Rhinebeck Goodies.

I know the photo is horrible...but it's so funny to me...Lise getting in her fiber!


Ok, it's not really fiber she's eating. We were all eating this maple syrup cotton candy. When you entered the food building this waft of sweet smelling goodness pulled you immediately over to the source! We had to have it. But it does look like she is about to take a bite of some nice roving:)

Ok. You've read the stories of our Rhinebeck adventures...now here are the purchases!


750 yrds of worsted weight yarn from Briar Rose was my first purchase. I have no projects in mind for any of the purchases...simply beautiful things that caught my eye.


Sport Alpaca from Times Remembered in SlateHill NY.


I picked up 3 skeins of this handspun Shetland wool from Fiber Connection.


Alpaca Wool Blend roving from Flaggy Meadow Fiber Works for spinning. Yeah that's right...spinning yarn!!
I also got a huge bump of cormo wool roving from Blackberry Hill Farm. That's for my practicing!


These I love. This fabulous artist Conni Togel had beautiful canvases of sheep, "in all their quirkiness, silliness and cuteness". I had to get a few prints for that craftroom that I will have one day...

We searched high and low for a yarn guide...and finally we hit the jackpot at Susans fiber shop! We just about cleaned her out. I needed to try it for double knitting. I was having a problem with my left hand purling. My gauge was so different than my right hand's knitting. It worked! You can see a little video of me working with it here. No, I am not really showing you how to double knit...I just wanted to show how efficient a yarn guide can be. It's my first video, go easy on me!
That's it! I can't wait till next year...I am marking my calendar!

Rhinebeck

We did it...we went to Rhinebeck!!
What a trip it was. The drive was great, lively conversation...you could feel the excitement for our little yarn getaway, beautiful colours (they are ahead of us a little in the changes of fall) and some shopping. As excited as I was to be able to try on shoes (yes, 10.5/11 is a rare size here in canada) I couldn't find what I was looking for. Next year, I'll be stopping at a Ninewest Outlet:)

Karen has gracious blogged quite a bit about our trip. Head over to see some great photos and read of our adventures.
We stayed in Kingston NY which was right across the bridge from Rhinebeck, about a 10 minute drive...if that. Lise was the coordinator and did a fantastic job...a target pretty much in our parking lot! We were able to walk over so that I could load up on Super Mario pjs...what a hit at home and some yellow dial for dad!


Karen, seen getting ready for some wool shopping!

The sheep and wool festival was fantastic. The idea is very similar to what we do here with the Downtown Knitters Frolic in toronto and the Knitter Fair in Kitchener...without the livestock...and all those food vendors....and of course Rhinebeck is on a much larger scale.
There were so many "farms" who had the most wonderful fiber for sale...what a treat.
The vendors were set up in huge tents and buildings...which was nice to sort of be outdoors walking through it all. It was a little nippy, nothing handknits wouldn't solve:)
The food was so yummy. Lucky for me my fair partners had read all about the best places to hit. Unfortunately the chicken pot pie line was just tooooo long to wait in and we hadn't even seen the artichokes. Day two, we were a little more successful in that regards!



I think the trick is to get the artichokes and pot pie all in before noon!
Lucky for us the snow never came and the rain was just a little sprinkle.
We did end up attending both days, which really wasn't necessary. I could have done it in one day...but it is nice to go back and walk through to have a second look. There was much less of a crowd on Sunday. Mind you if you like it, buy it, because it won't be there the second day...lesson learned.

So, what did I buy...

Redhook

I will try to do this pattern justice in this post...there are so many things about it I love.
Mostly, though, I love how much I want to wear this sweater...



Started: I don't know really...in September.
Finished: September 29, 2009
Pattern: Redhook by Jared Flood. Found in Made in Brooklyn.
Yarn: Classic Elite Moorland, a gorgeous blend of mohair, alpaca and merino. 8 balls of colour 2574
Adjustments: None. I was not sure about the sizing. I would normally knit a med, but that would have no ease. The pattern is made for positive ease...and you know how I feel about that...but it wouldn't have big bulky sleeves and I could wear this open with a fitted shirt underneath so I don't feel like I am wearing a big, bulky and unflattering sweatshirt. So I opted for the large which would give me about 4" of positive ease. The medium would also work for me, for a different look.

So, Redhook, how do I love thee...let me count the ways.

1. You are knit in one piece up to the armholes...little seaming for those who shutter at the thought (and if you do, have no fear...guess who is teaching a course next weekend on finishing!)...although it does make for a whole lot of st st...bitter sweet.
2. You have clever short row shaping instead of regular side seam increases. Hidden little Cat Bordhi wraps...so beautiful executed.



3. You have the most perfect short row shoulders...a technique I had yet to apply to my sweaters. Now I can put a notch in the belt of another brilliant technique to use.
4. You have the most perfectly invisible shoulder seam. No seam at all...due to live stitches and grafting. Your wonderful designer knew that any seam here would take away from the perfect little short ribbed sleeves. Clever.



5. Your sleeve stitches are picked up and worked down with those lovely short rows. Brilliant.



6. You have a beautiful button band and shawl collar...short rows again. Those stretchy little button holes are every so perfect.



7. You are adorned with the most perfect of vintage buttons. Black with a little interest in the profile...gorgeous.



8. Lastly, and most importantly, you look fabulous. Your drape is so lovely...the envy of most sweaters. Your styling is just perfect for hiding that big turkey dinner...not a muffin top in site.

I know you secretly enjoyed the love handling at last nights guild meeting.
I "heart" you Redhook.

If you are lucky enough to head to Rhinebeck this year...my Redhook is coming with me:)

Overload

I think I have been avoiding posting because I have way to much to post about. I just have an overload of knit info and finished objects...and what appears to be no time to post about it.
So, I'm just diving right in.

I finally made my way with camera in hand to Shall We Knit to photograph the Solstice Wrap. I posted the finished knit pictures here...and left Karen to bravely felt and block it. She did a beautiful job, have a look...



The Alchemy Sanctuary, which is a silk wool blend, is the part that felted. These strips pulled in to slightly gather in the silk sections. The silk sections did not felt but blocked out so perfectly.



The lace edging sets it off beautifully. Great job Karen...for that price tag, I am glad you did the hard work:)



I better fit a new finished object in this post.
Dad's birthday socks, a few months late...but finished.



Started: July 31, 2009
finished: September 16, 2009
Yarn: 1 ball of Zitron Trekking XXL
Pattern: Madder Ribbed Sock by Nancy Bush in Knitting Vintage Socks.
Adjustments: Let's say I was inspired by the Madder Ribbed Pattern, it is not exact. I knit toe up and finished when I ran out of yarn. The toe and heel are Cat Bordhi style and the bind off is one of my new favourites....Jeny's suprisingly stretchy bind off. You must try this if you have not already!

More to come...lots...and a few suprises...like an upcoming road trip with some knit friends to Rhinebeck!!!!

Remembering...

It's hard to believe it has been five years. Part of the reason I started knitting was to sort through the grief. Keep myself busy.
But today you can't help but remember.
Maureen called me at this very moment.



This is a photo of John and I...cropped from a bigger family photo. I thought this would put a smile on my face...just look at the hair! That was 1997...big hair was in...right?!

John always made you laugh.

I miss his smile and his goofy sense of humour.
Today is the day to remember and celebrate the unbelievable person he was.

And I am back up and running!

Thank you all for your ideas and mac-tabulous encouragement! I have the laptop back up and running...for now...with a bigger hard drive. I will be backing up more regularly...thank goodness for ravelry, facebook and flicker...some files and pictures are still in my life:)
I am looking further into your suggestions for retrieval from the old hard drive...and shopping around for a mac...so that I am ready for when the time is right. Sadly, a fridge trumps the mac...and a stove...and an ikea kitchen. I'll put it on my Christmas list.

There has been knitting...and fabulous knitting if I must say so myself.



Once complete...blocked and with buttons...I will have a more in depth talk with you about this pattern. I will say I love it. I love the construction, the short rows and the button holes. But mostly, I love the preliminary try on's...



Just need to sew in the ends, block it and apply buttons (which I have ordered from etsy...we'll see how they work when they arrive).

Jared, you are a genius.

It's all gone...

My laptop hard drive. Gone.
All of it...pictures, patterns...yup.

Have I backed anything up? Well, not long ago, way before the summer I backed up photos. All the family photos since then....gone.

POOF.

Let that be a lesson to everyone, like myself, who don't regularly back up important files....it could happen to you.
So here I am, in the dungeon on the desk top that spontaneously shuts down when you are working on it...getting my knitblog/ravelry/internet fix.
Sure I have pictures, but the easy-pop-the-card-into-the-laptop-to-upload thingy is not on this contraption, so you have to wait.
I've decided to replace the hardrive, which is the most cost effective choice at the moment. I'm surfing for a mac...refurbished thanks to Karen. I can't wait till I cross to the other side...away from the pc over to mac...
soon my friends...soon.
But for now, take a moment and remember the old hard drive...and what was one it...cause I have no idea.