Stitches Midwest 2018

A couple friends and I trekked to Chicago for Stitches Midwest.  It was not my first Stitches, but it was my first time at Stitches Midwest.  The venue was very lovely.  My room was large and the bed was comfy.  And quiet, which was a bit of a surprise because the floor I was on overlooked the center of the hotel down to the lobby level.

My classes were very challenging, the most challenging I've ever taken.  Thursday was an all day class from Xandy Peters to learn how to do her Fox Paws pattern.  To get the proper shaping, there are intense increases and decreases.  Once I got the hang of them it wasn't bad, but my head hurt by the end of the day.  Below is the swatch I made.  If you look close you'll see the orange bar on the right is looser than the bar on the left.  Xandy said to expect the first few repeats to be a little wonky.  Once I am more comfortable with the techniques, my stitches will even out.  Also, blocking works wonders.

The other class I took was another all-day class.  It was called Fit to be Fabulous.  It was a sewing-themed class taught by Katrina Walker.  The class was about adjusting a sewing pattern using the Palmer/Pletsch method.  We worked on a fitted bodice from a sheath dress pattern.  At the end of the day, I had pattern pieces altered to fit my torso.  I had been taught to sew when I was young but had never taken any classes.  I had always selected the pattern that fit my measurements and sewn away, not worrying too much about alterations.  This is probably why I abandoned sewing clothes for myself; most things came out not fitting correctly.  What I learned is that my first mistake was the size I selected.   My second mistake was not making the right alterations to get the proper fit.  It was another intense, but fun, class that left me exhausted at the end of the day.

I came home with some goodies from the market.

Bumblebee Acres had Outlander themed yarn.  These are Claire and Jamie.  I think they might go well together in a shawl.  I'm thinking about Vitis.

Stunning String Studio had a beautiful sample and kits for Oktoberfest.  I couldn't resist, especially after I learned they allowed you to swap the yarn for any colorway you desired.  I found this beautiful red named Ruby.  I was so in love I wound a ball while at the hotel and cast on.  The yarn is fabulous to work with.  The pattern is written as a KAL, so it will be nice to mark my progress.

I had a little more money left in my budget so I bought a set of interchangeables from Knit Picks.  Once can never have too many needles.

When I got home yesterday, I was greeted by grandcat Nala.  She is going to stay with us for a month while Kristin finishes up her semester at school, moves apartments and travel a little over break.  Nala does not like car rides. Kristin felt it would be easier on her if she came here and stayed for a while.  I don't mind at all.  I love having a soft kitty to snuggle with in front of the television.