Stitches West 2009... [long]

...it was all about "new."

Spinning cotton on a charkha—new tool, new method, new fiber
While it was a very challenging for me, it was a good class. I liked exploring the tool and trying out a new method and fiber. I had been toying with the idea of getting a charkha, but after this class, I realized that I have to work on my long draw technique (because I have none now...) first. Here are my pathetic results from this class:

Moebius knitting class—new cast-on method and new possibilities
I have been wanting to learn this technique ever since I bought Cat's book about Moebius Knitting several years ago. I could never get the hang of it by myself. The youTube video helped, but there's nothing like taking a class from Cat! It was great fun and my moebius cowl/scarf (don't know which it will turn out to be until I cast off—I just plunged on in and decided to love it no matter what!) is looking really good:

(That's the Manos Silk Blend that I bought from the Purlescence booth.)

Stitches Market--exploring new fibers for spinning, new tools (like a loom!), and new bags
I only bought yarn at two places: Purlescence and Brooks Farm. I've already showed you the Manos yarn; here's the Mas Acero yarn I bought from Brooks Farm...it will be a sweater eventually:

I did buy the Namaste bag on Sunday...it was 20% off!! Hard to beat that deal. (Thanks, Yarndogs!) Here's my new Malibu bag:

and the inside:

I love this bag...the outside is SO smooth! Also got a Debra's Garden keychain:

I saw a couple of demonstrations of an Ashford loom. It's appealing because it would use up a bunch of yarn that I've spun. However, while the price is reasonable, it's another craft that requires space and the time to practice it. Both of those are at a premium right now!

Everything else that I bought was spinning-related. I got a new, lightweight spindle for spinning cotton (Greensleeves Spindle 0.4 oz)...purpleheart and redwood burl woods:

And fiber:

Some blends: yak-merino, angora-merino, bamboo-wool, milk protein-seacell-wool, silk-merino, and superfine merino-Border Leicester lamb. And some new-to-me fibers: Romney, Cashmere, naturally dyed gray alpaca, black merino, cotton sliver, and a gorgeous set of wool batts from Lisa Souza. (go to my Flickr set to see individual pix.) All of the fiber is luscious and I want to spin it NOW!

Anyway, I think that will hold me for a while! (LOL!)