Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival 2014

It is that time of year again when my yarn basket gets replenished. D however is noticing that it is still overflowing from last year's replenishment, but who lets that stop them from buying yarn? Not Yarnkettle, I tell you!

Although first up this year is not yarn but a cat mat instead. Gus' acceptable temperature range has narrowed considerably. I thought his old arthritic bones and joints could use a nice place to snuggle into, so I bought one.

I found out at the fair this summer one of my favorite sock yarns is going by the wayside. Ensign Brook Farm's Cheviot sock yarn may soon be no more. She sold her Cheviots but dyed up some of the last yarn. I had another skein in my hand but then I thought what about a sweater from her other yarn? Maybe I will have a new favorite sweater yarn.

Don't you know I bought all of them without tags. I even put the one with a tag on it back in the basket so she would have the marked one. I think this is a Romney/Merino cross yarn, 2 ply sport weight? Guess I will just have to email for confirmation before I knit my sweater.

This is one of those times when my better senses took over. We were debating how many skeins I would need. She had a sweater that took five so my good judgement made me buy six. I would rather have a sweater and mittens than almost a sweater.

This is Fiber Stash's Tweedy Toes in "Pick Your Own". Last year I regretted not trying this tweedy freckled yarn. This year I did not make the same mistake. It is a nice bright yarn.

Angoraonline had some nice yarn too. This one finally picked me out of the group to come home with.

New stitch markers! I found last year that stitch markers made this way, work really well for me while sweater knitting. I did finish two sweaters this year it must be the markers right?

Mt. Rutsen had the stitch marker and some nice yarn named "Patina". I do so love me some green yarn. Even though last year's yarn is still in the aforementioned over flowing basket.

I've seen String Theory and their Bluestocking yarn mentioned in quite a few places. So I just had to get my own skein in "Dark and Stormy".

Don't worry you'll be seeing all these yarns here again, once I figure out what projects they want to be. And I finish up all the projects already on the needles and the ones that are waiting in the wings too.

I am one happy knitter!

A sock and some camping mitts

D's poor sock has lost some of its novelty. It is my purse knitting but it has been usurped quite a few times now. My needles and yarn are not currently getting along so it is easy to let it drift to the bottom of the bag. How sad is that?

Still it is such a lovely blue that it will not stay neglected for long (I hope).

In the mean time my fascination was caught by Camp Out Mitts by tante ehm. I made them a bit deeper to cover more of my finger than the pattern is written. And I don't have delicate dainty hands either so I made them wider too, just like I have to adjust all my socks.

I knit them with Noro Kureyon which I had originally bought to knit a tea cozy. I was worried that the yarn would be too scratchy and rustic for my liking but it turns out I have trained my hands to appreciate a good rustic wool.

I even had fun picking out the bits of hay and straw this yarn is notorious for. No really it makes me feel a bit closer to the farm. But then again I am a weird old farmer's daughter. I don't mind the smell of animals being near.

Speaking of the old farmer, aka my Dad, I was thinking of printing off some of my blog posts and mailing them to him. Anybody know if that is possible? Guess I should just go ahead and just try it first.

Working hard

Oooo I've been busy. I got some of my spinning mojo back. My trip to the fair where I got to see the spinning competitions may have something to do with it. 

I took this and...

turned it into the one on the left.

A nice two ply pretty yarn. The nice blue on the right is the single ply start to another yarn. Now really I have to start knitting with my hand spun. What is a good first project for learning how to knit with your own hand spun yarn? I am thinking some cup cozies or wrist warmers are in order. I'll keep you posted.

I also signed up for a spinning class at Rhinebeck. I'll get to learn how to spin specifically for sock yarn. Hmm wonder why that one sounded good to me?

That sock that jumped on the needle while I was trying to finish up some things before I cast on some new things...it is looking pretty good. It was a bit deeper in the stash than I remembered. So it is not just new not-yet-stash that gets cast on around here. This is some Shelridge Yarns Soft Touch Heather yarn from not-last-year. I tried a bit of a pattern with it but ripped back because it was yelling at me full volume that it just wanted to be a plain sock. I don't have any nice deep green socks so this one is for me.

I paged through my sock knitting books and remembered that I really wanted to make Nancy Bush's Stockings with Clocks. I decided that I don't know how to adjust for stockings to fit my legs yet so I am making socks with clocks instead. I have a bit of practice under my belt making socks.

I did make good use of my holiday weekend and finished my saddle shouldered sweater and a pair of socks.

I know the picture is not great but hey the sweater is! I am almost begging for the cold weather to come early.

I had a wee bit of a laugh with my not pictured socks. I started them on Memorial Day and finished them on Labor Day. I should have called them summer socks but who knew the timing would work out that way? 

Finishing a sweater lead me to winding up all this woolliness. I wrote up the pattern on cue cards again but I did not know my gauge on the last Peruvia sweater so I have some blank spots to fill in before I cast on. I could not resist getting the yarn ready to knit though. It is sort of like the first date of the knitting process. 

That is how the wool is stacking up at my house. I am still gearing up for festival time. Of course you could say I am always geared up for festival time.