A Day at the Fair

LA County Fair 2007 opening day...

Mulberry daydream

It's one of those days when you just want to look at a pretty hand painted yarn and imagine what it will become...

I'd like to take a minute to introduce you to a brand new fingering yarn from Spinning Yarns Online - a site I believe is only a few weeks old.

Yes! New! Yarn!

Carolyn hand dyes all of the yarn there and spins some too. I don't think you can get this stuff anywhere else. Starting to sound interesting?

The yarn here is called Mulberry bush and I can't yet decide if they will be socks or a scarf or... well I think I better knit a swatch first. Let inspiration strike.

Yeah so, look for a more comprehensive review after I actually start knitting with the stuff. But early reports indicate vibrant color and soft 100% superwash merino to be sweet. And the texture reminds me of Koigu.

Campanula sock one

I finished the first sock and now have one more to go. I admit I am in the depths of second sock syndrome.

You know, I just knitted one. Why do I have to do it all over again?

I think it's a pretty sock overall and I'm happy to be playing along in the knit-along. It's my first actually. (!)

If I were to knit these again I would make a few changes. It's funny because I actually AM knitting this sock again but I want a matching pair, flaws and all.

I'd use size 1 needles for a better fit. I'd decrease at the ankle to help with the loose quality this sock has there.

I've also learned lot about how a knit-along runs and will improve next year's Tour de Fleece in the following ways:

1. Have prizes. Several.
2. Have a blog that all the members can join and post in.
3. Did I mention prizes?

In closing, I am compelled to mention I photographed my foot in this wool sock outside when it was over 100 degrees out... AND my neighbors silently watched me do it. I'm sure they think I run a foot fetish site. Or they just think I'm crazy. Who knows?

News: Ravelry let me join... Now what?

Finally! I just joined Ravelry and haven't got it all set up yet but I will soon...

If you're on there add me as a friend. My name is starathena.

Hi.

Campanula progress

By the time you read this I have already turned the heel!

Pattern: Campanula for the Cure.

Yarn: Knitpicks Essential in pumpkin (pictured)

Needles: Size 2 (pictured)

Notes: My gauge is about half a stitch off, which is resulting in a slightly loose sock. To compensate, I am doing the directions for a small foot and it seems to be working out. I just turned the heel and the sock fits well.

In real life I have a narrow foot (pictured) but it is also long. This is part of why I love knitting socks... socks that really fit!

I also took my socks on an outing the other day to spread the word. A requirement of the KAL is to do this and since I am now unemployed again but also busy helping several people move, the right opportunity hasn't presented itself.

SO, I just took my socks out with me on a walk. We stopped by the pawn shop and the gas station and sure enough posing with a sock does attract attention. You'd think knitting socks to cure cancer wouldn't require so much explanation but it turns out it does. Because you have to explain the point of knitting socks in the first place.

I think I spread the word to some people who definitely would not have otherwise stumbled on this knit-along. Outing successful.

Yarn for sale!

I did it, people. I re-launched my etsy shop and loaded it up with yarn for sale. I'm going to list more next week as well.

Oh, did I mention my job ended Friday? Yeah. Now I have some time. I think. Maybe. Don't quote me.

Since I have been on a sock knitting kick lately, I decided to design some sock yarn too. I have some lovely yarn ready to dye and a desire deep within my heart to spend some time with it. Which reminds me of more things to add to my wish list... skeinwinder and swift. But for now I have niddy noddys and backs of chairs, hands, knees, etc.

Yeah, but back to the sock yarn. Here is what I have in mind:

- Enough yardage to make a decent pair.
- No bold, even stripes or pools.

...There should be more. What do you like in a sock yarn? Please tell!

Campanula knit-along!

I joined a sock knit-along! What? I mean, yay! The pattern is super cute and it's for a good cause too. I'm remembering now that the best medicine for the blues is to do something for someone else. In my current self-obsessed stupor, this project arrived at the right time. Okay, the truth is I didn't do that much for someone else, but it is true that I am remembering this now.

Here's the scoop: In exchange for a donation of ANY AMOUNT (no matter how small) to the 2-day 60-km walkathon next September benefiting the Princess Margaret Hospital, Canada’s leading Cancer treatment and research facility, you get the pretty lace sock pattern for free. Then you can join the knit-along... and maybe even win a prize.

For more info, check out Campanula for the Cure. The page with all the details is here.

What sort of yarn will I use? Maybe knitpicks essential in pumpkin. I know I have that sitting around. Maybe I have to raid the stash and see what else I have. To be honest, I want to place an order at The Loopy Ewe. I only recently discovered the site and am drooling over the sock yarns. Yum!

...BUT a good girl checks the stash first, right?

It's sort of wrong to buy $75 worth of sock yarn, right?

On second thought, don't answer that.

Mini break over

It's official. The mini blog break is over today. I'm ba-a-a-ack! I've still got a few photos to take of... knitting!

It occurred to me that for a knitting blog I don't discuss knitting as much as I should. I think about it a lot, I teach it to kids every day, and I'm always doing it. I have a few patterns buzzing around in my mind. I'd like to actually write them down. Ha ha ha I'm funny.

Speaking of which, I finally finished some knee socks, just in time for a heat wave! But vanity will prevail and I will photograph them tomorrow anyways. That's the sort of thing we models have to deal with, off season fashion shoots.

This evening I cast on for the Baudelaire socks using knitpicks gloss. I'm enjoying this yarn and wish it came in more colors... dreaming of fair isle armwarmers?

Anyways... Even though my spinning desire is awol and my lust for life is a bit grainy, well, I'm happy my knitting mojo is really back! Perhaps the rest will follow.

Fiber Friday 8/3/07

Happy Fiber Friday! I am happy to share some yarns today...

These are officially the last of the Tour de Fleece yarns... until 2008 of course.

I'm starting straight off with the yarn spun on challenge day: feathers.

I wrote a bit about spinning it here. I'm thrilled with the results and the general festivity factor. 69 yards, 2.2 oz.

The second yarn here is called small box. You know, a small pack of crayons. single yarn of hand dyed mill ends, 85 yards, 1.8 oz.

The third yarn down is woodland sprite. It's a single yarn of hand dyed mill ends. 1.8 oz, 77 yards.

How about another crazy yarn? Neapolitan: Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry inspired yarn with ice cream cone charms! The charms were made by Laughing Lark on Craftster, by the way.

The yarn is spun from hand dyed pink mill ends, white mill ends, and natural merino. Plied with crochet cotton strung with charms. 78 yards, 2.9 oz.

This last yarn was spun on the last day of the Tour de Fleece, 2007... while watching the last day of the Tour de France on TV. It's a tribute to the yellow jersey on the cobblestones of Paris. It's a single yarn made from natural merino, hand-dyed yellow mill ends, and recycled sari silk. 81 yards, 1.9 oz.

In other news, coming soon: a re-launch of my etsy shop... with homespun yarn, fiber and more! I'll keep you posted.

Yarnahol

Here is a sneak peek: I'm going to show off some more yarns tomorrow! I finally got the last of the Tour de Fleece yarns spun up and photographed... so sad it's over really.

Oh yes, there are some crazy things in this picture. There's an ice-cream yarn as well as a feather yarn. Oh yes.

I'm pleased overall. I should also mention that I haven't spun or dyed or anything since the Tour ended. (!) Here come the post-tour lazies again!

Could it be?

Is today really the last day in the Tour de France? Um, I mean, Tour de Fleece? Oui!

As I stand in the alley clutching on to a neighbor's one bar of wireless I feel compelled to postpone the giant post-tour wrap up special. When I get my home modem replaced, I will sit down and do this properly.

Until then, please let me know how you fared. Over 130 people signed up... I want to know what happened! Are you wearing yellow? Did you spin yellow? Did you survive?

Be proud today Tour spinners, you made it! Now it's your turn to brag.

Fiber Friday 7/27/07

The Tour de Fleece has been the best thing that's happened to Fiber Friday. I've got a lot of yarns here to share.

First up: Contador. Made in honor of the young cyclist Alberto Contador, this was spun on the day he won his first stage ever in the Tour de France. The colors of his Discovery team (blue, green, black) are here with white for the best young rider jersey he wears and one yellow stripe for the sleeve the Discovery team has in honor of Lance Armstrong. The whole deal is plied with wasabi green crochet cotton. 138 yards, 4 oz.

Next: Velouria. This has some purples, wine, honey, mahogany, and peach plied with steel grey thread. Mixed wools, merino and tencel. 2.8 oz, 107 yards.

The third yarn I spun while watching the Tour de France wind it's way to Montpellier, so that is it's name. Bold, bouncy colors plied with steel grey thread. Mixed wool, merino/tencel. 2.9 oz, 116 yards.

The next yarn is called Sea Change. It's a 2-ply wool progressing from blue to green to yellow. 3.5 oz, 99 yards.

The last yarn on the block is Red Buttons. Of course. This yarn is hot! All shades of red, orange and yellows, plied with black thread strung with buttons. 3.2 oz, 142 yards.

I have more, but this is all that's fit to print today. Have a lovely Fiber Friday, world wide web! I'm going to an open house at the school/camp where I teach kids to spin and knit. They get to show off all their little projects to their parents tonight, and I'm excited for them.

Teaching kids to knit feels really important, though the people out there working to cure cancer may beg to differ. In any case, Friday is Friday. Let's enjoy it together. Everyone welcome.