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Fiber Festivals, Finished Knits, and a New Adventure

It’s been a hot minute y’all and I feel like I am still catching my breath. So, let’s jump right into it.

This fall, Bean, the Husband, and I attended two fiber festivals, and had a blast both times. First, we went to DFW fiber fest where Bean and I took a dyeing class and a punch needle class:

 

Then we spent the rest of the weekend shopping, hanging out with other fiber artists, and getting inspiration for future knits. DFW is my absolute favorite fiber fest. The people are great, the classes excellent, and the entire vibe is joyful. If you’ve been on the fence about going, I highly recommend it. One of the board members even gifted Bean market cash to spend for representing young fiber artists. Everyone we meet there is so supportive and encouraging.

In October, we went to Rhinebeck, AKA New York Sheep and Wool.

This was one of my bucket-list fiber adventures. Small-town New York in fall was picturesque, especially since we have no “real” fall here in north Louisiana. We got to see the livestock, met some new vendors, and took in the frenzy of arguably the most popular fiber fest in the US. While we had fun, honestly, I prefer DFW by far. This festival was SOOOOO crowded, the lines endless, and good luck getting into a popular vendor booth. It almost felt like being in a mosh pit at times as we were shuffled around through the crowds. We enjoyed exploring, good food and being together, but I think that trip is a one-and-done for us. So, if you have FOMO from seeing all the cool pictures on Instagram, I promise it’s not quite as “awesome” as you might think.

On to finished knits:

Pattern: Aurora Cabin Shawl (available for purchase on Ravelry).

Yarn: Qing Fiber High Twist in the Canyon colorway, Suburban Stitcher Single Sock in the River’s Edge, Nudie Patootie, and Predictability colorways, and Madeline Tosh Merino Light in the Moorland colorway.

Needles: US 4

Notes and Mods: No changes to this one. I love it, but I’m definitely off the shawls for a while. They start deceptively fast, then just get slower and slower. As always, however, Stephen West’s patterns are well-written and creative.

Pattern: Sea Glass Hat (available for free)

Yarn: Jems Luxe Fibers Luxe Sock in the Texas Wildflowers Colorway and Three Irish Girls Adorn Luxe in the Kraken colorway.

Needles: US 3 & 5

Notes and Mods: I knit this as a two-color so it appears to be vertical stripes.

Pattern: Swirled Peace (available for purchase on Ravelry).

Yarn: Madeline Tosh Moreno Light in Betty Draper’s Blues

Needles: US 5 & 6

Notes and Mods: I went up a needle size compared to the pattern which I totally regret. This ended up way too big. The black yarn is something unlabeled I found in my stash. Overall, great pattern, I just executed it poorly.

Pattern: Ranuculus

Yarn: Suburban Stitcher Merino DK in the Pewter colorway

Needles: US 8 & 10

Notes and Mods: I love this yarn and the color. This was the fastest sweater I have ever knit. I’m glad I looked at other projects because the pattern has the most hideous pictures of the sample. She loves it.

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Looking forward to this year, my plate feels pretty full. I have tons of fiber arts goals I want to accomplish, a couple of big trips planned, and will continue to recover after some illness and injuries (that damn Halloween Bouncy House). But the big news is that I’m going back to school!!! I was accepted to Boston University to work on a Masters in Gastronomy. I’m so freaking stoked, I can’t even tell you. So stay tuned for more foodie and fiber adventures to come.

 

 

 

 

 

Finished Knits Round-Up

The dreary grey days continue here in Louisiana, and I want to spend all of my time knitting allllll of the things. The endless Bernie mitten memes certainly do not helping matters, and my to-be-knit pile grows by the week. I miss hanging out at my local yarn store, knitting and chatting with our colorful group of north Louisiana knitters, but I’m still cranking out projects regardless.

Pattern: Snappy Hat

Yarn: Loops & Threads Charisma in the Denim colorway

Needles: US 10.5

Notions: a detachable (snap) fake fur pouf from my LYS

Notes: I whipped this up for G-Man’s girlfriend, because she is definitely knit-worthy. I’ve made several Snappy Hats, as they are good for quick gifts. I used the craft store yarn because I’m pretty sure a college student doesn’t have time to hand-wash and dry knitted garments in their dorm room.


Pattern: Bella’s Mittens

Yarn: Loops & Threads Charisma in the Denim colorway

Needles: US 8

Notes: Another gift and G-Man’s girlfriend. The tight gauge of this knit and the yarn made for some achy-hands knitting. Otherwise, also a quicker project for gifting.

Pattern: Azel Pullover

Yarn: Lion Brand Thick & Quick in the Denim colorway

Needles: US 13

Notes: I made the 14/15 size, and for reference, Bean is almost 9, so she has room to grow into it. She suddenly fell in love again with the now too-small red Azel pullover I made when she was 4, so I whipped this one up last week. She loves it, wears it constantly, so I’d call it a success.

 

 

Pattern: SubmergeHat

Yarn: Lion Brand Thick & Quick in the Denim colorway

Needles: US 13

Notions: fake fur pouf (elastic attachment), button for the pouf

Notes: I had leftover yarn from the Azel Pullover, so I knit up this hat in a couple of hours while binge-watching Bridgerton on Netflix. It only took half a skein, so I will probably make another for her friend.

Pattern: Staggered Rib Scarf

Yarn: Berroco Vintage Chunky in colorway 6177

Needles: US 10

Notes: I made the Hubs a quick scarf, despite the fact that he’s not really a “scarf guy” per se. However, I promise, if it gets as cold again as it did a couple of weeks ago, I promise you he will come around. Easy pattern, and 2 skeins provided plenty of length.

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So, those are a few of the projects I’ve finished over the past few weeks. I have at least five new projects I want to cast on, but I also need to address some languishing WIPs are outstanding, as well as a few I already have “kitted up” into project bags. Somewhere in there, I need to make some forward progress on the new needlepoint stocking for Bean.

 

Finished Knits Round-Up

I’ve been knitting up a storm lately, so here’s what’s off the needles.

Pattern: Fantastitch by Stephen West (available for purchase on Ravelry)

Yarn: WalkCollection Bliss in the Stone, Volcanic Sand, Artic Wolf, Limestone, Dutch Sky, and Birch Tree Colorways

Needles: US 4

Notes: No mods on this one. It is one of my favorite projects, even if it took me FOREVER. But that’s because this thing is huge! It’s about 9 feet from point to point, hence my need for G-Man to model it for me. As always with Stephen’s patterns, it was clear and easy to understand, and though I did not need them, he usually has tutorial videos on certain techniques. Overall, thumbs up on this project.

Pattern: Round and Round Cowl by Crazy Sock Lady Designs (available for purchase on Ravelry)

Yarn: Lorna’s Laces String Quintet in the Blueberry Cobbler colorway set

Needles: US 4

Notes: I’ve had this yarn languishing in my stash for years. It came from the now-defunct YarnBox, and I could never figure out what to do with it. When I saw this pattern, I knew it would be perfect for this yarn. The pattern is very easy and well-written. I think my only complaint is the nylon content and high twist of the yarn did not produce as smooth of a fabric as I prefer. Bean loves it so I am forseeing her “borrowing” it quite a bit.

Pattern: Baa-ble Hat by Donna Smith

Yarn: Blue Sky Fibers Woolstok in the Highland Fleece, Earth Ivy, Spring Ice, and Midnight Sea colorways

Needles: US 6 and US 7

Notes: This has been a popular pattern for years and I finally decided to work it up. It’s my first attempt at stranded colorwork, and a good starting project to learn the techniques. (If you are hesitant about colorwork, it’s easier than you think. I avoided it for years, and now feel silly). This yarn is an excellent choice for colorwork because the fibers really encourage the stitches to “stick” together. Easy pattern as well.

Pattern: Swing Left Socks by Just Run Knit Designs

Yarn: Little Skein the the Big Wool’s House Sock in the Swing Left colorway

Needles: US 1

Notes: I bought the Sock the Vote kit from Little Skein in the Big Wool (Anne) back in 2016. I saved it for this year and worked on them when we travelled a couple of times. Forgive the pic. It’s not easy to take a picture of a sock on your own foot. I wasn’t a big fan of the German short row heel technique, but that’s because I don’t think I was grasping it with the way it was worded. If you already have a sock heel construction you prefer, it would be easy to sub it in. I enjoyed finally knitting myself some socks, much to my husband’s complaint. He loves handknit socks, but his giant Neanderthal feet make me feel like I am in a sock knitter’s hell.

So there’s the update on the knitting front. I am taking a break from some current projects/plans in order to knock out a few knits for Christmas gifts. My son’s girlfriend is definitely knit-worthy, so I’m hoping to knock out some mittens and a hat for her. I may or may not whip up some gifts for neighbors, but I do know I need a break from fingering-weight projects. I could go for some more instant-gratification projects. Time for some cozy movies and cozy projects.