i have been really busy recently. I meant to post something new in November but just never got around to it. so, consider this is a quick catch up post before the end of the year. i have made some good progress on my christmas knitting. here is an unblocked keyhole scarf in rowan cashsoft yarn classic, which is a dk weight yarn. i cannot wait until i finished knitting up the other end and block it. i think that it will make a really great holiday accessory.

my husband has been asking me to knit him a hat forever. i finally got around to it. it is also knit in rowan cashsoft classic yarn but in a more manly colorway. it just needs to be blocked before christmas. check out the texture on the brim. it is super warm and soft. i was constantly trying it on as i knit it. i think that i am going to have to knit myself one.

i purchased a wonderful spinning wheel as a gift. it was an insane bargain (under $100) and i knew it would make the perfect gift my bestie. It was made by a gentleman named John Mortenson who lived in Berkeley, CA. His wife was a weaver and spinner. He made wheels for her and spinning guild members in the area. i believe that the wheel dates from the early 1970s. unfortunately, the wheel is unmarked. i think that it is an absolutely stunning wheel. it has a built in lazy kate and a long treadle that feels like you are tapping your feet on the ground as you spin. i love this feature. it really allows you to count your treadles easily. it spins very smoothly and is made out of super sturdy solid oak, which gives the drive wheel some real turning power.

i love this wheel. it is a real gem.

my husband and i had such a wonderful time at Rhinebeck. we went to the festival on saturday only. i would have loved to have gone on sunday but i wanted to keep the trip balanced between things that i wanted to do and things that my husband wanted to do.

I took a picture of my Rhinebeck goodies. i bought yarn, fiber, a dyeing kit, yarn dancer, wood beams and a hat pattern. i didn’t get to see all of the vendors that i wanted because it was crowded and we arrived in the afternoon.

not pictured is my new full sized sunburst treadle robin wheel. it is such a gorgeous wheel. i didn’t get a chance to spin on it until i got home on sunday. it spins like a dream. i’ll do a separate post about it because it is so extra wonderful.

we had dinner at Gabby’s in Rhinbeck and drinks at Foster’s. the next day we had an amazing breakfast at Bread Alone. i order a short stack of pancakes to split with the hubby and they were perfect.

can’t wait until next year’s festival!

i am on the road to Rhinebeck today. i am a first timer to the mecca of wool and fiber festivals. it was a last minute decision, so i didn’t have time to knit a “Rhinebeck sweater.” however, i did manage to knit a hat out of leftover yarn from the baby cardigan that I knitted my nephew a couple of months back. i love this hat pattern by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed. it is both simple and stylish. i have actually been trying to locate a copy of Jared’s book “Made in Brooklyn.” it is very hard to find. i made a list of Rhinebeck vendors that i must see. oh so many! Excited. of course, i will share my Rhinebeck booty and plenty of photos when i return.

so, i went to new jersey last weekend for a birthday celebration and a baptism. eric (my husband) wanted to take a day trip on saturday to new hope and lambertville on the border with pennsylvania. it began absolutely pouring outside halfway to lambertville. despite the rain, we continued to drive and see a sign to our left for the Garden State Sheep Breeders 17th Annual Sheep & Fiber Festival. i told eric that we had to stop. living in new york city, i don’t get an opportunity to go to many of these events. my husband decided to humor me and wait the rain out by looking at sheep, goats and alpacas.

here are pictures of some of the many different breeds represented.

i bought three skeins of socks that rock yarn from blue moon cheap from a destash pile and 4 oz of fantastic coopworth kettle dyed roving in moss from winter’s past farm to spin. we left after i ran out of cash. we eventually made it to lambertville for a very yummy lunch at an old train stop. thankfully the rain had stopped, so we ate outside. eric did a scotch tasting and i bought some chocolate covered oreos from the local chocolate shop. i was disappointed that i didn’t get to stop at twist knitting and spinning in new hope. it got too late. rightly, eric reminded me that i went to a fiber festival and not to be too disappointed. next time.

i can’t believe that august is over. i have been meaning to post but i have been super busy this month. i went to california for a wedding. of course, i stopped in san francisco at imagiKnit. i got the most fantastic three skeins of yarn that are destined to be fingerless gloves. they were on sale too. fabulous! the biggest news is my new obsession with spindles. i got two bosworths! they are fantastic. i still need to practice using them but so far so good. btw, how do you like the new website and logo? i will post again soon with more dets about what i have been up to.

i had a lovely weekend visiting the in-laws in New Jersey. i convinced my husband to make a detour to stop in Red Bank, which is an absolutely delightful town. everyone was super friendly that we met. of course, i had to stop in on the local yarn shop , Wooly Monmouth. i am so happy that we did because i got four balls of rowan yorkshire tweed yarn for $20 in the sale bin and a these knitting gift tags.

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i couldn’t have expressed that sentiment better myself.  despite the insanely hot weather (100 degrees) outside, i had a wonderful weekend.

i have finally started knitting a sweater for my husband. i have been promising him a sweater for the longest time . i’ll keep you posted on that project. i am planning to use the rowan yorkshire tweed that i bought this weekend to knit a matching cable hat and mittens for the fall.

i had such a wonderful time in Martha’s Vineyard.  i couldn’t resist posting this picture for july 4th.  while i was away, i worked on finishing the cardigan for my newest nephew. i decided to try a three needle bind off for the underarms.  i actually think that grafting might have been a better choice for this project. however, i had rather large holes on either side of the underarm stitches, so i thought that a three needle bind off might remedy the situation.  it did but i think that the underarms are a little puckered now.   i am absolutely certain that my nephew will not care.  he is only 3 months old after all.

btw, i love my new blocking board.  it was so worth getting one.

i did go to a couple of yarn shops in vineyard haven. i purchased two balls of rowan yarn on sale from one. i also lucked out and got two skeins of alchemy superfine merino on sale at the other. oh, i have to share with you two really cool things that i bought. one is a super cute hand painted drop spindle and the other is removable highlighting tape. the highlighting tape is a pretty clever thing to sell at a yarn shop. super handy too when you need to highlight something in a pattern book. so, i had to have it.

alas, i am back home. upon arriving home i had a bounty of yarn awaiting me. that is the great thing about going away. you have a big mail day to come back to. it is like christmas in july.

i have made significant progress with the baby cardigan. i have entered finishing mode with it. i am little nervous about one of the under arms because of an unsightly gap. i am going to have to investigate the best way to tighten things up under there. i absolutely love knitting with the yarn, the fibre company road to china. i have enough left to make some cute little baby socks too.

i am off to martha’s vineyard in a week. it is always such fun to go there. can’t wait to hit the beach. i am debating which project to bring with me. i will probably do the baby socks on the plane. i was also thinking of taking a spinning class while i am out there. we shall see.

so, i started a new project yesterday. it is a super cute baby cardigan for my sister-in-laws new baby boy. i have been really looking forward to using a few skeins of some Fibre Company Canopy yarn that i got on sale. finally, this is my chance. i love the color (Acai) and the feel of the yarn. it is a warm red with a fiber mix of 50% baby alpaca, 30% merino, 20% bamboo. the sweater has some colorwork around the yoke, so i also bought a skein of Riverstone and Blue Tourmaline.

the pattern uses 8 rows of seed stitch at the hem. it is worked flat. my goal is to finish it in the next couple of weeks, so i can gift it during my next visit.

ok, so, i have been kicking around the idea of buying a pattern keeper for awhile now. however, i have not been blown away by the design selection. i wanted something a little more unique. also, i figured, this is something anyone can make (even me). so, i decided to buy a kindle case ($6.00), self adhesive magnetic sheets ($2.99) and magnetic strips ($1.99). voila. my very own pattern keeper.

i thought that it was a clever idea. also, there are so many cool designer cases that you can buy. you can use any ereader case that you want. i used the kindle sized case because that is what i thought i could carry around easily. using these cases, gives a knitter more options than just a plain black case. here is how i did it.

step 1 cut out anything in the case that is not needed. i had to cut out the bit that holds the kindle in place. i used small sharp scissors to do this.

step 2 cut the self adhesive magnetic sheet to fit in the case.

step 3 i purchased knitpicks’s magnetic strips for their pattern keeper because it was cheaper than buying an entire roll of magnetic strips. however, you can buy a roll of magnetic strips and cut the strips to your desired size.

Step 4 peel off the back of the self adhesive backing and stick it to the case. you are done and ready to use your pattern keeper to knit your next project.