Hello darling. I went to Stitches West. Finally, after 2 years of Covid craziness. Last year was the first in the new location at the Sacramento Convention Center. The center is huge and had a lot of potential for greatness. I met up with the H Sisters, which was delightful. When we got there, we quickly realized that there was an additional event going on, in another part of the center. It was a youth cheerleading competition/ convention. Darling, I can’t tell you how much I hope that Feebs never wants to do cheerleading. I am just not that mom, and I hope she isn’t that kind of kid, at least not the kind that I saw that day.
Once we got into the lobby, the vibe was very relaxed. There wasn’t the excited energy that was always present before. Some people were still wearing masks, but most weren’t. When we were let into the staging area, there was a promoter that was trying to pump up the crowd before entry. She did an amazing job, but the energy just didn’t seem to be there. I was very surprised at how small the event seemed. In retrospect, I think it was the same size it had always been, but the room was so much larger, that it dwarfed the vendor area and made it seem small. I had hoped for more sewing and other fiber crafts to be present since I thought I had seen them there last year (while Insta-stalking the event). Unfortunately, there weren’t any.
Some vendors that I was excited to see were Madeline Tosh, Miss Babs, A Verb for Keeping Warm, and Royal Bee Yarn Co. Vendors that I was sorry not to see were Magpie Fibers, Leading Men Fiber Arts, and Jimmy Bean Wool. I was really hoping to get more yarn from all of them. I feel that I didn’t buy as much as I normally would have, but I spent a lot more money. Funny how that works. I was also surprised at the lack of tools and accessories. Ms. C was wanting to buy a set of interchangeable needles. We looked around, several times, and found only a few sets available. There were Knitter’s Pride wooden needles, Chiao Goo, and Lykke driftwood. That was all. In the end, I convinced her to hold off for now. Ms. D has a ton of different-sized circulars for Ms. C to choose from, so I didn’t see a real need for her to invest at this point. I did end up getting the Chiao Goo short set in sizes 9-11. I am in love with those sets, and use them all the time. While in line, I got talking to a couple of women behind me, and they were inquiring what I did with the sets. I told them that they have revolutionized my sleeve game. One of the ladies asked me to hold her spot in line so she could go grab a set. I felt like I should have gotten a commission from the vendor…
As we moved through the vendors, we did find some fabulous stuff. We all purchased some fastenings from Juul. I purchased one style in both metal colors. These fastenings are fantastic because they aren’t fixed. You can take them off and use them on another garment. I believe the sisters selected a different style than I did, but they were all gorgeous.
Then we got to the Plied booth. They had the most gorgeous, variegated yarn (think Spincycle) that was toothy but not scratchy. They had a colorwork cowl on display that I simply had to purchase. I felt that it would have been more helpful if they had kits, instead of having you go through and find everything, but they were very helpful and made sure I found everything I needed. The cowl is the Branches, by Jamie Hoffman.
When we got to the MadTosh booth, it was broken up into two different areas. One was the display of current colors, and the other was boxes of one-of-a-kind colors. I grabbed a few skeins of one-of-a-kind colors for gift hats. I tried to pick up some more gender-neutral colors, this time to make my options broader. (On a side note, there was a woman picking through the boxes and sniffing at them saying what ugly colors they were. Oh, darling, she doesn’t know how close she came to getting throat punched. How dare she!)
I also spied a woman with a gorgeous sweater when we were waiting to get into the event. She told me it was the Hamilton sweater. Naturally, I went right on Ravelry and purchased the pattern. I bought yarn for it at the Mod Yarns booth. The yarn is luxurious. It is Straight Up Worsted.
Then I was able to find the Loops booth. I bought a single skein in a purple/ lavender twist, at probably the 2019 Stitches West. I really liked it and was saving it for something special. Well… My mother-in-law asked me to knit her cousin a hat for her birthday and said her favorite color was purple. I had exactly one skein of purple in my stash… Did I mention the cousin in question has cancer? So, I parted ways with it and wished it a good home. So I was delighted to find it again, with a lovely orange sister to go along with it. I am not saying I wouldn’t part with this one for similar reasons, but I would really like not to.
Then as I was practically on my way out, I walked by the Miss Babs booth again and spied a beautiful shawl in soft and soothing colors. It was the Pizza Night shawl and was made using one main color and a gradient set. So, of course, I went on Ravelry again and bought the pattern. I choose the yarn of the model in the same colors. Miss Babs Yummy 2-ply.
Ms. D had gone off a bit on her own, so I am not entirely sure what she bought. Ms. C picked some nice things up along the way. They were both looking for yarn for hats and possibly some cowls or scarves. They were very happy with their purchases. The other purchase that I made as a result of the event is the pattern for the Slippy V Triangle, by Steven West. A Verb for Keeping Warm had a sample knit up, and I simply had to buy the pattern. I have yarn in my stash that I can use for it, so didn’t see the need to procure more (who am I?).
So, the event was good and productive, but I did have higher hopes for it. I wish they had diversified the vendors to include more crafts, like fabric and sewing. Especially with the size of the building. We walked around the entire thing about 4 or 5 times, and my step count was only 4,500. That struck me as strange considering that my workday (that I mostly sit at) generally nets me about 5,200 steps. I am very happy with everything that I bought. I am very excited to cast on some of it. I have a theory about my elbow, so I will avoid color work or left-handed knitting for a while. That means that the Branches cowl will have to sit in time out for a bit, but I can cast on just about everything else. I am excited to return next year, barring any new pandemic bullshit. It felt perfect to squish yarn and be surrounded by my people again.
On a side note, I made contact with people. I even initiated a couple of conversations. I also scared the bejesus out of a woman I recognized from morning drop-off at school. She had lovely vibrant purple hair, and that gave her away. I even remembered to introduce myself as me instead of the mother of Feebs. She introduced herself as well. It felt good to be friendly and not completely introvert.
Good purchases were made, memories were made, and I got to spend time with some beautiful people. Stitches 2023 was a win.
Loves,
M
Mrs. Collins Makes Stuff 