Wish Lists, Must Haves, and Summer Travel

Oooooh.... the new Knit Picks catalog arrived today. For some reason, I'm not on their e-mail list any more and I don't get the online updates, so the catalog is often my first intro to their new yarns. My oh my, this catalog has some wonderful new ones. The organic, natural colored cottons are beautiful, but I am absolutely enchanted by the new City Tweed yarns, which aren't even available yet (I couldn't find a pic or link for this yarn on the KP website, though I may just have searched erroneously). Here's a scan from the catalog- this new yarn comes in 2 weights (DK and a heavyweight), both are a blend of Merino and Alpaca, with Donegal Tweedy bits. It looks amazingly soft and the colors are gorgeous. I want every one, and I definitely want to knit a cabled sweater for myself with this yarn (not sure which color yet- how to choose... how to choose)(disclaimer: I am not a KP employee, though I have designed for them, and with their yarns, for years. I was a customer first, and a customer I remain).

Twisted Fiber Arts yarns have been on my Must Have list for a long time now- I have loved every single hand-dyed yarn I've purchased from Meg and Co., and when I know there is to be an updated offerring, I haunt the website like a groupie, waiting for concert tickets. My latest shipment is no different- here are 2 sets of Kabam (wool/bamboo blend) sock yarns in new colorways: Unconditional, which has striping greens, blues, reds, and assorted purples, plus a coordinating heel and toe yarn, and Leisure, which has striping greens, browns, blues, and a bit of purple/pink, along with a heel and toe skein. Both are lovely and soft and calling my name (though I have a couple of projects I need to finish up before I wind any more sock yarn, even though it's begging and pleading for the umbrella swift).

And finally, I booked my flight for The Sock Summit in Portland, OR, August 6-9. I'm not teaching (though if one of that amazing roster of teachers drops out, I could be called upon to sub), so I plan to take classes and just absorb the Fiber Fumes and do a little Famous Person Gazing while I'm there (speaking of groupies). Class registration hasn't opened yet, but the class list has been posted. I'm contemplating taking 2 crochet sock classes (I feel the need to learn some new skillz), a podcasting class, a sock darning class, and a beaded cable class. Also, my editor has promised to do everything she can to get the very first advance copies of The Big Book of Socks to Portland in time for The Summit, for an unveiling. It promises to be an absolutely wonderful time. Hope to see many of you there. http://www.socksummit.com/