The Perfect Weather for Fiber

The weather has turned into that beautiful fall weather - sometimes overcast, turning all the colors into muted shades, sometimes sunny with brilliantly blue skies highlighting all the colors of autumn. In the evenings, the smell of burning wood from neighbors' fireplaces is made sharper by the cold air. The landscape around Smalltown, is changing as harvest progresses. It's time for pulling out the heavier sweaters.

This weekend has been a mix of work (blah...) and fibery goodness.

Yesterday I headed to one of my favorite cities in the US - Chicago - for Yarn Con. I was there to scope out vendors for a future guild event and also to find some yarn for a swap. I was successful on both fronts - but I can't show you the results as I don't want my swap partner to see her gift (it's not a secret swap so she knows I'm her partner).




The few hours in Chicago just reinforced that I need to go there more often. (Not the greatest photos being taken from my car at stoplights.)





I detoured from Pulaski Park (Yarn Con's location) to just south of downtown to Dearborn station and Loopy Yarns. They have much more space than their previous location.




Different weights of yarns are located in different rooms and they have a very large classroom space/sale yarns in the lower level.





If you hit Loopy Yarns, be sure to make time to explore the surrounding neighborhood, known as Printer's Row.

I also made a stop here as I'm looking for CD storage ideas.


I'd never been before as it is not a simple thing to get to the store from the interstate highway. It is so huge it's overwhelming. I walked around all 3 floors just to get an idea of all the merchandise and picked up a catalog. I did pick up 2 more holders for my knitting magazines. It took a bit of searching as the majority of their stock are made out of folded cardboard. (Why would one put steel details on cardboard? While it looks nice, it's still cardboard and, in my opinion, flimsy.)

We have a finished object! The Faroese Shawl from A Gathering of Lace. It did not turn out as large as I would like - I was in denial but didn't want to rip out yet again - so instead this item will be a gift.



(This was the best photo I could get - by spreading it over 2 small tables then standing on a chair. Click to see the detail.)

What's In Your Knitting Bag?

Jane recently posted about having multiple WIPs and not feeling guilty about it. Amen to that.

Like many knitters, I have more than one knitting bag (because I have more than one project on the needles) but am mainly using these two at the moment.

The first is a bag I bought (on clearance at Target) before attending a conference. I wanted something I could sling across or carry like a purse. It's nothing fancy, but can hold quite a few items.



The knitting in this bag is the "company knitting" - knitting that is so simple I don't have to pay constant attention to it. I grab this bag and it travels with me each day just in case there's an opportunity for knitting during the day.

This is another Jared Flood Striped Scarf - not made out of Noro, but out of Wisdom yarns.


This is a recent find from the WIP bin - another Farrow Rib Scarf that I started back in 2007 when I was in the UK. It's made out of Sublime.

Last is the Marching Columns Scarf made from Brook Farm Yarns Four Play.


This is a bag I got before going to Europe in 2007 - one of the best travel purchases I have ever made. While working in Germany for three weeks, I had about a 20 minute walk to the grocery store. This served as my grocery bag and even handled a small watermelon. It was wonderful to have a whole suitcase that folded into a small packet that I could fit in my purse when not using it. Lately, it served as a knitting bag for my stay at home projects because the zipper keeps the cats out of my knitting.



It holds the Faroese Shawl from A Gathering of Lace,


the Arrowhead Shawl,


and a reversible cable scarf.


There's was some excitement today when a package arrived from Earthfaire. I had ordered the Dragonfly Beaded Scarf kit after seeing it on The Faculty Meeting Knitter and realizing it would make the perfect gift for someone on my list. I have never beaded before and I'm just jumping in the deep end of the pool with this project.



Luckily, the folks at Earthfaire know how to package things to withstand the USPS handling.
Three of the bead packs were open and had spilled beads into the plastic bag.




Aren't these lovely?


Knitting with beads is slow going. Both methods of using beads are in this pattern - you string beads onto the yarn for the cast on, then the rest are placed using the crochet method. I was already a slow knitter, but a short row of 81 stitches takes a long time. Plus there are twisted stitches in every K2tog and SSK. Thank goodness this doesn't have to be finished for 6 months.

And now for something completely different - the weather.

It snowed this morning. Thankfully, it melted as it touched the ground.

I am so not ready winter.

October? Already?

It's hard to believe September has come and gone.

There's been some knitting going on in the Haus, but before I get to it, I need to send a shout out to my Secret Pal, Shannon.

She sent along some Kidsilk Haze, which I've always wanted to try but haven't (yet), along with gorgeous beads, beading needle, a pattern for a beaded scarf, a Lily Allen CD, cool mints, some chai tea mix, and delectable caramels with sea salt in them (which are not pictured because I accidently erased the first picture taken awhile ago, and, well, pictures of empty wrappers just won't do).



Thanks, Shannon! You really spoiled me but good during this Secret Pal round!

So my first foray into felting was not as successful as I'd like.

Remember this?



It's now this. I can't believe how many inches were lost in the felting process. And the curving cables do not show up well in regular light.



I'd like to try this again, but using a yarn that does not have mohair in it. I think that works against the cables showing up after felting.

This was a handbag made from a Noro brand that I can't remember offhand. I like how it felted, but again, for myself I'd like a bigger, deeper bag. Now to find some handles for this. The handles I originally bought just don't work with how small the bag turned out after felting.


I had frogged this yarn at least four times - never happy with my chosen pattern. I think I finally found a pattern that shows the color of the yarn. This is Misti Chunky Ribs & Ruffles Scarf. I used 2 skeins, as I like my scarves very long so they can be wrapped more than once around the neck.


This shows a more true picture of the colors.


With this project I'm able to feel a bit virtuous - it's from stash and, with being frogged a number of times, it's finally out of the WIPs bin.

This virtuous feeling won't last long, however, with Yarn Con right around the corner.

Starting and Finishing

I've started a new project.

I know - you're all shocked, shocked you say (in your best Claude Rains imitation).

I started the Arrowhead Shawl using the Yummy Yarns UK Zoe sent me.


ALERT THE MEDIA - there's a nearly finished item on this blog - the Making Waves Briefcase by Chris Bylsma. I made a couple of modifications. I made it a bit longer and did not include the divider as I want this as a big bag rather than a briefcase. Since I decided to eliminate the divider, I did I-cord all the way around the top of the bag. Otherwise, if one uses the divider, the I-cord is only on the 2 long edges/sides of the bag. This is made from stash - Cascade Pastaza.


I hope to felt this bag this coming weekend. When I knit this again, I'll make the carpet bag size.

We had our first guild meeting after the summer break. Our guest speaker was Cat Bordhi. I really would like to take a class from her - funny and informative.



When I was in Minnesota, while I started my visit at the State Fair, I ended in a much nicer place - one that is especially easier on the arteries - especially compared to a deep-fried twinkie.

If you're ever in the neighborhood, I would suggest a stop at Three Kittens Needle Arts. When I was last at this store, it still belonged to the former owner and was in a different location. What a change a few years makes!









They've got a good selection, a great space, and places to sit and knit.

Plus - really - who can resist the name?

Guilty Pleasures

So the other day, there was a little yellow slip in the mail that said the post delivery person had tried to deliver a package. I picked up the package the next day on my way to work. That package sat in my office taunting me all day. Only the fact that I was in-and-out all day kept me from tearing into it.

My heart did a little Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bou-quet) skip when I saw the postal label. Royal mail.



The excitement builds! The package is from Woolbird (Zoe) as part of the Guilty Pleasures/Good Karma swap.


Can you believe the bounty?


The card she sent is a magnet.


The cats wouldn't leave the package alone, so before I could look at everything in the package, I had to hand out the catnip mice Zoe sent.



Sheep clips!


Montezuma's No. 1 Blend Real Chocolate for Drinking.


Cedarwood & Lemon and Orange Spice handmade soap from Saffron Barr.


She made a beautiful felted envelope in which she placed...


the earrings and stitch markers she also made!


She also made this cowl. (Before taking this photo, I had no idea how hard it is to take a photo of one's self.)


Aren't the colors gorgeous?


The pattern in relief against a window.


And we're still not done!

This is her own handspun - Falkland wool 3 ply with gold thread. It's gorgeous greens, reds, browns with gold specks shining through. Any ideas for patterns worthy of this yarn?


The next is Cariad Yarn's Flimstone Bay in color Celebrate - 80% lambswool, 10% angora, and 10% cashmere.


This is Yummy Yarns UK's Alpaca/Lambswool in color Cuddle Up - a beautiful 4 ply fingering.


This is Posh Yarn's Sylvia in color Ragtime - 50% merino and 50% silk. I can't even begin to describe the colors. Wow!


She also sent an issue of Yarn Forward Magazine and a brochure on Jane Austen's Winchester. Now I've another city on my list of places I'd like to visit.