A simple hat!

When I was at Stitches, I picked up some a skein of MacKintosh Yarn's Iona Worsted, a yummy MCN base! It was that lovely cabarnet color I talked about earlier, remember? The day after I got back, I wound the yarn into a cake and casted on for a Felicity Hat (pattern by Wanette Clyde). I love this hat! I wish it weren't nearly summer so that I could wear it more often! The fit is a little tight, but I am sure it will stretch some.


Most importantly, the yarn really is great! It's very soft and almost feels a little silky. (I know, there's no silk in it, but it's almost slippery like silk is. In a good way.) The color is gorgeous. I love how it has some subtle color variations, and it knits up beautifully. For all of my Kentucky friends reading along, if you're going to the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival this weekend (and you all are going, right???), you'll have to check out Mac's other yarns. She'll be there as a vendor selling her hand-dyed yarn and fiber.

Stitches Part 2: The Fiber

I went to Stitches intending to purchase a Drop Spindle. I researched the vendors that would be selling them, read reviews on the specific companies they carried, and talked to several people about what to look for in buying a spindle for a beginner. I also borrowed a friend's spindle to play with for a little while before making my purchase. I ended up buying a 1.3 oz drop spindle by True Creations. I can't recall the wood used and although it is written on the spindle, it is currently covered up by some yarn I am spinning.




I really like it so far. It seems to be well balanced and it spins well. Of course, I still don't know much about spinning, but it is working pretty well for me at this point.






I couldn't buy a spindle without buying some fiber though! So, I purchased some fiber from two different companies: MacKintosh Yarns and Miss Babs. The MacKintosh is a 100% superwash BFL in an unknown OOAK colorway with white, deep blues, and golds mixed in. This is what I am currently spinning and it is very nice!










I also got two braids of BFL Top from Miss Babs. The top left braid a lovely colorway called "A Day at Lake Michigan." The bottom one is a really rich mix of colors called "Summer Garden." Both are stunning!

Stitches Part 1: The Yarn

As promised, here is the first of my three recap posts of Stitches South. I decided to break it down into three posts: one detailing my yarn purchases, another discussing my new-found love of spinning and fiber, and a third reviewing the classes I took and my overall experience. I will say first that I had a great time! I went by myself, and was worried that I would miss having a group of friends to peruse the market with or have meals together. But, it really was nice being alone and getting to do what I wanted. I stayed with my aunt who lives about thirty minutes away from the Cobb Galleria. It was nice to have a free place to stay, but I would have enjoyed being at the Waverly and getting to enjoy some of the late-night events! Maybe next time.

Okay, the market was seriously overwhelming. But, I went in with a bit of a plan. I had a budget, knew some of the stuff I wanted to buy, and pretty much stuck with it. For example, I knew I wanted to buy a nice drop spindle, which I will talk about more in the next post, and I knew I wanted to buy some Bugga. I did both. But not much else, as you will see.

My first stop was at The Sanguine Gryphon's booth. Actually, I was the first one there that day! I was in line early and headed straight for her booth. I love bugga, and intended to buy a couple skeins of their spring line, plus a skein for a friend. But, I got there and instead decided to buy four skeins of holly blue butterfly for a sweater. Maybe a lightweight pullover? Any thoughts? I hadn't planned to purchase that much bugga for me, and that decision started me out with a budget issue! But, as you can see, it is gorgeous!



I also got a skein of bugga for a friend of mine in blue emperor dragonfly, a color that will be gorgeous knit up.



From there I went to buy my drop spindle, so that I would know exactly how much I had left to spend. After making that purchase, and without much money left, I continued my browsing throughout the market. There was really a lot of gorgeous stuff, and a lot of yarn I'd never heard of. I wish I were more adventurous at trying new yarns from unfamiliar places, but I often still feel like I don't really know what I am doing when it comes to judging yarn. But, I did find a new-to-me company that I really like so far: MacKintosh Yarn. I enjoyed talking to Liz, the owner of the company, and she does a beautiful job dyeing her yarn. I ended up with one skein of iona worsted yarn, a really lovely merino/cashmere/nylon blend, in cabernet. I wound this last night and decided it wanted to be a felicity, a simple, somewhat slouchy stockinette hat.



And one skein of iona fingering, also a merino/cashmere/nylon blend, in misty highlands. I just love the color of this yarn and can't wait to knit it up. It will look awesome in a shawl. Maybe a herbivore?


All in all, I am really happy with my yarn purchases. I didn't come home with a ton of yarn, and had projects in mind for each of the skeins I purchased. I did buy some fiber in addition to the yarn, which I'll talk about soon. I guess if I hadn't bought the fiber I would have bought more yarn, but I am really excited about learning to spin! I can't wait until my next yarn/wool festival! I am going to the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival in May and taking a dyeing class, and, of course, going to their market!

Stitches South

The time has come! I am at my first Stitches convention! I had only recently started knitting when Sitches Midwest hit Chicago in 08, and had already moved by the time it came in 09. So, I am finally going to my first Stitches in Atlanta! I am taking two classes: Basic Intarsia Techniques with Sarah Peasley and Advanced Finishing with Margaret Fisher. And, I will be spending lots of time at the market today, hopefully buying lots of yummy yarn and a new spindle. I'll be sure to report on my experience when I get back!

Earth Laughs in Flowers (aka Happy Earth Day)

Hamatreya

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bulkeley, Hunt, Willard, Hosmer, Meriam, Flint,
Possessed the land which rendered to their toil
Hay, corn, roots, hemp, flax, apples, wool, and wood.
Each of these landlords walked amidst his farm,
Saying, “’Tis mine, my children’s and my name’s.
How sweet the west wind sounds in my own trees!
How graceful climb those shadows on my hill!
I fancy these pure waters and the flags
Know me, as does my dog: we sympathize;
And, I affirm, my actions smack of the soil.”

Where are these men? Asleep beneath their grounds:
And strangers, fond as they, their furrows plough.
Earth laughs in flowers, to see her boastful boys
Earth-proud, proud of the earth which is not theirs;
Who steer the plough, but cannot steer their feet
Clear of the grave.
They added ridge to valley, brook to pond,
And sighed for all that bounded their domain;
“This suits me for a pasture; that’s my park;
We must have clay, lime, gravel, granite-ledge,
And misty lowland, where to go for peat.
The land is well,—lies fairly to the south.
’Tis good, when you have crossed the sea and back,
To find the sitfast acres where you left them.”

Ah! the hot owner sees not Death, who adds
Him to his land, a lump of mould the more.
Hear what the Earth say:—


EARTH-SONG

“Mine and yours;
Mine, not yours.
Earth endures;
Stars abide—
Shine down in the old sea;
Old are the shores;
But where are old men?
I who have seen much,
Such have I never seen.

“The lawyer’s deed
Ran sure,
In tail,
To them and to their heirs
Who shall succeed,
Without fail,
Forevermore.

“Here is the land,
Shaggy with wood,
With its old valley,
Mound and flood.
But the heritors?—
Fled like the flood's foam.
The lawyer and the laws,
And the kingdom,
Clean swept herefrom.

“They called me theirs,
Who so controlled me;
Yet every one
Wished to stay, and is gone,
How am I theirs,
If they cannot hold me,
But I hold them?”

When I heard the Earth-song
I was no longer brave;
My avarice cooled
Like lust in the chill of the grave.

Work-appropriate vest

I am in a fairly conservative profession as far as fashion is concerned. This year in particular, I wear suits almost daily to work. Although I will be able to dress more casually at my new job--which I start in September--it will most likely still be somewhat conservative. For some time now, I've been wanting to make some work-approrpiate attire. My first thought was a vest: it can be worn over a button-down shirt, with dress pants or a skirt, and still be professional. So, then I went on a search for the right pattern. I found Crisp by Wendy Bernard almost a year ago, and thought it would be perfect. Although the neck is a deep v, it would still be appropriate worn over a button-down shirt that covers everything up! And, I loved the cute play with color on the shoulders and the waist. Plus, I'd heard great things about Wendy's designs. Although I own Custom Knits, I've yet to make anything out of it. So, I was looking forward to finding the perfect yarn and working on the pattern.

I eventually chose to use Berocco Alpaca Ultra Light in salt & pepper, with a coordinating white color for the accents. The yarn was okay. I guess if I had thought about it more, I may not have opted to go with alpaca. It sheds like crazy and looks kind of hairy, which is to be expected for alpaca, really. On one hand, it hides any imperfections, particularly along the armholes and necklines where I had to pick up stitches, but it also hides the stitch detailing. The sizing is pretty spot on, other than being a little large in the back. In the end though, I am really happy with the vest!


I started the vest back during Ravelypmics, and although I made a lot of progress on it during the competition, I wasn't able to finish it. Once I finished the body, it sat around waiting for me to get up the energy to pick up the stitches for the armholes and neckline. I HATE picking up stitches!! And the alpaca made it even more difficult to see where I needed to do the picking up. But, the effort was worth it!

Here are my post-blocking thoughts: I read someone's comment on Ravelry, suggesting to leave a long tail on the waist coordinating color yarn. She's right! I left a very long tail, but after blocking and stretching, it either wasn't long enough or it broke. I need to weave the second strand through about 5 of the stitches, which won't be a problem. But, I highly recommend leaving it extra long. It's such a cute accent, though, that it's worth trying to get it right!

My sort-of LYS

When I lived in Chicago, I faithfully shopped from my favorite LYS (Loopy Yarns) I learned to knit by taking a beginning knitting class there, and then they couldn't keep me away. I'd go weekly for Friday Knit Night, I took several more classes, and I would walk by the store on my way home from work to say hi or see new stock. I became really close to a great group of friends from Loopy and had a very difficult time telling them goodbye when I left. I still miss them dearly!!

I moved to Berea, KY, a town known as the folk arts and crafts capital of Kentucky. I thought that surely there would be an LYS here, or, at the very least, a fiber-related shop. Although there are a couple of stores that sell yarn, there is nothing close to an LYS. Don't get me wrong, I have met great fiber friends, but the closest true LYS is about 45 minutes away. Because I work south of Berea, it would take me about an hour and 15 minutes to get to the nearest LYS during the week coming from work. So, I have had to find other ways to fill my LYS needs. Thus enters The Loopy Ewe.

The Loopy Ewe, run by Sheri, is amazing! (Check our her blog, where she posts about store-related events and random knitting/fiber/life/cooking-related thoughts.) Sheri stocks some incredible yarn, including yarn that you can't buy at an LYS. She is the only American distributor of Wollmeise, apart from buying from the Wollmeise herself (although Sheri doesn't keep it in stock all the time, you can buy it there if you get lucky, and I have!). She also carries lots of other fun, independently-dyed yarns, like dragonfly fibers, the sanguine gryphon, numma numma, etc. So, I have essentially turned to The Loopy Ewe to become my "sort-of LYS." She process her orders so fast that if I place an order on Monday night or even Tuesday morning, I can get it to my house by Thursday! Considering the fact that I can only make it to an LYS on the weekends, I get yarn in my hands faster than I would if I waited to go to the LYS. That's what happened this week! Although I swore I wouldn't buy yarn until Stitches South (which is less than a week away!!!), I folded. Sheri teamed up with Lorna's Laces to offer a special "team spirit" line of sock yarn and, what can I say, I am a sucker for blue and white (gotta support the UK Wildcats!). Plus, I knew I had to by some Cascade 220 to complete my homework for stitches. So, here is what I got in the mail yesterday:

Cascade in Natural, Bluebell, Primavera, and Framboise (the Goldenrod on top was from my stash)


And, of course, my Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Team Spirit #15


Although The Loopy Ewe not close enough for me to just walk in and say hello, I feel like I know Sheri. She writes a note on every order, includes little treats with your first five orders, and a big treat with your sixth order, when you're welcomed into the "loopy groupie" club! She also has other incredible incentives, like $25 back for every $250 you spend. And, she has an incredible five-installment sock club, which I was lucky enough to get to join this year. This week's order just happened to be my 6th, and I got my "Loopy Groupie" welcome package. My jaw dropped at Sheri's generosity! When you're welcomed into the club, you get a very large Loopy Ewe bag, two sock patterns, a stitch marker, the infamous hershey kisses, a sheep calendar, and even a skein of sock yarn! (Mine was Earthly Hues's "seedling" in Acid Wash--I don't know if this is her norm, or just what got stuck in mine.)





Wow, Sheri! Thank you for allowing me to find a replacement for the LYS that I loved dearly in Chicago! Although I can't walk in weekly, I can always try to make one of your special events like Spring Fling, and I can say hello and talk with other Loopy Groupies on Ravelry. For now, this will have to work as my LYS. And, even though I will be moving in a few months to a city where there are lots of LYSs, I think The Loopy Ewe will always have a place in my life! If you haven't shopped there before, you really should think about it! If you follow the link on the sidebar, I even get a referral credit! (Okay, shamless attempt to be able to spend more money on yarn. Who can blame me?)

Warm weather = grill time!

My husband and I are those people who grill as much as possible. We've even been known to grill with winter coats on! I love the ease of grilling, and the flavor it gives. One of our newer favorite grilling meals is grilled pizza. In particular, grilled bbq chicken pizza! When we order pizza out, we're pretty traditional- pepperoni, peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc. But, for some reason we love the flavor of bbq chicken pizza on the grill. Here's how we do it:

Ingredients:

• 1 serving fresh pizza dough (if you didn't know this, you can buy fresh pizza dough at Whole Foods, where they sell their pizzas)


• 1 large chicken breast, sauteed with salt and pepper and diced and lightly marinaded in bbq sauce (or you can use shredded rotisserie chicken)


• 1/2 thinly sliced red onion


• about 1 cup or so of your favorite bbq sauce (our favorite with this is Bull's Eye original--we love its tangy, spicy flavor, but we use Sweet Baby Ray's, too)


• about 1 cup of shredded smoked gouda cheese


• chopped cilantro


• olive oil

First, you want to have all of your ingredients prepared and near your grill, for easy access. Then roll out or toss your dough until it gets to the size you like, and place it onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the top with olive oil. Flip the dough so that the oiled side is down, onto a grill heated to medium. Immediately brush the top with olive oil. Allow the dough to cook about 2 minutes, or until it is golden brown, and flip. You may need to poke any airholes with a fork.



Once you've flipped the dough, it's time to put on your toppings! Begin by spreading the bbq sauce like you would pizza sauce, using as much or little as you want. Then scatter the chicken and onions around the pizza, covering it with the shredded cheese and cilantro. Allow the pizza to cook until the cheese melts. Remove from the grill, slice, and serve!

Ode to Spring

As promised, I am bringing you pictures of my most recent FO, my haruni shawl.



The yarn is Wollmeise Twin in Lowenzahn-dark. The color is spectacular! I got the yarn in a swap on Ravelry, and the minute I got it in the mail, I knew I wanted to do some sort of shawl with leaves on it, to show off the color. The color reminds me of the color of green in the spring--you're starting to get a bit of dark mixed in with the younger, yellower green. I love it! I wish I had this color in the 100% instead of the twin, because the nylon content made it a little twisty while working with it. Other than that, it was great!



As for the pattern (haruni by Emily Ross) I cannot tell you how much I loved it. The pattern is a free Ravelry download, but was so clear! There were both written instructions and lace charts. I really enjoyed that, because I am still learning to do lace, so having both options helps my understanding. I opted for the crochet bind off--my first time crocheting! I love the look of the bind off and think it was a really genius way to bind off this shawl.

Here are some helpful details:

After I finished Chart A, I had 80 g of yarn left (out of approximately 150g).
After Chart B, I had 10 g left, and was sweating it for the bind off! But, I ended wit 5g to spare.

Springtime makes me want to blog

I think I get depressed during the winter. It's dark when I get home; I rarely want to cook and when I do, I don't want to take the time to photograph it; although I do knit a lot, the light is never quite right for getting really great pictures. So, I've been in hiding. But, I am back now. To celebrate being back and to celebrate spring, I am reviewing a great spring recipe: Smitten Kitchen's asparagus, goat cheese, and lemon pasta.


This recipe is so very easy! That made me happy today. When I got home, I went straight to blocking my haruni shawl that I just finished (pictures to come when it's done blocking). Blocking it took forever. Really. So, by the time I was done, I was not in the mood to cook. But, this recipe hardly constitutes cooking! I love the creaminess of the goat cheese when it's mixed with the warm pasta and asparagus. And I really love asparagus! I felt like there was something missing though. It definitely needed more salt, so I should have tasted it first. Maybe the salt would have solved the problem. I also used a little less goat cheese than the recipe called for, because the 4 oz package was the closest option my grocer had. Maybe if I had added more cheese, it would have rounded out the flavor? I enjoyed the tarragon in it though. I rarely cook with tarragon, and I forgot how much it tastes like licorice! I will definitely make this recipe again, playing with the seasoning some more.

Irish Hiking Scarf--Belated FO Posting

This post is certainly outdated, but wanted to include it here nonetheless. This is an FO picture of the Irish Hiking Scarf I made for my MIL for Christmas. I used malabrigo worsted in sealing wax. The 2 skeins were very different, which is not unusual for malabrigo, so I alternated skeins every other round. I am actually really happy with the result--I like the color variegation that alternating gave it, and it doesn't have the drastic color changes that some people find when working on a malabrigo project.

I also really enjoyed the pattern. Like any scarf, it felt like it would never end, but I love the end result. I have since found some double-sided patterns that are very similar, and may consider doing one of those if I decide to do this scarf again. I sometimes hate having a wrong side on something like a scarf. But, my MIL loves it, and that's what matters!

Ravelympics 2010

It's official: Ravelympics 2010 is here! For those of you who think I've gone crazy, let me explain. Ravelympics is a world-wide knitting event that coincides with the Olympics--both winter and summer. Knitters (and crocheters, spinners, designers) compete as teams and individuals on ravelry to complete various types of projects. There are events to cover just about any type of project you can imagine. Everyone casts on at the same time (6:00 pm PST TODAY!), and has until 11:59:59 on 2/28/2010 to complete their projects. The different events have olympic-esque names (such as "bag jump," "beading biathalon," and "hat halfpipe"), and the event really encourages people to embrace the Olympics, not just the Ravelympics. It gets everyone excited about watching the Olympics coverage and cheering on their favorite athletes.

I wasn't a knitter during the last summer Olympics, so this is a first for me. Here is my plan:

• First: Cashmere Cowl, using Plucky's Cashmere Lace

• Second: Crisp vest, using berrocco ultra alpaca light in a dark gray, with white coordinating color

• And, finally, if I still have time, I will either finish those ailbe mittens that have been hanging over my head, or do a shawl. Probably the aestlight shawl

Of course, I still have other projects that I'd like to finish. For example, my clapotis (I finally started on the decreases!) and a pair of socks that I casted on this week. Those don't qualify for Ravelypmics, however, because I have been working on them too recently. To qualify for the Work In Progress (WIP) event, they have to have been untouched since 1/12. So, we'll have to see what all I am able to get done in the next coupls of weeks!

Second Mitten Syndrome

I am having second mitten syndrome. I basically finished my first ailbe mitten, but I can't bring myself to finish it. I really don't know why. I kind of love it and actually need a pair of mittens. But, I just simply don't want to work on it anymore. Since it's for me and not a gift, I don't really feel the need to force myself to finish it yet. So, I am just letting it hang out in the UFO pileto be finished one day, I promise.

How do you all deal with second sock/second mitten syndrome?

Brad Paisley Never Disappoints!

I have been to 3 Brad Paisley concerts in the last 16 months or so, and I have to say that he never disappoints! I apparently saw Brad years ago at a StraitFest, but don't really remember it too well. DJ and I went in August 08 when we lived in Chicago, and had a fantastic time! I never knew he was such a great performer and a truly talented guitarist. He is just amazing. And, he seems like a genuinely nice person. DJ and I felt "at home" at the Brad Paisley concert, given our country roots and the fact that we were living in the middle of the city. We really had a great time!

Flash forward about 9 months or so. I realized that he was coming back to Chicago, and decided to join the fan club to get advanced, vip tickets to his August 09 show. Am I glad we did! We got 5th row seats, and had an even better time!! After we moved to KY , I found out he was extending his 09-10 tour and heading to Lexington. So, of course, I had to go. And what do you know? I got to meet him!! I won a meet and great pass, through the fan club. So, after the show, I joined the other lucky fans and waited in line to shake hands, say hi, and get a picture taken with Brad. He was just as nice in person as I thought he would be, and I am so grateful that he appreciates his fans the way he does. Thank you, Brad!!



The show, of course, was great. He started off singing a few lines from "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive," which happens to be one of my favorite songs. He's never done that song before at the shows we saw in Chicago, which makes sense, because more people in KY probably feel a connection to that song than in Chicago. I appreciate that he considers what will impress the crowds. I think what I love most about Brad, though, is the fact that he seems to get the bigger picture, so to say. For example, his most recent album, American Saturday Night, boasts "Welcome to the Future," a song that looks at where we have come, but also hints at where we still have room to grow. For example:

I had a friend in school,
Running-back on a football team,
They burned a cross in his front yard
For asking out the home-coming queen.

I thought about him today,
Everybody who's seen what he's seen,
From a woman on a bus
To a man with a dream.

He-e-ey...
Wake up Martin Luther.
Welcome to the future.
He-e-ey...
Glory glory hallelujah.
Welcome to the future.

When I read those lyrics, I can't help but think about President Obama's election. Regardless of what we think of his politics or what he has done since taking office, I am truly proud that we finally have a minority president. Don't get me wrong--I know that it is not as simple as electing a black president; I know we still have a lot of inequity to address and a lot of problems to solve. To remind us of that, Brad sends someone around the city in which he is performing to ask children what they want to be when they grow up. He plays their responses during his show, often during "Welcome to the Future." In Lexington's show, you of course had the typical "I'm going to play Wildcat Basketball," but what touched my heart was the little girl who said "I'm going to be president." I hope she is one day, too.

What . . . could it be? A POST???

Okay, so I know I have been very absent for a couple months now. I think I got overwhelmed, and burnt out. I am still dealing with the latter of the two, but I miss blogging. I miss having a place to ramble if I need to. And I miss having an outlet for whatever creative ventures I am pursuing. So, what can I say?? I am back!

Life has been busy. For sure. The holidays, the New Year, work, dealing with long nights and short days, no sunlight, blah blah blah. I have been knitting some. I've done a hat for a co-worker, I've started lots of projects, including a clapotis and some mittens. And I've acquired new yarn (wollmeise, bugga, and plucky to name a few). I also started learning to sew and made a pair of boxers for DJ. I will be sure to talk about all of that at length later. For now, I just wanted to say hi.