fiber frolic

amythefibergoddess and i made our way to beaver lake yesterday to the central new york fiber frolic. this was their third year (my second visit) and it is a lovely little event. the nature center has a large room that holds the vendors, with spinners in an adjacent area doing fiber demonstrations.
amy had set her booth space up the night before, so we just had a few little things to set out.

she has shawls displayed all around the space. it was fun to see folks drawn in when they became captivated by one. she was busy before we even got settled (a good thing ) and we stayed that way most of the day. lots of familiar faces stopped in to chat and find something to add to the stash.
i had brought the other hank of yarn that i had spun to display with the radiance shawl to illustrate how to spin the stuff. one lady approached amy and asked if it was for sale. why no, she said, it was just there as part of the display. well, this gal was persistent and really wanted that hank. finally, amy looked at me and said that since i had spun it i should decide if it was for sale. really, i sat there stupefied not knowing what to say. the gal told us to talk it over while she looked around, but she would be back. well, our feathers were all ruffled trying to decide. i was willing to let it go, but then we had to price it.

i'll admit, i had a response that annoys me when other's do it..... it's not 'good enough'. clearly this gal wanted it, but i was caught in the trap of doubting that my work was sell-able. not to worry, amy gave me a strong dressing down and we set a price. when the gal returned i gave her the decision, and she was thrilled. i must admit, i had her look it all over while i told her how it was 'just handspun' and that were 'lots of uneven spots'. i looked up to make sure she was getting it, and she was teary eyed. she lives in hawaii and loves all things fiber, but is challenged by her location in getting product. it made her day to have that hank.

not to worry..... this found it's way into my bag ;)

made it!

the extra yarn was washed on monday, just as the weather turned nicer. my usual drying method is to place the skein on my mitten drying rack over the register and typically by morning the skein is ready. well, no. while it was warmer (relatively speaking) it was not warm enough to dry a skein outdoors. i had to come up with an alternate method. i turned the oven on, put the hank of yarn in and let it reach 150 degrees. i turned it off and didn't open the door until tuesday morning. it was good to go!
i took the advice given to me at the spinning retreat and started the next leaves with the new yarn saving the rest for the last four leaves. i love this part of the pattern and it goes quickly. soon all leaves were done. (can't tell the difference in leaf color can you)

i just had all the ends to weave it. so last night i got busy....

and blocked it before it went to bed.......

as luck would have it, the weather turned cold and the furnace is on. i must admit it is lovely. and yes, it's killing me not to be casting on another. i 've got some other deadlines to meet ;)

i was so close....

just back from a fantastic spinning retreat. from friday to sunday, all fiber..... all the time. there was spinning and knitting and all sorts of needlework. there was also food, fun and drinks... and my fabulous fiber peeps.
i learned how to knit from a silk cap~

a technique that has intrigued me since i read about it on the yarn harlot's blog. there is no spinning involved, just a careful separation of silk layers, fiber loosening and knitting. i think my initial pair is big, so i'll start another. but now i know how ( thanks diane :)
i also worked tirelessly (okay, really it's chatted and sipped wine) on the radiance. i have only made the shawlette and i really forgot how much more time you need to complete each row when there are five million sitches ;)
i finished the last row saturday night and started the leaves. i was giddy with excitement that the end was near.
sunday i sat down with a cup of tea and kept knitting leaves. it soon became apparent that i was not going to have enough yarn. i set it down, looked at all the fiber folks around the table and sighed. i knew that i had to spin more yarn, i knew that i was on a crazy deadline, i knew that i should not knit another stitch.... but i hope that they could all reassure me it was fine.

it was not.....

so, over to wheel i went and i've got the plum spun. i get it washed and dried and hopefully be knitting by tuesday.
i will make it!

knitting deadline

i've been working on a project for amythefibergoddess. with the new season of shows, events and festivals beginning, she asked me to help with the display items. it is one of my favorite times of the year! new fibers, new projects, and really good reason to spin and knit...... bliss. i've been captivated by the ombre fiber, yarn and patterns and the love affair it still going strong. i can see the end of the current radiance and this one will be a shawl ( vs. shawlette) in english? many. many more rows.

i'm down to the final section repeat, them i'll just have to complete the leaves. i have just over a week to get this done and blocked, and normally i wouldn't be anxious.... but amy asked me to block another display item. a lovely holden shawl that a friend 'knit up in no time'.....

yeah, i'm feeling the need to get mine done!

knitting safely

i'm moving right along on the radiance shawl, following all the directions for proper needle use.

so far, no mishaps!

are you a skilled professional?

i've been in a happy fiber bubble for several weeks. i'm spinning and knitting to my hearts content( just need more hours in the day). i finished a spinning project for amythefibergoddess and reached for my new needles from WEBS to cast on the project. i turned the package over and read this:

i started laughing and kept laughing until my eyes were damp with tears. i couldn't decide which was funnier, that this really needed to put on a pack of knitting needles or that i considered myself a properly trained person.

GW 2013

Last weekend was our annual 'girls weekend' adventure. it started 19 years ago with my sweet cousin linda, herding us all together in ithaca for a weekend of chatting, shopping, eating, laughing and being together. there were originally ten of us: my mom, four sisters, three cousins and my niece, and we have remained committed to keeping this tradition intact. we've met pregnant, nursing babies in tow, injured, we just make it happen. some years we all come, some years it's only part of the gang. this year we had five gals, and picked a destination midway to most..... the berhshires. linda was again our point person, finding us a cabin in the woods.
now, if i'm going to the berkshires of massachusetts, i'm squeezing in a visit to webs! that was our first stop on friday. i had my list in hand and a set time limit ( which completely went out the window when my sister came along ) and a plan.

i needed straight needles ( found them ) and i wanted to touch some madelintosh yarn ( two hanks jumped into my basket ) then i was off to the freia handpaints. i have made that radiance shawl twice, and really wanted to find the exact yarn that was called for. before i knew it, two of those were in the basket. finally i was off to the warehouse.

it has changed over the years, but still holds a world of possibilities. my sister was tagging along, asking questions, fondling yarns and knocking the heck out of the time limit. as we left, she looked at me and told me that she gets it. she gets the addiction to color, texture, creatively planning the project then making it happen. it was cool!
we found the cabin in the woods and enjoyed doing those requirements for gw. i set my wheel up and was soon spinning away ( yes, i took it with me)

i had a spinning project to complete for amythefibergoddess, and it was beyond wonderful to spin with all the snow and trees just outside the windows. i not only completed the project, but got alot of spinning done just for fun.

i'm not sure what adventure next year will bring, but it will be fabulous!