Stitches Midwest 2003
I was supposed to take three and a half days of classes but I wasn’t able to, more on that later.
Here are the classes that I did get to take.

Invitation to Spin with Merike Saarnit

This was a great class! I learned how to spin my OWN yarn. She really broke it down step-by-step in a great way. I loved this class! She showed us that we can spin almost anything we want. We tried wool, mohair and a blend of silk, mohair and something else. My yarn is gorgeous and I can’t wait to start a hat with it. I figure start small so that I can use all of the yarn I’ve spun and that way, if I am less likely to run out of yarn! :)

Classy Cast-Offs with Barbara Kerr
I was really frustrated in this class because she didn’t make sure that everyone was doing the bind off correctly before she went onto the next one. She was also very focused on keeping one side of the room up to speed, but on my side of the room there were about six of us that she would help very quickly and then move on.

From Bottom to Top: Hemlines & Necklines Candace Eisner Strick
This was a really good class. I learned a lot of things that I already knew how to do, but it was really a class that I took to help me teach these things better. I got several neat tips on hems and picking up along a neckline. I also learned how to do the tubular bind off on k1, p1 rib that I couldn’t figure out in the Classy Cast-Offs class. I think it was the way that it was presented in this class was more understandable and she made sure that everyone understood it and could do it.

Norwegian Mittens with Beth Brown-Reinsel
What a wonderful class! I have done some fair-isle before, but now I think I will be doing some Norwegian mittens for myself. Beth showed me a good way to keep my fair-isle from being so tight that really works! I also now have the confidence in my work that I needed to do more two-color knitting. Sometimes all it takes is a compliment from an instructor to give you the confidence you needed to take your knitting a bit further. I also learned the Norwegian Purl! What a great way to work a purl stitch. I think knowing the Norwegian Purl will cure my strong dislike for ribbing and seed stitch! Thank you Beth!

Market purchases: (hopefully photos will be up soon)
* Henry’s Attic alpaca in natural and grey for a sweater, I don’t know what but I will find something to make with it since it’s so GORGEOUS!
* Henry’s Attic lace-weight yarn to make a shawl
* Gorgeous microfiber ribbon from Tess’ Designer Yarns to make a lovely red shell
* Hands-On Spinning by Lee Raven
* Folk Mittens by Marcia Lewandowski
* Folk Vests by Cheryl Oberle
* The History of Hand Knitting by Richard Rutt

Now to why I wasn’t able to make the full three and a half days of classes. Thursday morning, I had breakfast - scrambled tofu (no comments please, I’m sure it sounds gross to most of you) that had sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and alfalfa sprouts in it. I felt it go down the wrong tube and I coughed a bit but still felt like something was there. I figured I would cough it up eventually so just dealt with the discomfort. Thursday night, I was driving home from the Stitches convention and I was coughing so badly that I couldn’t breathe. I think I was home 15 minutes before I asked Bryan to take me to the emergency room. So we went to the emergency room and they admitted me to observe me overnight. They think it was a sesame or sunflower seed that got lodged in my throat. They gave me some anti-inflamatory drugs along with antibiotics and sent me home. I was back at the convention on Saturday coughing a lot and talking with a really hoarse voice. I’m still coughing and am still a bit hoarse. I’m fine though. The seed dislodged itself on Saturday night, which was a real relief!