still slogging away

so, the debacle that was the vest. after ripping it out to nearly the beginning, i have been attempting to get it done. when i'm in this predicament, i find that i am able to work at lightning speed on any other project.... except the one that needs to be done!

along with jessica, we finished a pair of felted clogs to give as a hostess gift when we go to rhinebeck. knit in mauch chunky, we used redwood for the tops and soles and apple for the cuffs and bumper... they are awesome.

next would be spinning the 'berkshire autumn' a lovely wool/mohair blend from tintagel farms that i procured last year. i've got it spun, plied, washed and it's drying. i have a new passion for navajo plying. i think that i'm getting the mechanics worked out and i adore that yarn that it produces. i wanted to dive into the stuff that i just got, so i'm spinning the batt from sany long. one word. amazing.

she doesn't name her colorways, so this is my cabernet / merlot blend.

we also made a visit to genesee country museum. had a great time chatting with the interpretors and learning about life in the 1800's. and of course there were sheep. lincolns.

and the vest? i'm working the back!

the good, the bad and the ugly

so here i was feeling a firm sense of accomplishment. the order that i had for a felted bag....done! it came out so well that i was tempted to keep it. it is a buttonhole bag with needle felted roving and locks.

the recipient was pleased.

so i was then able to finish the ribby vest for me. as i was blocking the shoulder seams in preparation to join it hit me..... a huge block of color change. it would seem that one of the balls of yarn, marked with the same dye lot number, was indeed a tone off. how (you may ask) did i miss it with all the measuring that is done to get the proper length? never looked. did not even cross my mind that this would ever....could ever happen.

honey said it was a great design element (what can you expect after 25 years of wedded bliss) it looked like crap! big nasty ole crap!

so i slept on it and ripped it out this morning. knitted in a week, out in minutes. attached a new ball (one that does match... i swatched) and i'm off. again.

on a happier note, the felted clog for neenee is done. it is her hostess gift for guesting my band of merry woolies for rhinebeck.

back to knitting. again.

oh my!

i was feeling a slight bit let down last evening....the festival had ended.... i had too much fun..... and i didn't think that i had that much to show for it.

hmmmmmm.....once it was all sorted out and logged (yes, i squeak very hard) i think that i will be quite content this winter, spinning away.

the two in front are superwash merino/tencel from spinning bunny, next is a sparkly one from tintagel farms-starry night. in the back are my two finds from sandy long of longmeadow farm, then i fell into steamvalley fibers with falling leaves (another sparkler), pansies and sun&earth. there is a small ball from spinners hill and a merino/silk blend from winterhaven farms in grandma's garden! whew. all the exact specs are on my ravelry page (see i told you i squeak hard!)

must get spinning!

fiberlicious!!

What a weekend! the anticipation for the annual fingerlakes fiber fest starts mid-winter for me. i think about the past year, what i wished i had done/gotten/seen. then the feeling subsides as the spring spinning activities abound. then as august rolls around i notice the fluttering inside and realize that it will soon be festival time.

this year i wondered if it could meet my expectations. i did rhinebeck last fall and maryland this spring, and thought that maybe i had reached the end of the road.......i had not! not only were my expectations met, they were exceeded. and i'm not sure i can explain why.

saturday dawned sunny and warm...perfect weather. armed with my mental list, envelope of cash and jessica...off we went. fueled by a machiatto it was fiber time.

first stop, stone edge fibers and my fiber amy...






she was sporting a new booth design and it was lovely.

i had received an email from another fiber~friend about a last minuted addition to the vendors that was a must see.

she was so right!

sandy long and her luscious fluff! her roving is stunning and her booth was charming. i acquired 8 ounces of a green blend, lots of deep rich colors and 8 ounces of an elderberry colored blend. absolutely stunning stuff. it will be the next on my wheel.




tintagel farms made their first appearance at our fest. i have 4 ounces of starry night~ it's the sparkly blue in the bottom right. i've never spun with sparkle so it will be a new twist... get it (i'm still reeling from the fumes :)











sunday was dreary and cold, but that didn't seem to deter the crowds. i caught ruth headed to drop her first haul of the day...





and seeing her, i realized that i hadn't gotten enough, so i was able to get another 8 ounces of green from sandy and really made a dent in steamvalley farms stock. a pound of falling leaves, 8 ounces of pansies and 4 ounces of fall colors..... yikes!





and i can't wait til next year!

this and that

so this is my current obses..er project. i started painting these boxes back in may. i added a crackle medium and now the final stencil. i am enchanted! this is such a fun process! my house was completely stenciled....even the floors... before we restored it. now there is not a stencil to be seen. i'm tempted to get painting again, but know that i will go hog wild!

so the boxes stand ready to grace my wooly friend amy's booth at the upcoming fiber fest.

i finished the ribby vest and it immediately went into the mail for my sister. pictures will soon follow. she informs me that it is a perfect fit! so with that done, i've cast on another, this time for me. i'd like to have it to wear when the weather gets cooler.

with all this crafting, i'm behind on my spinning.... i'll correct that tomorrow!

look at me ply

so my goal was to turn this into yarn. and not just any type of yarn,i wanted the color in it to match up when i plied it.

so i had carefully split the roving (spinners hill from 2007 fiber fest) divided again and spun two bobbins in sequence..... at the fair.

i was shocked that i kept it all straight and completed what looked like equal bobbins. then i started plying in the traditional way...... yuck! it was becoming obvious that all my efforts were in vain as nothing matched completely.

so instead of continuing, i set up to try the new technique i learned.

behold a skein of yarn! good thing i had jessica with me to remind me how to do it.

i looks awesome. it is a little twisty is some spots, but overall i couldn't be happier.

we then practiced on jessica's current project. by jove, i think we've got it!