Obvious Stitches Rookie!

So I went to Stitches this past weekend and WOW I was not prepared! My co-worker Colleen went with me and we both were tired from the walking around. We saw more yarn and fiber than you could possibly imagine in one place. It was more than we could even look at! We ran into some knitting friends that introduced us to some fantastic yarns. Janice had to show me Sea Silk and what a fantastic yarn that was. It was begging me to buy it, but my Stitches budget was not large enough, rookie move number one. My Stitches budget was confined to purchasing a good yarn for Sensei's "golf vest." He is my biggest cheerleader when it comes to my knitting but there are only a few things that he would wear that I can knit for him. I am currently knitting a little navy blue vest for my nephew for his birthday and Sensei noticed a new project and immediately said, I would wear that, it would be my "golf" vest. You see ANY thing with the word golf associated with it is perfectly OK. Example, he has a couple pairs of Dockers pants, they are not his Dockers, they are his "golf pants." He has some sunglasses, they are his golfing glasses. Are you seeing my point? He is a bit obsessed with golf. I am pretty sure that at any given time he knows what town Tiger is located and I am sure that if had the time he would be stalking him too. So back to Stitches, I went there with what I know now was WAY too small of a budget to get some yarn for the "Golf Vest." I didn't think that the Sea Silk was a wise choice for the vest so sadly I had to pass on that. Then I found the Brooks Farm booth and I thought I was in Heaven. The yarns were so nice, BUT, they did not have enough of one color for me to knit the "golf vest." I was starting to run out of options. I believe if I would have been there Friday or Saturday I could have made my small budget purchase at Brooks Farm and it would have been fabulous. Live and learn for next year. Rookie move number two: You do not buy something that you can get readily purchase at your LYS. The only color that I found that would work for his vest and in a sufficient quantity was Cascade 220 Heathers. I know, I know, you don't got to Stitches and buy CASCADE!!!! Like Nita said on her blog about her Stitches moment, I should have my knitters card revoked! However I did come away with some organizational items for my needles and notions, so not all was lost, just nothing picture blog worthy.

I did get today in the mail my new book, Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch, I could not be happier. I am excited to start socks, you have no idea. I have enough sock yarn to make at least 3 pair and I don't even know how to knit socks. I even still contemplated buying sock yarn at Stitches with my left over budget money because you know that the Cascade did not set me back that far. But I resisted since I don't have a clue as to what a gusset even looks like. Hello!

Mugsy update:
He is doing better and thank you to all that have sent your well wishes. We had to modify his containment to the crate/cage/jail, whatever you want to call it because he was having MAJOR panic attacks. He was over heating himself, panting and shaking badly. He has plenty of water to cool himself too. But the only thing that has stopped the episodes is to take him out of doggy jail. So during the day now instead of the cage, he is placed in the bathroom (a very little bathroom) with almost no room to turn himself around in with food and wee wee pads for the duration of his vet prescribed containment.