Stitches West Knitting Conference

What an incredible visual treat that was! For years I didn't even consider going to the Stitches West Conference because it was for knitters. What a mistake! There is yarn everywhere, so much more than at a weaver's conference. The crowd itself is wearing an amazing array of handmade apparel that will knock your socks off!! 

And, oh, I can't believe  the handknit socks!

Stitches West is produced by The Knitting Universe of which Knitters Magazine is part. You can see their photo album of the conference and fashion show here on Flickr. I loved seeing the "DoubleStitch Twins" and their elegant hand-knit outfits. So glamorous!  Or visit the Knitting Universe website here and check out their show schedule.


With permission from the following vendors, I took some photographs to share a bit of the color and flavor of the event with  you all.

Shelridge Farm had such a beautiful booth, showing us what is possible with a little wool and a couple of sticks! To read about their "Soft Touch" knitting yarns, see photo galleries, and a list of fiber resources, 
visit their website here.

And I couldn't help but show you some of those handknit socks referred to above. 

Courtesy of Shelridge Farm.

This display from Brooks Farm on the main aisle was stunning. 

You can read about their hand-dyed artisan yarns  here. 

These ladies at LanaKnits are modeling garments knitted from their beautiful hemp yarns They were lovely and gave me encouragement to dig through the bargain bin!
  Visit their website here and read about "the most versatile fiber on earth".

Green Mountain Spinnery had every color you could want. They told me that some of their fibers are "dyed in the wool". I highly recommend that you visit  their website and take the virtual tour, here.

I love baskets and really enjoyed visiting with the owner of Maendeleo Imports. I did not buy any baskets, because I may already have too many according to my husband. Check out their website here.
Find out about their Fair Trade business and if they will be coming to a show near you soon.

Thanks to my friend, Stella, for driving me over to the show in Santa Clara. It was an hour-long drive through the mountains where snow was falling. Snow is a rare event here, and I had never had this experience.
We both took classes and walked around the vendor hall until late afternoon,  until we had been so saturated with colors and patterns that we had to retreat.
Stay tuned, in the next post, I'll show pictures of what I bought and the result of my classwork.