Rhinebeck

I am planning on going to Rhinebeck. My MIL, SIL & her KD are going on Saturday. So that is the day I intend on going.

I am not sure if I am going solo or if DH & the kids are coming. It will depend largely on how the kids are feeling. So we shall probably just wait til the day of and decide.

I confess that I am not chomping at the bit the way I have been in years past. I simply have not been knitting enough to be super excited about it. Also, money is tight so I can't really go too crazy. I am thinking I will try to find something for a sweater for DD. But otherwise most of the money will probably be spent on food.

If DH & the kids come, more will be spent on food than fiber. But it would be nice for them to go. We will have to see.

I keep thinking about maybe just a skein or two of sock yarn. But then I think about how much sock yarn I already own and how little I make socks these days. It seem silly to buy more. I have been thinking that perhaps I need to start having some vanilla socks. Things I can knit without thinking about them. I really do best with those sorts of projects these days.

I actually finished a project on Saturday! I was so impressed. Though it is sad given it was a very simple pattern that should have been a quick knit. I haven't posted pics of the FO yet. I need to take some. But the weather has been warm enough that putting Elanor in a sweater for very long is kinda cruel!

Project on Ravelry:
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/akasha/bulky-gauge-pinwheel-sweater-for-children

I really would like to get back to more knitting and even some spinning. *sigh* I have been listening to a couple knitting podcasts & one videocast. The videocast is the woman who wasn't Lime or Violet who did l&V podcast for a long time. She is very entertaining. (Still have no clue as to what the deal was with the implosion of the l&V podcast. Seems like a super screwy situation.)

One of the podcasts is Knitting History. I am super sad that there only seems to be 10 episodes. The last one was in August. I am hoping she comes back to do more. But they are terrific.

I was listening to podcasts all the time for a long while. But after Elanor was born I stopped for a while. Some of my favs are gone. Still miss Knitters Uncensored. Wish L&V hadn't gone mental. And others just don't grab me anymore.

I don't know why I keep downloading the Knitpicks one. I was listening to that in the BE era. But the woman started to annoy me. Her "interviews" were more about her than her guests! *shakes head* And I can only take so much talk about her yappy dog.

Back to Rhinebeck... I know. I know. Focus not good. I am way wiped today and probably shouldn't be typing anything public! *laugh*

I am sorta hoping this weekend is cooler than it has been. It would be good to wear some knit items. But if it is in the 70s as it has been, then that isn't happening. *sigh*

I am debating if I want to wear the amazing Dracula's Bride shawl my SIL made or the one I Traveling Woman shawl I made which is much smaller.

Dracula's Bride pattern on Ravelry
Pics of Shawl my SIL Made
Traveling Woman Pattern on Ravelry
Traveling Woman Shawl I Made

I confess part of me wants to wear one I made. But it isn't that stunning. I *know* the Dracula Bride one is amazing and deserves to be admired by people who can really appreciate it. My SIL did such an amazing job. And given she will be there, she could have oodles of compliments! *grin*

Though heaven knows if the kids are with me *any* shawl may be out of the question! *laugh*

I really want a new project for my needles. Of course I say this with other projects still on the needles! But other than the *gulp* six projects that need buttons or one that needed beads, I only have three on the needles. One needs to be frogged as I missed the window where Elanor can wear it. The other two are challenging for different reasons.

One is a deadly dull scarf that never the less requires my attention because it is out of this annoying yarn that is very fluffy fiber that has a thin thread binding it together. So if you miss a stitch, the thing will run and you can't just fix it. You would need to rip back. I don't think it would run fast as it is super sticky, but it would be a mess none the less.

The other are the Maeve Socks (pattern link). They are beautiful. The yarn is this gorgeous colorway that the same SIL gave me for Xmas two years ago. Love the pattern & the yarn. Just takes *a lot* of concentration to make sure I work the pattern correctly. And with the leg, there isn't even a break in the pattern. There is one chart for the front, another for the back. So trying to keep it straight can be challenging. And given most of my knitting these days is done on car trips, it is even harder. DS isn't so great about sleeping sometimes. And when he gets settled, DD sometimes wants attention or snack. So it means I can't expect to have a slot where I can do an entire row of knitting. And have you tried stopping in the middle of a complex cable pattern? Some people are fine with it. I am not. (Lack of sleep probably isn't helping either...)

Part of me thinks it s just smarter to bring what knitting I have if DH & the kids come with me. Then maybe print out a pattern or two & bring needles to cast on something on the way home if I find yarn for a new project at Rhinebeck. Another part of me just says grab some yarn I already have.

I still have three amazingly beautiful skeins of Fresh From the Cauldron colorways from the Mythos series. I got Poseidon, Dionysus & Ares. All yummy. Thinking Poseidon for E, Ares for Will & Dionysus for me or E. Since Poseidon & Ares are a single skein of worsted, I think they would be best for a hat & mittens or something. But I really haven't decided.

I keep hoping as the kids get older that I can get back to more knitting & even some spinning! I really do miss it. *sigh*

I really need to get back to work! *sigh* (I am sooo tired today that I have been moving so slllooowww.) Think it might be time for a Starbuck run & then some caffeinated action!

No Rhinebeck This Year

I am seriously bummed. *sigh* No Rhinebeck aka NY Sheep & Wool for me this year... *sniffle*

I got a sore throat, some congestion and a little bit of a runny nose late Weds. I really thought it was just the seasonal allergies given the change in weather. But it got worse yesterday. And even more full blow as the day progressed. Definitely not happy. *sigh*

Last year I missed Rhinebeck as DD was only a month old. So there was no way we were going. I was really looking forward to this year. But alas... *grumblegrowl*

I did make Maryland S&W this year for the first time. I am hoping this isn't some thing about only one fiber fest a year. *laugh*

On the plus side, in preparing to go to Rhinebeck, I did some searching through the mass of boxes that are the craft room/guest room. I *finally* found the Cardigan for Merry sweater (sorry Ravelry link) I had put somewhere safe. *laugh* Along with the yarn for the Flora Dress. So there are two WIP I hope to finish before DD outgrows them. The dress I made big as I figured it was for next summer. But the cardigan is for this winter. So I am hoping to actually finish it before she outgrows it.

I am nearly done with the Aviatrix Hat (again Ravelry link). I wanted to finish this for tomorrow as they are having a contest/drawing for people who get their pic taken with it at Rhinebeck. Ah well. It is still an adorable hat and will look cute on Elanor. Think the ear flaps will help it stay on which is a plus.

I really need to get some pics taken of FOs. It is kinda sad when I look at my Ravelry projects. There are sooo many without photos. But having a one year old in the house slows these things down. *laugh*

I also need to block the Traveling Woman shawlette. It looks beautiful, though as I feared, it isn't very long. I think I should have used larger needles. I am hoping to block some more length out of it. But I am not sure that will happen. The lace pattern was very simple repeats so I was able to work it up pretty quickly. (Okay. Quickly for me. About 2 1/2-3 weeks.) It looks beautiful and I think it really shows off the gorgeous yarn from Fresh from the Cauldron. It is the Tara Thornton colorway in Silk Sock (70% merino/30% silk). Yummy. I didn't take a pic of it, but here is someone else's that looks very close to mine.

Given I will be home all weekend, maybe I will be able to track down my blocking mats & pins. *crosses fingers* Though I *really* wish I were wearing it to Rhinebeck tomorrow as planned. Enough moping.

Think it is time to curl up on the couch with some tea and knit. That will help me feel better.

Handspun Yarn

Last post for today.

I hadn't posted pics of this yarn yet. I spun it. I really do love it and have been fighting myself from casting it on into a project.

M U S T
F I N I S H
X M A S
K N I T T I N G . . . *grin*



The pic really doesn't do this justice. The colors are really lovely. Black with burgundies, blue & other colors. Really hard to capture in the photo.

4 oz ~ 163.6 yards

Purchased at:
Rhinebeck 2008
Midnight Colorway


Super soft.

62” x 95 (might be more) ~ 163.6 yards
around 9-10 wpi (though is thinner in spots)
2 ply

$9

I definitely want to get more of this. Yummy stuff!

Two Projects Not Like Each Other...

*in the Seasame Street song tune*

One of these projects is not like the other, one of these projects does not belong...

I have two projects. One done. The other nearly done. Just needs buttons and something very weird for a nearly finished project... *sigh*

The one that is done is the one I adore. *happy dance*

Decadent Fibers Handspun Simple Shawl

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Cast On:

October 14, 2008

Completed:

October 17, 2008

Pattern:

La La's Simple Shawl by Laura Linneman

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/la-las-simple-shawl

Made for:

Me

Needles:

US 10 1/2 / 6.5 mm Knitpicks Options

Yarn:

My Handspun Made with Decadent Fibers Jelly Roll

Custom Dyed for Me in Black/Purple/Burgundy

~675.0 yards

http://www.decadentfibers.com/wool.htm

Sometime around the Friday before Rhinebeck (Oct. 3rd), I thought it would be great to finish spinning the pound of fiber I got from the Decadent Fibers. They will be at Rhinebeck and I would love to show them how beautifully the colors were on the fiber they custom dyed for me!

So I really wanted to knit something to wear at Rhinebeck. Of course I hadn't finish spinning all the fiber until a day I started knitting it! (And it had to dry after soaking it.)

It is a super easy pattern so I can knit it anywhere. It is kinda ideal knitting for my vacation week. I can catch up on some movies and clearing off the dvr while working on it.

Though like every triangular shawl, as it gets wider, each repeat takes longer. I really wanted to finish it Thursday so it would have enough time to dry while blocking it. But at 1:00, I was messing up a very simple pattern. So I knew it was time for sleep.

I was able to soak it by Friday at noon. I tried to get as much water as possible out after soaking it. I had to hope it would be dry by Saturday so I could to wear it at Rhinebeck. Luckily it was!

Though on the funny side, I wasn't able to show the Decadent Fiber people. Their booth was busy the two times I went by. And they didn't have roving in colors I wanted. So I didn't make any purchase there. But I am still really happy I finished it. I really adore it.

The length is longer that I had anticipated once I blocked it. I like a lot of length so I am hopeful it will be good. It turned out to be 40”. The width is about 72”. So it is very cozy. I was warm enough all day at Rhinebeck and there was a chill to the air. Definitely a piece I love.

I love the way the fiber looks. There is some great striping of color too (which part of the reason I picked the pattern).

For the bottom edge, the pattern says to do the 5 rows of garter & bind off. I wanted something more open. I did a row of YO & K2tg, then bound off the edge. I like that it gives it a nice finished edge. I was going to do that at row 5 of the garter repeat. But I was running out of yarn so I did it at row 3 instead. I think it looks better with that edging.

Trellis Baby Sweater for Xmas Present

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Cast On:

October 4, 2008

Nearly Completed:

October 13, 2008 (all but the buttons and overdyeing)

Pattern:

Trellis by Britta Stolfus Rueschhoff

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

Made for:

Michael & Jen's Newest, Leah

Size:

Smallest

Needles:

US 7 / 4.5 mm Knitpicks Options

Yarn:

TLC Cotton Plus Solid in 3810 light blue

~1 skeins = 178.0 yards

Purchased at Smiley's Yarns Sale in NJ

I wanted to start on some more Xmas knitting. I have completed the sweater for Trinity, Michael & Jen's daughter who is about to turn 1. I wanted to do something for their boy who was due in this fall.

I swear that Michael told me they were expecting a boy while I was visiting my family in Easter. No one told me otherwise. So I made a blue sweater. Nice cables for a boy.

Then I got the call. It is a girl. Ummm…excuse me?! *blink*

I am going to dye the sweater to purple. I am curious how it will come out. I am hoping it will look good. And hey, if not, I am not redoing it at this point. I have enough other Xmas knitting to do.

I sorta wish I had done a bigger size. Knowing Michael & jen's daughter Trinity is large, 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 did a search on baby projects in the TLC Cotton Plus and found the Trellis sweater. It looked really attractive so I decided to try it.

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 writer wrote it without the row #s. Other than that though, the pattern is great. And I love the way it turned out.

(Though heaven knows if I had known it was a girl I would have done something lacier. Ah well. *shakes head* I should know better than to listen to Michael!! *laugh*)

Other Projects

I actually have another project that is almost completed. I am doing a two color Xmas stocking. I started it for the October Sock Knitters Anonymous KAL on Ravelry. I need to add an i-cord loop. But otherwise that is done too.

The only big project is the black alpaca sweater. It is a nice, simple, mindless project. I think the sleeves are done. But I left them on the cable from the interchangeable Knitpick needles and just put caps on them in case I decide after the body is done that I need more (or even less) length.

I have cast on the back & need to cast on the sides. I figure if I do them all at the same time, I can tweak it as I go along. I am hoping it comes out well. *crosses fingers*

My Shopping Day at Rhinebeck

Finally got around to posting this. There was a lot to show. See!

I took a kinda weird route this year. The program said there were spinning demonstrations starting at 10 in one of the back buildings. So I decided to go through Building A, then hit building 30. After that I went to 36 which is behind 30. I did stop in the area but the woman wasn't spinning when I went back there. She was talking with someone so I decided to wander off. I hit the back row of buildings, coming back around to the front row. Though I almost missed the building next to 30 that way which has some good stuff in it.

I wanted to go to building 30 early as Decadent Fibers were there. That is where I ordered the beautiful fiber that they custom dyed for me. (I need to take some more shawl picks before I post them.) I wanted to show them how great it turned out. However, they were busy with customers. And unfortunately, they only had a few bags of the Spun Sugar fiber I really wanted to try. None of it was in colors that grabbed me. So I wandered along.

Susan's Fiber Shop was really close by. They had some beautiful Hand Dyed Merino Top by Frabjous Fibers. It was the #7 Purple People Eater colorway (4 oz.). Yummy purples and super soft. So it was my first purchase.

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More wandering, petting fibers. In building 39, I came to Cloverleaf Farms . They had some lovely stuff.

I think all the stuff they were selling was theirs. But I am honestly not sure. The Merino Top in Midnight (4 oz.) had their tag. I also bought some silk fiber & hankies that weren't marked as theirs. But I think they were created by them.

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I do love silk though I confess I haven't had any silk on the wheel yet. So I am kinda nervous about that. The only pure silk I had before was some silk hankies which I have used with the spindle. It will definitely be interesting to see how they work out.

I think the next vendor where I made purchases was Carolina Homespun. I got some Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks Bombyx Silk Fiber & Three Bags Full Wool and Silk Roving.

I had been looking at Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks and Three Bags Full online for a while now. So it was great to actually see them in person. They are some yummy fibers.

The Three Bags Full is on my wheel already. I don't know why I chose that one first. It was just what spoke to me when I was deciding what to put on my bobbin next. It is really lovely. The blend I have is a burgundy sort of color with bits of dark blue, yellow, black and such. It is wool with silk noil & some black nylon in it. Really interesting to work. I am definitely enjoying it. Though the noil definitely adds texture to it. So this will not be a uniform yarn. But the bits are smaller than you might think. So it isn't super textured. But definitely nice. The picture really doesn't do it justice.

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Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks does amazing colorways. And oodles of them. It is 2 oz. of silk. So soft and shiny. Of course I picked the purple... *laugh*

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It finally got so bad with my fiber purchase I decided no more purple fiber! *laugh* I did say I could get some red or if I found some alpaca, I could do that. So of course I found some more purple with alpaca in it at Spinners Hill.

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This stuff has some beautiful color & sheen to it. It also feels amazing. It is wool, mohair, alpaca & silk. Yum! I got 8 oz. of that. I was tempted by more as it was so nice and the price was really good.

Shortly after this, my husband headed off to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome to watch the air show (which ran from 2-4). He took all the bags back to the car for me. Such the great hubby he is!

Somewhere along the way I picked up some oil in a bottle with a long point so you can put the oil in hard to reach areas. Honestly, I don't recall who the vendor was.

Creatively Dyed was outside in a tent between two buildings. They had some yummy sock yarn. And I hadn't bought any yarn yet! *gasp*

Of course, how could I not buy the red & black? *grin*

And the other one has seacell which I have been dying to try to but hadn't found in colors I liked yet. So it is kinda perfect.

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There is a building next to 30 that I almost missed. I thought it was just stuff that was at the fairgrounds normally. But I decided to wander through. Turns out it is a bunch more vendors. I got a bag marked "Romney Rolls" balls of different colors. Most are reds or purples. It was only $8 for the 4 oz. so I figured it would be fun to try them out.

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I wandered back to building A in hopes that I could try out one of the little spinning wheels. I think it was the Hitchhiker from Merlin Tree. They were around $270-290 and wood. So I figured it was worth testing one out. But they were still occupied when I stopped there.

That lead to my second knitting celeb spotting for the day. I saw Amy Singer of Knitty.com & No Sheep for You early in the day when I was wandering. At the spinning stand was Stephanie, The Yarn Harlot. In both cases, I just let them be. I figure they are there to shop, not be harassed by people! That is what book signings are for. *chuckle*

Speaking of sightings, I did see Franklin signing his book. But the line was waaaayyy to long. I almost bought a copy anyhow. But I am bad. I kinda figure I could get it cheaper on Amazon or Knitpicks. *sheepish grin*

I also had wandered back to Building A to look at the Golden spindles again. They are incredibly beautiful and I have heard their spindles will spin for eons. But try as I might, I couldn't justify to myself spending $50 at the low end or $95 for the one I really wanted. *sigh* Spindles are beautiful, but I really prefer spinning on my wheel. I know, I know. Spinners argue you can always use the spindle when you don't have your wheel. It is portable. (Mind you, I have taken my Babe wheel to the Adirondacks twice now.) You know what is portable too? My knitting! And it takes less space to knit than to spin. So I think I am better off spending my money on fiber. *grin*

I finished off with Building E. Why? Because that has all the food stuffs to take home! *grin* I had to get the maple cotton candy again. It was too yummy not to. I also picked up some maple stuff for Paul. I also got some blackberry honey for Paul. The twenty different kinds of honey we have simply aren't enough. *laugh* Then the meat... I got two types of lamb sausage, ground lamb, venison burger & venison summer sausage. Yum! We will have frozen meaties for a while. *licks lips*

I confess that I am most surprised that I couldn't find the one thing I said I needed and looked for at about 5 different places that had spinning items. I want a Spinners Gauge WPI Card. It is a card with different widths so you can see if you are matching the thickness you want to spin. I really though someone would have it! But if they did, I missed it completely.

So much yummy fiber, only a little yarn and a lot of tasty food. Paul and I went a brewpub called the Gilded Otter for dinner. We went there for the first time after last year's NY Sheep & Wool. So we wanted to go back again. After that we also hit Half Time. *licks lips* And got more stash of another kind... *grin*

All in all, a wonderful Rhinebeck! I think year two was even better than the first year.

Rhinebeck!

I had an amazing time at Rhinebeck this year. For me, it was even better this year than last.

I think it helped that I knew more about what to expect. So I was able to pace myself accordingly. I hit the ground running and trying to make sure I get the things I want quickly before they disappear.

This year I brought as much cash as I had for my yarn allowance. This way I knew I would stay within my budget & not have to worry about overspending. I think that was a great move. It also made transactions much faster (except one that didn't have a $10 for change and had someone run to get one. *chuckle*) And much to my surprise, I didn't spend my entire yarn budget. Not saying I didn't spend a good deal, but I kept it within what I could afford. So I am happy about that.

Paul had a great time as he was able to go to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's air show. Last year the air show stopped the weekend before Rhinebeck. But this year he was able to see it.

The good part about Paul heading off for part of it was that I was able to meet up with some people from the NYC Spinning group without worrying about boring him to tears. It was terrific finally getting to meet them. I need to get to a spinning meeting in the city sometime soon.

I was worried I would be completely overwhelmed with choices this year. Last year I thought I was allergic to all wool. Now I know I can wear superwash wool. Also, I can wear non-superwash as scarves and such. I just can't have it directly against my skin. I was also worried that since I started spinning, I would be overwhelmed by the amount of fiber and choices.

I confess since I know more about yarns, I have become more selective about what yarns I buy. I don't bother getting things I can by at home or online. So I didn't spend a lot of time looking over yarns this year. I spent more time fondling fiber. *sighs happily* I got some amazing fiber in lovely colors.

Though I did decide I wanted to get some sock yarn as well. So I picked up a couple beautiful handpainted skeins of that too.

I am going to write more tomorrow when I can post all the fiber pics. Today is my first day back to work after taking a week of vacation last week. So I should really cut this short for now. I have way too much to do today. *sigh*

Back to the grind!

Rhinebeck Spreadsheet

I have put together a spreadsheet of the Rhinebeck vendors. I have put in the vendor name, location, address, website & type of items (when I could find any info).

I started this last year when I was a Rhinebeck newbie. I found it helped me have an idea of places I really wanted to go.

And yah, I am a data geek and a tad anal. smirk

I figure others might find it useful. It isn’t pretty at all. I am going to be making it into a Palm database for myself so I don’t need to be. (If that interests anyone else, let me know and I can send it to you.)

I have posted it as a Excel file & a csv file. CSV is a very basic spreadsheet/data format that most people can use.

I hope this might help others.

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*

Rhinebeck and the Geek I Am...

In my typical geeky fashion, I find when I am heading off on a trip or to a big event for the first time, I need to research it to no end. *laugh*

So in order to be less overwhelmed when I walked into Rhinebeck, I decided to put together a spreadsheet with some of the map & vendor info in it. (Any you say anal, boys and girls...*smirk*)

I have put in the vendor name, map location, booth, Ravelry recommended, website & type of items (when I had the info).

I figure others might find it useful. It isn't pretty at all. I am going to be making it into a Palm database for myself so I don't need to be.

I have posted it as a zip file & and excel file.

Please, if you can unzip a file, download the zipped file. It is smaller & won't use as much bandwidth.

Zip File
&
Excel File

I am going to convert this into a Palm database today.

I posted it on Ravelry as I hope it might help others.

It did help me to look at the different vendors. It gave me a better sense of what might be there and where I should go. Definitely some interesting vendors.

What I am happiest about is how many alpaca vendors there will be. I am hoping to find some good stuff.

Ideally, I would like to get enough black alpaca for a cardigan. But I am completely aware that that might not be in my budget. But I figure it can't hurt to look.

Stating My Intention to Not Buy Knitting Stuff Til NY Sheep and Wool

I am going to state this here. It is my hope that I will abide by it. *grin*

I think it is good for me to be on a yarn and knitting supply diet until NY Sheep & Wool festival. I know, that is only two weeks away. Not a big commitment. But I still think it would be wise.

There are three exceptions I might make:

1.
I really want to find a yarn to work with the Bernat Lana I bought. I really want to do a pair of Fair Isle mittens with it. But I need a contrasting color. There is a marine color that is a dark blue that would work well with it. But Lana is a discontinued yarn. So finding the marine might be challenging.

I did write someone on Ravelry in hopes she might want to either sell me or trade one of the 6 skeins of Lana she has. She is in NJ, so I am betting she hit the same sale. Smiley's sells them in bags. The Lana was $10 for the 6 skeins. If I had seen the marine, I would have picked that up as well. But I only saw the denim that I picked up.

2.
Socks That Rock has a cotton sock yarn but there hasn't listed since I found out about STR about a month ago. I emailed them about it. The woman who dyes it has been recovering from surgery. So they said to check back in about a month. This was about 2 weeks ago. So I will keep trolling their site in hopes of getting cotton yarn.

3.
Stuff to make the swifts for reskeining. I meant to pick the stuff up already. But Paul and I haven't settled what I want and if it will work.

But other than that, I should just save up for NY Sheep and Wool. And that does include everything else involved, not just the yarn. I can sooo easily spend money on knitting related items.

Damn. Forgot to mention the new Cat Bordhi book in the exceptions! I sooo want it. Ah well. Maybe at NY Sheep & Wool. *grin*