Have you fulfilled your yearly quota?

I have come to believe that spinners and knitters have a secret requirement: to convert non-knitters and non-spinners into obsessed lunatics over fleece and yarn. I believe they have to convert a certain number of people each year in order for them to maintain their status as spinners and knitters.

I've asked a couple of them about this and they laugh and say there is no such thing. But there is always a smirk on their faces so I think they are nothing but dirty liars.

I've been sucked into yet another type of fiber art. (Remember my fiber arts ADD issue? It doesn't appear to be improving.) I tell you, its like a freakin' tractor beam. And when you get down to it, I'm becoming enamored with some poor animals hair. (I like wool. Recite it with me: "Prrrrrrrreeeeetttttyyyyyy wool." Now give it a pat. That's it. Now back away, that one's mine...) Its kind of an odd thing.

And of course you'd think that I would make some effort to save myself. But nooooooooooo, I go to places like this.



Confused? Yeah, I kind of was too. Nothing says knitting like a side of firearms. But I swear, I went to the fiber expo. Here's a photo of it to prove it:


This was out in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was the First Annual Fiber Expo held at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds. And it was pretty cool. There were lots of yarn to drool over and I even got to make some new friends.




They seemed to be checking my hands for shearing scissors. Suspicous little buggers. I picked up two skeins of handspun yarn while I was there (wool yarn...see? My new furry friends had nothing to worry about..) and am looking forward to trying out a couple new patterns I've been admiring. I'm loving it and I know just who to blame for this new obsession...

I blame Leann for showing me I could make yarn with a drop spindle. I blame Sylvia for showing me how easy it is to knit and purl. I blame Kate for being the fiber goddess that she is and knitting dolls that she spins her own yarn for. Here's some of her dolls to prove my point about her goddess status:


And I blame every single knitter I've come across that says, "Oh, have you tried this yet?" which usually results in me getting twitchy with the realization that there is still so much for me to learn.

I have been focused on knitting scarves so far. Why only scarves you ask? That's pretty simple: because they don't care if you are fat or skinny. I can loose five pounds (or gain twenty) and the scarf will still fit. If I ever reach a point where I've gained so much weight that my scarves won't fit anymore, I'll know I'm in big trouble.

Plus there are about a billion scarf patterns out there that touch on about a trillion different techniques. The odds of me getting bored with scarves are slim.

Before you go trying to convince me that I should try knitting a sweater, let me assure you that I've already thought it through. If I spent a year knitting a sweater (I'm a slow knitter, give me a break, I'm just starting out here...) and it didn't fit because I'd gained or lost weight, I'd really resent that chunk of wool. I'd give it dirty looks every time I opened the closet. Which would probably drive me to the conclusion that I should just give it away at which point I would just give the dirty looks to the person who could wear it. Its not a pretty situation so I'm going to just head it off before it even happens.

I do admit that I am itching to learn how to knit socks and I have purchased lace yarn for a very pretty stole pattern. I had attempted to buy the lace yarn at a store and was met with resistance. The "helpful" woman there insisted (in a pretty condescending tone, she's obviously met her quota for the year) that since I was kind of new to knitting that I should practice on big yarn and leave the dainty yarn alone for now. I tried to explain to her that I'm a tatter so I'm not afraid of no stinkin' lace yarn. But she wasn't buying it - so neither did I. Instead I went on etsy and purchased this lovely yarn. I've started the stole and its slow going but it'll be beautiful when its done.

I'm reading books by the Yarn Harlot and tagging knitting books on my Wish List on Amazon.com and starting to wonder just how much fiber goodness I've been missing out on all these years. I'm feeling drunk with all the new learning possibilities. You win! I've been converted! I'll keep going! I'll learn new stuff, I'll pass it on! I'll admire knitting and spinning and weaving with a new found respect!

STOP! I BEG YOU! (But please don't try too hard, okay? I kind of like it...)