Things I Dream Of

1) I dream of taking a bath. I'm one of those people who takes a bath instead of a shower every day. At least I was until we started the rehab work on our bathrooms and laundry room. The workers are doing a great job, but it is a big project and it's taking longer than I would like. The bathtub is in the room, but Houston, we still have a problem.

2) Being warm. The heat at Lorna's Laces has been out since Monday. Brrr....  I'm warm enough if I wear my coat all day, but I'd like to take it off. And the gloves making typing hard.

3) World Peace. (I know that's a t-ball one, but it needs to be included.)

4) A loooong vacation. I think everyone should try and get more than a week away from work. I've only had one of those in the past 10 years. I'd love to figure out a month away, but that's just a pipe dream. BTW, visiting family isn't a vacation. It's a trip, but not a vacation.

5) My 18 year old body. The funny thing is that I wasn't happy with it then either. Some things never change, do they? Maybe I should come to terms with my biology.

6) An extra hour or so in the day. I'm not going to be greedy, I don't need an extra day in the week or anything. I just want an extra hour to hang out with the people I love in the evening and knit.

7) My mom before dementia. The woman who did such a great job of  raising me has been gone for some time. I don't like the new one nearly as well. But I love her just as much. Maybe more.

8) A winning Lotto ticket. I'd like to be rich but not famous. I want to be able to move around the planet without being recognized. In my private jet. Or on my yacht.

9) Coming back in my next life as a dog. A dog with a life like this one.

10) Adding one new true friend to my life every year. We're all moving so fast through this life, staring at screens. Let's not forgot that people are what makes us all rich. (Yacht excepted.)

Vindicated!!

I was lucky enough to spend last weekend teaching at VKLive. It's a super event from beginning to end.

I open my class with a little talk about how we create colors at Lorna's Laces. I think people are kind of surprised that we're not all about color theory and the color wheel. We work more organically than that around here.

I discuss paying attention to the world around us. After all, we are surrounded by color. Think about the row after row of towels you see at the department store. (photo Wilson's Dept. Store)

Instead of just picking up the green towels you need for your bathroom, have you ever stopped to think about how they play off one another? Look at the jumble of colors, there's no rhyme or reason here, but they all look wonderful. Not a single one of them is asking if it's OK to sit next to their complementary color or across from their secondary friend. They all coexist in a delightfully chaotic fashion. 

What about the walk you took last weekend? It's been a beautiful fall and I bet there were a couple of houses with pots full of mums on the porch. (photo kdhamptons.com)

Again, all the colors are living together happily. They aren't fighting or bickering. So what's up with all the rules we hear about? I've always thought they were kinda stupid. Something thought up by some scholar somewhere to suck all the fun out of something pretty. And fun. 

Lo and behold, when I got home on Sunday evening, my weekly Houzz.com update was in the mailbox. I opened it up and towards the bottom was an article by Becky Dietrich about breaking the rules in decorating. Most of what she talked about was color. There was some discussion of texture as well, but mostly color. 

Let me quote just a little bit of it:

Wait a minute; what about the rules of the color wheel? I gotta be honest: Primary colors, secondary colors and tertiary colors make my head swim. Talk about taking all the fun out of decorating! 

Tamar Schechner

Here's the deal: The color wheel was developed in the 18th century by painters, for painters. It was never meant to apply to using color in our homes.

Design heresy? Yes. But consider this: Studied rooms, where the palette was chosen nose-to-color-wheel, almost always feel ... studied. Rooms like the one shown here take a much freer, more organic approach, using color the way we see it in nature. Just look at the bit of the flower arrangement we can see. Revel in that natural approach to color!

We never worry whether the bright lime green of new needles on an evergreen tree works with the darker gray-green of the older foliage. We never declare it anathema because a warm color is mixed with a cool one. If you want a rule for how to work with color, simply take notes from nature.

Elizabeth Gordon

One more word about the color wheel before I crawl off this particular high horse. Look at the comfy chocolate color of this nursery's walls. Isn't it yummy? But did you know that brown does not even appear on the color wheel? Enough said.

Yes, 'nuff said. 

Lace Knitting: Basics and Beyond

Hi friends! Amanda here.

There are two sides to every coin as they say. In this case the coin is covered in a gorgeous combinations of YOs and K2togs.

I love lace. I mean really LOVE it! My favorite knit piece is my Rock Island Shawl made with Helen's Lace in Ashburn. I know, I know, a high contrast multi in a complicated lace pattern? It really does work I promise. I get compliments every time I wear it out. Generally this is followed with big eyes and "Did you make it?!". "No, I did not." is always my response. It is sad to admit but I did not make it. A wonderful knitter named "sleep2dreamher" on Ravelry made it for me.

That, my friends, is the other side of the coin. I am very very bad at lace. I try and I try and I just can't make it work...even the simplest patterns. I have to admit I am a stockinette sock kind of girl. I have lace fears. Shameful lace fears.

Enter stage left, Eunny Jang.

You guys know Eunny Jang right? Blogger, turned editor of Interweave Knits, turned now instructor at Craftsy. She is also a really amazing cook but that is sort of unrelated I guess. For those who don't know Craftsy you should really check it out. You can take classes on ANYTHING! Knitting and crochet of course but also sewing, baking, cooking, photography, fine arts, jewelry making, spinning, weaving...even cake decorating. All from the comfort of your own laptop, desktop or tablet. It is pretty cool.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Lace.

Eunny recently launched an amazing 9 lesson lace tutorial. This puppy covers it all. From casting on to binding off and all the chart reading and stitches in between. She even cover things like how to find and fix mistakes and how to insert lace patterns into other designs. And for the tiny bit of dork in all of us there is even a bit on the actual structure of the stitches of lace. Eunny is leaving no lace covered stone unturned here and doing it all using our gorgeous yarns of course.

So far over 500 students have enrolled in that class and with this link you can too. Heck you will even receive 25% off! Personally I think overcoming my lace fears is worth $29.99.

And we're finished...get it...finished. ;-)

The Doctor is Turning 50!!

Having you been looking for a gift for your favorite Time Lord fan? Or are your a companion yourself?  I mean c'mon, Doctor Who is turning fifty this month!

In case you aren't in the know, the whole thing is actually pretty cool. The anniversary of the first episode of Doctor Who is coming up on November 23rd. It's on a Saturday this year, just like it was way back then. Serendipitous, don't you think? They are airing it in the UK and the US on the same day. (Clever!)  They're also going to simulcast the program in 3-D to theatres in selected cities. Our Bettie tried to get tickets but they sold out in less than twenty minutes! She might have been a little grumpy about it. (OK, alot of grumpy.)

Anyway, we got together with the lovely and talented Kate Atherleyhttp://kateatherley.com/ (you might know her as Wisehilda) to create two patterns, Time & Space Knee Socks and Time & Space Scarf. These lovelies are loosely inspired by the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker.

Here are the details.

Socks.  Toe-up knee socks.

The pattern is worked toe-up, and written for DPNs, Magic Loop and 2 circulars, as you prefer. Four sizes, finished foot circumferences 7 to 8.5 inches, fitting teens to XL women's.  A variation for calf-length socks is included, too.

Six colors, in rather fetching stripes.  The kit of Lorna's Laces Shepherd sock contains special half skeins of the Shepherd Sock yarn - enough to make a pair of knee socks, or a two pairs of mid-calf socks, one pair for you, one pair for your companion. We're shipping them to your LYS in time for you to have it for the big event. Just give them a call. 

If you've got a Ravelry account, and just want the pattern it's available here. 

And a Scarf.

Nice and long. With tassels, naturally.

Patterns uses about 90yds of each of six colors from Lorna's Laces Shepherd Bulky. A kit is available from your favorite Lorna's retailers contains special sized skeins, just enough to make the scarf.

If you've got a Ravelry account and just want the pattern available, it's available here.

Or a Shawl. 

If your lifestyle requires a more ladylike or subtle homage to your favourite traveller, perhaps the Bigger on the Inside Shawl? Free pattern on Knitty. The pattern uses our Solemate in the colorway Bigger on the Inside. Again, your LYS can set you up. 

It's good to be well-dressed and warm if you're going on a journey. One of these should be just what you need.

Yarn is Magic

From time to time, we get a note from a customer that makes all of us stop dead in our tracks. This was one of them. Please pass the tissues.

Dear Lorna's Laces, 

My friend finds herself in the same scary situation we did a few  years ago… Her son is coming 8 weeks early with complications and they're just not ready yet. I knew how much she wanted to knit her son a Wool Leaves, so I hightailed it to my LYS, Fibre Space, and bought 3 hanks of Shepherd Worsted in Fjord. One 16-hour car ride this past weekend later and a lot of knitting time and I have a blocked blanket, ready for today's emergency c-section.

Knitting with that yarn was a joy. I don't know how I forgot how soft and wonderful it is. I thought of you guys doing your thing at Lorna's Laces, my friend's scary situation, flashbacks from our month at the NICU and hoping we'd all make it out of there alive and put so much of myself emotionally into this blanket. The yarn choice was PERFECT (she wanted a "soft, washable, gray blue") and I can't wait until they can bring him home wrapped up in it.

Please give every awesome person at Lorna's Laces a hug from me. It was the perfect yarn for the perfect project. A very emotional knit.

Hope you are all well!

Downton

If you know me at all, you know that I am woefully uniformed when it comes to pop culture. I'm so bad that I haven't watched a single episode of Breaking Bad. Or Downton Abbey. I hear they are both all the rage.

I wish I could say I spend my time reading lofty novels or volunteering at the local animal shelter, but that's just not true. I spend too much of my TV time watching other people cook and decorate their homes. Every once in awhile I get fancy and rent a romantic comedy from Netflix. Oh yeah, we live large. 

The other day I saw a copy of Interweave's Unofficial Downton Abbey Knits.  It's styled in a very retro fashion, but there are a ton of patterns that are really current if you wear them with today's sensibility. Just think about this dress over a pair of leggings or skinny jeans with boots. (This isn't our yarn, but you could easily substitute Shepherd Sock or Solemate.)

This little short sleeved top would be all that and a bag of chips if you slipped it on over a tank and added tights and a chunky heel.

This men's sweater is our yarn. It's combo of Shepherd Worsted and Pearl. It's called the Footman's Vest. You can't take the model home, but I think it'd be swell on a casual office day.

Amanda's husband Derek almost always wears a bow tie to work on Fridays. He'd look dreamy in this. 

The Davenport Collection

Awhile back, our good friend Laura Chau came to us with the idea of doing a collection of patterns in Lorna's Laces yarns. We said "Yes, please!!"  (There were more exclamation points around here, but they'd take up too much space in this newsletter.)

We knew they be good, but these beat our expectations! It's a sweet little collection. Two pullovers, a cardi, a shawl and an infinity scarf. It kinda hits all the bases. The patterns are available through Ravelry and if you buy three or more, you get a 25% discount.

So, without further ado, the Davenport Collection.

First up is Borden, the infinity scarf. This is knit from two skeins of Shepherd Worsted. It's shown here in 23ns Berry. The unusual lace pattern look different and beautiful on both sides.

Next is Elston, a seamless raglan worked from the bottom up. The lace panel in the back gives it a bit of a swing.  That lace is repeated along the front bands. It's knit in our Sportmate and is shown here in 59ns Dobson.

This cozy v-neck seamless sweater is worked in Haymarket, Lorna's Laces latest yarn. It's a single ply Bluefaced Leicester.Sizes for Henwick run from 30"-76" so there's a fit there for all of us!

 

Snuggle up with Lansdowne  for the long winter ahead. This beauty is also knit from Haymarket. It has Latvian braid trim and slip stitch shaping. The color combos are endless! And again, Laura provides a full range of sizing.

You can knit Terauley from just one skein of Shepherd Sock. Here it is in 7ns Cedar.

I haven't quite decided whether Terauley or Lansdowne should be up next for me. I've still got the Rhinebeck sweater to get finished before we head to NY next week. Yikes!

I'm trying to figure out the theme behind the names. Let's make that into a little contest. Reply with your answer until midnight on October 10th. I'll use the random number generator to pick the winner of a skein of yarn to make Terauley on Friday.

Vote the Art That Will Inspire the Yarn!

We work with a fabulous shop in Massachusetts called Colorful Stitches. Mary and Bonnie are always coming up with great new ideas. We lucky enough to be part of their latest scheme. I'll let them tell you about it. This is from their Ravelry page. 

We're teaming up with Lorna's Laces to create three exclusive colorways in their Shepherd Sock and Shepherd Worsted yarns. We’re looking to our original illustrations by graphic designer Jim Carroll for the inspiration for these exclusive colorways. Jim Carroll’s illustrations for Colorful Stitches have appeared for the past twelve years in Vogue Knitting Magazine’s fall issue.

First, we’ll need you to vote for three out of five proposed illustrations you see here that will be ones used to inspire new colorways. Voting is from now until Saturday, Sept. 28. 

Once you have voted the winning three, they’ll be sent to Lorna’s Laces where Lorna’s dyers will work their magic creating three prototype colorways per illustration. Then we’ll turn the decision back to you to vote on which colorway best captures the illustration that inspired it. Lastly, we’ll need your help to name each of the three new colors.

There’s a prize to be won (3 prizes in fact) at the end of this voting and naming. The three participants who suggest the winning names will each receive skeins of the new colorways in both Shepherd Sock and Shepherd Worsted - 6 skeins per prize.

We’ll remind you in upcoming Colorful Stitches e-newsletters (not a subscriber, then click here to become one) when to vote and on what, plus announce voting results. You can jump into the voting at any phase you wish. You do not have to be a member of our Ravelry Group to participate or to win.

Have 10 seconds? then watch Jim Carroll’s animation of your choices here.

So, there are a couple of ways to vote. You can go to the Ravelry page or you can do it on Facebook too. 

I just voted, but I'm not telling which ones I picked. I honestly think they're all pretty fab. 

Orange Cookies

Over Fourth of July weekend, I spent a couple of days visiting my brother in South Carolina. Our visit got cut a little short because there was bad weather in Atlanta, but we made it down there safe and sound.

One of the reasons I like to visit them so much is that they always have lots of goodies in the house. He has a sweet tooth like you wouldn't believe and he's never left wanting. While we were there his wife made a batch of his favorite childhood cookies. Orange Cookies. I'd forgotten all about them. They were a favorite of mine too. I'd be embarrassed to admit how many of them I wolfed down with a big ol' glass of milk. 

She printed a copy of the recipe for me and I dropped in my bag and promptly forgot all about them again. Then over Labor Day weekend, I decided that I needed to clean things up in there. Lo and behold, the Orange Cookie recipe. We were heading to a friend's house for a BBQ so I offered to bring dessert. 

These are actually more like little cakes than cookies. You mix them like cake batter and they have that kind of texture. I think that's why I like them so much, they're a little different.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 c butter

1/2 c lard (This is a WWII recipe and there was rationing. I use all butter.)

1-1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

1 c. buttermilk (You can make this by adding a T of vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk)

3-1/2 c flour

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

grated rind of 1 orange and juice to make 1/2 c.

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and lard with the sugar. Add eggs one at a time and blend until fluffy. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the egg/fat/sugar mixture. Blend well. Add 1/2 of the wet ingredients. Blend well. Continue to alternate the wet and dry until they are all incorporated. Chill batter. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Icing

Mix together 1 T cream and 2 T orange juice and rind. Add powdered sugar until it's thick enough to spread. 

I think this recipe lies when it comes to frosting. I'd make a recipe and a half or even double it.

Pour a big glass of milk and enjoy.  

Small World (I am Lucky to Work in Yarn.)

Every summer I join a few friends for a weekend of fun and games up in Spring Green, Wi. There's a wonderful place up there called American Players Theater. They do a half dozen plays in rep every summer.

We've been going once or twice a year for 15 years or more. This year we're going to see Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Too Many Husbands. No Shakespeare. I am not a fan. (I know, I'm a heathen.) But I do love Shaw and his ilk. That drawing room comedy sucks me in every time.

Up until the last couple of years, there was only one, outdoor, stage. That means you're at the mercy of the weather. We saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof wearing long johns and shivering under blankets. We've also melted under 95 degree sun. Part of the fun is never being sure what you'll get. Nowadays, they have an indoor stage too which makes things a little easier to plan. Of course you can never predict rain, but you have a better shot of being comfortable during that August matinee if you are indoors.

This morning, I needed to call the box office to get a few details of our upcoming trip straightened up.

Me: Hello, my name is Beth Casey. I have some questions about our upcoming visit.
Her: Sure thing, how can I help?
Me: We'll be there during open house weekend. How should we make arrangements for the Inside Out Tour.
Her: Lengthy explanation.
Me: Super, got it! Thanks for everything. We love coming to visit.
Her: Thank you too! You know, I'm a big fan, I love your yarn.
Me: Thanks! (Blush)

I'm not naive enough to think that this person knew my name without the help of caller ID flashing "Lorna's Laces".  But still, how cool is it that? How often do you make a random customer service call and have the person on the other end know your work?

I can't say it too often. I am lucky to work in yarn.

Cover Girl!

  We just heard from Vogue Knitting and we're on the cover of the Fall issue!! Yowsa! 

This incredible Deborah Newton design features an applied cable. I saw it myself at market and it took my breath away. I really love how it's styled here with the red lipstick. Great job! 

It's knit in Haymarket and shown here in 51ns Island Blue. 

I'd like to throw down a gauntlet on this one. Actually two. I'll give the  first person who sends me a photo of their finished Applied Cable Fisherman's Rib Top  (that's a mouthful) up to a sweater's worth of yarn for their next project. And the first person who comes up to me at Rhinebeck wearing one will get the same. 

Somehow this one just screams Rhinebeck sweater to me. What do you think? 

My Stitches Midwest Haul

I snuck out of work early on Friday and spent the afternoon at Stitches Midwest. Don't tell my boss. ;-)

I picked up an orange yarn bowl from Pawley Studios. Now I have an orange Jennie the Potter bowl and this one.  I wonder who should be next?

I stopped by to talk with Ron and Theresa from the Buffalo Wool Company and mentioned that I was signed up for a drop spindle class at Rhinebeck and somehow a bundle of beautiful silk/bison fiber ended up in my bag. So did a pair of these cute little bird nesting balls. And yes, we giggled like a bunch of teenagers.

I saw so many friends! If I tell you about it all, I'll just sound like a tedious name dropper, so I'll let your imagination go wild.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I am lucky to work in yarn.

Fall Colors

I thought  you might like to see the new fall colors. They were in the newsletter I sent out yesterday, but figured I should post them here too. Did I hear someone say that they don't get the newsletter? Well you can sign up here. No need to worry about your email box getting inundated, I'm not nearly as good at spreading the news as I should be.

We moved a little away from our usual Chicago based naming scheme this season. We thought it would be fun for us each of us to tell you a piece of our story through the colors. So, without further ado:

My parents met in Arlington, VA. 

Michael started school in Flushing, NY.

Amanda was born in Louisville, KY

Mento hails from Monrovia, Liberia. 

Casey went to high school in Reno, NV. 

Bettie met her beau in Rippey, IA. 

Tito had his first kiss in Rockaway, NY.

Tony's fiirst date was in Worcester, MA. 

    (We have 8 colors and only 7 people, so we added the story of my friend Tony who works in the studio right next door.) I didn't think you'd mind.

    We've also got some cute models that we'll be posting over to Facebook and Twitter and the like. Here's one that Amanda created in Reno called The Biggest Little City Cowl. It's a freebie over on Ravelry. 

As always, we'll dye any of our yarns in any of the colors. Including our newest yarn, Haymarket. I have Jaywalkers in Arlington on the needles right now. What are you thinking about? 

Queen Street Cardigan

We're back from market and getting settled back into what masquerades as routine around here. We've got some new things that I'll be sharing with you over the next little bit. Mostly this season is about new colors for us. And the stunning things some of our favorite designers have been doing with them.

The first one I want to show you is Andi Smith's Queen Street Cardigan. It's shown here in Louisville, one of our newest colors. It's a real show stopper! Here's what Andi says about her design process:

I love shawls! I love knitting them, the romance of them and the way they look on people. Sadly, I can't wear them to save my life. I'm round-shouldered and they just slither off and look a bit silly on me. 

Planning for our national trade show, I really wanted to be able to wear a knitted garment, however, Columbus in June can be a bit on the hot side, so whatever I chose needed to be lace-weight. I searched for patterns, and didn't find anything that suited my body type, so, with some rather luscious Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace, I designed something new. 

For a few weeks, I was calling it the shawligan, all the good parts of a shawl, but applied to a cardigan. I dropped the name, but love that it has the basic aesthetics of a shawl. Stunning lace-weight yarn, lace panels that flow into each other and details that pop once blocked like the fan-stitch edging along the bottom and cuffs. 

Unlike a shawl, however, the Queen Street Cardigan, hugs your figure, and is highly customizable, from sleeve length to waist ease, and length. It is designed to be worked as a top-down raglan to give you the opportunity to try on frequently and modify as you go along.

Two versions of it came to market, one long, one short. (More pix to come.The models are in transit.) I tried them both on and they both worked but for different reasons. The long one has that big "wow" factor that a only a mid thigh lace extravaganza will deliver. The gorgeous gold of Louisville didn't hurt either. There was something Downton-esque about it that made me happy. It'd look darling over a pair of leggings or skinnies. 

The shorter version was a little more versatile without losing any of the fun. I hate hot weather but still find myself needing a little something in the air conditioned world we live in. This would fit the bill perfectly without the fiddling that sometimes comes with a shawl. 

I've never been an exclusively cold weather knitter. I knit whatever I want all year long. But, I do understand why some people might not want a lap full of worsted weight wool in their lap when the thermometer hits triple digits.(I'm feeling for all of you out West.) Or maybe you aren't a sock knitter. (You should learn.) This is where a airy lace knit seems to make perfect sense. And this one is exceptional. 

Interweave Crochet Summer

We're pleased as can be to be gracing the cover of Interweave's Summer Crochet issue!

This is the Love is a Rose Shawl by Kathryn White. It's stitched from our Helen's Lace in 412 Campbell. This design was awarded first place n the 2012 Crochet Guild of America's Design contest. I can see why, it's super cute!

The close up here shows how the row of roses defines a swath of lover's knots. I think my favorite feature is the shamrock dangles. Could they be any more fun?! They speak to my Irish.

The whole issue is nice. There's a California theme going on throughout with stories that include Malibu Garden, LA Times and California Dreamin'. 

There was also a super feature on the Yarnover Truck. Have you heard of it? Think of a food truck, only with yarn based in southern CA. They always get the great stuff first. ;-)

What could be more fun than a yarn store on wheels? Think of the possibilities....

My MDSW Haul

It's weird for me when I go somewhere like Stitches or MDSW. I mean, I already have a ton of yarn. Seriously, a ton. As in 2000 pounds. And it's yarn I really like. Yarn that I can make any color I want. So I don't need to buy more. On the other hand, like any red blooded American, I love to shop. And there were more than 200 booths with wonderful goods for me to choose from. It's kind of dilemma.

Generally, I stay away from yarn vendors. Especially other hand dyed yarns. There are a couple of reasons for that. Mostly it's because I have a lot of yarn. (See above.) But there's also the piece of me that doesn't want to inadvertently copy someone else's work. I make a conscious effort not to look too closely at what others are doing. Sure, I'll read blogs and take a quick peek but not much more than that. It doesn't seem right somehow. 

That said, I don't worry so much about going into booths that are showing undyed wool from different breeds and that kind of thing. I find real inspiration from smelling and feeling up yarns that are from breeds that I'm not familiar with. Or checking out blends that I don't see every day. There are so many things I can learn from people who are on the front lines, raising sheep, milling yarn and doing the real work that gives me such joy every day. 

So, I end up being drawn to booths that have something other than yarn. I bought a few things.

The first thing I picked up were these darling note cards from an artist named Clare Margaret. She's got a great shop over on Etsy. 

I might have a little bit of non-buyers remorse. She had a couple of full sized laser cut posters that I really liked and I'm wondering if I should have picked one up. 

My next purchase was from this guy who makes brooms by hand. His name is Bob Haffly and his company is called Lone Oak Brooms. He was doing demos all day long and we wandered over a couple of different times to watch. I looked for a website and it doesn't look like he has one. The best I could do is this video. 

I bought a broom cake tester from him. I thought it was a genius idea. The biggest mistake I made was only buying one. I gave it to my sister and I wish I had one for myself too . (Maybe he'll be at Rhinebeck.) I forgot to take a picture of it, but this picture from Williams-Sonoma will give you an idea of what it's all about.  Bob's was way cooler than this. The handle was irregular and you could tell a person made it. 

The other booth I made a big effort to see was Jennie the Potter. She's pretty legendary in our little corner of the world. I was on a mission for a yarn bowl, but couldn't resist a set of stitch markers as well. 

I did get a yarn bowl, an orange one! In case you couldn't tell, orange is my favorite color. It was the last one. Another woman had it in her hands and I kinda watched her until she put it down and then trampled over her casually sauntered over and picked it up. 

Unfortunately, it ran into a little, ahem, mishap, in the airport on the way home. I carried that yarn bowl through MDSW, four states, three airports and this happened 100 yards from the car. I'm not embarrassed to tell you I wept. More than a little bit. 

Through the miracle of modern science and a handy husband, all was not lost. He was able to put all the king's horses together again. And we all did the dance of joy.

So, my inaugural MDSW was a huge success! I can't wait until next time.