#knittingnotions - Knitting Notions

Summer Activities: Knitting, Dyeing, and More Fun

It is high time for a catching up post about our summer activities. There will be some content about my knitting, reading, yarn dyeing, and a few other odds and ends.

Knitting

First, let’s get right to the knitting content. I am working exclusively on the Muqarnas top. In my last post, I showed you the finished sleeves and the ribbing for the body section. At this point I have knit 4 of the lace repeats on the body section. The intended length of the body before joining it with the arms, is 14 inches. I have almost 9 inches right now. According to my measurements, I need to knit about 3 more lace repeats to reach that goal.

I am looking forward to that milestone. It will slow down the progress even more at first. The addition of the sleeve stitches makes the rounds longer, after all. The momentum of the decreases makes the progress much faster at that point. I can’t wait to see how the finished top looks! I love how lace changes after blocking. It is worth the wait!

Yarn Dyeing and other Business Stuff

The first half of the festival season came to its conclusion for us in early June. Our last spring show was Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival in Franklin, IN. It was another fantastic year and I am so pleased to be a witness to the growth of this festival over the years. I began with the show in 2008, and it is one of my favorites now. I’ll share a few pics from this year.

Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival 2025 Knitting Notions booth

Upon returning to Nashville, we went straight into yarn dyeing time. I spent about a week with dyeing preparations. This involves lots of math and spreadsheet work, dye stock mixing and final color mixing. Then more math and spreadsheet work to make work order plans. Then finally, get all the yarn prepped. For me, that means bundling and soaking for the dye pots.

Knitting Notions Yarn dyeing — mixing dye stocks

Other preparations were also some much needed upgrades to our “dye and finishing studio”. This area is in our daylight basement which opens out onto the covered patio area we built 5 years ago. I have been relying on clip on shop lights on the floor joists and portable fans in hot weather. We decided to install a large fan that is suspended from the joists. Even more exciting, to me anyway, are the ceiling shop lighting. We got 4 of these and they sure do make a huge difference! I love how much better I can see. This is particularly important when measuring stock to mix colors. Notice in the above right picture, that was before we installed the new lighting.

We accomplished all the dyeing of the yarn in three sessions over one weekend. It was hot and mostly dry that week. That is a bit of a con for the dyers, but a pro for getting the yarn dry.

The following week, we got all the labeling and storing done. Now we are all set for the fall festivals. I have extra yarn in the event that we need to dye anything that runs low. The only catch will be time to do it.

In other product news, the wood shop has been in full operation all spring also. We have been adding a lot of Shawl/Hair Sticks to the inventory. Lately, that has been some Walnut, Mahogany, and Maple.

Currently, we are working on some more Darning Eggs. These were hot sellers around Christmas time and for a few months after that, so the inventory got a bit low in some woods. We are out on a few also, but more will be in stock soon! I will be back out at festivals in early August, and we should have plenty more by then.

Reading

Let’s switch topics to a bit of book chat. First, I would love to hear what you’re reading lately if you want to share in the comments.

I am making my way through my TBR but I am also a bit of a mood reader, so there have been many diversions. They were good ones though, and that’s the important thing.

My most exciting report is that I finished my re-read of War and Peace. I am so glad that I took my time with it. It took me 6 months, but it was time well spent. I definitely have a fuller understanding and appreciation for what Tolstoy was doing with this work than I did after my first read 13 years ago. If you haven’t tried it, I encourage you to have a go at it. The chapters are pretty small so even if you only set a goal of a chapter a day, you can read it slowly through over a year. Anna Karenina is a bit more engaging, character wise, but War and Peace is just so magnificent!

Other books that I have read in June are:

Never Flinch – Stephen King (*** okay but not one my favorites)
Cold Mountain – Charles Frazier (**** a re-read sparked by reading The Trackers; really liked it!)
The Wedding People – Alison Espach (**** first read of this author due to a BookTube recommendation; liked it)
A Month in the Country – J.L. Carr (**** same as above; very good short summer read)

Currently reading:

Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen (reading for Jane Austen July)
Memorial Days – Geraldine Brooks (first read of this author, reading to fulfill a Kindle Challenge, borrowed in Libby)
Complete Stories of Eudora Welty (about halfway through this book which is actually 5 published collections in one volume)

Closing

As always, thank you for reading and hanging in there when I let the grass get too high. I will attempt to post before another month goes by. Blessings!

Posted on July 4, 2025July 4, 2025 by yarnmama — 11 Comments

A Knitting and Festival Update From Raleigh

Good morning friends! This will be a knitting and fiber festival update coming to you from Raleigh, NC.

Fiber Festival Updates

Let’s begin this post with our recent and upcoming fiber festival attendances.

Last Friday and Saturday we had a big time at the Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival in Dickson, TN. I am so happy that this festival is still going strong. The weather was a bit chilly and windy but the fiber people turned up and made it spectacular! We had plenty of wool, so we aren’t bothered by cool temperatures. It’s nice to be able to go home each night too.

Currently I am in Raleigh, NC for the Carolina Fiber Festival. The drive yesterday was long but uneventful. I wasn’t sure which route I would take. I had been leaning towards taking I-81 to I-77. The recently reopened the I-40 corridor from TN to NC that runs through Asheville. I was concerned about going that way due to the lane restrictions with my trailer. When I got to the I-40/I-81 split though, I decided to go for it and try the Asheville route. I didn’t love the narrow lane in the restricted part, but that was only a couple of sections. It was probably about 20 miles total, so not too bad. I may opt for the other way when I return home on Sunday.

I will be partially setting up the booth today and finishing it tomorrow. This festival is also a Friday/Saturday show. The hours are 9-6 on both days. I am excited that we will not be on the same weekend as the dog show this year. The dog show people took up so much of the parking, which was frustrating.

Knitting

In other news, I have some exciting progress with the vest project. I finished the knitting of the front and it is blocked. I need to sew the side and shoulder seams. When that is done, I can knit the arm and neck edgings. As you can see, I decided to go with a V-neck.

The remaining yarn from my third skein is only 22g. I am hoping this will last for the edgings, but I am dubious. I brought a fourth skein with me in case I need it.

On Sunday, while I was waiting for the vest front to dry, I cast on for my second sock with the sock blank. I have worked a couple inches of the cuff. It is a nice alternate project.

Okay, I will close for now and start getting ready to head to the fairgrounds. See you next time!

Posted on March 12, 2025March 12, 2025 by yarnmama — 4 Comments

Colorful Moments: Yarn Dyeing After Scenic Stitches

The first festival of 2025 is in the books and now it’s yarn dyeing time again.

Scenic Stitches

Our first festival of 2025, Scenic Stitches in Chattanooga, TN was a great experience! I was very impressed with it’s first year. I can see a lot of potential for the future of this festival. There is room for improvements, as is to be expected, but overall a great time was had by all. I am excited to see what they will do for next year.

Yarn Dyeing

As soon as I returned from the festival, I got to work on the spring dyeing. I spent Monday through Friday doing all the preparations and Saturday we got the first day of dyeing done. We were able to put it out to dry on Sunday. It was chilly but it is mostly dry.

On Monday I prepped the yarn and dye we needed for the second day’s dyeing. Today (Tuesday) was unfortunately way to wet, cold, and miserable. That means day two will have to wait. I am hopeful that Wednesday may be a tiny bit improved. If we can get that dyed tomorrow, it can go out on Thursday to dry. Thursday will be cold but not rainy.

We have one more day of dyeing after that which we will have to get done as soon as the weather permits. It’s what you have to expect in February.

Knitting

I haven’t gotten much knitting progress to show. I cast on the front of the vest in Chattanooga. I haven’t had much knitting time, but here is where I am at the moment. I am getting close to the end of my second skein of Classic Merino Superwash Sock yarn. I have the third skein wound and I hope I can finish the whole thing with it.

Posted on February 11, 2025February 11, 2025 by yarnmama — 4 Comments

Holiday Knitting and a New Pair of Socks

I have some holiday knitting plans. I also have a new pair of socks to show you.

New Pair of Socks

I will begin my post with my newly finished Hedgerow Socks.

I love the simplicity of the stitch pattern. The pattern is continued in the heel flap which is a nice touch. My favorite element is the round toe decreases.

I have made these in the past but I ended up gifting the first pair. I will probably be making this pattern again. It has become my new go to sock pattern.

Holiday Knitting

I am calling this holiday knitting, because I am starting it Christmas week.

Last January I was doing some swatching of a few stitch patterns. I was planning to design a shawl or two. I tabled that idea since it was not working as I had envisioned. This week I had an idea, using one of those swatches, for a vest pattern. I plan to knit the sample and write up the pattern.

At first I was just going to make it for fingering weight yarn, using my Classic Merino Superwash Sock yarn. Later, I remembered that I had swatched the same stitch pattern in sport weight yarn. That gave me a really interesting idea. I think I will make the pattern for multiple gauges. It shouldn’t be difficult to do that.

I am knitting the vest in two pieces and seaming the sides. The neck and arm edgings will be picked up and knit later. I haven’t decided what style I will make the neck shaping. A V-neck is nice but the stitch pattern may work better with a crew neck. We will see when I get there. In any case I am starting with the back so that can wait.

Upcoming Shop Update

In other news, we have been making some new Nostepinnes this month. We have some almost finished and there will be more after the holidays.

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 22, 2024December 22, 2024 by yarnmama — 5 Comments

Two More Knitting Projects Done

Two more knitting projects are done this week. I cast on for another and I am still working on my sock in progress.

Knitting Projects Done

My large Classic Baby Cardigan is all finished, even down to the buttons. I ended up using almost 460 yards of Classic Merino Superwash Sport for this sample. In the Earl Grey I used about 105g and about 30g in the Garnet. This is the second time that I have knit this size and I am glad to find that my required yardage in the pattern is accurate. I recommend 450-475 yards total, and I stayed within that range.

classic baby cardigan trio — Classic Baby Cardigan Large size

The other knitting project that I have completed is the Spiral Effect Cowl. I used about 353 yards of Classic Merino Superwash Sock yarn in Heather to make this cowl. The first time that I knit this pattern, I knit it with US 6 needles, but the last two times I went down to a US 4 and I prefer that size. The lace is very open anyway, and I think the texture comes through better with a smaller needle.

spiral effect cowl on catherine — Spiral Effect Cowl

Current Projects

I am still working on the Spiral Splash Socks but they are progressing slower than I would like. I think I only pick them up to work on them about 2-3 a week, so that is part of the problem. What also slows me down while knitting them is the stitch pattern. It’s pretty simple but I find changing colors every other round is just not as fast as using only one color. I hope that by the next knitting session on them, I can get to the heel flap. That always feels like a milestone to me when knitting a sock.

spiral splash sock in progress — Spiral Splash Socks

Here is the other reason that my sock in progress is languishing. I started a re-knit of another booth sample that I designed about 12 years ago. This is the smallest size of Sorrel made in my Classic Merino Bamboo, also in Heather. This skein of yarn was already in my stash. I pulled it from inventory last summer when we dyed it, but I can’t remember why. I judged it slightly irregular, and I think it was that the color was off a bit from the rest, for some unknown reason. It works fine for a booth sample though. :-)

This project is a simple and fast knit. I am also highly motivated to have it ready for my first festival in a couple weeks. That is probably why I am making much more progress on this than on the sock.

Posted on February 22, 2024February 22, 2024 by yarnmama — 6 Comments

What is in the Works at the Moment?

The festival season is over for our business until March. Here are a few things we are working on this month to restock for next year. I am including a knitting update on my Mingling Daisies shawl.

Shawl and Hair Sticks

Jerry is working on a big batch of Shawl and Hair Sticks at the moment. He cut these to size and shape last month and at this stage it is tons and tons of sanding to achieve the final shaping. I don’t have a count on how many he is working on, but it has to be 300-400 at least.

We are restocking Walnut, Cherry, Oak, Osage Orange, and Purpleheart. We also bought a new species of wood, Padauk, to see how it works out. It is a vibrant orange, red color. The whole shop is completely coated in red dust at the moment. Jerry looks like an Oompa Loompa when he is sanding these, which is kind of hilarious. I wish I had taken a picture, but alas, I decided to spare him that indignity. I can’t wait to see these with the finish on them. I think they are going to look so pretty.

Yarn Boxes

While he is in the shop, I am getting the new batch of Yarn Boxes waxed and labeled.

These were completed in October, if I remember correctly, but we hadn’t gotten around to the finishing touches until now. I have all the Walnut ones done. The Cherry and Oak are up next. I usually work on them in small batches of 12-18 a day, in the afternoon after school and dinner are done. Buffing is hard on the arms and it’s best to not try to over do it or you have sore arms. :-)

Knitting

When I am not working on business stuff, household chores, or school work with my son, I set aside some time most evenings for knitting. Technically, even my knitting is “work” since it is usually booth samples, but knitting is one of my happy places no matter what it is. Lately, I have been listening to books while I knit. Reading is my other happy place and it great to be able to do both at the same time. I am currently re-reading/listening to Ken Follett’s Kingsbridge series. I am finally to the new release from this fall, The Armor of Light.

Here is my current progress on Mingling Daisies. The stitch count at this point is more than 450 I think. When I am done it will be 601. Despite the length of the rows it is coming along rapidly. It helps that I am have no other projects on the needles, so it gets all my focus. I still love the texture, which is what attracted me to knit it in the first place. I am motivated to complete it because I want to see how it changes after blocking.

Posted on December 8, 2023December 8, 2023 by yarnmama — 8 Comments

Catching Up on the Last Two Weeks

Knitting Updates

It’s time to do some catching up on the last two weeks. I am going to start with knitting stuff this time.

I have made good progress on Saltarello since my last post. I am pleasantly surprised that the color isn’t difficult to read as I am working. Good lighting is a must but it’s going pretty well.

I also got the second sock finished that I began ages ago. This is what I took along with me for booth knitting at Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival. I have been wearing these a lot since I got home. They are just the right thing for this time of year. I made this pair from a basic sock pattern in remnants of discontinued colors of my Classic Merino Superwash Sock yarn. I use 68 stitches and US 1 (2.25mm) needles.

Travels and Festivals

In my last post I was in Ohio for the Wool Gathering festival. I am happy to report that fun was had by all and the weather was fabulous. I came home for a couple days and then left for Virginia. The drive up and the booth set up at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival was great. No problems and weather was nice. However, that was about to change for the worse.

Friday night Ophelia arrived in Northwest Virginia and it was not pretty, LOL. When you are in the midst of weather with a name it is never good, am I right? It was chilly, windy and soggy all day Saturday. Sunday was a bit improved, it warmed up some and rain was lighter. It mostly stopped raining by mid afternoon. God bless every one of the festival goers who braved the weather to shop. I also want to extend a special thank you to my customers who couldn’t make it to the festival who placed orders on my website. (((Thank you!)))

I am home at the moment and will be until Thursday. I am heading back up to Virginia for the Fall Fiber Festival in Orange, VA on the grounds of James Madison’s Montpelier. This show is all in tents so we are really hoping for good weather this year. It had to be cancelled last year due to more named weather. I forget which one it was but it was also a hurricane.

Posted on September 30, 2023September 30, 2023 by yarnmama — 2 Comments

A Peek Inside My New Office

In early May our youngest daughter moved out. A few weeks ago we finally got around to turning her room into my new office. I have been putting it to good use ever since then. It’s nice to have a work space where I can leave stuff out if/when I get interrupted from a task in progress. In the past I would have to do most work from the dining table. Having my own office has been a wish that is at last fulfilled.

my desk and sitting area in my new office

I love that I also have this set up as my order filling/shipping station. Everything is at hand which is so wonderful! No more searching for the scissors, tape, packing material, etc.

office and shipping supplies in my new office

This weekend I am working on yarn labels. It’s quite a large batch (1,940 to be exact!) to print, cut and then color label. It is inevitable that I will not get this all done in one sitting so it’s nice to be able to walk away without moving it all to another location.

yarn labels awaiting color name stickers

I hope to get the labels ready to attach to the yarn by Monday. My work room is filled to overflowing at the moment with the yarn that we dyed Thursday, Saturday and Monday.

lots of sorted hand dyed yarn awaiting labels

It took three days of prep work before the first dye day. We also had one prep day in between each of the other two dye days.

soaking yarn for a days work and dye mix buckets

four dye pots set up with tables for sorting and rinsing

We had some rain on Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening. That caused a delay in getting some of the yarn dry but Monday through Wednesday were sunny, so all of the last two days of dyeing were dry by Tuesday evening.

That covers a good bit of what’s been happening around here. I better get busy on those yarn labels. Thanks for reading!

Posted on July 15, 2023July 15, 2023 by yarnmama — 6 Comments

And Finally a Little Break

My goodness! I have barely had time to breathe and finally a little break. Since my last post I have been to three fiber festivals. On Memorial Day weekend I was in Wooster for the Great Lakes Fiber Show. The weather was so nice and there was good turnout. I wasn’t going to bore you with more booth shots but I changed my mind since it’s what I have. Posts with pictures are more fun, right?

The first weekend in June was Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival in Franklin, IN. The weather was pretty warm this year but that’s not unusual. This show has really grown and improved so much over the 16 years I have been vending there. I am very impressed with it’s progress and look forward to it every year. The organizers do a great job with every thing, from vendor communication, to classes, to promotion.

This past Friday and Saturday, I was back in Ohio. For the third year, I went to the Mid-Ohio Fiber Fair in Newark. This festival is currently one day only. I have given it a few years, and it’s a nice one for what it is, but it may be the last year for me. It’s mainly because it’s all in the one day. I drive up on Friday and then on Saturday I arrive at 5:30 am to set up the booth for the market which opens at 9 am and runs to 5 pm. Then it’s tear down time. I put in a long 13 hour day and it’s just a bit too much. Attendance has dropped off too, which makes it hard to make enough to be worth the effort and expense. If it wasn’t 400 miles each way requiring two nights away I would keep it, but as it is, for me, it’s probably not one I will keep going forward. It makes me sad to do it though. One bonus is that I have my trailer and truck right there behind the booth. Saves some time and energy during set up and break down.

So, not a whole lot of knitting happening lately. I did finish that first sock and the cuff if the second one. I am ready to start the heel flap when I get back to it. If you recall, I am making these with some remnants of discontinued colorways of my Classic Merino Superwash Sock yarn.

I have also been working on my shawl design. I am ready to join on the third skein at this point. It is measuring about 45″ unblocked. I am probably around the half way mark now since I want it to be generous for wrapping.

We have put in a huge yarn order to get started dyeing when I return from my next show. I am home this coming weekend but am back on the road for one more festival, Houston Fiber Fest, before the summer break. More on that in my next post. See you later!

Posted on June 12, 2023June 12, 2023 by yarnmama — 4 Comments

A New Acquisition and Other Updates

Last week I went to get my oil changed at the dealership and something caught my eye. We ended up making a new acquisition which wasn’t as spontaneous as it sounds. We have loosely been planning to sell or trade our 2014 F-150 while it still has a good market value. When we spied this little number we decided maybe the time was right.

It was the color that claimed our attention. It looks a bit more orange than this picture depicts. The color is called Red Chili Pepper. This one is Jerry’s since I have my new one from last year. I love the wheels on it! They just go with the color perfectly.

Aren’t they a cute pair? We should be set on vehicles for awhile now.

You may notice my trailer is hitched to my truck. I took this photo the night before I left for Lexington, KY. Last weekend was the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival. We had another awesome turn out despite the rainy start on Saturday. The skies cleared out by midday and then Sunday was gorgeous. It was cooler then it usually is too.

I set up our tents and booths under the Pavilion on Friday. When the weather is good, this is a nice spot to be. The natural light accentuates the products. A bonus is having my trailer and truck right next to my location, which is a aid in restocking the booth, as well as making set up and break down more convenient.

I am back home today but I am on the road to Wooster, OH on Thursday. I am setting up on Friday at the Great Lakes Fiber Show. This show is one of the ones I have been attending since our first year of full time festival vending in 2007. It’s one of my favorites. The trailer has been restocked already, including the dye order I did in February for Bare Naked Wools. I will be delivering that to them at the festival.

While I am running around doing the festival end of the business at the moment, Jerry is hard at work at the lathe. He’s been working on new Yarn Bowls for quite a few weeks now.

Here’s a sneak preview of a couple new Yarn Bowls that I will be bringing to the festival.

I am going to close and finishing my packing. Thanks for reading!

Posted on May 24, 2023May 24, 2023 by yarnmama — 2 Comments

Tag: #knittingnotions

Summer Activities: Knitting, Dyeing, and More Fun

Knitting

Yarn Dyeing and other Business Stuff

Reading

Closing

Like this:

A Knitting and Festival Update From Raleigh

Fiber Festival Updates

Knitting

Like this:

Colorful Moments: Yarn Dyeing After Scenic Stitches

Scenic Stitches

Yarn Dyeing

Knitting

Like this:

Holiday Knitting and a New Pair of Socks

New Pair of Socks

Holiday Knitting

Upcoming Shop Update

Like this:

Two More Knitting Projects Done

Knitting Projects Done

Current Projects

Like this: