Home again
That was an adventure! After a long evening of packing, and a short night of sleep, I set off for Okanogan at around 5:30 am on Friday morning. I'd never been much north of Wenatchee, and wished I'd had enough time to stop for some photographs along the way--such beautiful country!

The Okfiberfest took place at the Okanogan County Fair Agriplex. I arrived sometime between eight and nine am, and started schlepping everything from the car. Booth (pictured at right) was set up by just after eleven. Official opening time for the event was noon, so by some miracle, I had time to spare! (And change clothes.)
 
The next two days were a mix of talking with new and familiar customers, chatting with some of the other 40+ vendors, and knitting most of a sock on teeny 9" circular needles (an experiment). I would have enjoyed more time with the other vendors, but the location of my space made that a little challenging. Still, I made some good connections, and learned a lot! Made it home by just after 10pm Saturday, and put the shop back together on Sunday morning. Whew!
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...to learn
This week:

Wonderful Wallaby class starts on Wednesday (5/11), and is full.

Friday is the first of two weeks of the Baby Bootie knitalong/crochet along.  Find a bundle of suggested patterns here.

Look, Ma--three hands! The Learn to Crochet class on Saturday (May 14) gives you a basic skill set in a workshop format. Sandy Buzzelli is an excellent crochet instructor, and the pattern used in the class offers three variations pictured at right. $40 + materials--contact me by Thursday if you are interested in one of the remaining spots.

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...to inspire
Linette Grayum designed Doodlebug, pictured at left, and was wearing it at Okfiberfest on Saturday. It is gorgeous, it's available for Ravelry In-Store sales, and there are two size options. It leapt right into my queue--take a look!      

Pattern was test knit with yarns ranging from fingering to DK--one option that I think would be just beautiful is Fyberspates Scrumptious 4-ply--55% Merino 45% silk, and I think any of the colors would be lovely.                            
 
...to anticipate
One Twisted Tree has earned a spot as a favorite hand-dyed fingering weight yarn at Yarn Folk, and I asked dyer Danie Parde if she could dream up a colorway inspired by the Raggedy Ann quilt that hangs in my shop, which was made by my Nana (great grandmother). Here's a peek at her sample skeins, and I am going to see how the tonal colorway knits up as the Choice Bit of Calico beaded shawl. Found the perfect color beads at Ellensburg Agate & Bead Shop.

Two sizes on this shawl, too. It would be a wonderful summer shawl worked up in HiKoo CoBaSi.
 
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...to stitch
Hoping, hoping, hoping that this week has some time for seaming of Helm. It makes me crazy when a project is almost done, but stalled for nothing but logistical reasons!

I worked on the General Hogbuffer Wastl socks a bit, and am nearing completion of the leg of sock #1. (Intensive twisted stitch pattern = slow going.) This just in: if his "about me" page on an old blog is to be believed, General Hogbuffer is, indeed, a fellow.

Remember that lightweight cardigan I was pondering? I cast on for Old Town, and I am fascinated by the interesting shoulder shaping. The knitting is modular (there are lots of arrows on the pattern schematic), and while the sweater is knit from the top down, the sleeve caps are shaped with short-rows, and are more like a set-in sleeve than a raglan. Based on how it fits the mannequin, I think it will be a comfortable and elegant fit. I'm planning elbow-length sleeves, with the final body length yet to be determined.                           
 
Until next week! 
For frequent updates, check in on  FacebookInstagram, and the Yarn Folk site.  On Ravelry, my user name is YarnFolkAnn. I look forward to talking with you soon!