Mittens before snow

I must apologize to the northeast US. I think my knitting may have caused snowpocalypse, because I have been knitting up a storm. (It is OK you can tell me, I already know my knitting does not cause weather fronts to converge.)

So that is the really long way to tell you I have finished my driving mittens.  I remembered to catch a quick photo of each of them, but quick photos never seem to capture the magic. 

 

 They're nice and light, made of fingering weight yarn. I can hold my keys and feel the steering wheel. I don't feel like I am overwhelmed like some mittens can feel.

But the down side is that they are not super warm. I would not want to go on a long hike with these alone. But again they were never intended for that use.

I used Ann Budd's The Knitter's handy book of patterns to make them. The yarn is Ball and Skein Sophia, a lovely soft yarn with a touch of cashmere. I enjoyed knitting with it immensely. I made a long  four inch cuff intending to tuck it under my coat cuff, but I like them turned down into a double cuff too.

So now what about that sweater I was going to make. Hmm this is prime sweater knitting weather going on. Oh and look the yarn is green too.

Don't mind me I just be swatching a bit. Oh wait can I count my Rhinebeck sweater as a working swatch? Ann Budd and I will be off in a corner running the numbers from her Top Down Sweaters book. Well she is here in spirit anyways.

Don't worry my train travel thoughts are still chugging along too. I've run some numbers on flying vs railing and it has dispelled some guilt that I want to tell you about but that is all another post or two.

Contrast

Let's talk about contrast in yarns shall we? As you know I usually have several projects on the needles at the same times. (It is also how I read so I guess it is normal for me.) I like socks so it tends to be a lot of socks in various stages. Turning a heel on this one, cuff ribbing on that one, and somewhere on the foot of that one. I know where I am on the sock I don't get confused, trust me I've made a few!

The yarns may be different colors but they tend to be similar weight and texture. I mean wool feels like wool, right? Not always. 

I have learned to appreciate crunchy, bold wool. A lifetime spent running around outside barefoot allows you to tolerate what your pampered chin and neck will not. I am all for keeping my little ice blocks (feet) toasty. That yarn sometimes comes from the sheep that know cold, Icelandic and Scottish (Cheviot) sheep. 

This sock is from Cheviot sheep. It is crunchy, rustic and I expect great things from these socks. Toasty toes with a implied durability. Softer yarn can be more delicate. 

These have been fun because you know you're knitting with Wool, insert manly grunt here. This is wool I can trust on a hike or camping trip. This is farm girl wool! (I did buy it from a farm girl too!)

In contrast I am knitting myself some mittens. An arctic blast of cold sweeping the country will do that to you. While these will see quite a bit of use, I will not trudge through the woods directly on them. These babies will protect my hands from the ohh so cold steering wheel. Arctic blast remember? And for that task I chose a wool, cashmere nylon blend. It is not much cashmere but it is enough to make me know what heaven will feel like. 

So what I am saying is, what a difference between these two wools, yet I find utter contentment in both of them. I can appreciate them both for different reasons. It has been especially interesting switching between the two also. My own texture game.

Now I'm thinking a new sweater would be nice too. I have some nice rustic crunchy wool in need of some knitting.

S ADK Fiber Festival Oh Yeah!

Well this festival was a great time. Perfect weather and lovely vendors with beautiful wares.

True to my word I stopped at Stitched by Jessalu first. (She may be working on her site.) Well I did visit the ladies room first, but she was my first purchase of the day. As you can tell I love sheepy project bags, she has other prints but me I need to see happy sheep and a touch of London too. 

I then made a preliminary run through of all the barns just to do a mental inventory. I kept saying "I'll be back" and I was too.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of farms shared a booth and had I've been looking for but always seem to miss, Icelandic sock yarn. (It is from Icy Acres.) I've heard people rave about Icelandic sock yarn and soon I will be joining them. It is the lovely natural cream skein on the left.

In the same booth was Ensign Brook Farm whose name always makes me smile. D was an Ensign in the Navy when we married and I've always liked the word. Anyways they had lovely sock yarn too, called Great Scott cheviot. They had done some research and decided the sheep that are good enough to be used for kilt hose in Scotland is good enough for them. I am anxious to put this yarn to the test too. I bought both a dyed skein and a natural one. She used heavy metal free dyes too.

I did not buy any of their Romney sheep yarn but one of the funniest things of the festival was the lady telling me that people kept asking her if the yarn was from Mitt Romney's farm? I was then forced to ask her where her Obama yarn was. I'm guessing they were new festival people. Welcome to the club we take red and blue states. But we don't discuss politics on my blog.

Back to the yarn you say, well if I must. I then stopped into the Liberty Fibers to show off my socks and pick up something new. I'll be showing you the socks again in another post since I now have better pictures so you can see how truly lovely they are. (I may be a tad biased.) And while I was showing off she even remembered reading about them here. You may not recognize my face but my socks can be fairly distinctive.

I wandered back to the front of the show to pick out a skein for D socks. That is a pretty handsome, manly blue right? While he likes the crazy colors socks he also enjoys a subdued pair. Subdued manliness courtesy of Ball and Skein. This one is called After Midnight.

Periwinkle Sheep is sometimes stocked in my LYS, but some colors can not be resisted, plus if we want vendors at the festivals we need to buy from the vendors. I was there when a few of her knitting group cohorts were there. I heard "Well if it is not enough you know where to get more." quite a few times. It made me giggle. Now when I knit this one I will be constantly thinking of a Frenchman saying "Your mother smells of Elderberries." because its name is Elderberry. It remains one of the most creative insults I've ever heard.

Ah Bittersweet Woolery you tempting seductress you! I picked up Beloved on the left first, in the Glamourous Gams yarn base that includes cashmere. Oh cashmere I am loving you so. Then I noticed Debutante on the right in the Guilty Pleasures yarn base. Finally I tucked the middle one Oxblood in to my arms too. I thought for a bit and reasoned I should put Oxblood back and get another color of the less expensive Guilty Pleasures colorway when I realized it was in that base. Oh happy day, since I absolutely adore my Terrible Lizard socks from last year.

As I thinking this would be a nice combo for the Color Affection shawl, the owner asked me if that would be what I was making. I said no and we both agreed that the two darker ones are too close to be a good contrast but hmm, I need to buy that pattern and get the yarn requirements before I go to Rhinebeck because I am so jumping on that knitting train.

And I bought my first knitting tea cup. I packed it safely in with all my yarn. It was either Yarn Diva or Yarn Snob but this cup fit my hand best to that is what counts the most. I have the potter's card around here somewhere but I'll have to find it before I can post about them.

Now I was headed for the car with my overpacked bag when I decided to peak in on St Mary's on the Hill. Boy was I glad I did, where else can you get an ounce each of silver Romney roving and Tunis roving for less than $5? What more can a beginner spinner ask for? Plus I got to relive my high school cashier days when I offered help in using the old school credit card imprinter. My cashier skills are still intact!

Lastly I found some lovely roving at Foster Sheep Farm. Dyed Romney roving on the left and natural Wensleydale X Romney roving on the right. So I picked up some fiber with my yarn. Thanks Honey for suggesting that I take up spinning.

I did see several beautiful spindles but I just don't have the experience to buy another one. I may just need to try a few out at Rhinebeck, who knows?

Well here is my haul, in all its glory.

A great mix of things to enjoy. I better get knitting as Rhinebeck is closing in on me. Oh and D correctly estimated the value of my pile. Dude may be getting too smart for his own good. Nah he knows how many hours of entertainment it is for me too.