That Year End Post

The end of the year is always a good time for reflection. I think I knit more in 2015 than I did in the prior year but that's mainly due to the birth of my twins. My favorite knits for 2015 would have to be:

My Rhinebeck sweater tops the list. I in no way fashion myself a "sweater knitter", but I decided on a Tuesday that I was going to knit a sweater in a week, casted on the very next day and was done by the following Friday. My favorite attribute is the bright neon green contrast color. It's so unexpected and unique (just like me!).

Pattern: University Sweater by Rosi G.

Yarn: Plymouth Encoure Worsted in Medium Grey & Neon Green

My next favorite knit has to be a cute little number I knit for my friends toddler. I love knitting baby things because they go so darn fast, although the cables seem to slow me down a bit. I actually paid for this pattern which doesn't happen too often. I am so pleased with how it turned out and I think the pattern was absolutely worth every penny.

Pattern: Silverfox Cardigan by Frogginette Makes Things

Yarn: Loops & Threads Woolike in Mauve

Rounding out the list is a kit I bought on Craftsy as part of a mystery knit-along a couple of years ago. I know the designer and I like to support my knitters when I can. I didn't think a lace beret would be my style but I'm glad I tried something out of comfort zone. I thought I was the beanie type, but I'm really diggin the slouch. The silk content in the yarn is good for my coily hair and the wool helps to regulate my head temperature. I don't think I've sweat once while wearing it, which says a lot.

Pattern: Iced Eucalyptus Beret by Angela Tong

also available as a kit here.

Yarn: Cascade Venezia Sport in Deep Sea

I had to add these socks as an honorable mention. They took no less than half the year to knit. The fact that I think they're stunning was the sole reason I didn't rip it out halfway through knitting and throw the yarn out the window. I don't know why it was such a difficult knit but I'm so glad it's over. I use to love knitting socks but I may need to take break before I start my next pair.

Pattern: Pucker by The House of Hogbuffer

Yarn: Knitpicks Hawthorn Fingering in Serpent and Slate

My current WIP's are a cowl, ardigan and shawl which I will hopefully get to finish next month. Wishing you all a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Joyous Kwanzaa.

And may the new year bless you with the opportunity to attain your wildest dreams!

PRB - Post Rhinebeck Blues

Is anyone else sad that Rhinebeck 2008 over? Oh well, only 347 days until Rhinebeck '09 woo hoo! I know you guys must have had your fill of Rhinebeck posts but there's always room for more....just like jello! I had fun, like I always do but of course my throat started bothering me the day of the event which turned into a week of feeling icky. I'm much better now but I haven't played with anything I bought yet becasue I was waiting to take pictures so here you go.

This year was all about the family so I only made fiber purchases at two vendors. I hit up Little Barn as soon as I hit the entrance. Last year they were my last stop and my budget was almost gone so I couldn't buy all that I wanted but I learned my lesson. Here's the haul:
8 ounces of CVM combed top in a natural color
8 ounces of Fine Wool in the Alabama Color #42 (navy and orange)
3 ounces of Merino and Soy Silk carded Roving
and 4- 1 ounce bags of a carded wool & acrylic blend for socks (2 blue, 2 green)

After Litte Barn, I did some fun kid activities with the kiddie then I headed next door to building A to pick up a Lucet from the Rouge Lucet. I had planned to buy one since I missed my opportunity last year. It was just hard deciding which one to get. I already lost the paper with the wood information but its still purty to look at just the same. Oh, and if you don't know what a Lucet is, its basically something to make two stitch i-cords with.

After that, I had some fried artichokes, went to the Ravelry meetup, hung out with the family then went to my next vendor of choice, Carolina Homespun. It was really crowded in there but I was on a mission. Here are the goods:
2 - 2 ounce hanks of Tactile Fiber Arts BFL roving in the Dogwood colorway (had to support my girl Maia)
an 8 ounce batt of a wool, mohair, angora, glitz mix from Applegate Country Fibers
and a 4 ounce Crosspatch Creations Batt that I can't wait to start spinning!

That about sums up my experience. I also snagged an ounce of angora during a walk through one of the barns. I have some spinning and knitting wips and fo's to show next time. I leave you with a family pic.

T minus 14 days and counting.....

Can you tell how excited I am about Rhinebeck? I thought the thrill might be gone being that this is my third year in a row attending but I've still got those first time jitters. My budget is really low this year, mainly because I'm going more to socialize than to burn a hole in my pocket. I should be wearing a green sweater (if I can ever finish seaming it up, but that's another story) so if you see me, please say hi.

This should be a short post. I just have a small knitting & spinning FO for your viewing pleasure. Oh, speaking of Rhinebeck (I know, I'm all over the place) I got these cute shoes at DSW the other day. My SO said that they look "old lady"ish but I don't care, I love them anyway. They remind me of the indestructable Buster Brown shoes that my Mom used to make me wear back in the day. I got them a half size larger than I normally would to accomodate for my hand knit socks. If they only had them in green....

OK, where was I...thats right, FO's. Remember when I posted about the fugly scarf I was working on? Its a basic sheep to shawl item. I scoured the wool, dyed the wool, carded the wool, spun the wool and now knit the wool. It was intended to be a drop stitch scarf but I ran out of yarn so it magically morphed into a cowl. I think I may like it better this way. It's still a bit scratchy but I plan on giving it a nice long soak in conditioner or wool wash or something to soften it up a bit.

I also just finished the fiber I was spinning in my previous post. The colors are still a bit muddled but not as badly as I originally thought. I'm still very pleased with the results.
Fiber Source: Ashland Bay purchased at the Yarn Tree
Weight: 3.75 ounces
WPI: 14, Sport Weight yarn
Length: 217 yards

I don't have any projects planned for this yarn, maybe I'll do something different and knit a baby item instead of some socks. I'll just wait for the yarn to tell me what it wants to be when it grows up.

I guess thats about it. I told you it was gonna be a short post. I just finished knitting a cowl for a swap but I'll wait until my swapper receives it before I post a pic. Oh yeah, I almost forgot.......

I'm getting married! Yeah, my fiance (I love saying that) proposed to me on our anniversary and I was totally surprised. It was very romantic and I couldn't have pictured anything more special than the way he planned it. And the ring is freaking GREEN! What more could I ask for? See you guys in Rhinebeck!

I Went To Rhinebeck & All I Got Was This Wheel

Of course I got my Hitchiker. I headed up there with my buddy Kim and as soon as we hit the gates my goal was building A - Merlin Tree. This post will mainly consist of all my fiber goodies and I'll post pics of the people I met and a recap of the event next time. Now on to the goods.
About a pound of alpaca fiber from the Sheep Shed. You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you how much I paid for it.
2 ounces of Yak from Black Fen Farm
4 ounces of soy silk also from Black Fen Farm
2 ounces of handpainted tencel from A Touch of Twist
An assorted felters fiber pack from Misty Mountain Farm (I am so gonna card this up into a fantastic batt)
4 ounces of BFL from Little Barn.

4 skeins of millspun heavy worsted weight yarn from Cranberry Moon Farms.
2 skeins of Aussie Sock yarn from Seaport Yarns
2 ounces of wool from A Touch of twist.

Now that my goodies have been thoroughly documented, I can start spinning/blending/knitting some of this stuff up. Catch you on the knit side.