I need your help!

I spent most of the weekend at Loop, and what a wonderful weekend it was!  Craig and his staff are always great fun to hang out with and they always treat me like royalty. Plus it's inspiring being surrounded by so many beautiful yarns and projects.

My Saturday class was scheduled to begin at 10, but the Schuylkill mocked me, sucking us into a huge traffic jam. A trip that normally would take 20 minutes on a Saturday morning took close to an hour and half -- feh.  My students were very understanding about me being late, though, so we pushed the class back half an hour and went 10:30 to 1:30ish.  I love teaching the Handpaints class. It's always filled with people who, like me, are fascinated with handpainted yarns and love knitting with them. By the time we're done with the class, I can actually see how a little light comes on the eyes of the students: they understand how handpainted yarns work and why they do what they do, and it gives them a whole new window on their knitting.

After class, I was able to hang out at the shop and see some of the lovely customers that came into Loop.

Aileen, "Kristin Dee" (if that is her real name) and Sallykins

I also got to see Mary Kay (who brought lots of beautiful projects she'd knit in BBF), Jenny the vet, Sam, Merrill, Martha, and many other knitting friends. I also got a chance to look around. Loop has always had a delectable assortment of yarns, but I was especially entranced by all of the Rowan (Cocoon! Wool-Cotton! Lima! Kidsilk Haze!) and the Brooklyn Tweed yarns (Shelter and new Loft).

Yes, some Shelter ended up coming home with me (although I was sorely tempted by the Loft, too, and I heartily believe there is a Cocoon something in my future).  I also had to stop next door to see what was new at Loop's sister store, Spool.  Laura had plenty of goodies for me to ogle, and I found that I simply couldn't resist Amy Butler's new Lark collection:

and the new Echo collection by Lotta Jansdottir:

I am now pondering what to do with them. The Lark fabric is so vivid, and the Echo is much lighter, with lots of creamy white, so I'll have to find just the right patterns for them.

Sunday ended up being a much smoother day. There was no traffic so I had plenty of time to get into the shop and get ready for the class.  I was really pleased to meet one of my most excellent customers, Tonia, who took my class and then hung out for a while. She had lots of lovely projects to show me and I was really happy to finally meet her in person.  I only had my cell phone with me to take photos, but this is a shot of her Girasole:

Stunning, isn't it?

After class, sweet Anmiryam dropped by, too, and it was terrific to see her, since I've been so crazed lately I haven't had much of a chance to see anyone in the last few months. Tom even brought the kids by, since they were excited that I had a "show," and it was fun to have them around, taking part in my big weekend. A huge thank-you to Craig and the staff of Loop for putting up with my wisecracks and being such fabulous hosts.

But before I sign off, I am asking you all for your help. I now have a bunch of Shelter in the Faded Quilt color:

While I was hanging at Loop, I cast on the Sullivan sweater, designed by Whitney Gegg-Harrison. I really want to finish this sweater so I can wear it, since I so rarely manage to knit sweaters for myself. So here's where your help comes in:  Remind me about my sweater. Harass me, harangue me, shame me. Do whatever it takes to help incent me to finish it. I will do an update of my progress on the first of every month 'til I am done. My goal is to finish it by my birthday, in March.  I'll take a photo of where I am tomorrow and post it so we have a reference point. What do you think?  Can I finish something for myself?  Will you mock me, cajole me, remind me until I'm done?