Catching up, including a visit to The Fold!

So much to tell you!

First, I must share this one picture with you all. It sums up Wednesday morning, BEFORE 7 AM, mind you, perfectly:



You can see the fierceness in the No Sheep models' eyes. BTW, Rachel was initially supposed to wear Cables & Os on the show, but time constraints meant we shifted stuff around and that sweater never got on TV. It also meant Julia only got on once, but she did get to wear Morrigan. You ladies are beautiful and I am honored to know you and be your friend. I'm going to cry now.

---

Okay, we've got to step back a little to get caught up properly.

Remember this from last fall at Rhinebeck? That's merely the BACK HALF of a line that stretched nearly the entire length of the building...just to get into The Fold's booth.

The Fold. A legendary, mystical shop located somewhere in Illinois. Tina (Ms Blue Moon Fiber Arts herself) calls Toni (the owner of The Fold) her Guardian Angel. I believe it's safe to say that without Toni, I don't think many of us would know of BMFA. Can you even conceive of our knitting world without Socks that Rock?

Okay. So I was in Chicago for passover last week. [That's the rather perverse horseradish root mom was forced to purchase the morning of the seder. I wonder why it was the only one left? Cough.]

I'd realized on my previous visit that Marengo [home of The Fold] was actually just over an hour away from my parents' house, but never had the time to get there. Dear lord. You'd have had to nail my feet to the floor to keep me from going on this visit.

It's way out in the country, but very driveable from Chicago proper. I left from the Deerfield area and it took me just over an hour.


Eeeeeeeeeeeee!


Of course I ran into bloggers at the shop. Here's Helen and her travelling sock. The shop is in the background. Rather unassuming, don't you think?


The friendly, mild-mannered shop German Shepherd. A very sweet, non-crotch-sniffy dog. Just my type.

When I stepped in, I think I expected more spinning fiber than yarn. I wasn't disappointed. [My apology for the blurrines of some pictures. I was too damned excited to make sure they were perfect, and didn't want to use flash and be gauche.]

Do they have fiber at The Fold?







My favorite: the wall of rainbow roving [it wasn't Amy friendly to touch, but it sure was to look at!]



Here's the Amy-friendly stuff.

Do they have spindles?





I bought a 1-oz Avi Wasserman...I have been eyeing them at their Rhinebeck booth for two years. I figured it was about time.

But yarn? Do they have yarn? Dear lord, yes. Just look:









There is so much more, I couldn't begin to photograph it. Lots of great stuff that you'd want any yarn shop to carry, but also lots of wonderful treats you won't find elsewhere. It's not all Blue Moon, but there is so much Blue Moon you've never heard of that your brain might explode with it all. Mine nearly did. You could spend 2 hours in the shop easily, and still not see every bit of the gorgeousness they have for sale.

So what did I come home with?

A skein of STR for Stephannie in Azurite.
Some fiber for Jillian and Emma that will not be blogged here.
And this for me:

My current obsesssion. Ziggy [100% cotton] in Pebble Beach. This is well on its way to becoming the nicest Clapotis I've ever knit. Yes, I said I'd never knit another. I lied. 2 skeins won't be enough, though, but Toni found two complimentary skeins of Aquamarine in the same yarn and I'm going to get clever with the transition. It's going to be freaking stunning.


Another lone skein of Sock Candy, this time in Scaponia. No idea what it will be, but I couldn't just leave it there. I love the color.


Two huge hanks of Interlacements silk roving. A smidge shopworn, but I don't believe that's a problem. Especially since spinning silk roving is something I'm working up to, and by the time I'm good at it, I bet I'll be able to smooth it all out.

So there you have it. A life-transforming visit to a yarn store. Non-knitters would howl at the thought, but then they're the ones missing out, aren't they?

[next update: my visit to Loopy Yarns!]