Stitches West post mortem...

...it was a great 3+ days. Lots of yummy yarn and fibers, and some interesting tools and knitting bags. My shoulders hurt from carrying a full tote bag and from weaving class, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

I'm not posting all of my pictures here, but you can see everything in my Stitches West 2012 Flickr set.

As I mentioned in another post, I bought a new Namaste bag in eggplant. Here is my new Monroe bag from the top:

Inside is my current knitting project, my camera bag, a Namaste Buddy case in eggplant, my iPad, my iPod, and a pattern printout. And there is still room for more!

Aside from my spiffy new bag, my favorite acquisitions were from KCL Woods. I got a 0.62 ounce spindle with two extra shafts:

and a low-profile shuttle for my loom:

KCL has the most gorgeous things in wood!

For my fiber fix, I visited Lisa Souza, Miss Babs, A Verb for Keeping Warm, and Royale Hare, all vendors whose products I love. I also bought fiber from two new vendors:

• Wonderland Dyeworks, an Etsy vendor. I love the depth of their colors. Here's a sample:
  
  
  
• Ranch of the Oaks, a ranch and mini-fiber mill in Lompoc, CA. I bought one of their Alpaca blend bags:
  
  
  

I bought 2 skeins of Acero yarn from Brooks Farms, which might become either a woven project or a knitted shawl. I bought the pattern, yarn, and beads for the Celaeno Shawl by Romi from A Verb for Keeping Warm.

A copper shawl pin by Romi might have jumped into my bag, too. :)

I never made it to the Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival in San Mateo, but there was at least one vendor at Stitches West that was selling sheep fabric:

I plan to make a knitting bag out of the blue and black fabrics. The other fabric is a panel that will make a very cute baby quilt for someone.

And I didn't win any door prizes or the grand prize this year. Rats! Maybe next year...
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