Wool Gathering '08

The most important thing about this year's Wool Gathering was the change to the welcome sign.

Here's the picture from two years ago:


And here's the picture from this year:


I feel so much better. Don't you?

Kimmie and I trekked to Yellow Springs last Sunday to enjoy another Wool Gathering. Everything was pretty much the same, and we loved every bit of it. The yarn, the roving, the knitters, the spinners, the sheeps, the ducks, the ice cream... What more could you pack into one day?

You'd be proud of me. I only bought one skein of sock yarn. Yes, that's right. One skein. And you can ask Kimmie and Wendy, it was a fight to the finish. I had my heart set on yarn from Knitting Knotions all afternoon, but finally succumbed to the allure of more Casbah from Handmaiden. I also got a monkey stitch marker and a couple sheepy Christmas ornaments. I'll show you pictures later. I also took video this time of the duck-herding sheep dog, but I'm not able to upload it at the moment.

Things to look forward to!
Here at Drunken Monkey Knits!
Things!
To look forward to!

:)

Six Birthday Sweaters

Last year, before turning the significant five years old, Maggie got to choose the pattern and yarn for her birthday sweater. This year, I had the opportunity to take her to a yarn store to pick out her yarn, but I knew we needed to pick out the pattern first. I had about seven different patterns that I couldn't narrow down. I showed them to Mom, who said that was way too many patterns to offer. I asked her which ones I should take out, and she couldn't decide, so I showed all seven to Maggie. After briefly showing and explaining each pattern, Maggie chose her pattern with no hesitation. "The cable one." I asked her if there was a reason for her choice, and she told me her Gigi (her grandma in Washington) had a cable sweater, and she wanted one like that.



The pattern is Down Under from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Knits for Older Kids.

Then it was off to Calla Lily Yarn & Gifts in Wooster, where, aided by the lovely Donna...

We promptly found every pink yarn in the building. We narrowed the selection by the important washability factor, and ended up with Cascade Cotton Club (a cotton & acrylic blend, very squooshy) as the main yarn, and Cascade Pearls for accents around the hem and cuffs.



I think it turned out pretty well.

My sister-in-law told me that when presents were about to be opened, Maggie shook each one because she wanted to open her sweater first! I'm so excited that she enjoys picking out her patterns and yarns, because that means she's invested in the process and can be proud of her decisions. There aren't any pictures of her wearing it yet (it's still too warm out for sweaters, of course!), but I hear it fits well with room for growing, which is definitely good news.


Happy Birthday, Maggie.. can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving!

Monster Made Me Do It