Oh Sandy!

Cue up Grease! It seems like not matter where the storm named Sandy actually hits (Delaware? Atlantic City? NYC?), CT is going to feel part of the punch. We're all still smarting from Irene & the Halloween nor'easter of 2011! We are prepared for the worst, but I am hoping for the best. I hope if you are in the path of Sandy you can do what you need to to stay safe! In the meantime, I saw this and thought it was good advice - if there's no power, there's no internet!

What will I be working on? I have two socks in progress, am planning to cast on a shawl project today, I have a colorwork hat in the wings, and a crochet monster in progress. I could also work on the minis. Or maybe I'll swatch, I am itching for a new sweater for me. Both kids need new winter hats too! Do you have knitting plans for the storm?

Pining for Rhinebeck

Oh Rhinebeck. We wait all year to go and then woosh! the weekend just flies by! I had a really great time and consider this year to be a big success. I went with a list and pretty much found what I was looking for: yarn from Green Mountain Spinnery to do a JETS hat (inspired by their modifications to the Icebreaker Hat), "breed specific" yarn (thank you Solitude Wool), and Bijou Spun Sport weight Yak Down yarn. I also received a yarn payment - the same dyelot in a sweater's worth of yarn from Good Karma Farm for the Charleston Tea project. The most fun though was the infamous Rhinebeck Hat! This year, our hats were individual interpretations of the Fiddlehead Hat. I made several tiny pandas for my hat, and tiny mermaids for Virginia's hat.

My hat base was a black sparkle "holiday" yarn with green sparkly fiddleheads to be a loose interpretation of bamboo. Virginia's hat was blue and sparkly with green sparkly fiddleheads for seaweed.

We made a point to find Miss Mochimochiland herself in the book signing area. I do have her newest book, which she was kind enough to sign. I think she liked our hats - she tweeted our picture! And now, it's back to reality. There have been several sleepless nights as Nate is teething, I'm trying to keep up in an online course I'm taking about web design, there's work stuff, and general life. But, I've got pretty yarn to squish and pet!

Shift Finished!

I am almost done with this year's crazy Rhinebeck Hat - I will probably post a photo on Friday. I can say that both are coming together nicely and this takes the cake for obnoxious, easy to spot, silly, & yet totally appropriate for attending a fiber festival. But this post is about a new FO! I mentioned here that I scored a destash of Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica - it was an assortment of skeins. I had fun pairing them together and finally cast on a collection to create Shift. I started with this:
Many rows of garter stitch later, I have ended up with this:
I love that it can be long and chunky, but I can also double it for those really cold days that are sure to come!

Someone came looking for me when I was trying to take a few pictures!
And someone else was trying to snatch a few pancakes leftover from lunch, so I made him earn it.

Charleston Tea, finished!

Just today, I put the Charleston Tea in the mail, to return home at Good Karma Farm up in Maine. I know that I have said it here before but it is worth repeating: I love this yarn! It is a new blend and weight for them, and I am hoping to purchase more at Rhinebeck in a few weeks.

This colorway, which I believe is "Artichoke", was left to do its own thing. I did not bother to alternate the skeins and there was no instances of flashing. The cable and lace portion probably helped to break that up. There is a little bit of striping activity on the hood, but it still looks good.



I am considering knitting this again, for me. Now that's saying something! If I do decide to do that, I will be lengthening the body and sleeves and losing the hood. And those are rather minor modifications. I would also wear a more appropriate shirt underneath.

I love this photo. I can't put my finger on why, because it doesn't show the sweater very well, but something about it works, I think.