Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair

Yesterday I met up with a fellow Knit Picks Community friend, Karen, at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair.  We have never met in person before and it was great to do so. There were so many vendor booths with many different art forms filled with interesting items. There were several that had live bunnies. One even had some baby ones and I got to hold one. They are so cute and cuddly.

 

We saw many different kinds of spindles including this large one.

And the small one that has its own bowl/holder.

There were lots of interesting projects we both liked and want to do.

 

We saw one both that had soaps and scented oils.  One of the soaps had a really funny name. Who would have thought Monkey Farts smell so good.    They said it was one of their bestsellers.

They even had Llama Olympics.

     

We watched the judging of sheep wool that was very interesting. The judge was very informative and explained everything he was looking at in the wool. He also answered any questions we asked. We saw some really beautiful looking sheep wool and I was very tempted to get one. I'll save up some funds for when I go to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival in September with Karen.  Maybe I will get one then.

Here we are at the end of our day with our treasures. Can't wait till September.

What I have been working on:

Back in October I created a ‘meet-up’  at work for others who knit or crochet.  There were 8 of us that showed up.  We meet approx every other week in the cafeteria at work on Wednesday nights.

In February the Knit Picks Community had a Virtual Spin-In.  This is what I spun during that weekend:  Polworth wool in the Petrified colorway by CloudLover.  I got 138 yards in a 2-ply at a Worsted weight.

I’m crocheting a new afghan for my queen size bed (going to take  me some time to do )

  

I designed a new “mitts” pattern.  I was going for a Victorian age / Steampunk style of design.  I have a lot of friends who are into this new Steampunk style and thought they would like them.  Do you like them?  Let me know what you think. 

 

I am knitting a “horse” sweater – hoping to get it done so I can wear it at least once before the end of the winter.  We shall see…

I started a double knit project – shawl.  This is how far I have gotten – not very far, hehe.

This weekend is Sheep in the City in Oak Creek, WI.  As usual, I had to buy some new fiber.   In the picture below, starting on the left is:  Polworth wool in Brown Eyed Girl colorway by Happy Hands Yarn (also on the far right), Alpaca/Bamboo 50/50 blend in Pewter colorway by Fiber Lady, a project bag, and on the bottom center is a sock blank by Fairy Yarnmother.com.

   

Wow, sure has been a LONG time since I last posted a blog.

I have been busy with work and some knitting, crocheting, and spinning things.

My Knitting:

I designed some fingerless Mitts (Horseshoe Mani Mitts) to match my Horseshoe Pedi Socks.  Completed my first shawl (A Certain Shade of Green).  I have started another shawl (Gingko Shawl) and finally a pair of socks (TARDIS Socks) that I will keep for myself.

Here is a pic of my completed "A Certain Shade of Green" shawl (pattern by Erica Jackofsky - Fiddle Knits)

My Crocheting:

I designed a new hat (Bonita Bonnet).  It has a center whole in it for the sole purpose of a pony tail to come through it.  The pictures on Ravelry show it with and without the ponytail.  I'm also in the process of designing an afghan.

A pic of my wonderful DD modeling the Bonita Bonnet:

My Spinning:

I did Tour de Fleece (TdF) for the first time and actually did more than my goal of at least 15 mins per day.  Doing the TdF has really sparked my spinning enthusiasm and can't seem to stop.  Not that it is a bad thing or anything :)

Here is all I have spun for the TdF:

I also finally got a WooLee Winder and a total of 3 bobbins for it!  I'm so excited to use it.  I did a 2-ply of the two bobbins to get this:

I also plied the two spindle fibers together to see how it would look:

Here is what I am spinning now:

It is from Funhouse Fibers called PANDA (SW Merino, Bamboo, and Nylon) in the color way of "Santa Fe".  I am actually spinning it really thin on my wheel.  I usually only get it this thin on my spindles.  I'm trying to spin it thin so I can do a 2-ply for socks.  I hope that when plied it will be fingering weight.  I think it is looking good so far.  I'm so excited.  :)

My next thing to try at spinning is with beads.  I got Gypsy Dancer beaded yarn spinning kit from Funhouse Fibers and will give it a go once I'm done with the PANDA fiber.

And with all this going on, I have been busy getting things ready for my baby girl to go off to college.  She has a 7 yr plan for a Doctorate level Physical Therapist degree at Carroll University (WI).  Freshmen move in day is August 26th so things are really coming to an end (or beginning, depending on how you look at it) fast!

What's on my needles:  Gingko Shawl and TARDIS socks

What's on my wheel:  PANDA fibers

What's on my hook:  New afghan design pattern

What's on my iPod:  Betrayed: House of Night series (book 2) by P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Attended Sheep in the City 2011!

This past weekend I attended the Sheep in the City Getaway 2011!

Friday:  I took the Beginner’s Drop Spindle class which was taught by a wonderful instructor named:  Lindsay O’Neill.  She was great!  I bought some BFL from a vendor and an Ashford spindle in the class and made a cute little skein. She walked us through making a single.  Next we took it off the spindle using an empty toilet paper roll to make a center pull ball.  Then we plied it using the spindle which I haven't done before.

The reddish fiber is in the School House colorway by Happy Hands Hand Dyed Fibers (BFL) and the like grey, purple'ish fiber is in the Dusk colorway fiber by Fluffington Farms (bamboo, soy silk, black bamboo, perendale wool, yearling mohair, firestar, & angelina).

I'm really liking the School House colorway - really pretty.  :)

The close up of the little skein is next to a tealight candle in a glass holder to show the size. 

Saturday:  I went back to walk through the vendors and see the two symposiums they had.

While walking around the vendors, the Village Spinners guild were taking the fiber from combing or carding, to spinning, to a knitted scarf.  I asked if someone could show me how to comb the fiber and then I to experience the combing myself.  When I was done combing I used a Diz to take the fiber off the comb and ready for spinning.  It was a great experience.  Never done that before.  So much fun!

I did a little shopping and got the following:

From Samantha in Stitches I got some pretty sock yarn she dyed, a wooden shawl pin, and some of the most wonderful hand lotion!  I love this stuff!

From Sun Valley Fiber Farm I got a really nice looking shawl (one of my goals this year is to make my first lace shawl) called Gingko Shawl and some of her hand dyed yarn to make it with.  This yarn is Merino Cashmere Nylon and feels wonderfully soft.  Can’t wait to start this, hopefully this week.

Antique Sock Machines from the Smithsonian – The speaker, John Loeffelholz, had done research for a book him and a coauthor wrote about the history of the Sock Knitting Machines.  He went to Smithsonian and was able to look at all the different types of models they have recorded and collected over the many years.  Unfortunately he didn’t bring in one to actually see, but the discussion was very interesting!

Nordic knitting in Estonia Symposium – Two women, Mary Germain and Sandy DeMaster, where inspired by a Latvian friend to work jointly on an article and pattern on Latvian knitting that was published in Piecework magazine.  Together, they traveled to Latvia in 2001 on a knitting trip.  Again on 2005 they traveled together to Estonia, another Baltic country, located directly north of Latvia, where they attended the Nordic Knitting Symposium along with 80 other knitters mostly from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.  They brought in some examples of this type of knitting and showed a slideshow of their travels.  It was a wonderful discussion to attend.  Makes me want to travel there too!

Well, that was my weekend.  Whew!  Time to rest now. 

What I have been up to lately

I have been really busy lately. The one project at work is finally DONE! Now we have to get out an emergency patch by the end of the year to fix some issues. Will it ever end? hehe

My new spindle and matching fiber came along with a second spindle w/fiber as a gift! What a pleasant surprise that was. :)

I tested out the gift spindle/fiber last night and this was what I have so far. It spins wonderfully!

 

Remember the BSJ's I made for a co-worker who was due in February? Well, it now fits her and the weather is now cold enough for her to wear it (she lives in NC). Her mommy sent me some pictures of her in it. Such a cutie she is...

 

This past weekend was my Grandma's 89th Birthday. I went up north (just a bit Northwest of Eau Claire, WI) to visit her. She was so happy to see my DD and myself. I brought along my spinning wheel and some homemade spindles that I made and stained to do another demonstration for her and the other residents at the care center. I left the homemade spindles and some KP fiber there for them to "play" with. My DD took the pictures below.

Us with my Grandma :) (from left: niece, aunt, grandma, daughter, niece, myself)

 

Teaching one of the ladies the spindle.

 

Spinning on my wheel

 

My niece is learning also and her sister is looking at a copy Spin Off. :)

 

Below is the year long afghan I have been working on. I still have to finish up the interlocking mitered squares in the upper right corner, the center square (embroidered design), and the lines (duplicate stitched) on the argyle square in the lower right corner. This month we meet on the 19 and will learn the crocheted edgings for the sides and top/bottom. That will complete the afghan.