did a sheep explode in here?

i've been having a feeling that my house is over-run with stuff. dog stuff. kid stuff. family stuff. partner stuff. kid stuff. living stuff.

my stuff is usually not on the list of 'too much stuff' after our renovation and frequent moving a few years ago,i've been diligent in keeping us down-sized. i recently turned the closets.... got the summer stuff out, winter stuff in and brutally examined the contents for wearability. that went well, but all the other 'stuff' is driving me nutty.

so i organized my wool.

i bought a fleece this spring and it returned from the processor in july. it was still in the box.

i bartered for a fleece this spring and it was still in the bag.

they are now rolled into 1 pound balls and zippered into their containers. nice and neat.

i'll tackle the other stuff....... later.

bet you can't knit just one

so, i was reading another blog and found that the author/knitter suffers from the malady of knitting in multiples. she gets a project and stays with it, making so many she has documented her life in phases...'felted bag phase' 'fingerless mitts phase' 'neck warmer phase'.
i was delighted (and slightly relieved) to see that someone else has the same problem, ummmm addiction.... ummmm skill! my partner often asks 'aren't you done with that yet?' not realizing that i'm on my second (or third, or fourth)
usually, my sister benefits from this compulsion, ummmm skill. i make a vest, make another for her. mitts are cute, make another for her.... you get my drift.
at rhinebeck i was captivated by this kit... keychain sock blocker sock by knitcellaneous. (add a www and you've got them) and was delighted to find it in my pile of bd goodies. immediately i cast on.......



how cute are they!

here's some perspective for size. i'm scampering through left over sock yarn like crazy.







guess what will be on my tree this year!

rhinebeck

cc and i left home at 9 am on friday, headed for my sister's home aka laurel hill b&b. now, it is not really a business, but i'm always treated like a treasured guest. we nibbled on cheese and sipped red wine shortly after our arrival, dined on vegetarian minestrone soup and garlic bread and enjoyed sherry in the living room with our knitting that evening.
chocolates were on our pillow cases when we tucked ourselves into bed that night.

up early and arrived at the festival shortly after nine. it was a bright crisp day making me very glad i had my scarf and mitts.

we immediately made our way to 'the fold' and immersed ourselves in socks that rock. i rocked very hard, purchasing 6 hanks of hand dyed loveliness in a variety of colorways and weights. i can try them all out and see which one i love the most.

met up with amy and joan spending the rest of the day touching, smelling, yakking, eating buying our way through the fair grounds. visited several new vendors, old favorites and those that i wanted to but didn't purchase from last year. i acquired 2 lbs of various fibers to spin, several new gadgets to try and can't wait to do it again next year!



ps~ already made my reservations at laurel castle :)

the excitement is building

two days.


two days until the nys sheep and wool fest at rhinebeck.


i'm all a quiver with excitement. i keep trying to instill this energy into my travel companions, they're not there yet. thankfully, amy the fiber goddess called and she too is filled with the anticipation of the event.


i love to savor the feeling. i'm checking the website, looking up vendors, tossing the stash around, flipping through patterns. i feel much more prepared this year. having done this once and also maryland, i think i've got it. now to just .... enjoy!







i've got the knitting packed. the back is done for mom's woobie sweater and i'm starting the front shapings. i knit them in tandem to the shaping part so i'm hoping this will move right along. excellent car knitting!

the vest....i'll be wearing it saturday!

this and that

this is the morning surf scarf all blocked. the colors are stunning, it drapes quite nicely around the neck..... i'm just not in love with it. i wish i had a reason, but i don't.

it did work up fast. i think the next one will be shawl/wrap size. that is one of the nice things with this pattern.... lots of options.







and the abrazo vest from knitty.com fall issue. the yarn was my trip purchase at webs, cascade revolution. i was able to modify the front straps and also adjust the width on the upper back. it fits like a dream and was super easy to knit. even the modifications were painless. i'll be doing another soon for eldest child (she wants it in blue) and i still dream of doing it in handspun.





next on the needles, a sweater/jacket for mother. she needs to let go of a ratty one, so hope to replace it with one from my hands.

time away

we celebrated our wedded bliss with a short get away to acadia national park in maine. we stayed in bar harbor enjoying three days of hiking, biking, exploring, shopping...... having fun.

we visited the top of cadillac mountain marveling at the pink granite and breath taking vistas. that's the bay of maine in the background.

and with an 11 hour car ride... i was in knitting euphoria! i was able to negotiate a quick stop at webs on the way there, so armed with fresh yarn i got going. i made the abrazo vest from the fall knitty. i still need to do some tweaking (fit issues when i put it on) but it was a great car project.

i finally finished the ribby vest all in one color.

it's awesome! so glad i re knit it to be one color tone.

and with any trip there is waiting time, so i started the morning surf scarf with my berkshire autumn handspun. i ended up on a 5mm needle with 36 stitches.

finished in albany on the way home. i'll get it blocked and put the picks up. it was a very fast, fun knit. easy to remember the pattern once i got rolling. i'm thinking of doing another in shawl width/length.

and finally my kauni sweater. i knit, ripped, re knit and i'm finishing the first sleeve...and since i'm in the rhythm i'm going to keep at it!