SAFF 2010

it's a perfect autumn weekend in western North Carolina. i spent yesterday up in fletcher, nc, just a few miles south of asheville, for the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair ... or SAFF for short. i don't have pictures of foliage, but i do have yarn pictures =)


this was my first purchase of the day. it's miss babs "bamboo baby", a blend of merino, bamboo, and nylon. i bought some last year and knitted cauchy from _sock innovation_. i love this yarn! i love its sheen. so, i just had to get more.

though i knew i was coming to SAFF, i did not pack my ball winder and swift. i did however, loop the hank around my knees in the car, and wound it by hand on the drive back to mom's.

the drive was only about an hour, so i had time to wind this baby too!


... another hank of miss babs, but this time it's "yummy" 2ply ... a superwash merino. now, this one, i'm already knitting. i am making another pair of spice man socks. i'm also going to attempt to alter it a bit, and make the heelflap with the usual slip stitch design, and perhaps knit the leg in stockinette with a 2x2 ribbing. we'll see ....

a yarn i almost started to wind in the car, but held off ... because i need to wind it with the ball winder & swift. i need to decide what pattern i will use, and if i'll start with the dark or the light, or knit cuff down or toe up. this yarn is called "transitions" by Gypsy Girl Creations. there are 2 50 gram hanks, and it will, "transition" from white to dark blue. the colorway i have here is called "tackle".



this next yarn is from the gradience sock collection of the unique sheep. this particular yarn is called 'verve' (it's their fingering 100% merino) in colorway enonymus.


i've seen some really pretty socks knitted with this yarn!

next up, some more calypso.


i have bought this stuff before. i seem to hoard it, as i've not knitted my first hank purchased at least a year ago.

calypso is by creatively dyed yarn. it's 100% merino superwash, in a whopping 150 gram hank, with 510 yards. i love her colorways, as she uses LOTS of color in each colorway. there's enough yarn here for a shawl. but, i think it will become toe up socks. it's one of those yarns inwhich i want to use up every snippet.


this stuff is NICE! i bought 3 hanks of this 250 yard handspun wool from Windy Acres Fiber Farm. they are based out of Candler, NC. the wool is a blend of border leicester and finn. i'm thinking it's going to become a rustic shawl. something quite simple, to show off the pretty twist of the yarn.

and, there was a vendor selling books at 75% off, magazines for $1, and pattern books for $2. that said, i got all this for $12 + tax.


this batch was an absolute steal! one of the pattern books alone retails for $18.

now, to prove i did see some animals (honestly, i really only go for the yarn ... and would have a lamb burger if they had a proper food vendor).


angora bunny! they are too cute, and sinfully soft. this particular vendor had sold all but 2 of her bunnies. they can be litter box trained, but i do not live in a bunny-friendly home (i already have dust bunnies).

oh, and i'm saving the best for last ... planned bad eating. it's no secret i love bojangles. i don't have it often (ie: just a few times a year). i remembered there's a bojangles just a few miles south of our exit, so i told mom, "we're having bojangles for breakfast!"


i had the classic cajun filet biscuit. yum! and, a very unsouthern thing ... a jug of unsweetened iced tea.

i may be making a quilt ....

OMG! i went by my local quilt shop today, asked some questions, and signed up for their Block of the Month club for this Roses of Rememberance quilt.

now, i've only ever made 1 quilt, ever. but, i have a few quilting books and magazines. for me, the hard part is picking out the fabrics. as a BOM, that is already done for me. i just have to do all the handiwork now. and, i've already learned about the magic of freezer paper with the applique technique. 1 block each month, beginning in january 2011.

and it's just BEAUTIFUL! i can do this. sometimes, these things are love at first sight ..... and we do what we must to have or make them. so, i will learn to applique. i will learn to 'quilt as you go'. and dammit, in about a year or so, i too will have this beautiful quilt.

i waxed and waned over this, because of the cost. each month is $25 (x 13 months). and, that doesn't even include the batting or backing fabric. but, as a knitter, it's like buying 1 skein of handpainted sock yarn each month. right?!

oh, and i still have to get the dvd. there is a book, but apparently, everything i need is also on the dvd, plus instructional video, and the ability to print out the templates.

i'm excited. and scared. but, it doesn't start 'til january, so you will be still seeing lots of sock knitting before then.

! ! ! spice man ! ! !

i have finished another pair of socks. these took longer than they should had, because i had messed up on sock #2, and had to redo the gusset and heelflap. i finished them last night, and pulled them on this morning.

now, i haven't weighed the leftovers, but it seems to reason that there's enough to knit another pair like this. or matching pairs of footies or ankle socks.

for some reason, i just wanted a mismatched pair! and i love lion brand's sock-ease yarn. i had bought both balls at 40% off each. when paying so little for sock yarn, it makes it "less precious" and easier to deviate from the usual sock knitting.

the pattern is yarnissima's spice man. it's the same pattern i used for leanne's sockenmonsters. hers are knee-hi, and mine are mid-calf.

ps. many thanks for those that commented on the gretya socks. i appreciate it so much when anyone comments, and i realize not many of us even read blogs anymore. work-wise, i am in my busy season, 'til the end of the year, and possibly into the first 2-3 months of 2011. so, sometimes i forget to say thank you.

finished gretya

they're done !

socktoberfest!

yet again, our dear Lolly is heading up Socktoberfest. and though, i'm an avid sock knitter, my first completed "sock" for the season is not a foot sock, but a beer sock. i'm sure that's okay, in the spirit of oktoberfest.


i started this project back in july 2009.


it's a free pattern download from raverly. i had leftovers from my sunnyside sockens, and decided these socks need a "mate".


that pair was finished in mexico in 2008. they were finished for "summer of socks" on raverly.

and today, i'm knitting on my gretya socks. i'm on the foot, and plan to take pictures of the finished socks, if i finished before the sun is too low.

by they way, is anyone who reads here going to SAFF ? it's in a couple of weeks, and i'm going on saturday only.

gretya

believe me, i'm surprised i already have completed one sock. and the good news is, i've also cast on the mate.

i had made a mistake in the pattern while decreasing the gusset. i ended up ripping back about 1/2 the cart, and still i finished fairly quickly. but, a finished sock also means something else (non-knitterly) is unfinished or neglected.

that reminds me, i also have to rip back on my two-toned spice man sock mate, as i wasn't paying attention when working on the foot (and i'm already on the leg).

gretya is knitted with shibui sock in colorway 'ink'. i love how it pools in a giant spiral. i used this yarn before for my sunshine socks.

new month

new project.


the new month at SKA (ravelry group) brings on the challenge of knitting an under appreciated pattern. i bought this pattern, gretya, last march, and it only sells for $3. and maybe we shouldn't buy things we don't "need" at the time, but ... i'm a knitter.

i'm knitting in shibui, in colorway ink. ink is probably shibui's "black", but i think it still has a hint of blue in it.

and i love how it's knitting up! i love how shibui pools in a giant spiral. years ago, when i first tried it, saw it, i hated it, i did not like how it looks semi-solid in the hank, and then does all this weird %$!@*. but now, i love it.