Stitches West 2014, final report...

...I'm a little behind in reporting, partially due to the fact that the ETC classes run through Monday and I had a bit of catch-up to do at work yesterday.

I skipped going to the Stitches West Market on Saturday because I wanted to pick up my new glasses. I wanted to have my new pair for the weaving class. Getting my glasses took way longer than it should have. Note to Lenscrafters: when I buy frames, don't put them back on the shelf! Seriously! Read the glasses order and notice that the frames are missing when you make the lenses! I had to wait for them to find the frames again and then wait while they put the lenses in. And let's just say that the Saturday crew is not nearly as attentive as the weekday crew...

Anyway, I ran a few errands after that and did some laundry. I packed up my loom and made sure I had everything I needed for class. I started taking pictured of my new stash. :)

Playing with Pick Up Sticks Class, Day 1:
I bought breakfast at Starbucks before getting to class. Needed that hit of caffeine!!  We spent the first day of class learning how to use pick up sticks with our rigid heddle looms and then worked on a sampler scarf. Many of us finished the sampler on the same day.  I took mine home, washed it, and did a simple fringe finish.

and a closer look:

I used Berocco Vintage DK yarn for both the warp and weft. The yarn was a little stretchy on the loom, but it worked fairly well.

I made one last pass through the market and bought some Cascade Heritage Silk yarn that I wanted to use for my Day 2 project. I didn't see anything else I wanted, so that was the end of my 2014 shopping experience.

I had hoped to finish a fourth hat for Halos of Hope, but there was no way I could have finished it by lunchtime. Class ran until 4:30 on Sunday and the market closed at 4pm. I'll just have to take the hat to Purlescence when it's done.

When I got home, I realized that I had bought two different yarns, one Cascade Heritage Silk and one Cascade Venezia. I'll use them, but not for the weaving project. I did a quick stash dive and found two shades of purple Cascade Heritage Silk and wound those for class.

Playing with Pick Up Sticks Class, Day 2:
Breakfast from Starbucks had worked so well the day before, so I repeated it!

We warped our looms for the second project and spent the day weaving it. Our instructor had laryngitis, so she had us come up to her table in small groups to go over the topics she wanted to cover.

All ETC students were provided lunch on Monday and it was excellent (and healthy!).  At the end of the day, we got to see what the other ETC classes learned and they got to see our completed projects.

I was incredibly tired by the end of Monday, but very happy. I didn't finish my second project, but I'm within a few inches of the end. I'll finish it up fairly quickly.

Stash Report:
I bought mostly fiber, with a few other things for good measure. LOL!  Here is this year's collage, minus the yarn I bought on the last day. (Still need pictures of those skeins.) Full size pictures are in my Flickr set called Stitches West 2014.

1. My badge; 2. Peacock Lite Zen top from Lisa Souza; 3. Flahriduh Zen top from Lisa Souza; 4. Elektra Silk-Merino top from Lisa Souza; 5. Sea Monster roving from Dragonfly Fibers; 6. Batt from Faerie Mountain; 7. Goat Rock Polworth-Silk from Royale Hare; 8. Natural BFL Mix and Silk top from Royale Hare; 9. Sweetwater Spring Merino-Tencel top from Royale Hare; 10. Alpaca fiber from Ranch of the Oaks; 11. Pixie yarn in Dragonberry from Dragonfly Fibers; 12. Twilight Glitter Roving from Greenwood Fiberworks; 13. Passion Fruit Camel-Silk top from Greenwood Fiberworks; 14. Vintage DK yarn in White and Magenta from Berocco; 15. Galaxy Alpaca-Silk from The Sassy Sheep; 16. Sochi Camel-Silk top from Greenwood Fiberworks; 17. Seaglass Camel-Silk top from Greenwood Fiberworks; 18. Fangtastic Sock Kit from Knitter's Brewing Company; 19. Baggu bags; 20. Espresso Better Buddy from Namaste; 21. Mermaid Lagoon top from Forbiddent Woolery; 22. Mug Mat weaving kit from The Buffalo Wool Company. Not shown: Cascade Heritage Silk in Teal; Cascade Heritage Silk in Black; Cascade Venezia in light teal.

I had a great time at Stitches West and look forward to spinning my new fibers and using my new things!
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