My Day at the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair

I am working in the Chicago area and had the opportunity to go to the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair today July 18, 2010. This was the last day of the three day event. I spent too much, laughed too much, and met some awesome people. As soon as I got out of my car, I ran into Peggy and another lady (sorry I can not remember her name). They were members of the Windy City Knitting Guild. Peggy gave me a bookmark from the guild that had the kitchener stitch on the back. That will come in handy.

I paid my $10 and got my armband. The building was air conditioned with lots of seating to knit when you got tired of shopping. I was among the first 200 to come in today so I had a choice of a teeshirt or a tote bag. I decided on the tee shirt.

I looked around awe struck. The place was packed with vendors, 133 in fact.The Windy City Knitting Guild had Betsy there and invited everyone to sit and knit a piece of her dress. I had meant to do so but got to tired at the end of the day that I did not stop on my way out. Of course, I had to go to the Briar Rose booth because of the podcast, Cast On. I figured that if it was good enough for a podcast, it was good enough for me, plus the colors were spectacular.

There were several demonstrations during the day but the only one I had a chance to go to was the one put on by Rust-Tex. You actually take any white cotton, put stuff that will rust on it like nails, etc. and pour vinegar over that, let it rust and you have cloth to play with. The other amazing thing is that you use shaving cream and a few drops of paint to do your stenciling. If you are using a rubber stamp, you do not add the shaving cream to the paint.

What is a fiber show without alpaca. Yes, they had alpaca indoor.

I guess you want to see my loot. Before you squeal about how much I spent, I was shopping for three. I needed a birthday present for my friend Sue and I always buy things for my daughter when I am out of town. So see....even through I spent too much, it is not all mine...well most of it.Okay TeAntae and Sue, guess which Briar Rose yarn is yours!!!!!

This yarn is from Wolle's Yarn Creations. I have ordered from her Etsy shop but it was great to see it. The blue yarn is so new that she has not had a chance to take a picture for her on-line shop. The pattern I purchased from Sun Valley Fiber Farm. The pattern is a beautiful shawl called the Gingko Shawl by Jo Harris. I will be using the blue yarn for that.

This yarn and pattern is from Yarns by Design. The yarn is laceweight. The model of the pattern is great. You use three colors. My third color will be black but she did not have any and will send it to me when it comes in. I thought that my daughter would love this pattern as well but I will let her pick out her own colors.

This yarn, project bags (one for me and one for my daughter) and pattern came from StitchSisterz. The yarn is 100% merino, I got black and it only cost $5 a skein. It came with a marvelous shawl pattern.

Ignor the card, the yarn is from Huckleberry Knits, I fell so in love with the rich red. I wish I could get a good picture of the color. I wanted a sweaters worth but knew that it would keep me from buying much anything else. She had made a sweater with it using the sport weight, that is what caught my eye, I brought fingering. No project idea for this as yet. Did you think I could watch the Rust-Tex demo and not want to buy the products to try it when I got home. I have the how-to video with a gallery of what others have done, starter kit and paints. I am ready.

On my way home, I stopped to buy caramel corn for my All Things Disney spoilee, I bought me some double cheddar popcorn and a popcorn fork. The popcorn is from The Long Grove Popcorn Shoppe. The purpose of the popcorn fork is to keep you from getting the sticky popcorn or the cheddar all over your fingers. Thought it was a great idea.

Well, that was my day, I arrived when the show opened at 10 and left 15 minutes before it closed at 4.....I really had a fun time and am glad that there is no other fiber show that I know about any time soon.

Only 4 days until Christmas

I had all my Christmas shipping done months ago except for a couple of Amazon gift certificates that I am going to email. It is just trying to get the Christmas presents I am knitting finished. I had planned to weave some scarves and towels but that went out the window.

My daughters fair isle mittens called Deep in the Forest

are finished, my label sewn in and all ends weaved in. YEAH!!!!!

My son's fingerless mittens are finished, I just have to weave in the ends. His hat was done awhile back. I will have to take a picture to post. I also made him a hot water bottle cover. As for my son-in-law, I made him a pair of knucks and an earflap hat. My aunt got a beret and a fan neck scarf.

I really want to make a pair of fingerless mittens for a good friend. I do have 4 days. I can do it.....I can do it........

Christmas in Crooksville 2009

Christmas in Crooksville 2009,
originally uploaded by roadweaver.

I just had a chance to take pictures of my Christmas Village for this year. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed setting it up.

My mother loved Christmas. She would start buying gifts and decorating right after Halloween. Our home always looked like Santaland. I purchased village pieces for her over the years but they had no real theme. I discovered Department 56, Snow Village and Christmas In the City while working in Minnesota. They were everywhere for 50 to 75% off and all of them were retired. I purchased a few pieces every payday with the intentions of giving them to my mother. She died before I had a chance.

I was amazed as to how many pieces I had the year my son asked me to put up the village in memory of Mom. My son and daughter also brought peices for me as gifts after that.

Would you believe that this is not all the village pieces I have. I had no room to put up the houses and churches this year. I decided to have a country area complete with trailer court, a restaurant row and a city area with school. Most of the people in my village or from Lemax because the size is better and there are more to choose from. I am upset because I can not find one peice that I always use and that is of the drunk getting thrown out of the tavern by the barman. Oh well...he will get to stay in the tavern this year and next year, he will get thown out.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The Last Knit

IKEA to the Rescue

Finally a winding station.

I saw on the Ravelry Ikea group a winding station that a lady had made from a trestle desk leg. I happened to be in IKEA and found a trestle leg in the "AS IS" section for $7.00. Took it home but could not figure out how to get my winding station to look like the one in the IKEA group photo. Turned out I had purchased a different one.

My son-in-law came to the rescue. He had wood from his remodeling project that he said would work, he then cut and counter sinked the wood for me and told me how to get the station I wanted. I can only say I love, love it. I can sit or stand to wind balls. I put a piece of wood on the bottom and made a shelf. My IKEA basket fits perfectly there so that I can put my unwind skeins in it ready to be wound, at my leisure. I have a giant skein ball winder but I do not like the way it makes balls. Do you think my son-in-law will take a look at it. Hint, Hint.

I really had no good place to put the ball winder and the swift. Those days are over.

Spinning Bunny Knitaway 2009

The anticipation is over. It seems like the day would never arrive. Susan and Cathy kept sending teasers that only made matters worse.

The event, officially named, The Pamper Yourself Knitting Getaway, was perfect. My daughter, her husband and I arrived the night before on July 30. The Getaway began on July 31 when we introduced ourselves and got to use the "rainbow lady" to show us how measure each other. We got to use the Ragla Rula Tula(tm), invented by Susan and Cathy, to get the correct distance from neckline to under arm. Ann-Marie and Michelle (two sisters from Canada) loved it so much that they wrote a song called the "Ragla Rula Tula(tm)". Just click the arrow to play.

And now, may I present our fearless leader, Susan Sarabasha, the owner of Spinning Bunny.

Both her and Cathy truly kept us entertained as well as taught us new knitting tricks, the entire weekend.

One of the first things we had to do was make a name tag. We could not just write our names with a felt tip pen on a sticky paper. Oh no....we were given all kinds of items to truly personalize our name tags. We also had to chose a word that described us and later tell why we chose that word. For everyone that knows me, I think that I chose the right word, "Adventurous".

I am sorry to say that while we were laughing and eating at the Moosewood Restaurant, Cathy was slaving over her computer, correcting our math errors and making sure that everyone had a personalized cardigan and pullover pattern.

Bright and early at 9AM, everyone was in their seats ready to begin another fun filled learning day. Today we would actually start our creations. After our personalized knitting a top down seamless pullover or cardigan sweater patterns were handed out, Cathy and Susan helped everyone to get started. The design elements and styling are all up to us. My daughter and I ordered the Harmony guides so that we could decide whether we want lace, cables, etc., Cathy provided us with patterns that would work nicely with our creations but encouraged us to use whatever we liked to achieve our perfect sweater.

After a delicious catered lunch from the Ithaca Bakery, we went to see Susan's shop, The Spinning Bunny, to knit, learn to spin and in my case get a plying lesson. Okay, I did buy some yarn and roving. Did you really think I would go to a knitting shop and not shop.

This is my sweater so far. I decided to get some of Susan's yarn . I got the Knit Away Pend Orielle yarn in Velvet Merlot. It is so soft and this picture does not do the color justice. I am quite aways from dividing for the sleeves but I will keep on chugging along until I get there.

That evening most of us went to dinner at The Boatyard Grill. I left my camera in the car so I do not have any pictures. Just take my word for it, the food was delicious, the company was great and the atmosphere was perfect.


On Sunday, my daughter, son-in-law and I met Susan at the Ithaca Farmer's Market. That was a real treat. Hopefully, there will be a Getaway 2, if so , we are going to build in more time in our trip to spend at the market.


















After we left Susan at the market, we went wine tasting. My son-in-law had talked to Jim, Susan's husband, to get some ideas of the best wineries to try.

On Monday, we went to the Watkins Glen State Park to see the waterfalls. That was a beautiful mile walk. I would suggest anyone in the area to go.






















I can only say that this was a perfect weekend.












Check out the Chicks with Sticks blog to see more pictures and comments about our great weekend.

I have another link for you about our wonderous weekend. From the mouth of the creator
Susan of Spinning Bunny.

The Big Sock

I just found out about the greatest project called The Big Sock . Check out the blog.

That is me knitting on a small portion of the sock.

Bigsock started in October 2006, when Joanna Ratcliffe decided to hold a charity knitting event for National Knitting Week in the UK. The original idea was just a giant circular knit, but just days before the event the idea of creating a giant record breaking sock was born.The current record for the largest handknit sock which measured 4.95 x 4.3 x 1.9 metres is held by the Sheep Farmers Association of Austria.Bigsock consists of 1,500 stitches cast onto circular needles and measures 7metres in diameter. We estimate that the sock knitted to scale needs to be 4 metres long before we turn the heel.The aim is for the sock to travel around the world being knit by as many people as possible, schools, knitting guilds, knitting groups, everyone who wants to get involved is welcome to contact us and register to host the sock in their town or city or village.

I was fortunate enough to walk into a yarn shop in Tennsessee, The Naughty Knitter in Murfreesboro, Tn. A great shop, friendly and inviting. A must when you are in the area. Lots of yarn. I was good because next week is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Show. I did however buy some patterns, I am getting very interested in lace shawls, and some stocking stuffers. It is never to early to start shopping for Christmas.

Back from China

I do not have time to write a post right now, but thought you would like to see some of the pictures from the trip.

China Bound and What I Have Been Up To

I am getting very excited. On March 18 at 6AM, I will be on the plane heading for Shanghai, China. We will be there 3 days and then fly to our boat to take a river cruise down the Yangtze River, stopping along the way to see the sites. Twelve excursions are included like the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Terra Cotta Soldiers and Chinese Acrobat show.

At the end of the river cruise portion of the trip, we fly to Beijing for the final days of the 13 day trip plus two days to travel. I can't believe I am really going. Since this is a knitting trip, we will be getting in knitting classes with Lili Chin after dinner when we are on the boat. I hope to come back with silk yarn to knit and weave with as well as fancy chop sticks and buttons to make drop spindles.

As you can see the Noni Medallion Bag is finished and packed. This was a fun fast knit. It is a little smaller than Norah Bellows had meant because of how it was felted. I did not like seeing the stitches so we threw it back in the washer one more time. I think it is a nice carry on size, 16X20. I plan on making one for my daughter, she wants one with long repeats of color like you get with the Noro yarn. That yarn is too expensive to buy enough to make the bag so I will have to dye the wool whatever colors she decides on. I also plan on making myself another one and not felt it so much with a brown background and have not decided if the other color with be a light turquoise or a warm pink. That decision will be made when I buy the yarn.

I was just a few inches from finishing the Companion Bag and will be ripping the yarn out. I know for a fact that I would not use this bag and I really love the color of the yarn. I think that I will use this beautiful purple yarn to make the Adventure Bag. I already have the hardware for the bag I just had not brought the yarn. This will work and I will use it.

Last Sunday, I went to the Sunday Spinners here in town. Well it is actually out on a farm a couple of miles away. I have never been home to go before and boy have I been missing a good time. Rose, the lady that host the spinners the 2nd Sunday each month, is such a dear. We set on her screened in porch because the weather was so nice.
























I met someone I hope will become a good friend, Bonnie. She did not bring her wheel and was drop spindling because she was going to be teaching some 5th graders and needed to practice. We started talking and she said that I should come by her house and she would teach me. I asked when and she said that she was retired and to come anytime. I called my daughter right then and found that she was off on Tuesday, Bonnie said that was a perfect day and for us to come over.

The visit was amazing, we have so much in common. Bonnie taught my daughter and I how she spins with the spindle. She does not drop it but drafts and then spins it. This makes so much more sense. My daughter caught on immediately, my yarn does not look as good but it is still looking like yarn. My roommate on the cruise is bringing her drop spindle and she told me to bring mine and she would help me. So it is packed in the carry on.

The three of us talked for 3 hours. I can not believe we were there so long. That was such an enjoyable day. I look forward to many more.

On Thursday, I went to Thurmont, the next town 15 minutes away, to see what the Thursday knitters were up to at the Eric Mohn Gallery. I have never been before and needed to go to the bank to get my China spending money and then put it in the account I would be using while I was on vacation. Good excuse to go knitting. In one room of the watercolor art gallery, they have a table and chairs we just sit around and knitted. What a neat place to have a sit and knit with beautiful art all around you.

On Friday, I went to see the new library in the same town. The one in our town is so small and does not have a good selection of craft books. Bonnie had told me that she does not go to our library but goes to the Thurmont Library . This is a fairly new building, very modern, beautiful and very comfortable. I can hardly wait until it gets warmer. There is a long covered porch with rocking chairs and tables on one side of the library where you could just sit and knit for hours. There was 4 of us at the sit and knit. I think this varies. So glad I went, I will be going to this library often. They do have a great selection of craft books.

On Sunday, I am going to an Indie Dyers sale. Local independent dyers of yarn and roving will be in Savage Mills selling their wares. I do not plan on buying anything...at least that is my plan.

See you in a little over two weeks. I will have lots of stories to tell about my trip.