Minimalist Cardigan and Stashalong

Well, I have to say, I went a bit fiber crazy in the last month. Between the trip to Rhinebeck, subscribing to Brooklyn Handspun's Holiday Sock Club, a Sundara purchase, and signing up for the Rockin' Sock Club, I have an abundance of yarn. I also bought enough Mission Falls 1824 Superwash Wool to start the Minimalist Cardigan. This is my first sweater attempt. I am boldly going where S and E have gone before. I am starting with the back and love the ease and the look of the moss stitch design. This one will definitely be worn a great deal! I also re-upped for Stashalong. I am taking the monthly option this year as the checklist one was too stressful. It does mean that I do get a free day each month if I choose to use it. I think it will be used this month either for the Ravens update on BMFA or Sundara's last update before her prices go up. Tough decision this Monday and Tuesday. I'll have to see if the other colorways are as awesome as Lenore. Stay tuned to see what the buy will be!

-B

My Mom met the Yarn Harlot

Yup, my mom rocks! A couple of week ago, I mentioned to my mom that the Yarn Harlot was going to be speaking in her area. I wouldn't be able to make the drive there and back, but wanted her to let one of the knitters nearby that it was happening. Now, my mom know how to knit, but doesn't really enjoy it. However, since the days of waiting in a 4am line for Cabbage Patch Kids, you know that she is willing to attend any event that her kids mention. And so, she saw the Harlot. When she and my sister came the next morning to get me for Rhinebeck, she had a copy of At Knit's End and Casts Off in hand. Not only had she gone to the talk (and laughed uproariously), she had Stephanie Pearl-McPhee sign the books for me. Yay!

In other equally good news, I am now the proud owner of some Sundara Yarn. I finally bit the bullet and ordered these 5 skeins of Sport Merino in Green over Sand. They arrived today and I am happy that I ordered when I did. Check out Sundara's site for information about her switching mills and how it may be affecting pricing. I will continue to order from her and the prices won't dissuade me as the yarn is as gorgeous as everyone claims it to be.

Finally, I finished the chevron!

Man, this did take me awhile with many weeks where knitting was non-existent. But, I am thrilled with the outcome. I got home early from work today and took advantage of the light and our adorable backyard. I used almost the entire yardage in the two skeins of Koigu and knit it on size fives in bamboo straights. The two Koigu colors were 524 and 107. I can't wait to wear it both to work and out. Yay! My second wearable knit!

-B

Rhinebeck Haul

First, my mom and sister and I had a blast. They got to my house around 7:30am and we took off for upstate NY. A little later, we got into the fairgrounds at about ten and made a bolt for the ATM station. I needed to get cash, and remembered that the gentleman who was selling the gorgeous handmade baskets that I missed out on last year might be there. We walked through the Food Pavilion and found him! I grabbed a great large basket (picture to come later this weekend) and from there we set out to The Fold.

Now, my sister and I both competed nationally in our sport, and my mother raised us, so the competitive juices were flowing. Mom hopped on line to hold our place and sis and I dove into the group. She was just going in to help, but after glancing at some colors, she suddenly had a skein in her fist. We made our way back out to take mom's spot so that she could wander, and hopped on line. We got through the line in about ten minutes (not the long lines anywhere like last year), and by the time we paid, sis had added another skein to her bag. Below is our haul:

STR Mediumweight in Cobalt Bloom

STR Mediumweight in Orange Red Clover Honey

STR Mediumweight in Queens Rock

Twisted in Puck's Mischief

Seduction in Rooster Rock

Next stop was Brooks Farm, where I purchased the following to do two Clapotises:

Duet in Black

Four Play in All About Purple

After we got through building A, we wandered over to watch the Border Collies catch frisbees and sheep. We dropped the first part of the haul off at the car and came back to have BBQ lamb for lunch. Next, we had a great time walking through the livestock barns. Llamas, alpacas, and sheep! Oh my! I bought these two skeins at the Staghorn Alpaca booth:

Java Colorway

I love that they name their colorways after the alpacas from which the fiber came! This is a booth that DH and I hovered around last year, but I was too nervous to buy since I didn't really have a project for it. Apparently, that same situation did not hold me back this year.

We stopped by Hope Spinnery and Maple Creek too. I had wanted to make the Hourglass Sweater that S made in Maple Creek, but they didn't have enough superwash merino for my size of the sweater. Hope Spinnery was nice and a cute booth, but I feel like I need to get some projects out of the way before I buy anymore.

We were at the fairgrounds for about five hours and had a blast. My mom loved spending the day with her two girls and finally understood why knitters moan and gasp as if in ecstasy when we touch yarn (not something she got when listening to the Harlot the previous night). My sister and I have already planned that we will get a BnB with our husbands and make a weekend of it next year. All in all, a great day.

-B

Brooklyn Handspun Holiday Club

Last month, I signed up for the Brooklyn Handspun Holiday Club. I have always admired the colors that Marie produces, and was curious to get my hands on her yarn so that I can get started on some socks. My package came while I was away at a conference on Monday (yes, I also went to Rhinebeck, and yes, that post is coming later). I immediately opened the package when I got home yesterday afternoon and was blown away by how gorgeous the colors are. The colorway is called Spook, and it came with the Charade pattern from Sandra Park. I am excited to start using them after I get some other projects wrapped up. Below are two pictures of the gorgeous, gorgeous yarn! Oh, and my mom met the Harlot (yes, that post is also coming later).



-B

Blog Action Day

Today is Blog Action Day. The goal of the day is to have bloggers comment about sustainability and the environment in their own way. In the knitting world, alternative fiber sources, organic wools, and sustainable practices have been a hot topic. As a staunch environmentalist (I clean the bathroom with lemons, baking soda, and vinegar and my mother thinks I'm crazy), I have begun to think about the yarns that I purchase and their impact on the earth. I do like that by knitting, I avoid a good amount of conspicuous consumption, and like the individual stamp that I put on my work. But, I will be making an effort this weekend to look over the new eco-friendly stalls at Rhinebeck. One stand in particular is that of Hope Spinnery. It was recently mentioned on Ravelry as a shop that people are curious to see, and I can be counted among that group. Hope Spinnery is from Camden, Maine, and they operate their business by harnessing wind power. To quote their webpage:

"Hope Spinnery is a wind-powered fiber processing mill nestled in the hills a few miles inland from the coast of Maine. Our fiber comes from local farms, we are committed to chemical-free processing methods and use only natural dyes to create our beautiful and striking yarn, knit wear, and other products.In addition to creating our own line of yarn, we also offer custom processing services.We take great care with your fiber and each step ensures that the texture, luster, and beauty of the original fiber will be retained."

I keep bandying about the idea of getting wind power and solar power whenever we take the plunge and buy our first home, so the fact that a fiber company is incorporating it into their process makes me a little giddy. I'll update on Sunday how the yarn feels and for which project I chose it. Fingers crossed to a beautiful day that day!!

-B

New Dishcloth

I have to say that for the last few months, I've been waiting to knit the Monthly Dishcloth patterns at the start and in the middle of the month. I think it's been a good decision. I'd rather not end up with cloths that I don't need, care for, or have anyone to give to. This month's cloth falls in that category. I wish I did have a volunteer fire person to pass the cloth onto, but I'll keep it in the "to be gifted" pile where it will wait for the right person to come along for it. It's a cute pattern, and a nice change for the October cloth to not have to do with Halloween. The picture below gives you a good view of the pattern of the axe and helmet. It took me awhile to figure it out, but I eventually did. The yarn is Lion Brand Cotton in Red. I knit the cloth as always on size 7 Addis.
I am gearing up for Rhinebeck next weekend. I'll be going on Saturday with my mom and sister (a new knitter). I need to go through my pattern files and see what yarns I need, and also allow enough in the budget for yarns that I want. It will be a well deserved splurge, and hopefully a beautiful day outdoors.

-B

Finished Projects!!!

It's official. I'm a slacker. It's been a very long time since I've had a completely completed project (i.e., ends woven in and everything). Let's face it, it's been a long time since I've had anything to show on the blog. And not only do I have one, I have two.


Moss Stitch Scarf














Yarn: Reynolds Blizzard (2 balls)
Needles: Clover Bamboo, size 15
Pattern: My own design
Start: September 2007
Finished: October 1, 2007


I've had the yarn for a while and knew what I wanted to do with it, just lacked the motivation or focus to get it started. It's just a basic scarf in a moss stitch. I have one more ball that will probably get used for a matching moss stitch hat. Its very fuzzy and warm. It would make a very good go play in the snow hat. I realized after the fact it would have been far easier if I had added or subtracted one stitch instead of having to figure out whether I needed to knit or pul when turning.



Here and There Cables














Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, 8 balls
Needles: Clover Bamboo, size 8
Pattern: Scarf Style - Here and There Cables
Started: April 17, 2007
Finished: October 1, 2007

This was scarf was started when I needed a project that could travel home with me last spring. I never thought this project could possibly take this long. Its one of those projects you need to pay attention to to make sure you're cabling the right rows...which there are many errors in the project. I did add two rows between cables. It started out as a mistake, and I realized I liked them better when they were spread out more. But 8 balls of cashmerino seems to go on and on. And I finally finished it all last night and wove in all the ends. I think it may become a christmas present for a friend that isn't aware of the blog. But I am very happy to have it finished, finally. I had to include the picture of weighing the scarf as it was a bit cumbersome and heavy towards the end, but very warm and fuzzy.

More finished projects to come soon.

-S