I have to admit that, yes, it IS fun to travel to Florence, Italy twice a year to look for new yarns. How could it not be fun? The food is incredible, we get to visit with many old friends, and we are looking at yarn - all among my very favorite things!

A whirlwind tour: We always arrive in Florence on Sunday, a bit tired and punchy, having left about ten hours earlier on Saturday evening. After a brief nap, the work begins. This year we hit a few tourist musts, window shopped, and cruised a chocolate festival, all before our first night's sleep. The next day the yarn hunt begins in earnest with visits to yarn mills. Take a photo tour.

It's an intense seven days. The work starts at 8 AM and working dinners often end around midnight. Having a daily routine makes us feel grounded and "at home", so most mornings we walk the same route from our hotel to the Pitti Filati exhibition. Three days in a row we were treated to this irresistible sight - two white dogs enjoying their morning commute (at right).

The theme of the Pitti Filati exhibition was nature, reflecting worldwide concerns about ecology and global warming. A special exhibition highlighted natural fibers and many vendors showed naturally based products. The visual sub theme was sea life. Walking into the show was like walking into an undersea world. Blue lights washed over all and little white lights simulated bubbles. An amazing array of giant sea life swam around us as we made our way through the room. Here are a few photos to help bring you under the spell. Remember, these fish are all knitted! I took a 20 second movie while walking among the fishes. See it on the blog and walk with me. The enormous knit jellyfish delighted me so much that I knit a small one in Lumina™ to share with you. Take a look at sealife photos from Pitti Filati.

For more armchair travels to Italy, see our previous Pitti Filati stories:

Knit in Lumina™
Skill level: Intermediate
FREE pattern instructions

It's great to be home now, in New Hampshire, knitting with yarns found at previous Pitti Filati shows, reproducing Florentine cooking with locally grown ingredients and enjoying Spring.

Best wishes,