what i did with my summer vacation

So this summer, one of my goals was to make sure I traveled at least a little. This is year is the last one where I’ll have a “summer vacation” before I start studying in earnest and need to be a responsible grownup, and – since it’s been a goal of mine, for a few years now – I thought this year would be a good one to go to Comic Con with a few friends.

It. Was. Awesome.

I saw a lot of people dressed as superheroes, and met up with rad knitters for a bit, and saw a lot of really, really excellent panels that I can’t believe I was allowed to go to. One of the really interesting things about going was seeing the odd sort of subculture that develops within the convention itself – basic social rules suddenly change the second you get that badge and actually step into the convention hall. For instance, despite the fact that I’m sure most of the people at the convention are not three hour line sorts of people, once you’re there, it becomes totally reasonable to wait in line for something (like getting to see a panel with the cast of Fringe, be still my heart) for two or three hours. This may have happened to me more than once over my four day trip.

This is my Bellevue. When I left, I’d finished the body and most of one sleeve. Thanks to all of those long lines, it very nearly became The Sweater I Finished At Comic Con. As it is, I’m moving merrily along on the yoke (which goes quickly), and getting very excited about having this in my wardrobe.

there’s good karma, and then there’s this.

I remember, very clearly, a time a couple of years back when a few of my favourite knitting bloggers suddenly began to post about spinning. “Spinning,” I said to myself, “That’s ridiculous. It takes forever, and you could just buy yarn. What a useless skill.”

By last summer, the idea of spinning had at least grown on me. I sort of thought it might be fun to learn how to drop spindle. Like, just to see how spinning worked. And it was kind of awesome. But I wasn’t going to get a wheel or anything.

Except that, about three weeks ago, I got a text from a good friend of mine. We have knitting in common, and she knows that I’ve been learning to spin, and as luck would have it, her mom has been trying to get a relative’s spinning wheel out of her basement for a few years now. She wanted to know if I would be interested in it.

So, yeah. I lucked into a free wheel.

I am absolutely giddy with excitement, but to be honest, I am a little terrified of this thing. There are lots of moving parts, and I have been assured that it is a complete working wheel, but I do not understand how someone could make that thing spin yarn. Laura promised that she’d come over and show me how it works, and I’m sure it’ll be less frightening after that.

I was going to say ‘Sharpay Evans’ instead of ‘Barbie,’ and then I realized nobody would get it.

I went to the Frolic this weekend! With Laura, which was both awesome and a little intimidating, because she knows like everybody. But I bought a ton of yarn, and other yarn-related paraphernalia, and overall it was a pretty rad time!

From left to right: cat, Tanis Fiber Arts MCN, Madelinetosh Tosh Sock, new spindle (!!!), some really fluffy Shetland roving from Waterloo Wools, and St. Denis Nordique. I am very, very pleased with my big bag of yarn. My cat is obviously more into the bag, but that’s okay. She can’t knit.

And then, omgomg. So, I saw Kim of indigodragonfly at knit night, weeks ago. And I know she dyes yarn, so I was all, “Hey, you know what colour you should dye? Pink. Pink sock yarn. It’s my favourite.” And then I didn’t think anything of it – at least not until she emailed me this week to let me know that she had dyed some yarn that was really, really, really, pink, and would I like some.

Obviously, hell yes I would like some.

Guys, this yarn is bright. So bright, in fact, that my camera got confused and won’t photograph it properly – but I want you guys to imagine what would happen if Barbie ever took up knitting. It’s pretty much that. I am in love. It’s electric, electric pink, but also subtly variegated somehow, and it makes me grin every time I look at it.

I’ve already wound one of the skeins. These are going to be the best effing socks, you guys don’t even know.