We had an uneventful drive yesterday. We went over to the fairgrounds and got the booth all set up this morning.
After a quick lunch we headed out to the grocery store to get food for the week. I am now sitting around doing a load of laundry so it seemed like as good a time as any to write a quick blog post on my phone while waiting for the machine.
I took some pictures with my phone before we left. So here goes.
And we are off to Virginia for almost two weeks.
Here’s my knitting for the trip. I am committed to finishing the sweaters for the girls so that is in there but there are a few other “jus t in case” skeins in there to. You know for the off chance I should run out of knitting. :-)
The show in Yellow Springs was great! It rained cats and dogs Friday night and left a big muddy mess on Saturday morning but we knitters aren’t gonna let that stop us.
Both days turned off sunny and cooler which was just perfect.
So now on to Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival and Fall Fiber Festival. We don’t have definite plans for the four days we have between yet.
Parting shot of Elijah and me this morning just for fun.
I finished the first Latte Baby Coat for the youngest grandchild due in November. It was so fast to knit! I mean wow. I almost never knit anything on size 10 needles anymore and I had forgotten how quick it can be. I tend to prefer the look and fabric with smaller gauge yarns but I can see how on occasion thicker yarns can have their appeal and it really is cute and cuddly.
I cast on right away for the second one in the next size up for Sorrel. I am hoping to get these last two knit before the end of the month when we are going to northwest Virginia. I will be able to see my granddaughters then and want to pass the sweaters on to them in person.
We are leaving early in the morning for Yellow Springs, OH for A Wool Gathering. There is some rain in the forecast this year for Saturday but Sunday is supposed to be pretty weather. I will try to check in sometime over the weekend.
I think the knitting mojo has returned. I don’t want to jinx it but I have not only completed the Boneyard Shawl, but I bought yarn and started some new projects.
I will show you the shawl pictures first and then catch you up on the new project(s).
I took the above picture in Wisconsin on Sunday. That was the only day conducive to wearing and hand knits since it was in the upper 80’s and lower 90’s the other days. It was unseasonably warm until Sunday when it felt more like Wisconsin in September rather than like Nashville, LOL!
I took this one today after managing to get it suitably blocked. I am quite pleased with this casual scarf/shawl and am sure it will get much wear.
Okay, now on to the new stuff. I was web surfing and stumbled across this pattern. I was instantly smitten and knitters on my honor I had NO suitable wool in my stash! I know it’s hard to believe but true. I wanted to make one for each of the grand children and possibly one for Elijah as well. I rarely knit with wool that requires size 10 needles and that is part of the reason for the lack of supplies. Anyway they should knit up fairly quickly and that suits my fancy at the moment. I ordered the yarn and needles from Webs and they arrived while I was in Wisconsin.
I started the smallest one a couple days ago and it’s pretty far along already.
I just have to knit the sleeves and the button bands. The button band is what really sets this sweater off and attracted me to it.
Do you remember me mentioning a new product in my last post? Well we have debuted them at Wisconsin Sheep & Wool and they will be on the website very soon.
Meredith has been working on these cool leather bracelets for several weeks and we are very excited about them. I have been wearing mine constantly.
Here is just a sampling from the booth display last weekend. She is selling them for $15 and I will let you know when I get them on the website. She has a selection of ones that have knitty phrases as well as more general loveliness for the non-knitters. These are would make great Christmas gifts.
I will leave you with some pictures of the booth in Wisconsin.
Next show is Wool Gathering in Yellow Springs, OH at Young’s Dairy. See you soon!
Some of you may recall that in the past I occasionally shared my knitting progress with you. Then came the knitting slump, in which knitting reports became fewer and farther between than even more sporadic posts became. Well, posting is still less often than /I wish it was but today I have a little bit of knitting to share.
I know what part of the problem is. I know why the slump in my knitting. I don’t tend to knit unless I am watching something. I have gotten out of the habit of turning on a video or movie in the evening before I get out my reading, so that’s the where the knitting went. I have been reading a lot more though. I know I could listen to audiobooks and knit. I have done that but I tend to prefer to listen to books while driving rather than while knitting. I don’t know why that is. It just is.
So anyway, I showed you that I finished the small Sorrel in my last post in Michigan last week but it was fresh off the needles and still unblocked. I have now washed it, blocked it and added the button at the back neck, so it is officially done!
I am pleased with the pattern and the result. I see this as a garment that will grow with the baby. There are three sizes and I could see using either the small or the medium for a newborn. It should fit for awhile progressing from a dress/tunic type garment to a t-shirt later on. The medium would fit longer I suppose and be roomier at the beginning. So, if I was assuming a small baby I might go for the small but choose the medium for a 9+ pounder or something. Make sense?
I would make the large if I was making this for a baby older than say 3-6 months and also expect it to fit for awhile.
I decided to pull this project back out of my knitting bag and work on it for a change of pace. It’s a superwash merino DK wool I dyed for myself as a tester to see if I want to add this base to my line at some point. It’s a very nice yarn and it’s working up wonderfully soft and drapey on size 7 or 8 needles. I forget which and am too lazy to get out my needle sizer. This Stephen West’s Boneyard. I plan to make it big. I envision wearing around the house when it’s chilly. Curling up under it with my reading. :-)
Well that’s all the knitting for this week. I will close with a picture of Meredith working on a new product that she hopes to have available for debut at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool coming up early next month. I will give you a hint. It’s made from leather and you wear it on your arm. More pictures of these next time!
We are in Allegan, MI right now for Michigan Fiber Festival. We drove over yesterday morning and set up the booth last night. I have a few pictures, but you have seen so many of those you are probably a bit bored with them at this point. Am I right? LOL!
I do have some more interesting pictures to share with you today from our last day in Chicago on Wednesday. I mentioned that we might go to Brookfield Zoo, and we did in fact do that. We went last year too but the weather was so nice and cool that we couldn’t resist getting out of the hotel and visiting again.
It was surprising less crowded this year. I mean there were plenty of people there but last year we were there on “kids under 12 get in free” day. Oh mercy! This was much better, LOL!
The animals were more active too, so I am sure they were enjoying the unseasonably cool temperature. Check out the lion. It’s so rare to see them this alert in the day in my experience.
Elijah was still “fresh” at this point and liked seeing the animals. This degraded as the day wore on, LOL!
He was the most interested in the creatures that were in water. I am thinking a trip to one of the aquariums near home may be in order next time. :-)
Checking out the seals and sea lions up close and personal.
Sorry the fish got out of focus in these but what I liked about it was seeing Elijah’s interest.
All tuckered out and heading home.
In other news I am pleased to announce that my small Sorrel, also available on Ravelry, is FINALLY finished! I couldn’t resist taking a picture of it in my booth this morning even though it still needs to be soaked and blocked. A perfect example of why you should always block your knitting though. Those stitches will fill out and lay much smoother after a soak. I will take more when that is done.
Okay, have a great weekend and if you are in the area stop in our booth and say “Hi”. We are in booths 92-93 in the white building which has been renamed again as 9B.
Quick phone post today.
The weather is like early fall here in Schaumburg this week. Wehave taken in a little shopping and just kicking back.
I have finished the second book in the Dark Tower series and am about to start the third as soon as I finish this post.
Here’s a view of my reading spot for the afternoon.
I was hanging out at the covered patio reading yesterday during a brief rain shower when I was joined by one if these little fellows.
In case you can’t tell he is literally inches from my foot. Here’s proof.
No doubt he was hoping for a handout but he went away disappointed.
I actually pulled out my knitting last night and worked a few rounds. Didn’t take a picture to prove it but maybe I can do one better and have it finished by next post. I am ever the optimist.
Maybe Brookfield Zoo tomorrow. Later!
I am so sorry for neglecting you lately. We bloggers always feel remorse and guilt when life and ennui get in the way of posting don’t we?
We are in Schaumburg this weekend and through Thursday for Stitches Midwest. Tonight is the student sneak peek at the market so we are here now basking in some Midwestern knitterly hospitality. :-)
We still have quite a good selection of our discontinued colors on sale at half price, so if you will be coming to the show don’t miss out. :-) It’s still on the website of course if you can’t make it for all the fun. Console yourself with a treat. ;-)
We have all the new colors making their debut too along with a whole bunch of new Shawl Pins, Sock keepers, Nostepinnes, and Darning Eggs.
Okay I have customers to attend to so I will close for now. I will try to post more this week to tell you what we do while we are in the Windy City.
We are pleased to introduce you to our new colors in our lineup. Pictures are linked to the products on the website. :-)
It’s always interesting to see how the same colors look so different on the different bases isn’t it?
I am super busy this week getting ready for our travels beginning early next week. Therefore I don’t have much time for a long post today. I will try to write another post in a few days and catch you up on my reading and other various stuff. Not much knitting to report anyway. TTYL!
I only have a few minutes because I have to get working on yarn today. I wanted to give you a quick sneak peek at the new colors tough. Here’s a glimpse at about half of what we dyed yesterday. Sorry for the phone pictures. I was in a hurry. :-)
Psst…don’t forget to take advantage of our Yarn Sale. As you can see we need the room. So go ahead and clear us out of those discontinued colors please! :-) Sorry I can’t link just to the sale stuff but go to any yarn base and choose the colors. They are Aubergine, Red Grape, Pear, and Dark Rose.
