New Knitting and Fiber Festivals

I have a new knitting project on the needles. I am also back on the road vending at several fiber festivals this month.

New Knitting

After completing my latest lacy top, Muqarnas, I am returning to a project I paused last summer. Do you remember the Summershine Top? I knit a sleeve in this yarn, Paton’s North American Linen. Instead of completing the project I thought, this would make a great booth sample in my Organic Cotton Sport. So I knit up this.

Now I am returning to the design to finish one for myself. It is a fun knit. There’s just enough detail to keep it interesting. I also like making pieced tops, especially with cellulose fibers, for the structure that seams give. I also prefer having smaller pieces of knitting on my needles. Sometimes a seamless sweater, especially an adult sized one, can be cumbersome.

So, I completed the second sleeve and cast on for the back piece while I was in Charlotte, NC last weekend. Which brings me to my next topic.

Fiber Festivals

I was in Charlotte for the Southern Comforts Fiber Market. I enjoyed my summer at home but it is also nice to get back out among knitters at the festivals. I appreciate seeing other peoples knits, visiting with other vendors and customers, and helping people pick out their next projects.

At the end of each day, I also look forward to some down time in my hotel room to recharge. I am very introverted, and I need my alone time too, no matter how much I love the days in the market. My favorite thing to do after the work of the day is over is to knit for an hour or two and then snuggle up with a book. I usually like to have a beer or a glass of wine too, to help unwind.

I had three nights at home after returning from Charlotte. I am all packed and ready to load up the truck for Michigan in the morning. It is time for the wonderful Michigan Fiber Festival. This is a much larger show and has been around for decades. I look forward to it every year. Sometimes it is refreshingly cooler there than it is here in the Southeast, but I think it may be it bit warm this year. At least I am used to it. :-)

Reading

Speaking of curling up with a book, what are you reading this week?

I am currently re-reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This is one of my favorite Austen novels and also in my top 10 Classic novels. It is just so perfect isn’t it?

I finished reading Three Days in June by Anne Tyler and give it **** . I actually read/listened to another book by her this past week. It was A Spool of Blue Thread. This was really good! A family saga type story with well developed characters. There were a few surprises to keep me wanting to know more. I gave this one **** too. I am pretty generous with my stars unless I don’t get on with a book. :-)

I also read another book by Jane Smiley, A Thousand Acres. I listened to it mostly while driving and setting up the booth last week. It is a solid **** read also. It is a very character driven story of the family drama sort. I like those sometimes.

I am thinking about starting Beach Music by Pat Conroy on Audible for my drive tomorrow. I read Prince of Tides several years ago. According to my Goodreads record I gave that a high score, so I will probably like this one. It is very long audio book, so that it perfect for all the long drives in my upcoming week. I’ll let you know next time if that is what I end up listening to.

See you soon and thanks for reading!