Decadent Fibers Custom Dyed Jelly Roll

As promised, pics of the lovely roving from Decadent Fibers.

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Why only two pics you might ask?! Well, I took about 15. Yet only these two actually came out well enough to share them! *shakes head* It is hard to get the camera to focus on the roving for some reason. The majority of them seemed to be coming out blurry.

I ordered the Jelly Roll as I thought this was their roving that was custom dyed colors. As it happens, the Jelly Roll is one large piece. The Spun Sugar is the stuff that it already in strips. Whoops!

The sweet folks Decadent Fibers explained I can just take off strips to spin them. I can blend the colors or keep solid areas. So I just have to create strips to spin them. I have been going with solid areas. Though when it is plied, it will be interesting how things blend together.

It almost seemed a shame to tear into it as it was so pretty as one piece. *grin* But it is getting ripped up none the less!

It is interesting to spin with it. As I am getting more practice, I am able to spin more finely than I was when I started. Though sometimes it will break on me while I am trying to spin it. That can be a bit of challenge. I think I am sometimes not putting enough twist into some areas (while still overtwisting others). I am learning a lot though. And there is a lot of fiber to do it with.

Also, the photos look more like brown than black. But it is black in areas. The reds & purples seem to make the color look a bit brown in the pics.

I love the colors in this. It is really beautiful. I suspect I will be ordering more from Decadent Fibers for certain.

No Maryland Sheep & Wool for Me

I had been planning to go to Maryland Sheep & Wool. A lot of Paul's family is in the area, so I could have even met up with my sister-in-law who is a knitter.

Problem is I have had a sore throat for a couple days now. It started as a tickle in the throat late on Tuesday. Yesterday it got more sore. Today it feel so-so. Still tender, but not as bad. I am still hoping that it is just sinus season nasal drip. But the two people in the office with desks closest to mine have been hacking up their lungs pretty much since I got back from AZ. *shakes head*

So as consolation, I went yarn shopping last night. I stopped at the Point first as it is close to work. They had just gotten in some Brooklyn Handspun yarns which look really nice. The thing is I am beginning to suspect my color palette is just not the same as the person who buys for the Point. They were all very bright colors or pastels.

The PATH trains weren't running locally due to some track problems. So I had to go down to World Trade to catch the PATH. And that told me it was a sign to stop off at Seaport Yarn. I stopped off there for the first time about a week & a half ago to get some yarn for a beer & fiber swap I participated in (sent my package out to the reciepant who was really happy, haven't gotten my package yet). I had just gotten back from AZ where I got a lot of vacation yarn. So I didn't want to spend anything on myself right then.

However, I recalled really liking some of the yarns they had in stock. Checked their website and as luck would have it, Wednesdays are their late night. So I headed over there.

I am really happy with the yarn I got. It is Done Roving Done Roving Frolicking Feet Yarn in Fancy Footwork colorway.

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It is 100% superwash wool and looks like it will be good for socks. I love the different colors in this yarn. Some burgundy, purple, yet also some blues & greens. It is really beautiful.

The woman at Seaport Yarn was very sweet. She invited me to participate in their Stitch & Bitch (though I can't recall what she said, something like knitting circle). But I didn't have any knitting with me. I only take it into work when I know I will be able to knit. I read on the train most of the time as there is rarely enough space to knit.

I should get some work done. Whee...

Toe Up Socks in Schaefer Lola Done

Cast on:

Saturday, Nov. 3rd.

Finished on:

Sunday, Nov. 11th.

Yarn:

Schaefer Lola

Needles:

Knitpicks Options & Boyd Circulars Size 5

I am going to sure the small images on the page. My mother-in-law is still on dial-up. So I don't want to overload her with the images. And I will just give links to some of the images.

Front View:

Side View:

Other Views:

Side View of Pair

Flat

Flat Pair

Pattern:

I didn't use a specific pattern.

I used the Lifestyle Toe Up Socks as a guide.

The toe is done with Judy's Magic Cast-On. Though the YouTube video by Cat Bordhi was even more helpful.

I took the numbers from the Knitty Universal Toe Up sock recipe.

I looked at different sites for the heel I went with one that didn't require wraps. I think that was a mistake.

I did a garter rib on the top which will carry up to the leg. Took that from Sensational Knitted Socks.

This is a Frankenpattern! *grin*

Love the yarn! It is knitting up so fast. I did 6" of the foot in the first 48 hours. This is after spending a lot of time learning Judy's Magic Cast-On and frogging the toe once after it didn't go right the first time. It is also super cushy and soft. I know I will have to get more of it.

I really enjoy toe up socks. I like that I can tweak them as needed. It may be my new method for socks most of the time.

I will definitely find a new heel though. I got holes at the seam. Not good. I had to use the yarn to sew up the holes at the gusset. I am trying another method with the Toe Up Jaywalkers. And this method is a lot better. So I won't use the no wrap method again. Too much of a mess. Not that the one I am doing now is tough at all. It has a gusset and is worked nearly identical to a cuff down which I like.

I am wearing them again today. I really like them. They are kinda bulky, but I don't mind that. I suspect most people would say they are house socks, but I don't think of them as that.

Payday Splurge

I did splurge today as it is payday.

Someone on a dyeing board suggested that I probably won't have issues with superwash wool because of how it is treated. I had my doubts about it. But I picked up the Schaefer Lola yarn at Rhinebeck. I tested it out and it seems fine. Woohoo. So I am going to cast on some socks with that tonight or tomorrow.

I ordered from two companies to see if I like their yarns. I got a skein of Socks That Sock Mediumweight in Atomic 6. I have heard such cooing over STR. I also saw some at Rhinebeck and I do like it a lot. (I didn't want to wait in the Fold line when I knew I could get it online for the same price...)

I am trying two of Lisa Souza's yarns in Mars Quake & Wild Things. The pics on Wild Things don't do it justice. I found some on Flickr that are good like this one. They are beautiful colors.

I wanted to get one skein in Sock and the other in Sock Merino. But she only had the Wild Thing in Sock. It would have taken about a week before she could have sent it out. So I think I am getting both in Sock. I would have liked to try the 100% superwash. But I am excited to get it sooner. *smile*

Time to scoot! I need to get on the train before the Halloween madness begins!

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*

Superwash Wool & Allergies

My allergies are about itch factor. I find it itches and I get red bumps in the area where I am wearing something that affects me. I don't have hives or trouble breathing. It isn't that sort of thing. It is mild. But it is too irritating to actually want to wear anything made with wool.

When I posted to a dyeing group about my allergies, a woman told me that superwash wool should not set off my allergies. She explained they are treated with a polymer to coat the wool (thus making it machine washable). This coating should allow me to use superwash without the response I normally have.

I was certainly willing to give it a try. There are some beautiful superwash wools out there, especially a lot of hand dyed ones that are amazing.

My mother-in-law was kind enough to give me some Sockotta yarn. It was leftover from pair she did. I made a swatch in the round a couple days ago. I wore it around my wrist for all of about 10-20 minutes before I took it off. I found it was scratchy and not good for me.

I check online and read some reviews. It seems that people without wool allergies have also had some trouble with that yarn. A lot of people complained it was rough, scratchy & hard to knit. One woman even said it was so scratch she threw out the yarn. So it may not have had anything to do with allergies.

So I knit a test swatch of Sarah's Yarns Superwash Merino/Bamboo/Silk Blend. It is 65% super fine grade merino, 20% bamboo and 15% silk. Machine-wash-and-dry which has so much appeal. I wore the swatch for about 3 hours yesterday and another 2-3 in the evening. It didn't seem to affect me at all! Woohoo!

So it seems I may be able to wear some superwash wools. But it seems to come back to *some*. Not all. So I need to feel it & do a test swatch before committing to it.

On the plus side, I can always check out some of the superwash wools at NY Sheep & Wool this weekend! Woohoo! I definitely want to feel the Socks That Rock yarn after hearing so much about them. I don't know if I will buy any there. I will see. I have heard the Fold is the place that sells them. And last year the wait to pay was 30-60 minutes! That seems way too long to wait if I can order them online. But I will see.

I suspect I should limit my superwash purchase to enough to make 2 pairs of socks for me. I can always pick up wool yarn for others. But in case it doesn't work for me, I would rather not have a bunch of yarn I can't knit for myself.

*wiggles happily* In less than 24 hours I should be there!

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*

Hat for Afghans for Afghans Charity

I started a new project last night. I decided on another hat for charity. The Lime & Violet blog mentioned that Afghans for Afghans is looking for submissions and the deadline is Oct. 12th. So I figured it would be a good project to add to the pile.

The site lists a hat pattern that I am using. I have only done the ribbing so far, but I am hoping it will be quick.

I am using New Relax Wool in Bordeaux. It is a cone I got back when I first started knitting. It is the same yarn that I knit the Dulaan hat out of. I think it should be good.

I really do love how many knitting charities there are.