True beauty lies within our hearts, our health and our passions. My passions include knitting, promoting wellness and being amidst the company of beautifully authentic people.







Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Woobie-ful Weekend

Woobie
-noun
1.  Something very precious and snugly, like yarn, that gives a person a feeling of comfort.

     Yarn is without a doubt my woobie. 




This weekend was nothing short of fantabulous as I spent it surrounded by hundreds of knitters and crocheters at the Vogue Knitting Live event held at the New York Hilton.  Amongst the most beautiful fibers, colors and textures  were vendors, world renowned authors and knitters, fashion shows, demos, classes and seminars, two of which I attended 'Turning your passion into a business' and 'Scandinavian Knitting'.  Quite a number of magazines, on-line yarn stores and local yarn shops were also represented.  A yarn crafter's dream.

Funky Scarf That Buttons into a Sweater Thingy!



The freebies were flowing as well.  From dark chocolate and nail files found at the Vogueknitting booth, to free jumbo tote bags from Lionbrand.  I must be sure to also mention the free advice, patterns, and knitting lessons that were made available.  Smiles were everywhere, conversations were inspiring, and the garments were cutting edge as everyone sported their best hand knitted garments such as shawls, coats, sweaters, funky hats and handbags.  Why didn't I think of that?!  I didn't wear any of my hand knitted accessories.  My focus was definitely all about acquiring new yarn!
The newest addition to my stash

Speaking of yarn, there were a couple of booths selling yarn at half its retail price.  I was in the market for what is known as sock yarn, a yarn that is categorized as super fine, its weight being listed in category 1.  It can be used for socks and shawls, the later of which I plan to use it for.  The yarn I purchased came in infant sized jumbo hanks, and I couldn't resist rewinding some of them into several smaller manageable skeins (balls of yarn) as soon as I returned home.




I also had the opportunity to feel (and smell) unprocessed/untreated bison, which is quite soft, fluffy and about 12 percent warmer than sheep wool.    I won't go into detail about what untreated buffalo wool smells like, but in a word, it's oooweewild, HA!  The fabric that bison wool knits up is unbelievably warm and strong.  The price of this wool is quite comparable to high quality cashmere, only softer, and unlike cashmere it can be washed and won't shrink in the dryer...you heard correctly.  This is definitely the good stuff, and I plan to treat myself to a skein or two one day.


4 comments:

  1. Fantabulous! I love the scarf/sweater knit! Did it have sleeves too?

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  2. Thanks for your comment Rinda in Brooklyn, this is scarf, so it has no sleeves, however, it has a number of buttons so that it may be worn a number of ways.

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  3. I had the pleasure of sharing this exciting event with my daughter. We had a wonderful time meeting people, sharing ideas, seeing the many patterns we saw in books and magazines, worn by many of those who attended the event. Being able to see and feel the yarn I had only seen in books and magazines, and unlike my daughter I did purchase the Bison down wool from the Buffalo Gold Premium Fibers booth and I have no regrets. I love this yarn and I tell you I am hooked. I saw a tam that was made from it and I just had to have the exact yarn and the pattern which they gave me free when I bought the yarn. I also received a free hank (Lux was my selection) as a show special valued at about $60. I loved that it felt good on the skin and didn't have the itch of wool. You can check out their web site at Buffalogold.net. I also loved my visit at the Colorful Stitches booth. The two women there were so helpful and a joy to be with. That was where we saw the sweater scarf, green sweater, and throw shown in the pictures above. You can check out their web site at www.colorful-stitches.com

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  4. Thank you so much for your yummy comment Cornucopia550, I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy your Bison. I would love to see pictures of your FO(Finished Object)!

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