Stitches Midwest

So, several things have happened to me so far this month. The first one is that on Monday, I turned 50. I have been getting used to the idea for over a year, so I guess I didn't have a breakdown. I don't feel 50, I feel the way I have always felt. But I guess that I have finally hit that mid-century mark. Frightening... I didn't do anything special on the day, since Monday was a holiday here and most places were closed. My husband has been showering me with gifts for months -- he's such a sweetheart -- and he even managed to squeeze one last one in on the Friday (a Nikkor macro 105 mm lens for my new camera body, a D200, also a birthday gift I received last month, along with a new telephoto lens). The children were away: my son is in South Korea, receiving much attention from his various girlfriends who like the fact he is tall, slim, and has curly hair; my daughter was away at camp, and came back home today.

The second thing is that, for the first time ever, I went to Stitches Midwest, which takes place just outside Chicago (another birthday gift). I took three classes -- one with Gwen Bortner on making a better handbag, an absolutely fantastic one with Nancy Bush on Baltic Braids and Bobbles, and an okay one with Ginger Luters on Designing Knitwear on the Computer. The first one was good, I got some good tips, but as always with 3-hour classes, there is only so much the instructor can show you. The second one was wonderful, a full day learning to do braids and bobbles (sounds silly, I agree, but it was really mind-blowing); I love the way Nancy Bush teaches, and is passionate about her subject, while really challenging you and teaching you exciting new things. The third one was a bit disorganized, lacked structure, but I learned at last to use Garment Designer and Stitch Painter, and how one interfaces with the other. I also found out there was a bug in my copy of Stitch Painter, and I was able to get it fixed by Susan Lazear who was at the Cochenille stand at the Market.

The Market was amazing; so many yarns one cannot find in Toronto. Loved the Twisted Sisters designs and kits. So much to see, so much yarn to buy and so little room to stuff it into the suitcase. My main problem now is how I am going to be able to fit everything I bought into my one suitcase. And then there was the Fold, that carries all the Blue Moon Fibre socks. I have never seen that many Socks that Rock together at once, so many colourways... Here's a photo:

And here is a picture of the yarn:

I took photos all innocently, and did not realize that I wasn't supposed to. There was a big sign at the entrance on the NEXT day saying it was forbidden to take any photos. Why? may I ask. We had already been told not to take photos as the Fashion Show event and the special Opening Day event, but at the Market? It's not like State secrets or anything, it's only yarn, and I only took pictures of yarn, by the way. I was not trying to take sneaky pictures of copyrighted patterns or anything.

Anyway, here is Nancy Bush, who actually did say it was okay to take her picture (whew!):

 

Here is the picture of the sampler we were knitting:

Yes, that little thing kept our attention going the entire day. Not quite as simple as it looks, especially the bottom part, which is a braided cast-on. I loved the whole history lesson she gave us of Estonia, and of its knitting traditions. It was really informative; I would without hesitation take another workshop with her. She enriches your knitting, but also your general culture.

I am flying back to Toronto tomorrow, in a nasty little Air Canada Embraer sardine-class plane. Fortunately, the flight is short. And then, I have another major thing happening, but not a pleasant one. I am scheduled for an emergency root canal on Tuesday. I thought a tooth that had been troubling me would have the decency to hold off for another few weeks (or months), but it flared up after my flight on Wednesday (cabin pressure, I assume), and I have been popping Tylenol 3 and Percoset every few hours to keep the pain at bay. Actually, as long as I don't eat, I am more or less okay. But unfortunately, I do have to feed myself, even in pain. So I called my husband from Chicago and told him to get on to the dentist and schedule an appointment asap. I am NOT looking forward to this little session, as I am deathly afraid of the dentist. Yes, even at 50, I still get a cold sweat going there. Wish me luck on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, I am off again to another convention, but a fitness one this time. It's the Can-fit-pro conference that takes place in Toronto for four days, and I need to attend it to get my Continuing Education Credits to retain my personal trainer status. Yes, a busy month indeed. I will be knitting a sock between workshops, just like I am doing here, except people will look at me strangely instead of knitting themselves. Here are my socks in progress:

Monkey socks, in Claudia's Handpainted Electric colourway. And a final photo of one of my purchases:

 

A fit from Great Yarns to make the Cotton Concerto Pullover by Susan Todd. All in shades of white, off white, and cream in different yarn types. Beautiful!

I am off to pack my bags and hope everything fits. Wish me luck!