Hokie Hope

And for the families of the victims:

Project Hokie Hope

KAL in memory of Va Tech student

Mary Read Memorial KnitAlong

What I did this past weekend

The Guild participated in the annual Spring Craft Festival & Heritage Craft Show at the VB Conference Center this weekend. 6 Guild members volunteered to work and this is what the corner of the table looked like



Imagine knitters sitting on the empty chairs knitting.

I bought freshly baked bread and opened a jar of Graves Mtn Orange Marmalade



There are 2 slices left.

People I met:

Confused Wool hater - A 20 something arguing with me that all sheep in Australia are tortured and she would never touch wool because of that. She didn't know why they were butchered. I had to many others interested in knitting to argue with her. I suggested she do more research.

Pink Knitting - A little girl about 4 dress head to toe in pink was fascinated watching my hands.

Internatinal Knitting - A husband and wife from Germany/Austria (not sure) that spoke no English. The wife watching me knit and shaking her head "no". So I switched to contentinal and she nodded "yes". Then wanted me to show her how I threw. Her husband pulled his pant leg up and showed me his handknitted socks.

One benefit of this Show is that we can sell items to benefit the Guild (see totes, yarn, cookbooks in picture above) as well as ourselves. I am happy to report My Favorite Shawl was popular with the knitters that attended. It will be available on The Knitting Vault very soon....maybe tomorrow.

Kathryn Bingham

I first met Kathryn as a customer at Ewe Knits. As we talked over a few visits, she mentioned she'd like to attend the Knitters Review Retreat but didn't want to go alone. As I had been attending the Retreat for several years, I suggested we drive up together. It worked out well. A natural talker Kathryn talked the entire drive and I, a natural quiet person, drove and listened. We had a great time and planned to go again in 2007 no matter where it was held. We had over extended our fiber budgets in 2006 and couldn't swing the trip to NY.

In January of this year, Kathryn was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. Always optimistic, she knew she wouldn't make it to MS&W because of treatments, but fully expected to be on the bus to Stitches East in October and onto the KR Retreat in November...no matter where it was held!

Kathryn passed away earlier this week. We weren't joined at the hip friends and emailed one another only every few months but she was a friend who I'll miss.

My life

Wallis-hasnotbeen-Knitting much this past week. Worked a few days. Then there were eye appointments for Bailey. Since we've been there so often lately he gets a bit scared and wants to sit in my lap. Therefore, not much knitting.

Saturday the Guild was at the Frances Land House - Gathering of the Guilds.



More pictures are linked through the Guilds site.

Sunday it was homeowner association stuff.

Monday more HOA stuff filled the day and Guild meeting the evening.

Tuesday I worked and you never get a chance to knit working at a knitting store. Besides we're expecting all 80 colors of Butterfly any day now and I had to make room for 640 skeins of yarn.

Today I slept until 6:30, and anticipated a quiet day of Netflix movies and knitting. But then the Landscaping guys came to put down mulch which means all of the neighbors who can't seem to make it to the meetings came out of hibernation and wanted the Landscapers to do more, less or something differnt than what the contract says. And since I'm the one BOD person who is home, I get to field the demands. "No, they will not mulch your back yard" "No, you have to dig up your own pansies" "No, they won't leave the plastic bags on your lawn, just give them a minute to empty it first!"

I did get a chance to watch "Man of the Year" It was okay. RV with Robin Williams was much better.

And through all of this I've had to put up with this if I want my door open



I'm surprised you can't hear him from your house. Do you see him? Here's a close up:



But on the positive side....Spring has arrived in my backyard....







Tonight we're putting out signs that say "do not speed" around the 'hood. Maybe it'll slow done a few cars for a day or so.

And then....America's Next Top Model, PussyCat Dolls, Lost and knitting.

KnittaPalooza 2007

We’ve all been to conferences. We’re greeted by “greeters” who give you a name tag, a tote bag with conference goodies, direct you to coffee and your meeting/class room and with a cheery “Let me know if you need anything!”, send you on your way. So off you go to your conference and during breaks, the “greeters” are still there and still “cheery” promising to find what you need…a fax a copy a skein of yarn a pattern. And 4 days later you’re exhausted and wonder if you can listen to much less understand your next meeting/class and those same “greeters” are still there with the same “cheery” smiles on their faces and you wonder………..What are they on?!?

My Story:

Thursday, March 13

Wake up 5:30 , walk Bailey, shower, eat, take Bailey to neighbor for babysitting, drive to Ewe Knit Kits, perform store opening procedures, wait on customers, learn I’m going to set up the Hotel Store at the hotel and not work at the Ewe Knits, panic!!!!, start pulling from shelves what I think has not gone to hotel, eat a chicken strip (happy I brought lunch from home), pull a few books, Bobbie tells me I have to be at hotel at 1:00, panic!!!!, pull a few books from shelf, Debbie says she’s going to hotel to help me, panic less, load Debbie’s SUV, drive to hotel, park in garage and walk across street to hotel, find room still has chairs and other stuff, find hotel staff who were GREAT jumping in and removing and bring table clothes and more tables, unpack boxes, setup what we have, wonder where Andrea is because her SUV has the rest of the boxes, setup more stuff, Andrea comes, we unload, setup what she has, 3:30 now, make list of what is missing, Debbie & I drive back to Ewe Knits and pack more Koigu, lace wt, books, help customers while we’re there, load SUV, drive to hotel, unload, setup rest of stuff, while gone Terry has found a table to use for “checkout” YIPPEE, Purled Llama has arrived with her yarns and is setting up, Fashion Show items are hung, look at watch, it’s 5:05…whew…KnittaPalooza participants begin to arrive, we hand out name tags, sell stuff, I run down and grab a tuna mini sandwich and some cheese, go back and sell more stuff, 7:15 arrives and we move hall items into the Hotel Store, lock the door and head to our homes, I arrive home at 7:50, walk B, chase him around the house to wear him out, watch the news and go to bed.

Friday, March 14

Wake up 5:30, walk Bailey, shower, eat, take Bailey to neighbor for babysitting, drive to hotel, …........................well you get the drift. Behind the scenes is hard work! But well worth it.



It wasn't all work, I was able to attend Sally Melville’s “Creativity” lecture.

Check out KimKrafty’s blog (on the left) for pictures and attendee point of view. Also, Bobbie should be posting pictures at Ewe Knit Kits and Yarn site soon.

2008 KnittaPalooz has been announced
Dates: March 13, 14, 15, 16, 2008
Instructors: Annie Modesitt, Melissa Leapman, Mryna Stahman and Margaret Fisher.

Am I the last knitter on earth to hear of Yarndex...the Yarn Index?

Do you know the miles I have walked around Ewe Knit Kits looking for yarn substitutions? Or the hours spent online looking up some obscure yarn to find what gauge or fiber content it is? Or reaching waaay over my head on the next to the top shelf to pull down one of the heavy binders containing color cards? The answer to all is too many.

But no more! I'm going to make sure Yarndex is in the favorites on every computer at Ewe Knit Kits.

Have you seen what it can do? Go ahead...select: any brand, lace, wool, red. Or how about: S R Kirtzer, worsted, acrylic. Or how about:...well you get the idea.

So go and search for yarn to your hearts content! not affiliated at all with the Yarndex.