ending the year

joan invited a bunch of fiber gals to her home for lunch and ... fiber. there was knitting..

spinning....

even beading!i have not had much time to sit at my wheel and spin. anything. i fell in love again with my wooly addiction. i quickly spun several bobbins and came home eager to spin more. as i looked over my resolutions for last year, and one of them was to try different fibers. any kind of different fibers. i was moderately successful in making that happen. falkland, romney lamb, and even milk. i have several more to try next year. i also want to revisit some that i haven't spun in a while. try my hand at doing them with the skills that i have under my belt. so, onward to the new year.

holiday knitting

yes, i know christmas was yesterday. thankfully my family does not celebrate until into the new year. with all the family and their families, it's easier and less chaotic to pick a weekend in january to claim as ours. we ladies draw names and present the lucky recipient with a hand-crafted gift. the caveat is that your hands don't have to craft it, just that someone does.

i've still had a bee in my bonnet to do another fair-isle project, so i chose to make spotted fair isle mittens from the '60 quick knits book'. i'm using stone edge fibers handpaint and black classic wool by patons. i'm having issues (of course, no project can be easy) with the copied chart. it was all the same muddy color. sooooo, i copied it on graph paper (which was a tedious task) and now i knit on!

gingerbread

as if the holiday's weren't crazy enough, i make gingerbread houses. not the kind from the store sold in packs, but the real deal. i make the gingerbread from scratch ( betty crocker recipe is the best ) then i make each piece from a template i created. i can make 5 complete houses from a batch of dough.

then i assemble each house onto a cake board using homemade royal icing.

then the rest of the herd gets in on the action. i purchase lots of candy ( the good kind, m&m's, kisses, bells ) and we go to town making them up! delivery will be this week. each house is completely edible and the longer it lasts the more it tastes like a ginger snap. great with tea and just too much fun!

gifting

i have truly been gifted with the most generous of friends. i could not even begin to list all of the wonderful qualities that they possess, but i will share that they bring untold joy to my life.
they also have exceptional gift-giving abilities.
stitch markers from joan. a not-so-much knitter, joan enlisted the help of her daughter to craft these. glass beads and felted balls in 'my colors' work great. they are currently on a christmas gift that i was comissioned to make in time for santa to bring.









amythefibergoddess surprised me with this amazing project bag. hand made by a fellow spinner, amy chose the fabric with me in mind. the batic fabric changes in color from the handles to pockets and the purple interior matches the one that she had made for herself. so we have semi-matching bags. i. love. it! now to fill it with a project, or maybe carry as a purse, or maybe just admire it!

done!

i finished it! this was such a fun project, (here i go...) i'd love to do another! the steeking went extremely well. i chose to follow the pattern, (surprise) so i stitched in the button-bands first, the cut the center. i was once given great advice for steeking, add lots of stitches. i had 10 in the center, so when i was all done, i was able to trim off the excess.

i put the buttons in place and ran out the door to the guild meeting. such a great place to wear hand crafted goods! it was oohed and ahhed over, touched and admired. i was extremely relived that it fit (not that i didn't have plenty of takers if it hadn't) the only change i might make was to have it shorter. i'm not a real over-the-hip sweater person, but this one works. yeah!!

a close one

yesterday i pulled out the cardigan to finish it. i started attaching the button bands, but had to stop mid-project to go to work. i left it on the kitchen counter to finish. well, when i arrived home late last night, i found my sweater on the floor, the yarn in tangles and two canines looking very guilty. i quickly scooped it up checking frantically for any tears, rips, chew spots. all seemed well, but i was less than pleased.
this morning i decided to get this done and give it a thorough look to make sure it had not been damaged. amazingly there was not a stitch out of place, but this is the one needle that was left. it has been gnawed on and it's two mates are missing.
so, lesson learned... never, ever leave knitting attached to wooden needles in the puppies reach!
i'm on to finish this.

hatapalooza

winter has arrived here. lots of white fluffy stuff falling, lots of shoveling and now that we have a snow blower, well... a new snow moving toy.

as i got wrapped up yesterday in the dark, early hours, i reached for a hat. searched my cubby, no hat. i had to snatch one from another cubby. when i came back in, i went through the closet only to discover that i had no hat. no. hat. me, who always has some knitted project going has never made herself a hat. i decided to use handspun and this is gayle's art in the crayon box colorway. i spun it this summer after msw, and i love it. it is equally lovely to knit with.

i finished the adult jest hat for my honey. he has yet to make good on his promise to wear it, but here it is. this is such fun to make, that i might just do a few more! now i just need heads to put them on....

still at it

i'm still chugging away on the sweater. i've actually finished all the truly hard, complicated stuff.... i just need to do the button bands. i was undecided how to approach them. the directions have you make separate bands, then attach them to the steeked edges. as much as i didn't want to go this route, you then pick up the remaining yoke stitches to finish. now, i could rework the pattern. do i really need to? so here is one completed band with the button-holes marked. i'll whip up another then cut this sucker.

since i needed a finger friendly knit that was portable, i started making jester hats. they are just like potato chips and i can't stop. the green one went to my 3 year old nephew (well, he's really a great nephew but that makes me sound like an old-lady-knitter) the second is for my honey. he assures me that he will wear it shoveling the drive. i'll get pics!

made it

it took longer than it should... but here it is ~

the colorwork is completed. i've got to decide how i want to do the button bands and of course, steek it! amythefibergoddess wants to watch me cut this up, so we'll have to make a date. in the mean time, how shall i band this? i'll be pondering that one.

insane addiction

so, i made it 24 hours before i was at it again. the immobilizer is really slowing me down, but i can not seem to stop! of course, i'm on the row with four (yes, four) colors at once.
it takes me about an hour to do a round. i knit for a bit..... uncramp....knit some more, repeat.
hopefully once i'm past this round things can pick up.

yes, i really do need a twelve-step program!!!

bump in the road

i should have known. there i was getting all big-in-the-britches and bam! life bit me in the bottom.

since the weather was all nice and warm today, i decided to put the storm windows down. well, one of the windows in this old house decided to crack as i was encouraging it back down. my finger took the hit. lacerated a chunk right off the top. no bending, no water, no..... nothing for 10-14 days.

at least my tetnus is now up to date.

still captivated

12 rows to go...... 173 stitches. will i wear it for thanksgiving?

spinning help

i set the sweater aside last night to enjoy dancing with the stars. i'll admit it, i'm a fan. we've been watching this since the very first show and most seasons i enjoy the drama that unfolds. this year i find the stars most enjoyable and can tolerate the tv drama. it's also perfect to spin with!
so, i started plying and soon had a little helper. the pup is getting acquanted with the 'forbidden rooms' in the house. until now, she has only been in the kitchen. with the holidays approaching it was decided that she needs to get familiar with the entire downstairs.
she was very intrigued with the wheel. so far, so good.

she even matches my wheel with her foxy red self!

still captivated

it'a like a drug..... i can't stop!

down to 211 stitches and half-way through the colorwork. i might be wearing this for thanksgiving.

colorwork

i've been slowly chugging away on my cardigan. i finally attached sleeves to body, counted a bazillion times and still had an extra stitch. as a mature knitter i said '#^*' it, and knit it in with another stitch on the next row. with 286 stitches, who'll notice?

then came the fair-isling. i realized that the last time i embarked on a project like this i had a companion doing the same thing. it does make the process less painful when you're in it with another player. and yet, i knit onward.

here's my progress...

it took me a bit to remember how to hold the yarn, have it follow and tuck it into the stitches. i'm getting eager to see this completed.

rhinebeck

what a weekend! i've been looking forward to the nys sheep and wool festival since, well..... as soon as i left last year. it did not disappoint!

joan, cc and i traveled on friday to stay the night with my sister. i've a standing reservation for this weekend and she accommodates us with style.

we were at the festival eager to go at 9:15am. we arrived to get parking next to the entrance gate and we took advantage to dump purchases throughout the day. i got tickets online, so we just stepped through the gate, no waiting! we all made purchases within the first 15 minutes!

cc bought yarn and i got roving from creatively dyed yarn. i'm eager to try ocean fiber (70%wool/30% seacell). joan wandered into the booth with the felted hats. how could she not get this? i admit that i nudged her (just a little) and she was in bliss the remainder of the day with her topper. amythefibergoddess came with the bus group, and then traveled home with us. we fell in love with the karakul sheep. interesting breed that i had not yet encountered.

of course, we visited every barn and building at least once and the item to have were the baskets. i purchased two small berry sized and amy had even more! i acquired roving from gale's art.... lots of fun colorways and some interesting new to me fibers. all totaled it seems that 2 lbs of fibery goodness made its way home with me. i still feel that i missed things, even though we closed the gates. i am already eagerly anticipating next year!!!!

allison on the go

allsion is really doing it up! pedi-cab ride in San Fransisco, and there are rumors that she was spotted with several young sailors...... (it was fleet week). who better to appreciate a gator, than sea men!

moonstruck

several years ago, i think it was my first visit to rhinebeck, i wandered into a booth filled the most gorgeous kits. sweaters, vests, blankets, they were stunning. here's where the story goes south.... i walked away. i checked the price, had sticker shock, and just left. as i thought more about it, i realized that they were very reasonably priced, and why would you want to go cheap on something that you would wear forever? life lessons.


sadly, they have never been back to rhinebeck. i search every year and still feel that pang of regret. the important part is that i learned my lesson. i keep a small fund for those types of finds and one just crossed my path. huge fan of 'blue moon fiber arts', huge. i've done lots of 'socks that rock' played with the roving and generally bemoaned the distance to the studio. since it is located in washington (state) it makes a road trip.... unlikely! so i content myself with the website, visits at fiber fests, and my current stash. a pattern was promoted several months ago and i fell in love. well, it was extreme lust, but hey, i'm flexible with my affections. then a promotion comes along and ...... it was mine!

moonstruck is a cardigan that i will be knitting in gaea ( organic merino ) colorway~grawk. can't wait to cast on!

allison

remember the gator bag? created for my sister, naughty, it has become my best gift ever. she loves that darn thing. when it didn't win first place at the fiber fest, naughty took it as a personal insult (remind you, there were tons of awesome creations and i was thrilled that it was even in the top three).

so, naughty is on the road. with allison. i've started receiving the pictures of her travels. naughty is visiting california and took the bag onto the plane (refusing to check it in her luggage as allison would not do well in a small enclosed space like that)

here she is visiting the ginormous redwoods in northern california. go naughty!

what was i thinking....

that making a princess costume would be a do-able project? at least i had the smarts (?) to cut it out today and really look at the instructions. yards, yards, yards of lace, a sparkly bodice and lined sleeves. with any luck, it will be large enough for a few years worth of wear.

the vest ~ fred's jazz vest in berroco peruvia worsted~ is moving right along. must be all the sitting time at lessons now that fall is here. i've even perfect the seam less jog! i know, i'll be the only one looking under his arm to see that smooth seam, but hey..... every fiber artist needs a small thrill!

catch up

fall is such a wonderful adventure, and it always goes to fast. so, i'm playing catch-up today with my adventures from last weekend. amythefibergoddess decided that we needed to check out the knox farm fiber fest. i am always up for an adventure and since my partner would be knee deep in work it was a perfect time to skeedaddle!

the weather was brisk, and very windy when we arrived at the park. knox farm is a restored working farm that has become a lovely park. there are animals and barns and rolling hills to explore. the festival is small, easily doable in an hour. amy is sporting her first purchase, a lovely wrap hand knit from hand spun. what a find. we both went crazy at the witch booth. full of wooden creations celebrating all the holidays of this season.

we chatted with fiber friends then headed into the nearby village of east aurora for lunch. we went with a recommendation for a coffee house on the main street and our lunch was well worth the wait. veggie friendly for me and a carnivore's delight for amy, we were able to chat about guild stuff, fiber stuff and just relax. now i'm eager for rhinebeck!!!!

festival fun

wow, the 2010 fiber festival came and went in a blur! i didn't even have the opportunity to savor the anticipation, plan my days or stress about the display. hmmm, wonder what that means? too much other life events dragging me down perhaps? regardless, i had an absolutely fabulous time and learned about me. how? well i had two very different shopping experiences and i loved them both!

first, the festival. set-up on friday went smooth as silk. amythefibergoddess and i had many hands helping and the display was lovely.

guild folks really came through providing us with 26 gators for the display. i have to tabulate the viewers choice winner, but there are lots of votes!

saturday's weather was truly festival perfect, sunny skies and mild temperatures. i spent 2 1/2 hours at the ticket booth with joan and it was a hoot! such fun greeting festival goers and wishing them well. my only purchase was 1 1/2 pounds of nistock farms roving in blue jeans. i was quite proud that i scurried into robin's booth and asked what she had. i love her roving, so ppleasurable to spin and work with. so now my stash is fuller and i'll have that to savor. naughty was thrilled to see allison in the skein and garment display sporting a ribbon. she won second place in the felted accessories category.

sunday was cold and drizzle kept falling from the sky. amy and i did a quick (super-quick) shop in one of the barns securing several bundles of roving from susan's spinning bunny. the colorways are all similar, but the fiber content varies - merino/tencel, polworth and falkland. i'm interested in seeing if my falkland fascination continues with this. we had time constraints, so we decided quickly and purchased fast. later joan and i spent our time strolling into every booth, chatting with vendors and really studying the fibers. i ordered some from jill draper (she'll bring it to rhinebeck) and while i was wandering around a vendor grabbed me to watch her booth (bathroom run) as i was sitting there, i realized that she was new to the festival. we looked at all her stuff and both ended up purchasing. would never have done that if i wasn't her temporary booth guardian!

and lastly, a fleece. not just any fleece a lamb fleece. the twin won grand champion, and since sandy is a dear, she sold this beauty. joan and i are going to split this which will be great. i'm trying not to count my raw fleece accumulations, but i'll be doing lots of washing this week!

wonderful weekend, can't wait to sink my fingers into all this cool stuff!

excitment is building

saturday and sunday. fingerlakes fiber fest. yes, the excitement is growing here. i'm less overwhelmed this year, having done one festival as the guild leader. the display is clear in my brain and slowly working it's way to having all the parts completed. thank goodness for free, child labor!

amythefibergoddess will be selling these little gems in her booth this year.

last year she had the sock blocker keychain, so when she showed me this (and they come in different wood types) i offered to make the display. how cute is this?? i had the same red yarn in the stash left-over from some long ago pair of socks. can't even say why i held onto the two teeny, tiny balls that were left, but i did. the price of $5 is such a bargain as i saw them in the recent patternworks catalog for 5.99 + s/h. what great holiday gifts... i may need to get more

than one!

this is the next quick knit project that found it's way onto my needles last weekend. my dear partner wears the vests that i hand knit to work, and really frequently, so i decided to toss another one into the mix. mindless knitting....love it!