Home Again

It was a quick but fantastic trip to The Frozen North (and I do mean frozen, it snowed several more inches on top of their generous stash of snow, while we were there, and the roads were icy and windy and slippery and nasty for much of the drive home today).

But the weather was beside the point- the point was knitting. And yarn. And oh boy, there was yarn.

But first, there was a noon-time signing at NDSU at the university bookstore, in Fargo, ND. Carl, the bookstore manager, who arranged for both that signing, and the one at Prairie Yarns that evening, was a gracious and welcoming host (and he knits the most gorgeous doll clothes with teensy needles and almost invisible beads- they have to be seen to be believed). Taunton made a honkin' big sign for the appearance, and Carl set up a table for me to lay out projects from the book (these are the actual pieces), and Anne from Prairie Yarns came up and displayed some felting yarns for passers-by to see. We sold books (always a fun thing to do at a book signing), but better yet, we knitted and talked and laughed. That's Anne in the handknit sweater, and me in the red.

Later in the afternoon, I went down to Prairie Yarns to set my stuff up for the evening appearance. I peeked in on a sock-knitting class, and hung out with Keatha and... oh no, I'm blanking on the name of the wonderful sock knitter... Jean? (I'm so sorry). And I gazed longingly at yarns- they had an entire wall of Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn and I fell in love with it all (beautiful hand dyed colors- wild variegated colorways, subtle monochromes, everything in between)- soft, fantastic fingering weight Merino (the label says superwash, but they recommend drying flat). I also fell in love with the worsted weight Malabrigo- I wanted to curl up and nap on it.

That evening, I came back to the store and had a fantastic time- people dropped in for the entire two hours (we sold out of the store's copies of I Heart Felt, and Carl brought more from NDSU). We sat and knitted and laughed and talked. And of course, I bought yarn- 2 skeins of the worsted Malabrigo, which against all common sense, I am going to use for socks. I think that they'll hold up as long as I knit them tightly enough. I got the Mariposa colorway, mint green, gold and purple. And then I chose 3 skeins of the Jitterbug: a goldy/green called Wasabi Squarez; purple/pink/black variegated called Mist; and my absolute favorite, Sahara, a blend of oranges/rusts/browns with a bit of blue, green, and black speckles. Since I was down to the heel on a *sock book sock*, and could not talk and laugh and write every row down for later transcription in to the pattern, I asked Keatha to wind the Sahara for me, and I cast on a sock (for me, not the book.... mwaaaah ha ha ha). I decided to do a simple Purl When Ready pattern (selecting the black for emphasis). I'm not very far on the sock, and I won't get to work on it often, but I can post my progess here because I'm keeping these for me.

We took more pics at the store, and as soon as they're sent to me, I'll post some. It was a wonderful night- knitters (lots of them), laughter, yarn (more than I could buy but not more than I wanted to buy) and an invitation to come back when the sock book is published. Can't ask for more.

If you're ever in Fargo, visit Prairie Yarns (2615 S. University)- you'll come home with bags full, I guarantee it.