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Another wool festival in the books. I had a good time - beautiful weather, cute animals and yarn yarn yarn. I hadn’t been to MDSW since 2004, which was the first time I went. Since then, I’ve been to Rhinebeck several times, and so this was the first time I could compare the two. The crowds at MDSW definitely seemed overwhelming to me this year - I don’t remember them being this bad at either Rhinebeck or prior MDSWs. It got to me a bit - there were some barns and booths I couldn’t even get into because there were so many people crowding them. I avoided certain spots because the lines were just more than I was willing to put up with.

At the same time, I’m getting much better at these festivals. I’m much more selective and careful about my purchases than I was when I first started going. This year was probably my most frugal and I’m very pleased with what I brought home.

Clockwise from the top - two skeins of BFL in a light worsted weight from Barneswallow Farm, colorway “Portsmouth.” This was the first thing I saw that I loved, although I didn’t buy it right away. I haven’t knit with BFL before and I’m looking forward to trying this out - it’s a little rustic, but I’m going to wash a swatch first to see if it softens up. Then I’ll figure out what to make with it (I’ve got 660 yards).

Next is a silver-gray skein of Merino/Tencel from Ellen’s Half Pint Farm. Soft and shiny and lovely, this is going to be my next lace project (a Shetland Triangle).

Next, four lovely skeins from The Fibre Company, a producer I love not only because their yarn is absolutely lovely but also because they’re from my home state of Maine! I found their booth late on Saturday and spent quite a while there, ogling the lovely colors and textures. All their yarn is just wonderful, but I came home with two skeins of Road to China (the raspberry-colored skeins) and two skeins of Savannah DK (the yellow), a lovely wool, cotton, linen and soy blend. The Savannah will be a scarf (because I want to be just like Jessica - see the yellow scarf in one of her Ravatars? I lust for one just like it), probably a My So-Called Scarf.

I also came home with a keychain and, the best bargain of the day, a family size bag of kettle corn. Mmmm. I had a great time hanging out with my friends and running into various bloggers and fiber friends, too.

Now to knit!

Some lovely things have been appearing in my mailbox lately. Like this …

And this …

The first is four long-craved skeins of Crown Mountain Farms handspun sock yarn, Sock Hop. I got the Light My Fire colorway, as well as Tobacco Road. And can I just say? This stuff is worth the wait. Amazing stuff. It’s not on the needles yet, but it will be very soon.

The second is a long-overdue picture of my haul in a recent swap on Ravelry. Let me pause a moment to wax rhapsodic about “my” Ravelry group, Sox Knitters. I call it “my” group because I started it, but when I did, I had no idea what it would become. Now over 600 strong, it’s a wonderful, vibrant, active, highly entertaining community full of that rare and awesome combination of Red Sox fans and fiber nuts. I love that group. So this winter, all of us a bit overwrought with no baseball, we decided to have a swap to take place during Spring Training, timed to start the season off right. My spoiler, the blogless KatieMcG, spoiled me but good. Yummy red sock yarn (Auracania Ranco), chocolate treats and a ton of fun Sox stuff (including the much beloved Mr. Potato Sox - he enjoys living on top of my bookshelf with my NESN bobbledesk, Papelbon lunch box and Mike Lowell bobblehead - see?). Thanks again, Katie!

With all this great stuff in the mail, I should be set for yarn for awhile, right? Oh, except that this weekend is Sheep and Wool. So I decided I need some rules (well, let’s call them guidelines). If I put them on the blog, I should follow them, right? So here’s what my goal is for the weekend:

1. Spend cash only (I’ll take out a set amount and when that’s gone, no mas)
2. Get some Morehouse Merino (probably laceweight, possibly a kit)
3. Check out Tess Yarns - I’d like to try out the sock yarn
4. Gifties for distant fiber friends don’t count
5. No variegated sock yarn and no Socks that Rock (I’ve got plenty in the stash

So that’s pretty much it. If you’re at Sheep and Wool, say hi! I’ll be wearing a red Sox cap (yes, red as in the color, not the team) and I’ll have one of those Ravelry Hello My Name Is buttons on my bag (my Ravname is kniterati, too).

spring blooms 2

Originally uploaded by (anne).

Things I have been doing lately:

1) taking pretty pictures with my new camera
2) traveling (currently in Allentown, PA)
3) watching a metric ton of baseball (and raveling about it)
4) trying to eat healthier
5) not knitting because it is 85 degrees outside!!!
6) getting a mild sunburn

Spring has hit the mid-Atlantic and it is pure gorgeousness. This week, my job entails being outdoors a great deal, so I get to enjoy it. In fact, I’m off to a barbecue!

Well, I didn’t mean to go a month (nearly two) without blogging.  There’s been a lot going on.  I’ve been to Cleveland and St. Louis and Chicago, all without hitting a single yarn store.  I’ve started knitting socks again and almost finished a baby sweater.  I’ve also busted my camera and ordered a new one, so you don’t get to see pics of any of that good stuff.  There are no pictures of my baby sweater or my sock-in-progress or this weekend’s incredibly successful and fun Homespun Yarn Party, for which I organized a very successful (if I do say so myself) bake sale.  No pictures of Babette, which is slowly being finished but has warmed me all winter long even without its ends woven in.

Perhaps saddest of all, there are no pictures of me today, wearing flip flops, with my windows wide open, enjoying the 72-degree weather.  Please don’t let this be an April Fools’ joke!

I’ll be back soon, hopefully with pictures.

I haven’t posted. I’m barely knitting. What am I doing? A lot of this …

Lately all my projects seem to be either a) failures; b) deadly boring; or c) stuck in some sort of limbo stage. It’s almost comforting to curl up on the couch under Babette and set to an evening of weaving in ends. (I prefer not to think about the fact that I’ve been doing this off and on for more than a month and I’ve barely made a dent in the ends. I think they multiply while I sleep.)

The only successful knit of ‘08 so far is the inimitable k o o l h a a s:

Pattern: Koolhaas, by Jared Flood (Rav Link)

Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Indigo

Needles: US 7 circs

Mods: I knit the ribbing an extra inch deep to make sure my ears would be covered.

Verdict?  Perfecto.  I’ve been wearing this as my go-to hat.  It’s a fabulous combination of pattern and yarn (for which I take no credit, I saw several Malabrigo versions on flickr that inspired me).  I adore the colorway and the cables really pop beautifully.  A total winner in my book.

Koolhaas not to the contrary, I think it can be said that my knitting entry into 2008 has been rather lackluster.  Nevertheless, I have plans. Or at least yarn. After being really good all January, I ushered February in by buying yarn, lots of it. I shall prevail over my hobby! I’ve got several projects percolating. But first, back to Babette. If you need me, I’ll be here …

… for the foreseeable future.