Fiber festival mania

The second weekend in October is always the Fall Fiber Festival of Virginia. I went last year for both days. It is set in a lovely meadow, the sheep dog trials nearby. Music and delicious food, sheep, alpaca, llamas, goats, even a Great Pyrenees dog whose spun fur I purchased to make a hat (someday). And yarn, lots and lots of beautiful yarn. I didn't have a camera then so no pictures, just the little logo I stole from their website. This year I plan to take plenty and make a full report.


And then, two weeks later - Rhinebeck!!! And my dear friend, Deborah!! Less than two months away. Oh boy!

Legwarmer progress

The first leg has made it to 17". The first section is K1,P1 and the rest is K2,P2. The last 3 inches go back to K1,P1. The black bits don't show in the picture.






Oscar says,"what is the big deal with this yarn stuff anyway?"

August Knit Night

The Yarn Lounge was packed last night! Everyone is so ready for it to be Fall.





This shows some of the people there.










My friend Terry Kay was there. We used to be neighbors and hadn't spent time together in ages years.









There was lots of food. Stewart provided the horribly tempting, but nobly refused, donut holes.









The most interesting food was this satay.

I limited myself to the big indulgence of a glass of delicous wine.

Stormy

Dogwood says, "please make the thunder go away!"














Cate says, "but, deerie, we need the rain."

Vignette

A relief print of Dogwood resting on my bed.

A completed and washed linen dish towel - it shrank from 14" x 26" to 10" x 25".

Nice day today, knitting at TYL and goofing around. Good to complete a lingering WIP.

Morning ritual

Goodby Lace

My tension was waaaaaay off and I couldn't get the lace over my heel.

Sock progress & the long ago boyfriend

Second sock almost finished, just the foot to go. Even on my 4th sock from the pattern I am still enjoying it. Well, maybe a bit impatient to be finished. I think I will wait for SOCK WARS to make my next pair of socks.






Long ago I had a boyfriend who broke my heart. Eventually I got over it. Imagine my delight when, a few years back, I received an apology. Now we write letters (actual paper letters with envelopes and stamps). This past winter he did something kind for me and I wanted to do something to thank him. Knitting was the obvious choice and I asked him what he wanted. The long ago bf lives in a cold climate but doesn't like to wear long johns so he asked me to make him some leg warmers! I sent some samples of colors and he picked these true guy colors. It may be a bit difficult to see that there are both black and ink blue. I am going to make K2 P2 striped tubes on #9. What a pleasure after all the #0s, #2s & #3s I have been using. The yarn arrived today. It is Gedifra Living - 100% washable wool - from Elann. I have knit a swatch and all I have to do is wash & let it dry to measure it before casting on. All this for a long ago bf I haven't seen in over thirty years.

International Scarf Exchange

I joined International Scarf Exchange. Between the Elann exchange, Sock Wars and my other knitting commitments I have plenty to do. If I sign up for anything else I'm doomed to drop out.

Knit magazine

I've had some questions about Knit. It is a Jo Sharp publication and can be purchased at a LYS. I got mine at The Yarn Lounge here in Richmond. If you check the Jo Sharp website, there is a listing of shops that carry her products. There is also a short blurb about the magazine and pictures of a few of the projects.

Another Sock

Another from my favorite sock pattern - Jo Sharp's Picot Edge Socks, from the first issue of Knit.


This is knitted in Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette, Musk color. The pattern is clearly & succinctly written. I think it would be easy to memorize & am planning to try some variations. So far though, I have enjoyed the classic purity and rapid knitting on 3.0mm needles. The pattern calls for 3.25mm but I needed to adjust my tension.




This detail shows the elegant finishing of the picot edge. After the setup rows & picot detail, you knit 6 more rows and then pick up the cast on stitches while knitting the 7th row. No sewing.

The Good War - nkc*

*no knitting content.



The novels of Alan Furst are set in Europe during the 1930s & 1940s. Each book has a main character from a different country and walk of life - a Hungarian aristocrat, a Dutch sea captain, a Bulgarian spy, a French film producer. They are drawn into the lead up to World War Two and into taking some form of action against the Nazis. Their world is dark but leavened by love. These beautifully written thrillers can be read in any order without losing a sense of continuity or characters. About the only recurrences from book to book are the city of Paris and its Brasserie Heininger - everyone ends up there. Even though there is genuine suffering and cruel circumstance, I find Furst's books an escape from our present world where so much is ambiguous and seemingly insoluble. In those days it was clear what had to be done. It was the good war.

Sunday knitting

Well, I switched from Safari to Firefox and Blogger let me upload pictures. An annoying inconvience but not as annoying as not being able to upload anything.



Finished the Tapestry scarf. First the mitts and now the scarf. Rowan Tapestry is still one of my new favorites.





The log cabin is at a good temporary stopping point. It's been fun but I want to work on some other projects.






These socks from the newest Rowan were supposed to be next but Stewart won't be getting the yarn until some time in September.









This is Stewart, taking a break from her speedy knitting & avoiding having her picture taken.

Grumble

Bad Blogger still won't let my pictures load. It isn't just me, others are having the problem too. Sure hope they get it fixed soon. Pictures of knitters and some FOs are waiting to be posted.

Bad Blogger

Bad Blogger won't let me load any pictures. Let's hope it is behaving better tomorrow.

Meet Melanie

You met Melanie's toolbag, now meet her. She works at The Yarn Lounge, keeping the customers happy and the yarn tidy. She knits and spins - and probably lots of other things but I don't know what they are.




I gave Melanie some White Buffalo to see if she would like to spin it. I bought it without thinking about the fact that it was an unspun yarn and way too warm for Virginia. Melanie tried spinning it and gave me some! Wow, thanks, Melanie.

Any good suggestions for what I can make with a little more than 300 yards of bulky yarn?

Log Cabin

To put off going to the grocery store I stopped by TYL to knit for a while. Made some progress on my Log Cabin & talked myself out of grocery shopping.

One sock down

Phew! I finally finished the endless sock. I am pretending for a couple of days that there isn't a second one in my future. Hope the feather and fan lace is visible.




As a break from the socks I began one of the ubiquitous log cabin "quilts". I am copying Wendy and making mine with left over sock yarn.

Now that I think about it, this is a very Wendy blog entry. The socks are her pattern too.

Courtesans - no knitting content

Mimi lent me this book by Sarah Dunant and I am really enjoying it. One of the many things I have done in my life was study art history at the graduate level. Loved it but never got a degree. Took up accounting instead but that is another, not very interesting, story.
Anyway, I did a bunch of research on courtesans while taking a class on the Renaissance painters of Venice. I also learned about some very racy (raunchy in the extreme) illustrations with a text of pornographic poems by Aretino. They are an important element in the plot of In the Company of the Courtesan. Titian also shows up in the book to use her as the model for the Venus of Urbino.
Even without any art history background, I think I would still be finding the book enjoyable. It is told from the point of view of Bucino, a dwarf, who is the courtesan's companion through their lives in Rome and Venice. There is love, magic, violence, art and Venice!

The endless toe up sock

I really feel some sympathy for my ancestral knitting sisters. Imagine knitting socks on #0000 needles! My Wendy's generic toe up socks are feeling endless on #0s. And I am not even sure they are going to fit. I followed the directions and began the heel when the foot was 2" shorter than the desired length but the foot ended up only being 9". I was trying for 10".


Anyway, this is the first sock. I am working on the feather and fan lace now and wondering just how tall the leg has to be. As mentioned before, I don't mind looking like a dork. However, if the socks don't fit and become a gift, how can I avoid the giftee feeling like a dork in short socks? Knit longer legs, duh.


This picture should give a slightly better view of the lace. I do wonder if it isn't a bit stupid to make a pair of socks that take as long to knit as an easy sweater. Oh yeah, it is hot outside. I don't want to knit something that touches my lap.

Hmm, feeling a bit crabby, Cate???

What's in your wallet toolbag?

My toolbag was becoming hard to zip so I decided to edit what I kept in it. As I was sorting I wondered what others thought were essential. My research began yesterday.


Stewart had the biggest bag with the most tools.




















Melanie and I were the middle ground.
























Roz was the most minimal.










We all had a measuring tape, darning needles, scissors and stitch markers.




I'm not counting the items Roz couldn't fit into her Altoids box.

Sale Day

Today all the sale yarn at TYL was 50% off. I didn't buy any! Not because I am strong or "good" but because I would have bought some already if I had wanted it. Who has the patience to wait for yarn sales? Not me.
It was a beautiful day, the sale yarn was out front and lots of people stopped to look. The Knitting Sister Jane brought her posse and they livened up the day considerably. I forgot to take a picture of Amber. She came to knit with us while her bf got ready to play salsa at the 17th Street Farmers' Market this evening. Too bad she lives in Northern Virginia because she fit right in at the big table.


I finally met the mysterious Mary who has been commenting here. This is Mary with her Rowan Tapestry yarn.




Roz is nearly finished with her reds blanket. This is Roz with the first half. She spent some time at the big table working on the border.




I finished my Natalya gauntlets. Stewart took this picture for me so I could show both of them at once. It only took a bit more than one ball of Tapestry. If you made them a couple of repeats shorter, you could easily make a pair from one ball. I knit mine on #7s even though the pattern calls for #8s because I tend to knit fairly loosely. I am really pleased with how they turned out.

Wendy Socks

Wendy's generic toe up socks are my latest project.
These are knit on #0s using Brown Sheep Wildfoote.
That foot is going to take forever.





Moose says, "Forget about the socks. Show them another picture of me!"

Uh, okay.

Meet Homer

Homer works at The Yarn Lounge. His job is to keep an eye on Stewart & receive treats. He has never quite gotten over his early life before he found his true home. If you spend a year giving him cookies he might, just might, let you scratch behind his beautiful ears. Once.










Homer says, "that's enough attention, I'm leaving."

Mary asked

Yes, the Rowan Tapestry yarn is available at The Yarn Lounge.

Not just socks & a rave review

Finished the Yarrow Rib Socks from Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush.







This gives a somewhat better idea of the colors in the yarn. The tiny white dots are the sparkles, not dandruff. They actually fit me so I get to keep them.





My second linen towel inspired by the Mason-Dixon book. Notice a certain favorite color?



I have fallen in love with Rowan's new yarn - Tapestry. It is 70% wool and 30% soybean fiber. It comes in the most beautiful colorways and is like knitting air. I began this little lacy scarf during my beginners' class last night. They are going to learn how to make it next week.




And this will be a Natalya gauntlet - a free pattern from Savannahchik. Again in Tapestry, this colorway reminds me of Maine granite.

My life path number

Your Life Path Number is 7

Your purpose in life is to find truth and meaning You are very spiritual, and you are interested in the mysteries of life. You are quite analytical and a great thinker. You have many theories and insights. A life of solitude is perfect for you. You need time to think and do things your way. In love, you are quite charming. You attract many with your confidence and wit. While you enjoy being alone, sometimes you take it to an extreme. You can become too isolated, shutting out loved ones and friends. Express yourself a little bit more, and you'll be surprised where it takes you!

What Is Your Life Path Number?

Okay, how did they know all that about me just from my birth date?

Hiroshima Day

The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima 61 years ago today.

Knit Sunday

Spent all day at TYL today. From Yarn Church until closing time. Made serious progress on my second sock, purchased the new Vogue Knitting - for the socks, I'm off the deep end - and some of the new Rowan Tapestry yarn for Savannahchik's Natalya gauntlets as a change from socks.



Mimi blocked her Knitting Pure & Simple Top Down Baby pullover. Doesn't it look great?





She brought Sadie to class.








Imagine Sadie's surprise when Sangeeta showed up with Ginnie Lee!









Somehow during all the socks I have managed to make this baby sweater from Louisa Harding's Natural Knits for Babies & Mothers. It is from Cashcotton and got very soft when I washed it in the machine. It is my recommendation if someone likes the look of the demon Rowan Baby sweater.

The foot takes forever

Or, at least it feels that way. While knitting the leg I can look forward to the heel turn but once that is finished it is a long, long slog to the toe. The little sparkles in this yarn just don't show up in this tiny picture. The ribbing doesn't really show either. I may have to purchase some sock stretchers for photography to open up the ribbing.

And, while I am wondering about technical stuff, can anyone help me get rid of the double button for the Southern Knitters Web Ring? I've been messing around with the Template but haven't solved the problem.

Meet Annie

Annie is my younger sister. She is an artist and animal lover who lives with SEVEN whippets. Whew! One is enough for me.

She painted this dog as part of the Northern Neck Kennel Club's Year of the Dog event. It can be seen in White Stone, Virginia, not too far from where Annie lives.

Summer of Socks - Not Stash

I laughed when I read about the Summer of Stash. I know better than to make resolutions I can't keep. Consequently, I make few resolutions. My SOS has been the Summer of Socks. I set out to hone my sock skills and to understand why so many people make so many socks. I can't speak for anyone else but I have learned that socks make a perfect summer project because they never touch my lap. Here in Richmond, even with A/C, it is too hot for anything in my lap. Even Moose.
Sure, I could be making mittens & gloves, but I did that last summer.

Made these Simple Trekking socks from a free pattern copyright Miriam Felton. I goofed and didn't check for corrections and ended up leaving off a couple of inches. Of course, they didn't fit my size 10 ½ feet. I took them to The Yarn Lounge last night. They fit Stewart perfectly. These are her feet.


I last showed the Picot Edge socks in a nearly finished state. Here they are. Ready to wear when we finally return to sock weather. It can't come soon enough.

We had a record high of 102 yesterday.

Sock practice

I'm honing my skills for SOCK WARS by knitting the Yarrow Socks from Vintage Socks. I got bored with the ribbing so they are only 5 1/2 inches before the heel turn. I don't mind if my feet look a bit dorky. The yarn is a handpainted sock yarn from Cherry Tree Hill and has little shiny specks that don't show up in the photograph.

Bugs!

The dogs were actors in a skit at Shockoe Tomato a couple of years ago. My friend, Natalie, was the Aphid Avenger & won the first prize of $500. I think the dogs' cuteness factor helped, don't you?
I wish I remembered the name of the photographer who took this picture. This picture gives a good sense of a deerhound's size. Moose is on a standard picnic table.

Tuesday class

I enjoy teaching beginning knitting. Seeing the light bulbs light up, sticks and string become fabric. On Tuesday evening, Mildred, Kimberly, Cara and Adria came to their first class. Everyone learned quickly and by the end of the evening they were all knitting and purling well. They are going to make a couple of scarves - one with ribbing and one with simple lace. I hope they will continue with me in September.