Posted by: Mare F | November 9, 2014

This year at Rhinebeck

This has been a very busy year for me and I just can’t seem to catch up, but I love the energy. It’s been 3 weeks since I visited the New York Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY and once again it was a treat. Four of us went this year in two cars since one of us was coming home with an Angora bunny…well two bunnies, but that is another story and not mine to tell, so fitting all of us and a cage wasn’t an option. My plan this year was to look for good prices on the few remaining tools that I would like to own. First and foremost  I wanted combs. I have 6 boxes of llama fleece upstairs and I really want to start processing it. I haven’t spun llama yet, and since I got to personally meet these llamas I’m very excited about using it. So, imagine my delight when the third booth that  I wander into has the exact double row combs I’m looking for at $40 less than I have seen anywhere for the pair. After purchasing those and the holder I was a very happy fiber nut.

 

Rhinebeck haul 003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also made the sad discovery that my niddy noddy winds longer hanks than my squirrel cage swift can hold. I didn’t want to just do have of the niddy noddy so next on my list was a mid-sized one. All of the hanks of yarns that I’ve dyed over the past few months are all long enough that I have to lay them out on the center island in the kitchen with cans to hold them in place. Not the most efficient mode of work, but it does work. However, I did find the perfect niddy noddy so that too came home with me. I also found a cute little needle/hook gauge at Green Mountain Spinnery’s booth and had to add it to my tool bag. It’s shaped like a sheep! LOL.

 

Rhinebeck haul 002I posted last Thursday that I had the pleasure of meeting Maggie Sefton who was signing books in her booth. It was a wonderful surprise and I had a very nice time chatting with her. I also managed to get some more Hog Island roving and a beautiful chocolate-brown Jacob roving. Now to get the time to do some spinning!

 

Rhinebeck haul 001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think that the only thing I missed getting a photo of was the small bottle of oil I purchased for my spinning wheel. I’ve been looking for one for a while and just happened upon it. That was enough of a sign for me. Three of us entered the Chopstick Knitting competition and I was a dismal failure at it not even coming close to half of the number of rows of the top 10 people, but I had a great time. I did come in fourth at the crocheting contest which was new this year and now I’ve something to practice for in the coming winter months….there is always next year.

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Posted in Craft fairs/shows, Crocheting, Dyes, Festivals, Fiber trips., General, Knitting, Spinning | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Mare F | November 6, 2014

Reading Corner Thursday

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Maggie Sefton at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival and I wanted to mention the first book in her Kelly Flynn series for a few reasons. First, I loved the idea of a non-knitter inheriting a yarn shop…it was a fun concept and I enjoyed reading about Kelly’s introduction to knitting. Second, the characters and the mystery were most enjoyable. Ms. Sefton created a community that I could easily picture and would love to visit. This is always important to me. Lastly, and most importantly to me, this is the book that got me knitting again.

knit one kill two

For many years I was an administrative assistant/bookkeeper in several different businesses. Over the course of the years it affected my ability to knit…my hands would go to sleep. I’d always been quicker at crocheting, but now it became the only way I could do any serious amount of fiber creation. When I found this book I’d been out of offices and working as a bartender for a couple of years. As I watched Kelly stumble through her “lessons” I got the itch to pick up some needles and give it a shot. It worked. Apparently the profession of bar-tending was not as tough on my wrists and hands as keyboarding was so knitting again I was!

Now comes the really fun part. When I discovered Maggie Sefton’s booth at the wool festival, purely by accident also – I almost didn’t go to the book aisle because I was there for tools this year – I was delighted to find her a warm and charming person. We chatted for a bit and I learned that all of Kelly’s trials and tribulations were drawn from Maggie’s own experiences. Just knowing this little fact has made me appreciate her writing and characters even more. She was not only happy to hear me say that her book was my inspiration for the return to knitting, but she was more than generous with her time and conversation. I do recommend this series if for nothing else the enjoyment of watching a brand new knitter learn the ropes. The wonderful mysteries are just an added bonus!

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Posted in Book reviews, Craft fairs/shows, Festivals, Fiber trips., General, yarns | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: Mare F | October 31, 2014

Reading corner Thursday – late again

I have to admit that I felt a bit frivolous when I purchased the Field Guide to Fleece by Carol Ekarius and Deborah Robson, the wonderful women who brought us The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook, because, really, I had The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook already. It did seem an extravagance until I was at the fleece sale at the New York Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck a couple of weeks ago. We were looking at fleece and a friend wondered what type of fleece she could blend with the Angora from a rabbit she would be picking up later and out came my copy. It was perfect.

 

field guide to fleeceI wasn’t in the market for a fleece this year…I have plenty and I’m in the Paradise Fiber club so really, a fleece would have been an extravagance, but I brought the book along just in case. The descriptions are concise, comprehensive, and the color photos are so helpful when comparing them to the real thing that I don’t envision going to any type of fiber event without this handy reference book in my bag. I highly recommend this book to anyone starting out on the fiber processing trip and to anyone branching out from the path that they are currently on. It really is an asset to your craft library.

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Posted by: Mare F | October 24, 2014

Reading corner Thursday

I really should know better than to try to start new things during busy times, but that is when the ideas seem to come to me. Does this happen to you also? You’d think that my mind would be full of stuff that needs to be done, but no, it just keeps coming up with more things to do. At least they are fun things.

last wool

 

This week the book I’m chirping up about is Molly MacRae’s Last Wool and Testament. It takes place in Plum Creek, Tennessee where Kath Rutledge inherits her grandmother’s fiber and fabric shop, The Weaver’s Cat. This book is full of fun characters – both living and dead,  it’s well written, the mystery is well plotted, and has fun tidbits about fiber arts. This is the first in The Haunted Yarn Shop series and a most enjoyable one at that. If you have some time and would like to while away an afternoon then I highly recommend this enjoyable book.

 

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Posted by: Mare F | October 5, 2014

Stepping into Autumn

It’s been very busy around here of late and I’ve been lucky to finally get the time to catch up on a few things so here I am again. Last weekend I took advantage of the two days of unseasonably warm weather and did a bit of solar dyeing. If I’d any idea just how easy and how fun it is to do I’d have been doing this for years! It started because I was tired of looking at the little bits of dyes left over from our dyeing party in August. They were on a shelf in the mud room and since the forecast seemed promising I decided to dig out the quart Mason jars that I’d saved and use up some of my mystery roving. I was asked about felted beads a the last show that I did so this seemed a good way to experiment and maybe actually make some felted beads to boot.

 

dye stuff 002

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I left it out from Saturday morning until about 1pm on Sunday. The green, blue, and pink/red are the left over acid dyes from the party and the beige, yellow, and scarlet are Rit dyes. I just added very hot tap water to the jars, poured in the dye, wet the roving, and stuffed it in. Two of the jars are old Yankee Candle jars that I kept “in case.” I’m happy to say that they work well, but some of the dye will work its way under the rubber stopper on the lid. Overall I was very pleased. And it looked very cool when the stool was moved into the back yard near the horseradish bed.

dyed roving pokeberries silk merino alpaca roving 001After rinsing until the water was clear I laid the roving out on a sweater rack in the sun to dry. It wasn’t properly dry until Monday afternoon, but I’d had the foresight to cover the rack with an old blanket overnight. I didn’t want to bring it into the house on the rack because one never knows just what the cats will decide is a wonderful new toy.

 

solar dyedn roving 001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So once I get a few more moments to myself I will begin making up the beads and I will certainly do this again. I still can’t believe that it was that simple and the results so enjoyable. What is the last thing that you tried that gave you a bit of surprise and enjoyment? I hope you get to continue you doing it because anything that makes us smile while crafting is another bit of inspiration. Now I’m off to set up my loom and wheel to take to school for Spinning & Weaving Week.

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Posted by: Mare F | September 19, 2014

Reading Corner Thursday one day removed.

First off I would like to apologize because with the number of shows I’d doing this week in addition to my full-time job I should have know better than to launch this idea this week. This will be a short one, but I really wanted to get it rolling and I can’t think of a better book to lead off with than The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook by Carol Ekarius and Deborah Robson.

 

I found it right at its publication date and I truly feel it was meant to be. This book has so much pertinent information on various fleece animals that as a beginner at spinning and processing I’ve found it invaluable.  The color photos are crisp and show so many useful variations on each type of animal that I’ve taken to just curling up on the couch with it to look at the pictures on dreary, rainy days. I also bought their Field Guide to take to the wool festivals with me so I can double-check my wish lists.

 

I highly recommend both books to anyone with an interest in fiber arts. I don’t believe that you will regret the purchases.

 

 

 

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Posted by: Mare F | September 14, 2014

Sunday morning.

It’s very peaceful and crisp this morning. This weather cues the preparations for a comfortable New England winter and I find myself starting to nest. I’ve been busy lately, but haven’t really too much to show for my efforts. I spend one day unknitting things that I’d made and was unhappy with for one reason or another. A sweater that was far too big, a cape with the same problem, a shawl with an interesting error in the middle of the back, and a couple of smaller things. The yarns are all stashed in individual bags awaiting the inspiration on the next form that they will take.

One of the casualties

One of the casualties

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my customers asked me for an afghan in blue for a wedding next month and since I’ve not a one made I decided to travel back in time and try something different with granny squares. I haven’t made them in years and I believe I’ve aired my opinions of items which need tedious assembly, but for some reason it just feels like the thing to do. It may have something to do with the fact that a woman I greatly admire is quilting today and I love her work. It’s not the same thing, but it’s as close as I’ll ever come to quilting.

 

more g squares 001

Now for the learning portion of my recent experiences. I’m in a fiber club hosted by Paradise Fibers and every month they send me a box of assorted rovings to spin. It’s wonderful. They send blends and fibers that I wouldn’t begin to know where to find as well as a write-up of each fiber in the package. The company has also recently started hosting CALs, KALs, and SALs on Ravelry. I think I mentioned the CAL, which was the Sweet Eleanor Scarf (I like the pattern so much that I’ve made 2 so far!) and I started the KAL – a Chunky Cabled Bag – but life got in my way and I never got it completed. They are currently hosting a SAL and while my spinning is far from perfect I thought it might inspire me to stretch my wings. The challenge is to embed or autotwist at least 4 oz. of yarn. This might just be over my head, but I plan to spend today watching every spinning video and download I’ve purchased and then stepping off into the deep end of the pool. What is the last thing  that you did that took you out of your comfort zone and how did it work out?

 

black roving 001

 

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Posted in accessories, Crocheting, General, Knitting, Organizing, Spinning, yarns | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Mare F | August 16, 2014

Dyeing party

I’m behind on posting this as life has just been very busy this summer with one thing or another. On the 2nd of August myself and 5 lovely women got together in my back yard for the first dyeing party in what I hope to be a long line of dyeing parties. The day started out overcast and misty which caused a bit of concern, but since we’d all decided that a little dampness would melt us we got down to business. Early Saturday morning I had set up 2 turkey fryer frames and tanks which Doug had sorted out on Friday. One of them now lives here thanks to Lindsey (the frame) and Doug (the new tank) and the other was borrowed from a friend for the day. I also set up 2 tables and made a table out of a piece of wood and 2 saw horses. It was quite the vision.

 

 

dyeing party weather 002

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the past few years I’m scoured tag sales and thrift shops to get the necessary items to dye my yarn at a frugal price so that I could have more yarns to dye…a trend which keeps rolling onward. I had a crockpot – for the Kool-Aid dyeing I did both this weekend and a couple of years ago – a big enameled pan, several sets of measuring spoons, wooden spoons, tongs, towels, and glass bowls. We had masks and gloves, which in retrospect may have created a show for the neighbors that was a bit alarming, so that we didn’t inhale or wear anything evil for days. I’m not sure if the masks were used, we were outside and it wasn’t windy, but the gloves were in use all day.

 

dyeing party 005

We had two acid dye sets and a couple of tie-dye kits. I through some yarn into the crockpot with Kool-Aid and another friend brought turmeric and lily blossoms stating that if they dyed her hands then maybe they would dye some yarn. The turmeric was a lovely color and I’m adding it to my wish list. I think it would be a lovely color for woven curtains in my kitchen. The lily blossoms didn’t do so much, even after adding iron oxide to the mix, but it was a fun experiment. A couple of women tried kettle dyeing and that was amazing.

 

 

dyeing party 010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all had a great time and I’m really looking forward to seeing the yarns worked up. I will post more pictures of the actual dye pots and finished yarns soon. This is an event I would like to get into the habit of doing several times a year as much for the yarns as the camaraderie and the learning experiences. We all approached the dyes with different ideas and the results were fantastic. So much to learn and so much fun doing it. Oh, and the nibblies and homemade wine were quite good too! So, what was your last wool related learning experience?

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Posted in Dyes, Gardening, yarns | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Mare F | July 16, 2014

A little bit of everything

I’ve been all over the place this summer with my crafting. I’ve been working on some crocheted roses, calla lilies, and forget-me-not flowers for the centerpieces at my son and future daughter-in-law’s wedding in September. I really do miss cotton crocheting, but I must admit that when I’ve done the flowers I will be making something bigger than 2 rows or 3″. It’s most taxing, but well worth it.

Some wedding flowers 001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My spinning is coming along nicely and I think I might just be brave enough to start plying. I’ve been amassing yarns to ply so that when I begin spinning my wheel in the opposite direction I will be doing it for a while. This is in the hope that I won’t start spinning the in the wrong direction and overply the yarn. We shall see what happens.

jamaica 001

 

One of the things I’ve wanted to do for some time is 2-at-a-time-toe-up socks. Knitting that second sock always seems to be a challenge and it  just seemed as if it would be easier to do them at the same time. A good friend suggested I knit both sleeves of my sweater at the same time – brilliant – and that is what I think finally got me to tackle this process. It’s really delightfully simple once you’ve sorted out the cast on . It’s a bit tricky, tension-wise, around the heel, but it think I might just have managed to knit myself a pair of socks at one time. That basket of sock yarn is sighing with relief!sock heels 001

 

What have your challenges been this summer?

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Posted by: Mare F | June 24, 2014

Summertime

This past weekend I had the privilege of meeting a wonderful woman at her darned near perfect home in New Hampshire. We met on Facebook when she offered me the fleece from her llamas and Jacob sheep. It was one of the best fleece experiences I’ve ever had. She is a charming lady with lots of commonsense and when we met it felt as if we’d been chatting for ages. It was a treat to meet the animals who supplied the fleeces I will spin even if they weren’t quite as impressed with us as we were with them. I will picture their expressions with each step in the processing with a smile on my face.

Annnie 001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Annie’s fleece. She is the Jacob sheep and her coloring is absolutely gorgeous! I’m looking forward to seeing the resulting yarns and already working out what I will knit up with it.

 

Sweet Eleanor CAL finish 001

On another note, I’ve almost finished up the Paradise Fibers Sweet Eleanor Scarf/shawlette CAL on Ravelry. If I get just get myself out to the kitchen to block it out all will be good and I will be officially finished with it, but we are all aware of just how much I enjoy blocking….

 

scarf 001

 

 

 

 

 

I also finally finished the scarf I’m making for a friend and I’m quite pleased with the way that the colorway worked up with this pattern. I’d have been done much sooner if I hadn’t had to try at least 6 different patterns before finding the right one for this yarn. Usually the yarn is much more communicative and I don’t have to work this hard at matching the two, but I may just be a little nervous about this one, I really want her to enjoy it. What have you been working on lately?

 

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Posted in accessories, Crocheting, Fiber trips., General, Knitting, Patterns, Spinning, yarns | Tags: , , , , , , ,

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