Montpelier - Part Two

Dianne, Nikki, Linda & I saw some gorgeous animals...

...and some equally beautiful fiber from Carodan Farm.

(Marianne: I bought the emerald green, of course).

How neat is this?!?! Knitting goodness everywhere you look. I felt like a kid in a candy store.

Montpelier Fiber Festival- Part One

Sorry everyone, but this is going to be several photo-heavy postings.

Below are pictures of our arrival (through the windshield & while driving no less). For those of you who couldn't make it this year, the shots will give you an idea of perspective.

See the warshrag that Nikki gave me on the dashboard (it's under the program)?

It's adorable!

This little guy was too cute.

Montpelier...Here we come!

Tomorrow's the big day!

Linda, Nikki, Dianne and I are road trippin' to the Montpelier Fiber Festival.

I have only two questions....

Are we there yet?

&

Got wool?

Country Fair & Cameras

My daughter, Andie, and I had a great Saturday morning this past weekend. We went to the Sedalia Country Fair in Big Island, Virginia. While there, we met up with Lara and Linda, spinners extraordinaire, who kindly gave more spinning lessons and tips.

We saw sheep, alpaca, draft horses, and a variety of large and small farm animals. I had no clue that there exists such a variety of chickens (not just Tyson, Perdue et al). We both laughed at our ignorance - - you can take the girls out of the city, but it takes a while to get the city out of the girls.

I had a ton of terrific pictures of homemade soaps and honey, baby rabbits and dogs working sheep. Then, this happened....

No, that's not my camera, but when it broke, it looked a lot like the above camera. I'm going to be pictureless for a bit. The Fair photos were taken by Jim, Linda's husband, who was nice enough to let me borrow them for the blog. Thanks Jim!

Baby Bootie

How's this for a "round robin?" I was Marianne's blog the other day and she had written of her friend, Eric, who is both a knitter and blogger. Curious, I went over Eric's blog and looked around. He and Tony have done some beautiful knitting and one of things I saw was the most adorable baby bootie ever. I followed Eric's link and downloaded the pattern.

One Down, One to Go....

(My camera doesn't do it justice. My husband, who is completely oblivious to my knitting, even said, "That's really cute.")

This is Saartje's Bootee and hopefully, you'll be able to follow the pattern link from me into what I think is Ravelry (not yet having gotten my invitation - -6700 to go!). If you can't get it here, visit Eric's blog. It's a very fun read and his orchids are breathtaking.

Glorious Weekend

Honestly, folks, the weather this weekend couldn't have been more beautiful. The heat wave broke, the skies were clear, and the breeze was crisp and cool! Saturday morning, I threw open all the doors and windows and they stayed open until 8 p.m. that night.

I had a two project weekend and finished both jobs. The first job was to finish a pair of hats for a third pair of twins, Jamie & Emma. In the photo, Emma's hat looks orange, but it's actually a cherry red (stupid camera).



The second job was to mow the lawn and as you can see, I cut it within a 1/4 inch of the dirt. (Repeat after me: No more mowing this year, no more mowing this year). :)


Hope y'all had a great weekend too!

The Last Knit & Real Men Knit

Like Faren, I'm seeing how this video upload works. The first video is amusing. The second one, the Real Men Knit trailer, is great! Enjoy....

More Bowls

The holiday knitting has begun.

Last year, I promised myself that I would have my gift knitting done early. With that in mind, I made and felted five bowls this past weekend. I'm planning of filling each bowl with some kind of treat based upon each person's individual tastes.

I'd really like to knit some gift socks too, but I'm still very much a novice when it comes to socks, e.g. "Do you wear a size 6 to 10 shoe? Okay, I might have something that'll fit you." Personalizing socks to fit is still a bit out there for me.

Pre-Trim Bowl

Post-Trim Bowl

And the other four bowls...

This is a fundraiser to support Betty's Boops.

To learn more about Betty and her blogging friend, Noolie,

please visit Noolie Knits or my link on the sidebar.


Happy Knitting/Spinning all!

Sock It To Me Baby

My arse is now two inches broader thanks to Labor Day weekend.

Why?

I spent the last three days parked on the aforementioned

body part knitting and finishing socks.

(...she writes smiling & completely without remorse).

Mohamed's Boot Socks (Plymouth Encore/Black)

My Ankle Socks (Blue Moon Fiber/Rolling Stone)

There's still a notable amount of the Rolling Stone leftover, so I think I'll make a second pair of socks with that. In addition to the above, I knitted a red skull cap for my daughter and started a baby hat for a friend.

Hope y'all had a great weekend too!

Ruby Shawl

What have I been up to during every quiet moment I could steal?

A shawl - - a really, really large shawl.

A shawl so large that you could drape it over a rhino and tie it under her neck

(which is a good thing considering it's my shawl). ;)

I indulged myself in some worsted weight Tahki tweed and here's the end result.

When not school supply shopping (can it get more expensive?), chasing my kids around, housekeeping, working and other general details of life,

I got to play with my angels, Emma & Isabelle.

The girls now have two teeth each and get this...each baby cut the same tooth on the same day! Must be one of those twin things.

Isabelle (left) & Emma (right)

They're playing "tug of war."

Happy Knitting/Spinning All!

Forty & Knitting

My recent 40th birthday put me in a reflective mood (amongst several other moods, I might add) and I thought about how much my life had changed over the years. Some of the most recent changes revolved around knitting, which I've now been doing for about a year and a half.

Knitting, as it turned out, changed a number of things about me.

Pre-Knitting:
I indulged in Aigner shoes.

Post-Knitting:

Birkenstocks w/handknit socks. (Two years ago, I didn't even know Birkenstocks existed and I'm not even going into the whole handknit sock thing again). P.S. Buy your Birki's on Ebay and that leaves more money for fiber. ;)

Pre-Knitting:

Obsessive-Compulsive Housekeeping (I didn't make my family sleep in the car like some OCD'ers, but I wanted to).

Post-Knitting:

Suffice it to say, my home is dusty.

It's a bit of a shock to think to myself, "I'm forty years old." In my mind, I'm still an awkward kid and it's surreal to know that I'm actually THIS OLD and this fundamentally IMMATURE. Ah well....onto the birthday goodies (and boy, were they good!)....

Dianne gave me this luscious alpaca roving from Spunky Eclectic.

Linda's present was this beautiful Claudia's handpaint in a wonderful blend of "harvest golds."

Thank you both so much (and you too, Marianne, for the Peace Fleece)! The roving and yarn were amazing gifts and I appreciate them so much.
The husband and kids gave me this lime-colored wool (I forget the brand), but it's going to make some very pretty bowls and the Birkenstocks photographed above.
And Angie (Queen of Shawls and all things Artsy), I finished my first shawl and started my second. :)

This is what the shawl looks like, but it's not the true color.

This is the true color (and it's being modeled by a grumbling husband).
The second shawl, thus far. I'm using "Takhi Tweed" by Charles Stacy. It's a wool, silk, cotton, viscose blend and it's very, very nice. Well, that's it for now. Happy Knitting/Spinning all!

Knitting Away

I was a knitting fool this weekend. Here's my grandmother's Christmas gift shawl (one ball of Rowan's cotton glace down/three to go).



The only thing my husband will allow me to knit for him (no, not even a scarf) are socks. This is my first attempt at a boot sock, as well as my first ever pair of socks for him. I have my doubts about this. It's a great pattern and I'm using Plymouth fiber, but Mohamed has "chicken ankles" aka the skinniest/boniest ankles you have ever seen. Add to that the fact that I have no clue how to "shape" socks to fit an individual. I'm a boilerplate sock knitter (size 6, 7 or 8?). Hmmmmmm, we'll see....



Blue Moon Fiber/Socks That Rock in the Rolling Stone Colorway. This is the "Lucky Sister" pattern I found online and at long last, I have finally cast on this gorgeous wool. Believe me, my camera doesn't do it justice.



And finally, two pounds (woohoo!) of this Copper Moose roving is on it's way to me compliments of my sister. Thank you Denise!



Happy Knitting/Spinning everyone!

Speed of Light

These last two weeks have gone by at the speed of light. I had mentioned a blog or so ago that my sister was keeping Thing 1 and Thing 2 for me for a week. One blissful week of having a clean house, no cooking to do, no refereeing [sic] and uninterrupted fiber fun. The week flew by and on Friday the 13th (how ironic!), the kids returned home with my sister and grandmother in tow.

Denise, my sister, and I had planned on taking my grandmother around town, to the lake and anywhere else she wanted to go. A fun "girls weekend" kind of thing. Then, I received this weird phone call. This husky, male voice asked, "You got any cars in your driveway?" I had no idea who was calling and I said something very witty to the effect of "Huh?" and the less patient voice replied, "This is your father. If you have any cars in the driveway, move them so that I can back the camper down."

In a complete and wonderful surprise, my dad and stepmother, Joan, drove from Mississippi to Virginia to surprise us with a visit. Fortunately for us, my grandmother was out on the back porch when Denise and I started squealing like little girls and dancing around the kitchen. Dad was 20 minutes away from my home and on his way.

Denise and I played it cool, moved the cars, set the table for dinner and sat down to eat like nothing at all was going on. I heard the front door open when Dad and Joan came into the house. Dad walked into the kitchen, leaned up against the island and said, "What are you eating?" My grandmother didn't see him or realize that he was there. I said, "Grandma, that guy over there is talking to you." She looked up and over and when she saw Dad, she squealed, "OH MY GOODNESS! EDWARD!!" Her face broke into one of the brightest smiles I have ever seen in my life.

We had a GREAT family reunion that weekend! Sunday arrived and to my complete shock, Dad told me that he was now going to take the kids for a week or so. At this point, I'm flabbergasted, but nevertheless, packing their bags. LOL

Week Two begins....

I spent most of the week cleaning Andie's BLACK HOLE of a bedroom, but I did manage to finish and start a couple of projects. (Now you're thinking...finally some pictures to break up this unending text! Me too.)

The completed "Crayon Blanket."

I started (at long last) Grandma's Christmas shawl. (I've tried and failed at Swallowtail several times, so I found this "you can't fail" pattern online).



Before I knew it, it was Saturday the 21st and lo and behold, look what was in my mailbox! Marianne sent me Peace Fleece for my upcoming birthday. Marianne: Thank you, thank you so much! The color is beautiful and I cannot wait to see it "bloom" as you described. I am so touched you would even think of me when you are in the middle of moving not one, but two houses. You're amazing and I appreciate both you and the fabulous fiber.

Kamchatka Seamoss (blue/green heather) Peace Fleece DK weight:

Sunday morning was spent S'nB'ing with Dianne, Linda, Nikki and Dianne's mother. That was a very good time and I enjoyed myself thoroughly! We had lunch, chatted, laughed (remember the country of "Malasha"/Malaysia?) and of course, knitted.

Sunday evening, I went to Jim & Linda's and then brought Baby No. 3 home!

Jim's explaining his latest innovations to the wheel (and boy! were they awesome) and I'm asking question after question.

(See "Village Idiot Grin" shown above).

Queen of Spinning? I think not...more like court jester and the above photo proves it.

Linda and Jim also sent me home with the "practice roving" on the left and the Stony Mountain Fiber/"When you're comfortable spinning" roving on the right.



And to cap it all off, Jim even packed the car.

There simply are enough words to express my gratitude. The wheel is beautiful, the skill and craftmanship with which it was made is immeasurable and the people, Jim and Linda, are a gift, a pleasure, a blessing and priceless.

THE LAST TWO WEEKS ROCKED!

- - - Postscript - - -

The kids are now home, the fridge is empty, the floors are dirty,

the litterbox needs emptied, but leave me alone....

I'm sitting and spinning. :D

Eye & Heart Candy

Here, my friends, is the "Heart Candy."

Jim wrote, "Today, I completed your wheel and Linda took it on a test drive. She was pleased with the wheel and the latest innovations. [I] ...had fun building the wheel and incorporating the new features into this model. We hope you will like it. Here are a few pictures of the wheel. You and Linda can determine when you want to take possession. I am looking forward to seeing you operate it."

Jim said things like, "We hope you like it," and "...had fun building the wheel." This is just another indicator of what amazing, kind and generous people Jim & Linda are. Me? I'm floored - - positively floored. The offer to make me a wheel was a complete surprise and I certainly didn't imagine that the wheel would be completed in a mere two weeks. Just two weeks! Once again, they have knocked my socks off and left me overwhelmed by being the wonderful people that they are. Jim and Linda - THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Now for the "Eye Candy"....

The "Windy Meadow Wheel.".

The Skein Winder


The Lazy Kate and Skein Winder



The wheel in all it's glory!

Oooooohhhh Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

I had a perrrrrfect day and there's pictures to prove it. Last Saturday afternoon, my daughter, Andie, and I went to visit my sock sister, Linda, and her husband, Jim, at their home for a spinning lesson.


[We break now for crowing] Yes! Yes! I have spun fiber! [End crowing].


I sat down on the spinning chair and Jim expertly described the mechanics of the wheel. I knew "terms" from my reading, but to actually see it done clarified so much. For example, the mystery of ratio became clear, single versus double treadle mechanics, and how/why the fiber gets twisted as it's spun. I now understand plying, how to achieve fiber thickness, what a Lazy Kate is and a multitude of other things.


Then, Linda taught me how to spin. "Now you do it," she said. I broke the fiber numerous times, I spun at the speed of a snail (when I wasn't breaking the fiber) and I had an absolute ball! It was so much fun and as if the spinning weren't enough, Andie and I got to visit with the adorable critters that Linda and Jim have adopted. The flock includes a goat, a ewe, ducks, chickens, two sweet little dogs and a rabbit.

To cap an amazing day off, Jim and Linda made my day/week/month and year. Jim offered to make me a wheel.

I am getting a wheel!

Jim is making me a wheel!

I am sooo incredibly thrilled!

When they offered, I was floored, misty-eyed and just so surprised and delighted. Jim's wheels are lovely, handmade, strong, and an original. Here and now, four days later, I still go weak at the knees and smile like the village idiot when I think about this.

Jim and Linda: There are no words to thank you enough for both the lessons, the visit, and the wheel. Andie and I had a day that we will remember and cherish forever! THANK YOU!