I Will Knit a Sock Monkey

I'm back from Stitches Midwest, where lots of money was spent, and meat was consumed. I won't go back tomorrow, because we get to drive in the blazing hot sun of the Wisconsin summer. I went to the Market with a plan, but of course some impulse purchases happened. One was the Cat Bordhi book. I read a little bit of it, and already my brain hurts. This will go into my tote bag for the next two weekends for study. Some polwarth was purchased at Rovings for some shrugs. Just as I declared sleeves to be over in my sweaters, now knitting sleeves alone has become appealing. Perhaps it's because I've decided that I'm really not a shawl person. Purchased a pattern for a shrug, and a pattern for a sock monkey that can be knit with bulky yarn to 27" long. I think it would be fun to knit a completely frivolous item, and I can just picture the monkey lounging on my bed. Bigger than Piccolo! A lucky little dog was observed in his mom's hand on the market floor.
One of the total impulse purchases was from Webs. Norah Gaughan's new pattern book, and the recommended yarn for one of the sweaters. It's so cool. That sweater might make it to the top of the heap as far as personal projects go. Some yarn was purchased for Piccolo sweaters, and a hat for me.
After shopping, there was a delightful dinner at Gibson's with some friends. This has become a tradition with a few of us. In the past, dinner was during the down time between the last session on Thursday and the market preview in the evening. Next year, the expo will be in Schaumburg, at a more contemporary venue. So, no more Gibson's! We'll have to find a new place.