Toronto Knitter's Frolic 2015

I made my annual venture to the Toronto Knitter's Frolic on Saturday.  My friend and I got there early enough that we were near the front of the line.  When they opened the doors at 9a.m. there was a big cheer from the waiting crowd.  Talk about passionate knitters! This annual event is a favourite of mine as all knitters know that it is so much fun to actually see and touch the yarn that you only have access to from the internet.  Here are a few things I enjoyed:

There was so many beautiful yarns to look at.  The yarn pictured above was all from the Sweet Fiber Yarn booth.  The colours were even more beautiful in person than on the internet.  Melissa Thomson brought a variety of her yarn, Super Sweet Sock, Cashmerino 20 and Coastal, a beautiful silk/merino blend.  I also enjoyed looking at the knitted samples that different vendors brought.  The Warrior Shawl caught my eye in The Needle Emporium's booth. It was a really interesting shawl pattern. Eweknit, my favourite Toronto based yarn store, brought a Madelinetosh Pashmina version of Brooklyn Tweed's Statis Pullover. It would be so amazingly luxurious to wear.

Super Sweet Sock

As for my purchases I tried to show restraint!  The night before the Frolic a new Spring Forward collection from Amy Miller for the Plucky Knitter yarn line was published.  The pattern Lake Effect caught my attention immediately and I knew exactly what yarn would look perfect with it, the chartreuse Sweet Fiber colourway I used for my Cladonia recently.  Thankfully Melissa brought some of that colourway with her.  Both my friend and I snapped up enough to make this lovely lace sweater.  If you haven't looked at this new collection of patterns yet you really should!  There are some beautiful patterns in it that you are going to want to knit.

This colour just glows in the sun

And I don't know if I mentioned it but I love buying interesting stitch markers.  I just could resist these pretty ChiaGoo ones.  Look how pretty they are!

I think my favourite part of an event like this is being surrounded by other knitters/crocheters who are as passionate as me about their craft.  I am not alone in the world!

Congratulations to Monica who was the winner of my contest and won a copy of the Hyperballad Cowl by Julie Crawford.  Yeah Monica!

Cladonia

Cladonia, by Kirstin Kapur, is a pattern that I have had in my queue for some time.  It is a lovely shawl knit in fingering weight yarn, with a pretty lace border. I was waiting to have the perfect colour combination before knitting this shawl, and after my trip to 88 Stitches, I knew I had finally found it.  Look at this colour of Sweet Fiber Yarn:

Sweet Fiber Yarns Super Sweet Sock

Just before adding the lace section

I combined Sweet Fiber Yarns Super Sweet Sock in Chartreuse with some yarn I had in my stash, String Theory Caper Sock in Java (a merino, cashmere and nylon blend) and knit the most beautiful Cladonia.

Ta-dah:

In person, Chartreuse is such a vibrant colour, it just seems to glow.  Even my husband, who rarely says anything about my yarn, commented on the beauty of that colour. Sweet Fiber Yarns' Melissa Thomson has a real gift when it comes to dyeing gorgeous yarn colours.  (If you want to try out her yarn she is beginning a new Sock Club starting in May...check it out).

String Theory's Caper Sock is another old favourite of mine.  The colourways are also very unique.  This yarn added a softness to this project creating a shawl I never want to take off. (I bought my String Theory as Shall We Knit in Waterloo. The owner is bringing some to the Toronto Knitter's Frolic in Toronto at the end of the month if anyone wants to check it out).

Cladonia is one of those patterns that is so relaxing to knit.  Everything went perfectly.  The last row of the lace border took the longest to do but was not difficult at all.  I can understand why almost 2000 people have made this pattern.  I don't usually make the same pattern twice but I could see myself making this shawl again.  This shawl was a little break from the cardigan I am knitting.  More on that later!  Have a good week : )

Toronto Knitter's Frolic 2014

I enjoyed my time at the Knitter's Frolic yesterday.  I arrived a half an hour before the doors opened and it's always entertaining to stand around and talk knitting while you wait.  Where else can you flash the knitted item you are wearing under your jacket, as one lady did standing near me, and get oohs and ahhhs from the crowd.  Most people standing there were wearing a hand knitted item and there were many beautiful pieces to admire.

Once the doors opened I quickly went by the Purple Purl's booth and got a look at the new yarn line by Tanis Fiber Arts called Amber Label.  I then headed quickly to the Sweet Fiber Yarns booth, which is quickly becoming one of my favourite Canadian yarn dyers.  I could have bought so much there, the colours were stunning and the softness of the yarn was incredible.  I ended up buying three skeins of Coastal, a new DK line being debuted at the show, a 50% Merino 50% Silk blend.  I had a tough time choosing but I decided to go for the colourway called Vintage Lace.  I can hardly wait to start knitting with it.  By the time I made my purchase the crowds started to form around this tiny booth and it stayed that way until I left a few hours later.

Sweet Fiber Yarns in Vintage Lace

The other booth that caught my eye was The Needle Emporium.  The owner was debuting a new yarn line called Mrs. Crosby.  The owner of this shop definitely gets the award for best looking booth as she had all the yarn displayed in different antique trunks and suitcases.

One of the many yarn filled trunks/suitcases

I was very impressed with this yarn line at first sight.  The colours were beautiful and the feel of the knitted items on display was lovely.

Groovy knitted in Mrs. Crosby

I also had a hard time deciding on which weight/colour of yarn to choose.  But I finally decided on the Carpet Bag 80% Superwash merino and 20% silk combination single ply yarn in a colourway entitled Sunset Regatta.  I have a soft spot for blues, especially turquoise, as you can see from my Ravelry project page.  I think this yarn will end up as a Groovy, which has been in my queue for a while, and there was a knitted sample that helped convince me that this yarn would be perfect for it.

Mrs. Crosby in Sunset Regatta

By the time I made this purchase the crowds and lines were very big and it was difficult to actually get into the booths.  Eweknit, a favourite Toronto yarn store of mine, was another stop where I squeezed my way in and bought a very cute project bag.

Project Bag from Eweknit

The last purchase I made was at Shall We Knit.  The owner had a fantastic selection of Koigu that I couldn't get close enough to see.  But I bought one of my long time favourite yarns called String Theory Caper Sock Yarn in Cobalt along with two skeins of yarn called Breathless by Shalimar Yarns, a 75% Cashmere 15% Cashmere and 10% Silk blend in Corfu and Ore.  I was thinking of knitting Ashburn with this combination.  There was a sample of this pattern on display that I found quite beautiful.

Yarn for Ashburn

Next year I might try going in the afternoon, as I found the crowds even bigger than last year and the lines to purchase items were very long.  But I definitely think it was worth going because the selection was so varied and there is nothing like seeing yarn you have admired on line, being able to touch it, and see the colour in person.  I came with a specific list in mind but my honestly I really didn't use it, it was just too busy.

 I find the marketing side of the yarn business so fascinating.  For example, the Needle Emporium's owner Julie was so smart as she built interest for weeks prior to the show about the new yarn line on her blog. She had so many samples of what the yarn looked like knitted up in her booth.  Tanis Fiber Arts couldn't make it to the show but she debuted her new yarn line and colours in the Purple Purl's Booth (which by the way I couldn't get close to when I tried to go back).  She also built a lot of interest on her blog.

Overall I had a great time and there is nothing like being around other people that are as obsessed about yarn as I am.

I want to thank my friends who gave me yarn money for my birthday way back in January...I saved it for the Knitter's Frolic and thoroughly enjoyed using it up!

Next time I am excited to show you, not one, but two finished items!  Have a good week.  : o)