bleargh

So, you were all looking for a Rhinebeck wrap-up, right? Here's the quick version: I went, I saw friends, had drinks, bought yarn, and came home. Last year, I was all about the fiber buying, as I had a new wheel at the time. This year, it was about seeing friends and perhaps making a few new ones.

I had a fabulous time. And now I'm paying the price ...

... home sick with a cup of tea.

Thank goodness for Flickr, Ravelry, and Bloglines to keep me amused, because daytime television is crap.

Oh, and what did I buy? Not much! I'm fairly restrained at festivals.

These skeins from Zeilinger's are destined to be a stranded yoke sweater, along with another darker color for the body.

I also got a single skein of some yummy, squishy soft merino from Punta Yarns:

And some sheep:

Also, although not shown, 4 ounces of natural colored merino roving to practice woolen-style drafting.

Now, back to loafing on the couch. I think it's time for another cup of tea.

stand up and be counted

Yeah, so I guess I never mentioned that I'm going to Rhinebeck this year. I have a sweater that is incredibly close to done (as in, just a few buttons to sew down), and I'm hoping to finish it tonight. Maybe photos tomorrow?

Who else will I see? I know from conversations (irl, or over email) that many of you are coming, but I'm not exactly sure who. So, leave a comment if you'll be there!

I told a colleague about plans for Rhinebeck. I may have mentioned that there would be yarn, wool, and adult beverages. Her comment was

Sheep and booze don't mix well. Be careful.

In the meantime, I've been playing with these ...

Details later, or click over to Flickr for more pics.

And, umm, did I mention that I decided to join Project 365?

karma sometimes works in my favor

Last year, I set out to knit a sweater for Rhinebeck. I did not finish it for Rhinebeck. But I did finish it. And, although I got gauge and the sweater ended up exactly the size and shape I intended, it wasn't the right size and shape for me! So it's going to my mother-in-law because it looks perfect on her.

PumpkinMama had a very similar experience recently with her Sunrise Circle jacket.

Guess who the sweater fit? Yes, me! I went over to her house to try it on, not really expecting it to be the right size. But, it looked like it was made for me!

I do need to reposition the buttons and button loops a bit, but otherwise it's just right. So, I'll be buying PumpkinMama some yarn to make a new one for herself, and keeping this one for me!

Since my Rhinebeck 2007 sweater didn't work out, I think I can use the good karma points I earned in giving it to MIL and call the Sunrise Circle jacket my Rhinebeck 2008 sweater, right? Maybe I need to wear a button that says "handknit, but not by me"?

PS -- If you're wondering about that pile of rocks, the story is here.

friends and family

I had a delightful weekend, full of friends and family. I spent Saturday at the Fiber Revival. I was having such a good time that I forgot to stop and take photos.

I saw many wonderful people, but this lady is one of my favorites. Oh yeah, and her mom Ruth is pretty nice too :)

(Photo lifted borrowed from Julia.)

On Sunday, Thom and I went to Wells Beach, Maine, with his brother's family.

Our niece Gracie:

Our other niece Jane:

Sisterly fun:

And the love of my life:

A very good weekend.

Claudia Handpaint sock

I should have posted this in my last post, but this is the sock I started at Rhinebeck. The yarn is Claudia Handpaint, and I've started a Jaywalker with it. I love the yummy colors. Not sure if this is the right pattern or not -- suggestions are welcome. (Remember -- I dislike pooling and patterns that can't be seen in the variegated yarn!)

Rhinebeck

I'm back! [Deep sigh ...]


I had a wonderful time, with so many people. I bought no yarn, but plenty of spinning fiber. Spent some quality alone time wandering through the buildings, and had lovely conversations with people I'd never met and never caught their names. Went to parties, some organized and some not. Seamed a sweater that I never ended up wearing.

In short, a lovely weekend that I can't even begin to describe in words, so I won't.

After I rest up a bit, I'll be back to tell you about a secret project that I've been working on.

a conversation

A brief conversation with me and Boss Lady:

Me: I'm going to be out of town this coming weekend.

Boss Lady: Oh really, where?

Me: In New York.

Boss Lady: And what will you be doing there?

Me: Going to a sheep and wool festival .

Boss Lady: A sheep and ... WHAT????

[45 minutes later Boss Lady sticks head in the door to say goodnight ...]

Boss Lady, in a quiet voice: A sheep and wool festival .... [shakes head in confusion and wanders off to the elevators]

Rhinebeck knitting

Etherknitter posted today about her Rhinebeck knitting.

She wrote ...

Little minds (mine) are hopelessly entertained by the concept of Rhinebeck knitting. No, not the FO type. I'm speaking of the WIP species needed for the weekend's festivities. The well-known criteria include mindless pattern, easy project, just-make-the-stitches while communing with Our People. Many, maybe even most, choose socks.

The pattern is easy. I planned on my tried and true stockinette stitch sock. But isn't there a subtext here of cool yarn? Indie dyers? Hard-to-find-sold-out-instantly yarn? Those casually knitting with Wollmeise this weekend probably win this knitters' unspoken challenge.

That Etherknitter. She nailed it. I've been thinking about my Rhinebeck project for several days, and it will be a pair of socks.

Unfortunately, I have a Rhinebeck sweater to finish first. Update: The sleeves are done. The body is seamed, and I started weaving in ends tonight. I need to seam the sleeves, and graft the collar, crochet the edging, and buy buttons. I've got lots of other stuff I need to finish this week, too. Including but not limited to homework, real work, and a few nights of class, etc. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Back to the Rhinebeck knitting (not to be confused with the Rhinebeck sweater) ...

I figure that I'll bring socks, for the reasons outlined above. However, I have none on the needles! That opens up a world of possibilities. 14 possibilities for yarn, according to the contents of my sock yarn stash drawer, and countless pattern choices. The curious among you can see many that I've queued in Ravelry..

But, there's a big risk in bringing a new project. What if I don't like the yarn? The pattern? Like both, but the pattern doesn't work with the yarn? What if I need different size needles? OK, I guess that last one is not a huge concern if I'm going to be at a wool festival with dozens of vendors selling needles.

I could bust out with the Wollmeise -- because the competitive side of me thinks "hey, I could rise to the 'knitters' unspoken challenge'" -- but it hasn't yet told me what it wants to be. A stockinette sock would be best, but it should be variegated. Is Koigu cool enough, or is it sooooo 2004? I have some Socks That Rock, but are knitters over the STR craze? Claudia's Handpainted in a Jaywalker? (Yeah, passe, isn't it???)

Help!! I'm drowning in possibilities, and I don't have time to swatch before leaving. I'm strongly considering packing a duffle bag with all 14 different sock yarns, needles in sizes zero to 2, a few sock books, and my laptop. Shouldn't that cover me for any eventuality? Please, one of you saner knitters convince me that this is just a wee bit obsessive ...

sock sacks and woolly gatherings

Well, it seems like you liked the sock sacks that I posted yesterday! Thanks for the compliments.

Since several of you mentioned that you would want to buy one if they were available for sale, I'm considering making some to sell, to augment the wheel fund.

Here's the deal, though ... I work full time, and go to grad school (50% of full time schedule). And I coach 6+ hours per week. And I have a 90 minute+ commute to work. Which is to say that my crafty time at home is limited -- I do most of my knitting while carpooling to work (Thom drives in the morning, the longer leg of the commute!), or at lunch, or in the late evening before bed.

So, I'm going to make some bags when I have time and post them for sale, here or through Etsy, when I get around to it. I won't be able to take many custom requests. Of course if I know you in person or online, and you are really damn charming, I'll probably bend that custom request rule just a bit :)

sacks I have sewn

In fact, I may be at the sewing machine this weekend. I just found out that the school assignment that I thought was due on October 24 has been moved to the 31st. Therefore, I may find myself at a certain well known sheep and wool gathering later this month. In which case, I may want some extra cash on hand!!! Let me know if I'll see you there. Umm, I mean IF I end up going ...

felted clogs for Thom

I finished knitting the felted clogs!!

Oh, wait. I think I forgot to mention that I started them ... I've been knitting here and there while working full time, coaching 3-4 days per week, and going back to grad school. School is going well, although my current class is not the kind where I can knit while in class -- too small, with too many guest lecturers. But, Thom and I carpool to work, so I get to knit in the morning while he drives (unless I'm doing reading for class).

Anyways, last month, I picked up some yarn at the NHS&W festival. The Mafia spotted it for me, in perfect hubby colors (BRIGHT ORANGE!) and perfect Danielle price (less than $8 for 12-13 ounces). I got some "spice" colored Lamb's Pride to go with the orange yarn and cast on for some slippers from the Fiber Trends' felted clogs pattern.

I knit up one of the slippers ...
And the other ...

(Cell phone and foot for scale).

Now I need to felt them, obviously. I'll wait to do it until Thom is home with me, so that I can check the size as I go.

Project specs ...
Pattern: Fiber Trends' Felted Clogs
Yarn: orange mystery wool from NHS&W (12-13 oz of heavy worsted, with lots leftover), Lamb's Pride worsted in spice (3 skeins, with lots left over in the 3rd skein)
Needles: Size 15 Clover bamboo
Gauge: not sure
Size: to fit men's 11
Pattern mods: none!
Ravelry page:* http://www.ravelry.com/projects/aswiminknits/felted-clogs-2

*I'm adding a link to the Ravelry page for each new project that I enter from now on. If I'm keeping track via Ravelry, I thought it might be nice for others to know where to find the project details. If you are not on Ravelry, you probably can't see these pages. For those of you on the waiting list to join, I'm sorry if this annoys you! I'll still be posting info here too ...

It's a slippery slope, folks

On Sunday, I drove up to NHS&W with the Mafia and her Little Man, and a large green kid-wrangling wagon. When we got there, we hooked up with the (sadly-blogless but newly flickr-ized) Pi Grrrl.

My shopping list looked like this:

• sock blockers
• sock yarn for my Sockapalooza 4 pal
• yarn to make felted clogs for Thom
• yarn for a baby sweater for my expectant childhood best friend

Did I mention that Pi Grrrl is a spinner? As we wandered about, strolling through the Grafton Fibers booth, I may have pet a few lumps of fiber in luscious purples and blues.

Despite my cries of "I'll consider learning how to spin after I finish grad school," Pi Grrrl may have dragged me kicking and screaming gently nudged me towards a wheel. You know, just to try it out...


See that sign in the back? Yeah, that says "The Merlin Tree".*

At lunch, I may have sat down next to Cheryl and Kristen and Kellee and Teresa. Maybe.

At which point, Kristen may have engaged me in a conversation about Lyle the Louet.

After which, I may have deviated from the shopping list.



Yep, Kristen offered to let Lyle the Louet come live with me for a little while. We'll arrange a pickup at a later date, as the two of us and Lyle are currently located in three different states.

When I got home and told Thom this story, the first thing he said was "is it a travelling wheel or a regular one?" Huh? How does he even know to ask this? (The follow up commentary was "I just want to know how much space this thing will take up.")

It's a slippery slope, folks...

*********
* Dave knew I was a goner before I even sat down at the wheel, as I may have mentioned that I was reading The Age of Homespun by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. (In my defense, I was a history major, and one of my mentors was a colonial American historian ... it's not THAT far-fetched that I might just happen to read a book where spinning wheels are the main characters!)