What a splendid day! I guess it really is an annual highlight, a day I always look forward to and manage to enjoy regardless of the weather, or anything else. Well after the freezing temperatures and incessant rain of last year this year's Wonderwool was very pleasant. We had an early start. I left home at 8am to meet my 'Stitch 'n' Bitch friends at Llandeilo wearing my new cardigan, featured at the end of the previous post, and a newish made Harmony Shawl. I had been to the Post Office on Friday to get some cash to spend, but decided once I arrived in Llandeilo that I might need more so I stopped off at the cashpoint and my instincts proved to be correct.
We all piled into one car and continued on our merry way chattering and laughing as usual and arrived early. There was a queue to get in! It didn't hamper a speedy entrance but we had never managed to be quite so early before. Anyway, we started with a cup of coffee, arranged where we would meet up for lumch and then off we went on our separate ways to look, and talk and of course spend.
So... here it is... my Wonderwool booty laid out on the bed in all it's glory!
I had gone determined to be disciplined this year. In previous years I have bought gorgeous yarn, but often only one or two skeins and there is a limit to the number of hats, scarves, gloves and small shawls anyone needs. So this year I was determined to buy at least some yarn in sufficient quantity to make garments with and I'm a big girl so I need a lot of yarn!
So starting from left to right...
2 lovely skeins from Willow Knits, so soft and silky
Recycled sari silk for making bags and some Opal sock yarn because it was pink!
The usual rainbow of mohair from Mobear and down at the front some sock yarn from Sparkleduck which I love, some lovely soft alpaca in blue and a pink/grey brown mix from Alexandria Alpacas and in the middle of this picture two piles of gorgeous yarn from Jon at Easyknits. I will admit that this latter was one of the items I had gone specifically to get. That pink is truly fabulous and I wish I had bought the plain peachy shade to match the variegated Splendour silk mix. In fact I may just go check out the website and see if they have any... Finally some more of those fabulous buttons I discovered last year on the far left of the pic. Jon's partner also let me have a load of their fabulous patterns. I was a very lucky lady!
Next...
Some Jester yarn with it's added random pom poms, no idea what I'm going to make with it but it just completely intrigued me! Some more sock yarn, because I liked the colours and a pattern for a domino knitted cardigan that I will have to adapt and then some to get it to fit me (I think the biggest size is 42" bust which a good 6 inches too small, I did say I was a big girl.) but I already have a lot of Opal Say it with Flowers sock yarn to use on it and as it's modular it should be adaptable if I can just be patient enough to knit all the darn squares! Below that is some fabulous cotton in a vivid peachy pink from Bulldog Crafts. I have been wanting to make myself Jewel by Doris Chan for some time now, but I want it to be a top and not come out as a sweater so finding the right cotton yarn is vitial for it to have the right drape and be something that I can wear next to my skin and this cotton is exactly right! I will probably have to do some serious swatching to get the right guage but I can handle that if the top comes out okay. I am also going to try the same top in the bright pink merino I got from Easyknits. In the middle is the bargain mohair I got from Texere Yarns. 10 balls for £20 for making christmas scarves with.
Next...
The Natural Dye Studio on the right, patterns and some aran and dk and finally some fabulous yarn from The Old Piggery and Alpaca/Cashmere/Silk blend that is incredibly soft and for which I have plans for a knitted shawl and couple of fingerless glove kits that I bought for the patterns because I loved them.
Finally...
I simply couldn't resist this! He's so soft and gorgeous and I love him to bits and I've decided to call him Aloysius. Aloysius Alpaca!
It really was a splendid day. Lovely to meet up with all the folks who's yarn I buy avidly on line, especially Jon and his partner from Easyknits and Amanda and Phil from the Natural Dye Studio.
Well I guess I'd better go get on with some crochet. Need to finish one or two projects so that I can start using my lovely new yarn.
Love O. xx