend. Dunno what it will become, maybe socks, maybe l-o-n-g fingerless mitts, maybe a big, long rectangle to wrap around my neck & head.