So, it seems I'll do ....

anything to make knitting this cowl interesting. Last night I found myself agreeing to go to Lowes to 'browse' with my partner. Not only do I detest going to Lowes, browsing there is like being tortured. Yet, I went willingly, even pawed through the clearance holiday racks for lights, bulbs and new snow. yikes!!
This morning I resolved to turn it around, find the fun!

This lovely shaker knitting box was a gift several years ago. I've never used it (too nice) and decided that drastic times call for drastic measures.

loaded it up with the remaining small skeins - that I've put into balls - added scissors

threaded the next color through....

joined it to my current color. I really steamed through that ball in anticipation of making this work!

can't say I'm getting any farther any faster, but I'm determined : )

catching up and knitting on...

I loved the idea behind the manic panic cowl... using up lots of little skeins and having a wearable item at the end. the problem is that I want to do almost anything but knit on that cowl. Even though I'm at the half way point, it don't feel like I'm getting any where at all!!!!

not hard or tooooo monotonous, I just find that if there is a bit of distraction there is a fair amount of fixing. so what have I been doing instead?
this came off the loom and made my heart happy

I've resorted to using the yard decorations for models. After asking for all sorts of opinions on how and what to warp the loom with, I used two different colors that seemed very close. one is striped (warp) the other was a muted solid in a close color.

this is a more accurate expression of the colors. totally dig that vibrant green nestled in the dark purple. The yarn is a discontinued line from Blue Moon. BFL fingering that is surprisingly soft. I am so tempted to warp the remainder, but... still got that cowl to knit. I even resorted to spinning....

this a ITW rimfisher that needs to be off this wheel. Been working on it way to long and it needs to be a shawl before May.

this is all I have left to finish. Which leaves me lots of time to knit. on the cowl. Before I start any other projects. I swear!

into the new year

Christmas was just right. snow on the ground, family and friends gathered, and time to finish up lots of fiber projects. believe me, I was thrilled that those naughty elves (and my addiction to them) had run it's course. Well, that's not really true, I just ran out of bells, yarn and fiberfill. there may be more of them in my future, but not for gift giving!

This finally came off the loom. it was taking forever to do because it's over 7 feet long. I must have wanted it to be long enough to wrap many, many times around my neck. My fringe was easy to complete with my handy fringe winder. What a great addition to the fiber tools. if you are ever thinking of getting one, do it! the fiber is: stone edge fibers in shades of grey. Did I mention that it's her cashmere blend?

With an empty loom, I had to get another warped.

the picture is terrible, but it is Blue moon fiber, BFL fingering in dark shades. I would love to tell you what the colorway is, but someone (with four paws and red fur) ate the tags. never hurts the fiber, just loves the tags. so, I'm going with dark shades! I made this quite wide so it can function as a wrap or a scarf. the best part was using the new technique my friend Jaye taught me. It worked like a charm and the warp tension is just perfect!

I've got a new knitting project on the needles. The manic panic cowl. I have thirteen small skeins of varying yarns so I know it will match every coat I own. I'm on skein 5, so just need to keep slogging along.

I do have one project left from last year, the sheep pillow kit that I purchased in Maryland. I dug it out during the holiday cleaning frenzy and made it through the tough part while I was trapped waiting at Ontario Honda for a service. Solid 90 minutes of knitting with zero distractions. Now to keep up the momentum.

I'm looking forward to see what fabulous fiber stuff awaits me in 2017. I promise to keep the blog up to date : )

those darn elves

I just can't seem to stop making these blasted elves. I refused to put myself into a 'must knit' situation and would not even consider gifting any of them. well, I relented.

I decided to use up the rest of the worsted weight yarn that I originally purchased for them. Then I had to make 'just one more'.......

This is the current batch. There is one missing from the photo (it's living in my honey's office). And there is the one that is currently on my needles. Several are being gifted and the remainder will be the hearth decoration. I've got to get another knitting project!

so about the weaving......

amythefibergoddess to the rescue. Not only could she identify the yarn, she even had some left. I came right home and with a bit of help....

got back into the groove. my little fiber pup was under my feet as I was balling the skein and wrapping the shuttle. I kept dropping it or the ball of yarn on her and she would not leave her warm, snuggly pad. I hope to get this scarf done. it seems the more I work on it, the longer it gets. With the holiday approaching I promised to make some space and get this loom out. I may be working on this until the new year.

since we were last together....

 I admit.... I shuddered when I saw the last blog post was July. sigh. no going back, no excuses, so just some catch-up. The endless warmth of summer carried over into fall and it took me forever to get my knitting mojo back. The Finger Lakes Fiber Festival was another wonderful event. It keeps getting better each year, and it is completely because of the volunteers who dedicate so much time and talent. The guild display was the Noro-shawl knit along. A wall full of stunning creations that festival attendees could vote for their favorite. There always is a run-away winner and this year is was amythefibergoddess. I will admit (and it's no secret) that she put a lot of thought into this project and is often the case, dragged me along! We spun the Hemlock Reserve in polworth silk for our main color and she dyed complimentary colors to match. she chose the oranger shades and I went with the greens. The top four winners were announced at the most recent guild meeting and prizes awarded. I came in a distant second to amy, but was thrilled to be in such great company!

 We made the annual trek to Rhinebeck, this year with two newbies. It was an absolute delight to travel and spend the weekend with fiber-pals. I found some great treasures-yarn from ITW (which I've never used) and their stunning roving.

We squeezed some fun during those last fall days, spending the afternoon on the Medina railroad for their wine train.

we visited the train museum and stopped at Spring lake winery on the return trip for dinner and a tasting. lots of knitting time on the train when I wasn't enjoying the stunning scenery. I still haven't finished that shawl because we've been busy with this.....

poor Etta started limping around Halloween. Wasn't sure what it was, but suspected a torn CL. The vet confirmed my suspicions and surgery was scheduled. Then she had a vicious reaction to the meds resulting in delaying the procedure. When she finally had it done, we found out that the injury was worse than we had expected with quite a bit of arthritis already in the joint. We obeyed the strict cage restrictions for two week post-op and are half-way through the extremely limited activity. Soon she can start building up that leg muscle with walks. So, our pup in training....

has been at the region coordinators. being back to two canines has been an interesting adjustment. I keep looking for miss sunbeam. The good news for fiber is that I've been knitting like a lunatic. Forced crate rest = cage sitting!

amy got me started on these 'Jolly Old Elves' and they have become my potato chips. more? you bet

I've got two more small ones in the works and then it may have run the course. Now that the holidays are here, floor space is at a premium so I've been trying to empty my looms. I completed the cotton dish towels and almost finished this scarf....

and ran out of yarn. I'm optimistic that stone edge fibers may have the other skein that I need. 

That brings me up to date so I'll try to stay there!

the dyeing has begun

Last week amythefibergoddess and I were looking at the calendar, realized that the month was zooming past and set a date to start dyeing. We usually try to choose a day that not only works into our schedules, but is a tad bit cooler. Of course with this summer, that is impossible! She had a plan to start with the yarn that would be come a sample shawl. Having had so much fun knitting Reyna, I jumped at the chance to knit another.

It is intimidating to look at all that empty yarn and see the color. Thank goodness that is not my job! We start with a set of colors, then more get added in..... or taken out and before you know it there is a bucket of beauty.

Since I was knitting the sample, I got first dibs on the skein that sang to me...

can you stand it? I could hardly wait for it to dry so I could cast on!

Not to worry, there will be lots more in  her booth at the 2016 Finger Lakes Fiber Festival!

it's been awhile....

a very long while and every time i had a moment to post... it just didn't happen. it had been so long, too long and how do i get back in the groove. do i really want to? well, here i am. posting. i missed it and i've got lots to catch up with.
maryland was a blast! i always hope that my memories of the past year don't outshine the experience. they did not. my travel companions were a new mix this year and we all got on fabulously. i came home with fiber, weaving tools, weaving yarn and a basket. can't wait until next year.
the month went by in a blur and i was packing the family for a trip to new england. my biggest decision were knitting projects. i still had that blasted noro shawl to finish and new that being trapped in the car was probably the only way that sucker was getting done!

we spent several days on martha's vineyard and may basket went everywhere. i kept knitting .....

and knitting.......

and finished just as we were boarding the ferry to come home. full disclosure, i spent time working on a few other projects to keep myself from pitching the thing into the ocean. i started reyna with a tube of fiber optics cashmere gradient. i also worked on a tulip baby sweater and even a kit that i got at msw.

the trip was a prelude to a wedding in providence, rhode island. the event was lovely..... and outdoor wedding at addieville farm. you just never know what the weather goddess may challenge you with, but it couldn't have been nicer.
we no sooner got home and sunny arrived. who's sunny?

sunny is a Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy. after much consideration, applications, home visitations, training classes, puppy-sitting...... we became a puppy raising family. my youngest is the primary raiser, but it takes a village to make this work. we attend weekly classes, and every moment is a teachable moment in dog raising. she goes everywhere with us. everywhere. socialization is a big focus during the months we have her. getting her used to every day experiences, places, situations, smells, sounds, you name it! so if you see us out and about, ask for an introduction!
so far the yarn and fiber have not been of big interest. she did find a skein, but i chose to take that as a suggestion to start a project. i cast on quaker yarn stretcher boomerang. i'm not sure what the yarn is, that tag was enjoyed by the other canines in the house. i love the way this is coming out and i know i'll be making many of these.
so there i am... up to date.

i'm still weaving. i bought some cotton in maryland and the plan is for towels. i've got to find time to sit and get them done. i'm also very quietly participating in the tour-de-fleece. my only goal is to spin every single day. it may only be for five minutes, but so far the goal is being met.