Kninja Knitter

Once the Zombie Knitpocalypse got going, time seemed to speed up exponentially! I got worn out fairly quickly with all the peopling, especially having three roommates. It was still very enjoyable, and I’m already looking forward to and planning for next year! It was also wild to discover that I was sitting with a yarn dyer and didn’t even know it, lol.

ZK wrap-up

I didn’t sleep very well Thursday night (possibly due in part to the whiskey fun), so when I woke up on Friday, I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the 5K event. I also opted out of the breakfast plans that my roommates made. I eased into the day. I attended a class about tips & techniques to make knitwear fit well – not really anything new here, but I did appreciate the reminders. Afterwards, I walked to the Yarn Truck Rodeo down the street. There were three trucks, and I purchased from two of them (Yarn Adventures and Knit Buffalo). I was pleased to find a progress keeper I can enjoy that also happens to be a sponsor in the Splash Pad Party this year. And the new needle stoppers definitely spoke (or sang) to me!

I had an interesting experience at dinner – opting to walk to Talia’s Pizzeria for a splurge. My food was delivered by a robot – though a human server put the food on my table. It caught me by surprise when I saw it bringing an order to another table. Another guest asked our server if the robot ever annoyed him. His reply, “No, because I don’t have to share my tips with it!”

Another special highlight of Friday’s schedule was our keynote speaker, Anna Hrachovec! She admitted that it was her very first keynote address, but it certainly wasn’t obvious to me! She spoke about the importance of Play. This gave her a great way to share her personal story while weaving in ideas about how anyone can incorporate play in their lives. The most impactful moment for me in her whole talk was the fact that she crafted the well-known gnome-knitting-a-heart GIF video the day after the US presidential election of 2016. What a touching tidbit – this was her response to the emotional upheaval – and given the current environment in the US, play is an essential element in maintaining our humanity.

Saturday was an even easier day, as there were no classes – only shopping! I walked down to Hollandberry Pannekoeken for breakfast, using one of the coupons (or pannekoepen, lol) from our goodie bags. The pancakes and sausage were delicious, And that was good fortification to prepare me for the marketplace – where I may have gone a little overboard.

I did start off making a full circuit of all the booths before choosing any purchases. While I know I want to knit a sweater or two (or more) for next year’s ZK, I wasn’t going to buy a sweater quantity of yarn at the market. But I did purchase more than a sweater quantity of yarn – just not all the same yarn. I ran into my Into the Wool connection, Tracy, while I was on my first round. She pointed out that one of the vendors has a yarn base named for her – what a great marketing ploy! I bought the ZK2025 colorway from them in that base, a tweed fingering yarn. I already knew I’d be buying from Leading Men Fiber Arts, too, as I love their yarns. So I purchased a MC full skein and CC half skein to knit a shawl design by my friend, Lisa K. Ross. Then there were a couple self striping sock yarns (with contrasting solid minis) in the Woolens and Nosh booth – owned by one of my table mates from the ballroom! Lastly, I purchased a rainbow set of minis from the only vendor who had a favorable price on minis (save on 5+ minis!). Oh, and I also bought one of Anna’s books (which came with a couple knitting patterns) for my grandson – plus a kit to knit my own (or Zayne’s own) play set!

I had a late lunch/early dinner at The Tap House on Historic 3rd Street, less than a block away from our hotel. Then it was back to the ballroom for the closing ceremonies. The final thank you’s were shared, and second chance prizes were given away. I will say that the one disappointment about this retreat is that there aren’t enough of these prizes for everyone. Our table only had three second-chance prize winners after having only one winner at the opening ceremonies – and this was at a table of eight.

Before the final event of the weekend, I went to the Galleria with two of my roommates. I wasn’t hungry, so I just bought a soda at the Street Taco spot we went to. We got a bit of a show while they waited for their food, as a couple other patrons had their Maine Coon Cat on their table. We all agreed that we didn’t this was appropriate, but apparently the management wasn’t concerned enough to say anything. The cat ate some with them, too. Interesting…

The evening concluded with treats (cake) and finally, the coordinators, Amy and Megan, were able to really relax and visit with attendees. All the work was done, and they could enjoy the evening. Around 9:30pm I made the rounds to say good-bye to my new friends, as I had to return to the room to pack. My super-early shuttle was motivation to have all but the morning essentials packed away before climbing into bed. I had most of that done when my roomies returned.

Side note: I did have a bit of FOMO this evening, as while I was enjoying time with new friends of the fiber-loving persuasion, my 40th high school reunion was happening in Connecticut. The fact that it was held exactly 40 years to the day after our graduation ceremony added a fun element to it. I’ve seen a bunch of pictures on Facebook, and it would have been a great chance to catch up with folks I haven’t seen since the 30th reunion (25 was canceled due to COVID). But it doesn’t look like any of my closest friends from high school were there. Hopefully I can make it back for the 45th!

Homeward Bound

On Sunday, I woke up about ten minutes before my alarm. My Oura app referred to my sleep as a nap… less than four hours. I did the last minute prep, packing up what remained, and headed to the lobby. I paid for my share of the room and waited for the shuttle, which arrived ahead of the stated departure time. I was the only pick-up at that hotel, so once my stuff was loaded up, we headed to the next hotel, where one more passenger boarded. Then we were off to the airport.

I was at the gate for my flight hours before departure, but I had little choice (unless I changed to another shuttle operator). The walk through TSA and to the gate was enough to wake me up a bit, so I got some knitting done at the airport, and more on the plane. The flight to O’Hare was uneventful, and at last I was offered a drink choice! My connecting flight was a whole gate away (just turn left and boom!), so I sat down to wait. On the second flight, I opted to sleep as best I could. I did manage to nap – and if any beverages were offered, I wasn’t awake to accept. Another uneventful flight, followed by an easy Uber ride home.

I chilled for the afternoon, grabbing a nap eventually. I contemplated blogging my summary of the retreat then, but I wasn’t in the right headspace. I did go out for a DoorDash shift to keep my Platinum status alive, but that was it. I had a solid night of sleep, back in my own bed by myself in the quiet. I still have some more resting to do, as that was a lot of people in my space for four days! I’m hoping to get some more knitting done!

Stitched or Still-in-Progress

I shared the other day that I finished the cowl for Camp Loopy. That was my only FO of the week, but I did spend a lot of time knitting throughout the retreat and travel. I did NOT work on the zigzag blanket or the Lake Hug Sweater Scarf, so I’ll be prioritizing them this week. As for the others… I spent the most time on one of my cast-on from the previous week! I added seventeen drop-stitch segments. I have about fifty grams of the bright yarn remaining. I might opt to end the shawl before using it up, particularly since it’s pretty big already – much bigger than the samples on the pattern’s page.

I also managed a few rounds on the hat. I’ll be glad to get the ribbing done since that will make it even easier, particularly for movie knitting.

And while I didn’t work on my new sweater at all on the trip (one of four projects I didn’t take out of my bag), I did make a little progress after blocking the initial piece from last week.

I also pulled out the sock I neglected last week. I’m almost done with the gusset decreases.

Cast-on Conversations

I started just one project this week, though I contemplated several after my acquisitions. I was debating between two patterns to spotlight a special skein, and this one is turning out to be the right choice.

I’m also thinking of turning the Fiberology skein into a Tan House Brook Shawl from Jennnifer Lassonde. And the tweed fingering yarn could very well become Birchgrove Cowl by Erin Kurup. Given everything currently on my needles though, these may not start until the Pigskin Party in the fall.

The yarn arrived for the Frosted shawl I mentioned last week, and the yarns look even more perfect IRL!

It’s back to a regular schedule this week as I work to wrap up the quarter. We’ve got an excessive heat advisory, as does a good portion of the country, until tomorrow night. Thankfully my A/C works quite well! Have a good week, everyone.

Knit on. 🧶