Rhinebeck Report

The NY Sheep & Wool Festival - aka Rhinebeck - was a lot of fun. I got up at the crack of dawn which for those of you who know me is not something I do with any zeal. It better be something pretty damn good to get me out of bed before the sun rises! And it was...

I took the bus up with the Big Apple Knitters Guild. We got there around 11am and the festival was in full swing. I suspect quite a lot had already been sold out!

I managed to do a bit of damage although I wasn't quite as crazy as I was at Maryland Sheep & Wool fest. I found myself both overwhelmed and underwhelmed at Rhinebeck. There was so much stuff that I had a hard time deciding what to buy but on the other hand, I didn't really see a whole lot of stuff that I hadn't seen before so there wasn't that "I better buy this or I'll never see it again" feeeling.

Here's what I managed to stuff in my bag...

A much needed large niddy noddy. Now that I'm wheel spinning, my one yard niddy noddy isn't big enough for the large skeins I get from the wheel. This one is a basic Ashford. I'd hoped to find something a bit more interesting but couldn't find anything else that I liked. This one wasn't expensive so it will do until I can find something groovier.


Some spinning fiber:

From Cloverleaf Farms:
Merino-Tussah in "Red"


Merino-Tussah in "Purple"


Merino-Tussah in "McKenzie"


From Foxfire Fiber & Designs:
Really heavenly baby camel tussah silk - this stuff is to die for. It was expensive so I only bought 2oz. Yummy!


From Brooks Farm:
Acero (superwash wool/silk/viscose)


From Golding:
A .45 oz purpleheart pinwheel spindle. I didn't have any really lightweight spindles so now I can attempt some real laceweight.


And, of course, the obligatory critter sightings...







And don't ask me what this Roo was doing there but he sure was cute! Anyone ever spun Kangaroo fiber???

New Project-Endpaper Mitts

Well, I had such a flurry of blog posts and then dead silence for over a month! What can I say. I freelance and suddenly got a ton of work... Plus my camera decided to act up on me so I've been having trouble getting good photos. But here is a new project that I started a few weeks ago. I joined a KAL on Ravelry and immediately got behind. I've been wanting to try my hand at colorwork so this seemed like a nice small project to start with - Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts:

This is also my first time using Koigu - mmmmm, nice! I'm still having trouble getting the tension even while working with the two yarns so this is definitely a learning experience. Not sure how much I'll get into colorwork but I like to at least try things.

Tomorrow I'm going to the NY Sheep and Wool festival in Rhinebeck! I'm a little worried about melting my plastic. It's a good thing I've been working a lot lately!

New Project-Habu Kusha Kusha Scarf

Lately I've been enamoured with all things Habu! If you're not familiar with them, they are a Japanese textile company that makes some of the most luxurious, intriguing and unusual yarns. Most people seem to start their Habu experience with the Kusha Kusha scarf kit since it's a small project and not too expensive ($24 U.S.). And it uses their silk stainless steel yarn and who wouldn't want to check that out!

The silk stainless steel yarn is much softer than I thought it would be and has a lot more drape than I thought it would but at the same time you can sculpt it into a myriad of shapes. It's endlessly fascinating. Check out this video from Amy at Knitty

A few blog entries with Habu content definitely worth checking out:
- Fluffbuff's photos from a recent Habu trunk show.
- This amazing Kushu Kushu Jacket from Knitsane.
- This beautiful scarf from coloursknits

Fruit Loops and Seamist

FIBER: 80% Merino/20% Tussah from Chameleon Colorworks
WPI: varies but averaging about 10-13wpi
YARDAGE: 214 yds.

This is the first semi-decent handspun I've made on my wheel. I don't know the name of the colorway (Janel?) so I've named it "Fruit Loops" since it reminds me of the cereal that I haven't eaten since I was in the single digits. It's still pretty uneven. The second bobbin was much thinner and more consistent and you can really see the difference in the two plies. But these colors are so crazy bright that it just makes me smile.

This is what's on the wheel now:



This is another merino/tussah blend that I bought at the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival from Cloverleaf Farms. The colorway is called Seamist and I just love it!

FO-Wisp Scarf

PATTERN: Wisp by Cheryl Niamath from Knitty Summer 2007
YARN: Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Heavenly - less than a skein
NEEDLES: Addi Turbo Lace in US size 6
MEASUREMENTS: 8.5" wide by 57" long

This was a super easy knit and perfect for summer since it was so light weight. I had about 85-90% of one skein left of the Kidsilk Haze and I tell you, you get a lot of mileage out of one skein of this yarn. I would have liked the scarf to be a tad longer but I had trouble ripping the Kidsilk Haze from my previous project so I wasted a bit on that. Lesson learned - make sure you know what you want to knit with Kidsilk Haze as it's nearly impossible to frog. It's also a bit difficult to work with at first but once I switched from regular Addi's to the Lace Addi's that helped enormously and eventually I got used to the yarn. Other than that, it's a beautiful yarn.

The edges came out a bit wonky. I'm not sure that I used my new blocking wires properly. But I think it's a pretty scarf and will be nice for early Fall and Spring.

Just Add Water

I finished knitting Wisp yesterday and now I'm blocking it with my fancy new blocking wires which were an awesome b-day gift from my dad.


Earlier today I plied up my two bobbins on my spinning wheel and here it all is soaking in the water. And can I just say that I will never ply on a spindle again! As I had hoped, plying on a wheel is so much easier. I still have plenty of love for the spindles - just not for plying on them.

A bit of spindle spinning

In case you think I've neglected my spindles for the fancy new wheel... This is all of the Funky Green merino/tencel fiber - spindle spun and ready to be knit. I still love the spindles too! I ended up only getting 368 yards so not enough for any of the lace scarves in Victorian Lace Today. But that's OK. I've got plenty to make the Branching Out scarf from Knitty. First I need to finish Wisp which is almost done.

Slowly but surely

It's starting to look more and more like yarn! I've finally got to the point where I've got a decent rhythm going and am not stopping and starting. I figured out that a large part of my initial problems were due to not having my drive band and scotch tension set properly. I was having trouble treadling and the yarn was being pulled in much too quickly. Now I've got it working so that I can focus more on my drafting. It's still uneven and I still need a lot of practice but I feel like I made a big leap now that the settings are better suited to my needs/skills.

Feeling a bit more confident, I moved onto another fiber - this is a merino/tussah blend from Chameleon Colorworks (of course! - it's good to have a friend in the fiber biz!)


I've got 4oz. of this so I split it into two batches of 2oz. and will hopefully use this for my first plying effort. Stay tuned :)

Monkey Trouble

I've got a good start on my second Monkey sock but look at that horrible pooling of the variegated yarn! I was really happy with the way the yarn worked in the first sock but the second one is coming out completely different and I'm really not happy with it at all. I'm tempted to rip it and start over but I don't really know how to make sure it doesn't just pool again. I'm not sure if it's pooling because I started in a different section of the dye sequence or if I'm knitting at a slightly different guage or something else. Very frustrating! And I just love the first sock. What to do. What to do...

It sort of looks like yarn...

OK, so this is the first stuff I've spun on my new wheel that even remotely resembles yarn. It's still pretty uneven, over-twisted, under-twisted and all those fun things that beginning spinners do. And I'm still having a lot of trouble getting a good rhythm going but it's a great improvement over what I was spinning at first.

My New Baby!

Well, I finally got a spinning wheel! This was an incredibly wondeful b-day gift from my mom and I just love it. It's a Lendrum folding wheel, single treadle. I still can't spin anything on it even remotely resembling yarn but I'm stubborn and plan to be spinning many skeins of beautiful yarn - eventually...

Number One Monkey

I finished my first Monkey sock and I just love this pattern. It's pretty easy but has enough going on to make it an interesting knit. And I love this yarn as well - Acero from Brooks Farms. I have to say I'm becoming a big fan of Brooks Farms yarns. I'll definitely be searching them out at Rhinebeck.

Now my Monkey needs a friend so I better cast on for the second!

R.I.P. Diamond Lace Scarf/New Project-Wisp

I definitely needed to rip my diamond lace scarf - one, because I made a bunch of mistakes and was having a hard time tinking the Rowan Kidsilk Haze and two, I was just bored with this pattern. It was not rockin' my world and I learned what I needed to learn.

Plus, I found another pattern I liked so much more (the dangers of Ravelry!) that only required a mere skein of Rowan Kidsilk Haze (although I have a tad less than a skein but enough I think). I've started Wisp by Cheryl Niamath of the Fetching Mitts fame.


Because I only have a little less than a skein, I've made mine a bit smaller, casting on only 38 stitches instead of 46 and using size 6 needles instead of 7. So far, this is a great summer/brain-dead knit - lightweight and super easy to knit.

To Rip or Not to Rip

I've knit some more on my Misty Garden scarf and was having serious reservations as to whether or not I liked it. I was pretty close to ripping it but thought I should give it another test blocking to see what I thought and now I'm actually pretty happy with it.


The first time I test blocked it, I kept the top straight when in reality it will be scalloped like the bottom so I think that made a big difference. Now I can really see the stitch pattern emerging and I just love, love, love this yarn!

Very Handspun

From this (Blue-Faced Leicester from Chameleon Colorworks):

To this:

To this:

This is my attempt once again to spin a thicker yarn. It's about a worsted weight and I've got 54 yards so far with about 1.5 ounces left to spin. Hopefully I'll get enough to make a funky hat.

It's ironic but I'm much better at spinning thinner yarns than thicker ones. I seem to have much more trouble with consistency when I spin a thicker yarn. Not that it is always a bad thing. I still think the yarn came out nice and I frankly like that my yarn looks "handspun". But there are a few places where the twist really started to come out when I was plying so I still have much to learn.

And plying - fuhget about it. I still have so much trouble plying - always getting my yarn tangled and a big mess. I threw away several tangled masses this weekend...

If I actually needed any more motivation to plunk down the $$$ for a wheel, the plying issue is certainly motivation enough.

Funky Green Goodness

I've spun up a little less than half of my Bonkers tencel 'n merino and I'm loving it so far. I used my new Spindlewood spindle to spin this up and I really love this spindle. I'm definitely going to buy some more of their spindles. I had originally planned to make this two ply but I didn't like the way it looked plied so I'm keeping it as singles. Hopefully it will knit up OK. I've got about 170 yards so far in lace weight to fingering weight yarn so I'm hoping to have about 400 or so yards when I'm done spinning.

New Project-Misty Garden Scarf

So, the rule is that as soon as you finish a project, you get to start a new one, right??? Well, I have to confess that I never really bother with rules! I cast this on about a week ago. The yarn is Brooks Farm Primero and it's just stunning. The color transitions are really beautiful. The photo isn't doing the colors justice.

The pattern is the Misty Garden scarf by Jo Sharp from the book Scarf Style. It is a nice easy feather/fan lace pattern that couldn't be simpler. Although my yarnovers seem a bit sloppy to me and I'm not sure why so I'm trying to figure that out. The test blocking I've done definitely helps so maybe a proper blocking will help make the pattern a bit sharper looking.

FO-Rib and Cable Socks

PATTERN: Rib and Cable Socks by Nancy Bush from Interweave Knits, Fall 2005
YARN: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Multi in Vera - 80% Superwash Wool, 20% Nylon
NEEDLES: Addi Turbo circular, US Size 1 and Brittany DPNs US size 1

In spite of the Monkey fever, I've actually not abandoned my rib and cable socks. I've been going back and forth between the Monkey sock and the second rib and cable sock and am happy to say the rib and cable socks are now finished.

These are my first pair of completed socks and I'm pretty happy with them. I played around with the three needle methods starting out with a single circular doing the "magic loop" method, then switched to DPNs as the instructions were written specifically for DPNs and I wasn't sure how to translate that to the magic loop method. Then I got two pairs of 16" Addi Turbos to try the two circular method and really did not like that but I think it was partly because I hated the shortened needles. There wasn't enough to hold onto so it really hurt my hands. In the end, I like the magic loop method the best although I prefer the DPNs when picking up stitches for the gusset.

In general, I'm thoroughly enjoying sock knitting and already have plans for several more socks in my future - not to mention the Monkeys that I already started!

Ravelry Rocks!

If you haven't seen Ravelry yet, definitely go check it out! This is such a fantastic idea - one of those "I can't believe someone didn't think of this before" ideas because it's so obviously great.

Of course, it's also one of those awful ideas if you want to have a life! I just got my invite the other day and have already spent hours - yes, hours - on it! It's just so fun and addictive.

For those not familiar with Ravelry, it's an online knitting/crocheting community that allows you to catalog all your projects, stash, books etc. I especially like that you can click on a pattern and see everyone who is either currently knitting it or has finished it. You can also click on a type of yarn and see all the different things that people are making with it. This is especially great for stash yarn that you're not sure what to do with.

You can keep track of what all your friends are working on. Join in groups and see what's up there. I've joined a spinning group, a lace group, an NYC group among a few others.

The features list goes on and on. Go sign up and try to be patient while waiting for your invite!

Monkey Fever Yarn

I forgot to mention that the very groovy yarn I'm using for my Monkey Socks is "Acero" from Brooks Farm Yarn. I'm using the skein on the left for the socks. It's 60% superwash wool, 20% silk and 20% viscose. I bought this at the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival and it is luscious. Unfortunately, they don't give the name of the colorway on the yarn band and I don't think it's there on their site though there are many other beautiful colors. They seem to do a lot of shows and had quite a bit more to offer at the show than on their site. I love the other skein I bought from them as well and plan to buy some more of their yarn at Rhinebeck!

I've Got Monkey Fever!

This is what happens when you read too many knit blogs and flickr groups and see all the groovy stuff that other people are up to. And then you start to salivate (first symptom of the monkey fever) and then your brain goes into overdrive trying to decide if you've got the supplies you need or whether a shopping expedition to the yarn store is in order which of course it always is in order! (second symptom of the monkey fever). Then you abandon all other projects because the monkey fever has taken over your entire being...

The monkey fever is very contagious so I'm sorry to say that if you are now reading this blog you've probably just caught yourself a case of the monkey fever!

Cookie A's fabulous Monkey Socks pattern is free at Knitty.

First Sock Finished!

I've finally finished my first sock. Though, of course, this does not count as a "finished object" until I finish the pair. I'm happy to say that despite a slight attack of second sock syndrome, I have actually already started the second sock. We'll see just how long it takes me...

FO-Another Pair of Fetching Mitts

These were a very late mother's day gift. And just in time for summer too! What can I say? My mom seemed to like them despite the tardiness and inappropriate season.

PATTERN: Fetching by Cheryl Niamath from Knitty Summer 2006
YARN: Knit Picks Andean Silk in Hyacinth
NEEDLES: Takumi Bamboo DPNs, US size 6

Diggin' the Funky Green!

I am loving this yarn I'm spinning with the Bonkers Tencel 'n' Merino in the Funky Green colorway. It's so rich and the color variations are subtle and give it a beautiful depth. I'm also highly motivated to spin this as I already know what I want to knit with it - the Victorian Lace Today scarf with French Trellis border and bramble leaf center. (photo below and on page 85 for those of you who have the book) My only concern is whether I'll have enough yarn. I've got 4oz of roving and am spinning at what should be a fingering weight once plied. I need 450 yards for the pattern. Anyone know if I'll have enough or is there a way to calculate this?

This is also my first time using my new Spindlewood spindle and this is now one of my favorite spindles! It just keeps going. Not to mention, look at how beautiful it is! I love purpleheart and even though I already have another purpleheart spindle, this one really sold me on the purpleheart shaft with the lovely woodwork. So many spindles have a beautiful whorl and then for some reason, the shaft is so bland. This Spindlewood really has all the details and spins like a dream. Spindlewood makes really cool square spindles that I've heard are wonderful as well. I think that may have to be my next spindle purchase.