Tour de Fleece 2014

It has been eons since I have posted here!  Things always seem to get in the way.

I decided to participate in the Tour de Fleece this year.  I joined the wonderful Babe group as there are some terrific people who have Babes.  I always find it is a good community and very encouraging!

My goal was just to spin every day.  I didn't set any amount of fiber or anything else.

Unfortunately, I didn't meet that goal.  *sigh*  However, it was because I woke on Friday night/Saturday morning at 3:30 in the morning.  My stomach was cramping...  Won't bore you with all the details.  But the short version is that I am fairly certain I either ate something that didn't agree with me or I had a stomach bug.

So for day 16 & 17, I didn't spin.  I barely even moved for that matter.  Blah!

On the plus side, I did spin every other day.  So hey, I had two rest days.  Of course, they weren't the same as the TfF, but it is all good!  *smile*

It just felt *really* good to get back to spinning.  I don't think I had spun at all in over a year.  The last thing I have listed for handspun was added in Feb. 2013!

Finished yarns:

DyeingforColour in the Nobility III colorway

Superwash Merino Firestar blend.

Ravelry link

Pics don't do it justice.  Nice shimmer but not overpowering.  Lovely purples & black with gold shimmer.  Beautiful fiber & the prep is amazing.

4 oz.

WPI 8-13

~200 yards

Semi woolen spinning.  Lots of loft and squishiness.  Lovely.

My DD has already claimed it for mittens.  Might work really well for them.  So it might be hers...  We shall see.  I really like it too!

The fiber came from Dyeingforcolour's Etsy shop.  Lovely fibers at very good prices.  And the prep was sooo nice on this.

The First Draft Merino/Silk in Coldilocks Colorway

From the fourth Dresden club.

Ravely Link

Came in a braid.  I divided it in half.  Then I took one half & divided it into eight more strips.  The other half I drafted out so there were longer color repeats.

The trick was that with the half that I drafted, it came out thicker than the one I split further.   uneven.  I still had about a third of the spool left of the one I had drafted out thinner.

6 oz.

WPI 14-21 WPI (average around 18)

~560 yards

Brown Alpaca

This fiber was sitting on a bobbin.  I know it is alpaca from the feel.  But honestly, I don't have a clue how long it was on that bobbin!

I think it is part of the NorthStarAlpacas Roving from Sonata & Berringer that I spun.  I had blended that with a black for a project.  Though honestly, I am not certain that is what it was.

Unfinished Spinning:

Loop BULLSEYE Bump in Hidden Passions colorway

Ravelry Link

 

Lovely colorway with reds, purples & black.  Made specifically for me and has my fav colors!

Started this when I got it in April 2012.  Set it aside for the TdF in 2012.  Then picked it up again about a year later. 

I figured I would spin it for the Tour de Fleece this year!  It spins super fine.

I finished the single on the last day of the TdF.  I am planning on letting it rest a bit & then Navajo plying it.  I wish I felt like I did it justice.  I think parts are thicker.  So I really wonder how this will come out when I ply it.

I am going to post this.  If I don't, who knows when I will!!  *laugh*

Spinning Talk

I picked up some black Ashland Bay alpaca a while ago. There was a pound of it at a very good price. I now know why it was so cheap.

It is terrible! It is rough and really prickly. I tried spinning it this morning. Uuuuggghhh!

The original plan was to ply it with the heavenly dark chocolate brown fiber I got from northstaralpacas. It is luscious stuff and spins like a dream. So soft and cuddly. But I couldn't possibly let such beautiful alpaca touch the horrible Ashland Bay alpaca!

I have actually tried some merino/silk Ashland Bay fiber and liked it. I was so stunned to see the difference with what should have been a lovely fiber. I don't know what they did to it but YUCK! Don't know what I am going to do with a pound of this stuff other than maybe pillow stuffing. Though even that might be too itchy! *shakes head*

I am not sure what I will decide to ply with the alpaca now. I *could* spin it with 2 oz of either fawn or more of the dark chocolate color. The dark chocolate might be the best. But I really wanted some of the chocolate for me!! *grumblechuckle* I suspect the fawn is lighter than my friend would like ideally. Might order some more alpaca from northstaralpacas after the holidays. I can't really do it before then. But I won't see my friend until after the new year. So it could work out.

The wonderful thing is that my custom order from winderwoodfarm showed up today. So I have some delicious fiber to spin. In Lime & Violet speak, it is truly lickable fiber. *grin* It is cashmere/merino/silk. It feels like a cloud. *sigh* I can't wait to spin it.

I have never spun cashmere before. But my friend loves it in clothing and such. So I figured I can make something nice out of it. *crosses fingers*

I really love it and want to keep it for myself! *evil grin* But this is the time for giving, right? *chuckle* I am working on a purse for the same friend as her birthday was in Nov.. So the grey in the batt will compliment it really well I think.

I wish work weren't being a beast! I had better get back to it. Whee!

Works in Progress

I currently have two works in progress. But still no socks on my needles. *gasp*

I wanted to start on some more Xmas knitting. I only thing I have completed so far is a baby sweater for Trinity. She is my nephew Michael & his wife Jen's daughter who is about to turn 1. I wanted to knit something for their baby boy who is due in November.

Cast On:

October 4, 2008

Pattern:

Trellis by Britta Stolfus Rueschhoff

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring05/PATTtrellis.html

Yarn:

TLC Cotton Plus Solid in 3810 light blue

Guessing it will take about 2 skeins = 356.0 yards

Purchased at Smiley's Yarns Sale in NJ ($4 for 3 skeins, got 6 which is more than enough)

Needles:

US 7 / 4.5 mm Knitpicks Options

I did a Ravelry search on baby projects in the TLC Cotton Plus and found the Trellis sweater. It looked really attractive so I decided to cast it on.

I sorta wish I had done a bigger size. Trinity was already wearing 9 month clothing when she was three months old. I should have anticipated a big baby. Plus it could have been worn later. But ah well. Honestly, I don't know if they even liked the sweater I knit for Trinity last Xmas. So I don't want to spend tons of time on it if it will never get worn.

I confess I am not thrilled with the way the pattern is written. I finally sat down and marked up the pattern with the row #s. I am not sure why the designer wrote it without the row #s. Other than that though, the pattern is great. And I love the way it is turning out.

I admit I almost didn't do it as it is pieces. And I have sewing the pieces together at the end. But it is a nice pattern. So I am hopeful it will work out well.

Mind you, I really should finish the sleeves for the black alpaca sweater to see how much yarn I have left. I could pick up another color at Rhinebeck if needed. But then again, I do have a lot of black alpaca fiber so I can spin something to compliment it. Not saying I can spin it as fine or even as the stuff I have! Not by a long shot. But I can create something to compliment it. I figure I could use it for edging if needed.

Heaven knows even with only the four skeins I have (after losing one), it should still be around 2750 yards. In theory, it should be enough for a sweater. *crosses fingers* I will just have to see.

Yes. I Am Nuts. Why Do You Ask?

I haven't done a full sized sweater yet. Ever. Done some baby/children ones, but not adult sized.

So I decide the best thing to do is improvise my first full sized sweater.

Yes. I am nuts. Why do you ask? *grin*

I have been trying to figure out what should go on my needles. Twice within the past month I have had nothing on my needles. And it is bizarre.

I decided I really wanted something that I could have that was easy to knit yet and going to take a while.

Bring on the black alpaca I got at Rhinebeck last year. I bought five 8 oz skeins of it. It is the most I have spent on yarn. Ever.

Last spring, I had started a cardigan sweater with the yarn. I lost the bag with the 8 oz ball, some needles & the pattern. The GoKnit bag was snapped on my purse and somehow it came off. *sigh* So I lost it in NYC. Paul went and retraced our steps (I was on my way to a doctor's appointment). But it was never found.

So the alpaca sat. And sat. And sat. I kept debating what best to do with it. Wondering if I now had enough for a sweater or not. So thoughts on what to do with it have been peculating in my brain.

My mother-in-law suggested a while back that the drape of the alpaca might work well with something like a kimono. That sounded like a good idea. But again, I kept coming back to if I would have enough yarn given the loose fit of that (which would take more yarn).

I finally decided that the best move would be to start with the sleeves and see how much yarn I had left when I completed them. At that time, I could decide what to do with the body.

I figure there are a lot of options for the body. I could always do a different yarn for part of the body Heaven knows I could even do strips that go down. Or I could see how far I have gotten by Rhinebeck and pick up some more alpaca from the place I got it in a different color. I suspect that if I got more black they may not match which would look worse.

So there are a lot of options.

I am definitely curious to see what will come. *smile* And I will have something on my needles for a long while to come. *chuckle*

Yarn Stores In the Adirondacks

I was up in the Adirondacks for the July 4th weekend. I wanted to hit some fiber stores of course. I was really interested in some roving for spinning. So I asked on Ravelry and some wonderful folks gave me some suggestions.

I am going to do these in order I hit them as it is the easiest way.

The Yarn Angel

485 Glen Street

Glens Falls, NY

518 761-2031

Stopped here on the way up to Camp on Thursday afternoon.

The Yarn Angel is a nice LYS. They carry a lot of Berroco yarns. But I was interested in something local that I couldn't get at home. I found some Eastside Weavers superwash sock yarn (Ravelry link). It is lighter purples than I would normally purchase, but I like it. They also had some other yarns by that company and some others. They have the Morehouse alligator pattern as a kit paired with some Berroco Ultra alpaca. It looked great. If I liked alligators at all or knew anyone who was a fan, I would have picked one up. I think the yarn really made it look & feel better. The woman at the store was very sweet and super helpful.

Adirondack Woolery

48 Pine Tree Road

Newcomb, NY

518 582-3663

http://www.adirondackwoolery.com/

12-5 Saturdays & Sundays or by appointment

Stopped by Saturday a bit before noon.

I loved this place! I would have stayed even longer by my husband and I weren't on our way over to Vermont! So I only spent an hour there. *laugh* They have some lovely roving. My favorite is some natural colored sliver from their own sheep. The woman at the store, Pam, wasn't exaggerating when she said it practically spins itself. *sigh* It is so yummy. It is grey with some brown in it. It spins 'like butter' to quote Pam. I spun up all 4 oz. on Sunday to start the Tour de Fleece or Ravelry group. I really love it an need more.

I also bought several other kinds of roving and some sheep locks. Pam was kind enough to show me how to spin them. They are this lovely grey with black. I am not sure I am ready to spin them yet. But I am going to give it a shot. Those are from a sheep she met elsewhere (I think the name was Pansy). I will pick up a brush before I try those to open up the locks. But I definitely like it.

I also got some other lovely rovings. Can't wait to spin them up!

I shouldn't leave off the yarn at all! They had a lot more yarn than roving. Some of it was beautiful handspun done by Pam and Judy. They also had some knit scarves and other items as terrific prices. It is a wonderful place and I will definitely stop by the next time I am up there.

Pam was even so sweet as to give my husband coffee to go! He asked if there was a Stewarts in the area. She said there wasn't and offered him coffee in a cup. She said just to drop the cup back after he was done with it. That was so kind of her. She is great.

Gore Mountain Farm

2642 State Route 28

North Creek, NY

518 251-3040

http://www.goremountainfarm.com/

Store & farm tour from 10 am to 6 pm daily

Stopped by Monday a bit before noon.

Barry, one of the owners, took me around to meet all the alpacas. They have 21 or 22 of them. They were so beautiful. Though Paul thought they were sorta funny looking. *chuckle*

They were in 3 different pens. It seems the males can get aggressive so they are kept away from the females & babies. I really loved getting to meet them all.

Then we went to check out the store. It is a room in their home. It has a lot of their awards hanging up. It seems they have made out pretty well. And it had got me curious about the show where they won so many awards. It seems that it will be in November. I might need to go back up!

They have a lot of items made with alpaca. They also carry alpaca yarn & what I was after, roving! I got 7 oz. of black alpaca fiber. Yummy! I can't wait to spin it. I have some off white I got from Granny Alpaca's etsy store. I might do a single of each and then ply them together. It could be a great way to go with it. Loads of yummy alpaca fiber. *sighs happily*

Turns out that while looking up the event in November, I came across a video from one of the people at the farm. It is pretty cool as it is some of the alpacas I met. *grin*

I do want to check out Moonlit Alpacas on the Vermont side on one of my visits. I tried to stop by Saturday after the Otter Creek brewery tour. But they close at 4 and it was 4:02! *sigh* Ah well. Gives me something to look forward to next visit, right?

I will definitely have pics to share of my goodies. But it will have to wait until things come out of the freezer. It was probably nothing, but I did see a moth in the house in the Adirondacks. So I figured it was better safe than sorry to freeze it all just in case. I didn't see anything in the yarn or roving, but I would rather be too cautious than end up with a house full of moths. *shudders*

All in all, this was a great fiber trip! Probably spent too much. But on the flip side, it was a lot more reasonable than it would have been down here. So I am thrilled with it.

*happy wiggle*

Alpaca Moebius Cowl

Cast On:

March 8 2008

Completed:

March 9 2008

Generated by Flickr Album Maker

Pattern:

Moebius Cowl by Cat Bordhi

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/na_other/article/0,2025,DIY_14142_4894528,00.html

http://www.catbordhi.com/documents/CashmereCowl.pdf

Made for:

Me probably. Though I am thinking this project is perfect xmas gift knitting.

Needles:

US 10 Knitpicks Options

Tried 47" as suggested. But went down to 36"

Yarn:

Catalina Yarns Baby Alpaca Worsted in Deep Eggplant

0.7 skeins = approximately 152.6 yards

http://www.catalinayarns.com/

I thought this project might be nice with the Catalina alpaca. I figured it would be good to wear under my coat to keep wool away from my neck.

Casting on and the first row were definitely the challenging part. However, after that, it is basic knitting.

I cast on 80 stitches as stated in the pattern. I think I probably knit them too tightly. I found the 47” circ too large. I went down to a 36" circ and found that was easier for me to use. The 47” was stretching it too much.

I was so glad I saved the episode of Knitty Gritty with this item. I don’t know if I ever would have gotten it started otherwise.

It was a very fast project. I am not a fast knitter yet I completed it within about 10 hours of knitting time. I think I might do the pattern for some xmas gifts.

I have 30 gms of the alpaca left! I really wasn’t sure if I would have enough yarn when I started. I like the overall finished piece. Also, the alpaca is going to be nice and warm. Definitely good. And the yarn is sooo very soft and yummy.

It was nice to have a quick knit like this while I was home with a sick kitty last weekend. And getting to do this while my darling hubby was away was probably for the best as I could rewind the Knitty Gritty again and again to figure out the cast on & first row.

Alpaca Drops Cabled Socks Finished!

I am a very happy gal. I finished the Alpaca Drops cabled socks last night!

Cast On:

Sunday Oct. 7th.

Finished:

Tuesday Oct. 30th.

Pattern:

100-19 Socks with cable pattern in Alpaca

http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/visoppskrift.php?d_nr=100&d_id=19&lang=en

Yarn:

Catalina Yarns Baby Silk in Claret

70% baby alpaca/30% silk

http://www.catalinayarns.com/pages/babysilk/babysilk.html

Needles:

2 circs - 5 size for the leg & a size 4 for the heel & foot

Used my Knitpicks and the Boyds. Like having the two different ones as I can tell them apart.

If you want to see the pictures larger, click on them. I have very large images on Flickr. But I didn't want the page to take eons to load.

Front View:

Side View:

Flat View:

I have posted the rest of the pics as links. I really don't want to overload anyone's connection. Paul took a lot of pics for me.

You can also click on the Flickr set and browse them that way.

Side Close Up

Flat View 2

Flat Single Sock

Front View 2

Back of Calf

Back of Calf 2

Top of Foot

Flat Single

I did these socks as part of the Ravelry Sock Knitters Anonymous Oct. sock knit along. (The ravelry links only work if you are on ravelry. But they will be opening to the public someday.) Happy to report I finished on time.

The cool thing is that the KAL has 2 months to complete the monthly challenge. So I could have taken until the end of November. I don't think I would have taken on this pattern if I had to get them done by today. So I took on something more complex as I knew I had the time to finish it.

It took nearly an hour to transcribe the chart & lay it out in Excel. However, I think it was well worth the time.

I was a bit intimidated by the complexity. However, it wasn't too bad. I just had to stay focused. So they weren't really mindless knitting.

The pattern is really beautiful. I love the color and they should be pretty warm.

I think there are a couple flaws in the pattern. In the M.3 chart,it says 16 rows. In fact it is 18, just like the M.1 pattern right beside it. It also appears that in the 11th row from the top of M.2, one of the knit stitches is in the wrong spot.

I should post the chart & the written out directions I made for this soon. It could be helpful to others. Though I should modify the pattern a bit with the notes I made. I tweaked it for two socks on two circs.

I picked up the yarn at Adirondack Yarns in Lake Placid, NY. I got it while I was up there. Tee had mentioned that there was a book store in Saranac Lake that had some alpaca yarn. The guy at the store said alpaca shouldn't set off allergies. So I stopped by when I was up there. I did a test swatch and it didn't bother me after having it on for 3-4 hours. So I was thrilled to find I am not allergic to alpaca.

I confess, I think the yarn was a bit too fluffy for the pattern. It would probably have shown much better with a different yarn. However, I really do love the yarn, the color and the way they came out. So I am happy with the socks.

I don't know if these socks will wear well at all. It may not be plied tightly enough. Also, they may not have enough memory to stay put. But I don't care. I like the way they came out. I will just have to be sad if they wear out.

I really want to find some good alpaca sock yarn! These feel wonderful.

Rhinebeck Stash Acquisitions

Look at all the lovely Rhinebeck stash!!

I got all the yarn at NY Sheep & Wool on Saturday.

I should post to my general journal about the beer. *chuckle* I didn't get this at NY Sheep and Wool, but at a place on the way home. But it was the same trip. Just a different sort of stash! *grin*

Schaefer Lola

I have been drooling over the Schaefer yarns for a while now. A couple different podcasts have mentioned them, including one with an interview ('course I can't recall which one now).

Their colorways are so beautiful. I really love them. But many of their yarn lines are pretty pricey.

I found some lovely Lola. Lola is made with superwash wool. It is pretty soft. Though it is also pretty thick. So I didn't honestly know if I could use it for socks. So I did it as a purchase that was open to use.

It seems Lola isn't done in specific colorways like the ones listed on their site. So they are less expensive. I read that Lola is made with whatever dyes are left over for the day. So they vary a good deal. And why may not ever do something similar. I think that is pretty nifty.

The upside of that is Lola is a yarn I was able to actually afford! *grin* I love the one I got. It is different reds with some browns & grey. Pretty thick so it will be quick to knit up.

I am *definitely* going to do these toe up. I want to use every bit I can of the yarn. I am not sure if I want to just do a simple pattern or something more complex. If the gauge is right, I might try the toe up Jaywalkers. I think that might work well. I need to knit a swatch & see.

I hope I remember to look when I get home. I can't recall what booth I got this from.

Peruvian Alpaca

I picked a lovely bunch of Peruvian Alpaca at A Touch of Twist. It should be plenty for a nice, simple, black cardigan.

This was my big splurge item. I really debated if I should spend the money on it. This was my last purchase. I had picked up the Lola and a $10 mixed bag of yarn. So I felt like I had been very restrained. I had set aside a pretty good chunk of money for this. So I figured it was the time to take the plunge.

I have been wanting to make a black cardigan for a while now. But I am always hesitant to purchase that much yarn. I knew it would be a pricey item to make in anything I wanted to wear much. (Yes, I could get acrylic for cheap enough, but I sorta felt like if that was the case, I should just buy a black cardigan.)

Paul said I looked kinda white after making the purchase. *laugh* I guess it is that I spent a good deal of money so now I want to make something good with the yarn. And that makes me nervous.

Now, I need to find a simple top down cardigan pattern. Preferably one knit in one piece. I really do loathe sewing seams. *grin* Too funny given I can sew. But with knitting, it just seems so wrong to do it. *laugh*

It is so super soft. I kept kidding Paul I could just use it as it is as a pillow. I was resting my head against it. It is definitely yummy.

I also think I want to figure out some way to have a way to attach different cuffs and collars. I figure I can do a simple round collar. But then I can create collars and cuffs to attach to it. For instance, I have that lovely hand spun & dyed purple silk yarn. It would be great to make cuffs & collar to compliment the sweater.

Mixed $10 Bag

One of the vendors has boxes of bags with yarn in them. They are seal so you can't always see what exactly is in there. But with a bit of moving them around, you could make it out with some of them. It was sorta like treasure hunting. I did pretty well.

I ended up getting a bag with 4 different yarns. I think the blue cotton was what drew me to it. But the fact that two others were machine washable stuff made me think they would be ideal for some charity knits. So I figure it was money well spent.

Mystery Fiber

No idea what it is. Looks like it could be wool. Not sure. Greyish blue with some purplish flecks. Really wish I had a clue what it was as it could be good to use for something. But without having any idea how to care for it, I don't think I would know what to do with it.

There is about 50 gms of it.

Reynolds Gypsy

100% cotton. Very shiny. Like the blue color.

50 gm/ ~82 yards

I don't know what I will do with it. Though I am thinking that if I have changeable collars and cuffs for the cardigan, this might be kinda pretty for that.

Bergere de France Bergereine

50% wool / 50% cotton. Machine washable. Not sure what I will do with it. Thinking perhaps a baby hat for charity. There is only 50 gms/~104 yards.

So not my color. But the fiber feels pretty nice actually. It might be a bit slippery to knit. Not sure.

Reynolds Eternity

Color 764 - Burnt Orange

51% wool, 49% microfiber.

Washable

50 gm/ ~88 yards

Probably gonna be for a charity item.

All in all, I think I did pretty well. I am excited to cast on something with the Lola & the alpaca. I started the alpaca swatch this morning. I will probably swatch some of the Lola tonight. Though I am sorely tempted to hold off on casting on a second pair of socks until the pair I am working on now are done. Not sure yet.

*does a happy dance* Happy stash.

My First Rhinebeck!

My first Rhinebeck! Woohoo!

I am happy that I was warned there was sooo much there. I am also so thrilled with the Ravelry forums. They really helped me to get a good fix on things. The spreadsheet & research really helped before hand. It gave me some good ideas about what I should see and what I could skip.

Paul dropped me off around 10:00. He headed off the Aerodrome that is super close to the fairgrounds.

First thing I did when I got there was check out The Fold. I had heard on the Ravelry forums that they had a bunch of Socks That Rock. I wanted to see the STR up close & personal. And I am happy to say, it is some yummy stuff. I definitely see what all the fuss is about. They are some beautiful colorways and super sock yarns. I definitely will buy some of their stuff.

Thing is, I got there at about 10:15-10:30. There was already a huge line to pay. So there was no way I was waiting in line to buy something I could get online. I don't really get it. I suspect I would have had to wait at least 30-45 minutes. That would have been a waste. I really do wonder why The Fold gets such a small booth & why they don't have more registers. Seems like they are loosing business. Ah well.

I did check an alpaca vendor. The yarns weren't what I wanted but they had a simple pair of premade socks. Figured that was a good purchase as they would be nice and toasty. I am sure winter will appear sometime soon, right? *grin*

I wish I could recall in which booth I found the Schaefer yarns. I have been eyeing their yarns online in a big way. I heard about them in a couple podcasts. Their colorways are so beautiful. I really love them. But they are pretty pricey.

However, I did find some Lola. Lola is made with superwash wool. However, they aren't a specific colorway like the ones listed on their site. So they are less expensive. I am going to do a separate entry with what I got & all the pics as a separate entry. So that will have more details.

I had decided to limit myself to two sock yarns with superwash wool. After doing the test swatches last week, it seems some superwash wools will work for me. Some won't. So I set myself a two types of superwash wool for socks cap to make sure I didn't go overboard.

There were a couple sock yarns I absolutely adored. There were several of the Mountain Colors sock yarns I sooooo wanted. But they are one of the price fixing companies. So there was no way I was going to buy that. I put them back and swore at them a lot. *grin* There was one or two other companies I found that had the same issue. *sigh* I really hate that. But I can't support people who won't support fair pricing.

I found a couple places with bargain bins which was kinda fun. One had $10 bags. The bags had 3-4 different yarns in a sealed bag. I purchase one bag with some mixed stuff. It included some pretty cotton yarn that was very shiny. As well as some other ones that I will probably use for donation stuff. I figured for $10, it was worth picking it up.

I did stop by the Ravelry/Blogger meeting at noon. The problem is that I am so not good with going up to people. I did say hello to Necia as she is on the 6th Borough group. I have posted to that board a lot and knew she was local. There were a lot more people there. I was already feeling overwhelmed by the number of people around. So I just couldn't bring myself to stay long. Hey, for me, going up and introducing myself to a complete stranger is an achievement. *laugh* I am just *terrible* with large social groups.

I kept seeing Cat from the Let's Knit Together podcast wandering around. I debated saying hello and telling her how much I love her podcasts. But I figured she had enough going on already. *smile*

I did have a Yarn Harlot spotting late in the day (about 4). Though again, I didn't say anything as I suspect the poor woman was probably already getting too many people coming up to her. She had on her amazing Kauni sweater which looks just like the pics. Pretty cool.

I feel a bit of an idiot though. I put together the info on all the vendors, maps, etc. What did I forget? I forgot to write down what booths had collection boxes for Hats for Alex. I did look, but didn't see anything obvious. So I carried the hat with me all day. It was small & in my purse. But I feel so goofy that I have to mail it because I forgot to write it down. *laugh* Ah well.

At about 2, I gave Paul a call. He was just about to head over to the fairgrounds to join me. He had a great time at the Aerodrome and grabbed a beer at a local brewery bar. I was glad when he joined me. But I was just as thrilled that he got a lot of time doing things he enjoyed.

When he joined me, he was amazed. I only had the Lola & the $10 bag of yarn. He was stunned. *laugh* I had seen some yarns that were nice (like the Opal ones and some others). But there wasn't anything was screaming buy me right this instance! There were some yarns that I will probably buy online at a later date. But I knew I could get them online so I didn't see the point of getting them there unless they really spoke to me.

Though on a surprise note, there were some of the Lion Brand hand painted sock yarns that tempted me. I nearly did get some. But again, didn't see the point when I could get them online.

So I spent some time thinking. I figured *if* A Touch of Twist had more of black alpaca, it was a sign that I should splurge and get enough for a sweater's worth. I have really been wanting to make a simple black cardigan with something I would wear. But it is challenging when getting enough yarn for a sweater is pretty pricey in any yarn I would really want to wear for a long time.

I went back and low and behold. They must have gotten some more stock put out. Because when I was there the first time, there were only 2 skeins. This time there were 5 large 8 oz. skeins. Which are approximately 691 yards, so 3455 yards. I think that might be more than enough.

Wow. I really should have used my calculator. I was trying to make sure I got enough for a sweater. What I found for yardage said I should have about 2500 yards. So that was what I was aiming for. Oops. Ah well. It is black. It isn't like I won't be able to do something else with it! *laugh*

I was so happy that I got to see Diane. She mentioned she might be there. She is the woman who taught me to knit. She was on the look out for me which was good. 'Cause I was not looking at all at that point. I was in overload already. I think this was around 2:30-3:30.

It was so wonderful getting to meet her daughter Claire at last. She is sooo adorable. Though the poor girl did not fair well with the car & all the commotion. But her baby booties where adorable! *grin*

In review...

I don't think I need to stay overnight. I know a lot of people swear you can't do it all in one day. For me, that wasn't true. I had enough time to look over what I wanted to see and enjoyed the experience. I was definitely in overload by the end of the day. I don't think I could have faced going back to the crowds the next day.

If I started spinning, I can *definitely* see why I would need two days. There is a ton of spinning stuff there. Since I don't, there were entire booths I could skip easily.

Also, since I have allergies, I tend to just give a quick glance to all wool places. So that also cut down on how many places I need to see.

I would love to get to some of the workshops. If I took the workshops, I would want to stay a while longer.

But I suspect next year, I will just stick with day tripping again.

I am definitely glad I did all the research. It helped me to figure out what I needed to see. I think I wouldn't have been as interested in A Touch of Twist if someone hadn't recommended them. I found with the recommendation, I took the time to take a closer look. And their prices were good for the yardage. So I am pretty thrilled.

I was definitely exhausted by the end of the day, but happily so! *grin*

I will have to do another post about the other stash acquisitions. But they should probably go on my general journal as they weren't knitting related. *smile*

Drops Socks with Cables in Alpaca

I cast a new pair of socks on last Sunday, the 7th.

Pattern:

Drops Socks with Cable pattern in Alpaca

Yarn:

Catalina Baby Silk in Claret

4-ply Worsted

70% baby alpaca/30% silk

2 skeins with 100 grams (3.5 oz)/218 yards each

Needles:

Knitpicks size 5 & Boyd size 5

Doing it two socks on two circs method

Front:

Back:

I am hoping to complete these for Raverly Sock Knitters Anonymous Oct. sock knit along. Hope to finish in time. Though the good news is that the deadline for the knit along is Nov. 30th. Just has to be cast on during October.

The pattern is definitely interesting. It is originally in Danish or another Scandinavian language. It took me nearly an hour to transcribe the chart & lay it out in Excel. I think it will be worth the time.

I was a bit intimidated but the complexity, but once I got used to it, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Though the cabling in the pattern on the front is a bit odd. I have never done single stitch cables with it moving between knit and purl. So that has been interesting.

The pattern is really beautiful. I really hope mine will come out well.

I think there are a couple flaws in the pattern. In the M.3 chart, it says 16 rows. In fact it is 18, just like the M.1 pattern right beside it. It also appears that in the 11th row from the top of M.2, one of the knit stitches is in the wrong spot. It should be one over from there.

I should post the chart & the written out directions I made soon. It might be helpful to others. Though I am guessing that if a knitter doesn't bother writing out charts, they would probably be fine with the pattern as it is. I just don't work that way. I like it written out.

I have about 21 1/2 cm out of 25 done for the leg. They are close to knee high. Something I hadn't done before, so it is interesting as well doing calf shaping. Though it doesn't require as much as I feared. So that is nice.

I am going to change to a size 4 needles for the heel flap & the bottom of the foot. I do worry that these won't wear very well. I am hoping the silk will help the wear, but I am not certain if it will. But hey, they are attractive and I like that they should be warmer.

Best get some things done for work. I hope to post more later today.