I’m still reeling from being gone for better than the first half of the month, and all the people and places I saw. That’s not keeping me from making plans for the next trip: Stitches West 2009 up in Santa Clara at the end of next month. I’ll be driving up with blogless Denise, and sharing a room with her. She procured our room last summer. Smart woman. I bought my tickets to get into the market online last night. The schematic of the market floor was put online a couple days ago. Everyone thought it looked smaller, so Kristie pulled out her map from last year’s market, and counted booths. There are actually ten more booths this year than last. Very cool.

While at TNNA last week, I talked to a lot of vendors. I wasn’t always good about getting business cards from them, and I was horrible about taking notes, relying on my memory. Ha. I was very happy—and surprised—to receive this lovely ball of Douceur et Soie (”Softness and Silk” for those of us who don’t speak French—I looked it up) and associated color cards in the mail on Saturday from Knit One Crochet Too. The yarn label says it’s 70% baby mohair (kid), and 30% silk. It’s amazingly soft and light. There are about 225 yards on this ball. I’m thinking I can make a short little wisp of a scarf with it. I hope. I found a stitch pattern I really like, so I’m swatching. I don’t want to waste one inch of this lovely yarn, so I’m testing the stitch with something completely different. Yes, that’s a combination of lace and cables. Two of my favorite things to knit wrapped into one sweet little stitch.

Did you perhaps think that through all of this I haven’t been knitting, since I haven’t mentioned it yet? Rest assured, I have been knitting. In fact, Not only did I finish up my second Gschnitztal sock, but I’m on the second sock of a brand new pair. I started this pair in Mexico. The movement in the stitch makes me think of the movement of water on the beach. Since this pair of socks was started in Mexico I wanted a Spanish name for the sock. I pulled up the online translator, and played a bit. I finally found something I like. Línea de la Playa, which is Spanish for “line of the beach” or as we would say in English “shoreline.” Keep your eyes peeled for the pattern release. It shouldn’t be too long before this one is ready to go.

I’ve had a real hankering for lace lately, so this will probably be the last sock pattern you’ll get out of me for a while. I’m trying to write it up for five sizes. Three sizes behave quite nicely, but the other two are being obstinate. I may give it up, and just do the three sizes. Haven’t decided yet.

We actually had a little rain over the weekend. The sky has been marvelous, because of it, and the air sweet. This morning when I got up I could see the mountains from here, but no longer. I took these pictures about an hour and a half ago. There are more clouds over those mountains now, and they’re a little darker. The sky is still a nice blue otherwise, though.