Showing and sharing

Our guild meeting this month featured me for a moment of trunk show fame. I have been thinking about the event for a while and had trouble deciding what is the appropriate number of items and what are the most meaningful items to share. I could have backed up a truck and unloaded bundles of hand dyed yarns, hand spun yarns, sweaters, pillows, socks, scarves (oh the scarves!) baby clothes, afghans, more sweaters, wraps, bags, felted stuff, woven stuff, you name it. But I decided that a sampler that says who I am in a couple of simple totes would work.

So, if you were at the meeting, I hope you appreciated the attempt at brevity and the edited sampler. Now you know what I like, I hope that you will keep me in mind when you see wonderful things on sale and would like to alert me!

We had a great little environmental workshop as well. I made a great little felt covered bar of soap (more are likely on their way) and am bringing home all kinds of colorful plastic bags from a collection at school that will be wonderful totes. (Like I need another bag of any sort!) But hey, the landfill has me beat!

I met a couple of new friends and saw some that I have been missing over the summer and generally the night just flew by. What a great bunch the fiber gals are.....it is always a pleasure to show and share with this great group of friends!

She lives!

(African Penguins....soooooo cute!)

Yes, I am still around, only in a much different place, mentally. I am the lead in my art department and have a few adjustments to make in my schedule at school and at home. No, I have not stopped traveling. This past summer was a treat. Not only did I get to spend my first summer at our log home in the mountains, but that bit of heaven was interupted by an 11 day excursion to South Africa!

(African Elephants.....sooo huge!)

Everyone knows how I love to discover people, culture and the world in general. So take those ambitions and increase the intensity to "beyone belief" and you would have my summer experience.

(African termite mounds.....sooo strong!)

Now, I am not saying that all is perfect in the world, nor even in my own little corner. We arrived to the cabin only to find that it had not been winterized by the previous owner (in the contract!) so when the pump came on, the water came out! All over! Luckily it had not cracked the water heater and leaked over the winter. Yin/yang, I choose to look on the bright side. The plumber came out, literally as it said on his truck, "The Plumber" and he got us going.

My family was on their way to visit, so we were busy tidying up, making beds and painting. They arrived only to find on the second day that the septic seemed to be BACKING UP! "The Plumber" came again and suggested we have it snaked. Did I mention that we live in the mountains? The snaking fellas got lost on the mountain for 2.5 hours and couldn't call since the cell service is almost non-exsistant. My husband and sweet son in law dug up the line and found the crack, replaced the pipe and got us going, again. We then got a land line so that we could call out and receive calls...such a luxury!

Our neighbors out there are awesome, they are like a new family in the new area and we miss them terribly since our return.

As for knitting, I have been fiddling around with unfinished projects, something that I rarely have, but have recently accumulated for one reason or another. I have also found that almost every female at school is pregnant, so I have an excuse to make sweet baby clothes. Never have, never really thought about it, love it! So fast, so cute and so reasonable...well, comparatively since I have always made full sized sweaters and paid full sized prices for the yarn even on sale.

Check out the Ravelry and see the latest!

As for pictures, I have posted travel albums to "Where have I been?" a Shutterfly site, I "think" that they are available to see, let me know if you need an invitation, I am new at this!

Frogging and Blogging

Knitted Wire "Scroll book" from the EMU international book exhibition

Once the sun starts to shine and the weather makes me dream of summer, the urge hits. "Neaten the nest" I say. This is when I realize that the clothes that I have been keeping in hopes that I might actually need them one day (when in reality I have not needed them for the past few years), frees my spirit to pack bags and mark them "donation."

The other wonderful thing that happens is that I feel free to really examine the strange junk that has been accumulating and decide what has creative potential and what is just plain ridiculous to keep. I threw away labels from yarn, knitted long ago into projects. I threw away business cards and postcards announcing sales that are now meaningless. I kept the hundreds of chicken wishbones that my grandmother saved for perhaps her lifetime...potential??? Yes, and also a bit of family history.
After the NCECA clay conference in Philly last week, the neatening was made a bit more difficult. A wonderful artist Isiah Zagar made a presentation on his "Magic Garden" and the mosaic murals that decorate the cities less attractive areas. This work was Barcelona's Gaudi come to life in our country! He used EVERYTHING to create a colorful, rich and beautiful space. Boy, do I have the materials to decorate all of Royal Oak! Where to start?????

"The Magic Garden," Philadelphia.

My latest attempt to get control over the accumulated projects and materials has been in the area of stash and UFO's. I am not usually a non-finisher. If I have unfinished projects, maybe a sweater half knit or one foot of a sock, it means that I am uninspired and realizing that the yarn has a greater purpose. Time to frog.

I was raised to finish what I start. But my own sensibility has evolved. Why waste time and materials on something that is not pleasing? I no longer finish the book that started ok, but was not holding my attention. I don't watch the whole dvd movie if it is not any good. So, why not save my energy and yarn for greater things?

This week I am reclaiming my time and my yarn (not to mention the needles that occupy each project in each bag) through careful frogging. All the while, I am dreaming of the exciting new projects that are on the horizon.

Friends and Fiber

What could be better? Friends and fiber are all anyone needs for a grand pick-me-up! Add lunch, dessert, coffee and a bunch of laughs and all is right with the world.

I had spent the first week of my Spring break in my house, dreary grey outside and no car. Better yet, the 1200.00 quote quickly turned into 2500.00 to bring my baby back to the road and my freedom! But she is back...and ready to take us to Philadelphia for the clay conference on Tuesday.

So, the lure of a fiber outing was becoming stronger every minute. No, again, no, I do not need any yarn. No, I do not need any tools or wool of any sort. Yes, I went, yes, I spent.

The six of us traveled to Ohio to the Black Swamp Spinner's Fiber market and loved every moment that we shared. We found a new yarn shop...chock full of yarn in an older home, also chock full of ladies with their yarn, tools, snacks and a dog! But we made our way around and found some goodies.

The Market had less actual yarn than in the past, and I have sworn off roving for a little bit, until the cupboards and buckets and cabinets find spaces for new friends. But it did not stop me from some luscious cashmere from Briar Rose, a fair-isle sock kit, a "pope soap on the rope" (a gag gift for a family member) three beautiful handspun skeins and of course some "happy yarn" for a pair of socks that will make me feel....well, Happy!

I am starting a new sweater with yarn from my stash, good girl, putting aside my cable sweater that is a hit and miss project requiring concentration, and planning the knitting packing for this weeks road trip to Philly.

My mood is up, my car is back and all it took was a day with my friends and fiber!

It is REALLY REALLY Spring!

The sun finally shines (at least part of the days) and my cat is rolling in its warmth as it streams through the windows. I prefer to notice her in the strong beam of light, rather than the dust that the sun highlights during this glorious time of the year. Spring cleaning...hmmmm..not yet. I am just so happy to be able to sit on my porch and read after school, walk into town and, of course, check out all of the new yarn and patterns for spring.

I started another Clapotis with Noro's new cotton blend laceweight, only a scarf width for this one. I got about two feet done when I realized that it was not structured enough to benefit from the unraveled bits, so I frogged the whole thing and began again, knitting the same pattern, diagonal with the ridges, but no unravels. It looks great! I think that it will be terrific with tanks and tees this spring and into the summer evenings (or chilly dining).

My contract for teaching next fall includes fifth grade, so I am doing some extra research into projects that will be exciting for the kids next year.

Only one more week and I hear whether or not I am being awarded a National Humanities Grant for this summer, keeping my fingers crossed!

I am on spring break right now, and alas, no big trips outside of the country. I am excited to be attending NCECA, a clay conference, in Philadelphia with my hubby...like a mini summer vacation where there usually is none! We will be seeing friends that we met on our trip to Korea and I can't wait to spend time with them.

On the fiber burner.....just a couple of possible workshops that combine art and fiber. One is at Miami University in June and the other is at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, not far from our cabin. Hopefully, the next couple of weeks will spell out the reality of my summer plans.

I guess that I have avoided the inevitable dusting for long enough...that sun, that tremendous sun, how it shames me into housework!

Long time, No.....?

I managed to neglect my blog since the holidays. That is a record! Somehow I have even managed to neglect reading my friends' blogs as well.

The excuse is simple. Just like everyone else, I have been busy.

Busy knitting, of course,
but also keeping up a steady exercise routine,
working like crazy,
attending my guild meetings,
going to knitting boot camp and doing (most of) the homework.

Check out my Ravelry page, new pictures that prove that I exist!

I have dyed yarn,
wound and labeled it for the Yarn Harlot's presentation at Detroit Public Library 3/13/10

I attended the Spinner's Flock fiber sale, even bought some hand-dyed and already spun alpaca and yummy roving that looks like a peppermint twirl!

I got out the spinning wheel and spun some of my stash,
spent hours and hours trying to sort and clean one of my fiber rooms (yes, only one of the rooms).

I am listing a cottage for sale and purchased a cabin in the mountains and even a little spare land next door.

My husband fell 9 feet off a ladder onto a wood floor and is fine (was sore and pretty worried).

Now for the taxes, and hopefully, another post before everyone forgets me!

HOLIDAY SALE, ART FOR ALL!

Jim and Linda's Annual Holiday Sale!

We Invite You To Join Us Once Again At The Ceramics Studio
on the Marygrove College Campus
on Dec 4th & 5th
From 11AM to 5 PM

Featuring
Pottery, Sculpture, Fiber, Jewelry, Photography

Not sure where the ceramic studio is? Ask security at the gate when you arrive for directions to the Art Annex.

Marygrove College
8425 W. McNichols
313-927-1337 jlutomski@marygrove.edu
Cash or check accepted

Holiday Sale c'mon out!

All of that creating has to show up somewhere...here it is, a sale and exhibition of the time honored traditions that have given character to our homes and personal expression in what we wear. Please join us for a sale Friday evening and Saturday all day (Novemeber 20th and 21st)!

Bring friends and feel the love…felted items, hand dyed yarns, photography, knitting bags and notions…lots of goodies for your holiday gift giving! Local artisans have plenty of handmade gifts for your holiday shopping or personal pleasure! Let us not forget the warmth of a gift that expresses the maker, not a factory!

We’ll also have some info about the potter’s home shows on the same weekend!

Friday 4-9pm, Saturday 10-6 Tyler Avenue, Berkley, MI (near Catalpa) Come to the side door…

Hope to see you there, let us know how you found us.....

Never too late to learn!

Maybe this is why I am a teacher. I love to learn! Ever since I saw the class listings for "Boot Camps" for weaving, spinning and knitting at Heritage Spinning and Weaving, I have been intrigued. I read constantly and love to try new techniques. But somehow, I find myself reading and learning during projects when it would have been better to get the exposure in practice first. It is like having friends over for a new recipe...sometimes it is a great outcome, sometimes an apology.

When I saw the Bridget at "...have you any wool?" was offering the Knitting Boot Camp, I was delighted! Here is a chance to take the skills, one at a time, and become familiar before using them on a garment!

Sure, there will be reading and homework (that I cannot wear) but I will be with other like-minded knitters, learning together and from each other.

Bonus...it is held monthly at the knit shop. I can't help but "look!"

Shop Hopping around Lansing

Yesterday was the long awaited Back to School Shop Hop. I was not going to go. I did not need to go, should not buy yarn, just got back to school, need rest, house is a mess, company is coming next weekend....get the picture?

I went.

I could not help it. I knit with the Black Sheep on Tuesday nights at Panera and heard the buzz. I pushed it aside for a good long time, but it kept buzzing. Then, the passports, talk of goodie bags and the plans for lunch at Threadbear. I could not take it another minute. I got the passport, ordered my lunch and spent the next couple of weeks anxiously awaiting the outing.

It did not disappoint. Each of 4 shops had sales and pattern gifts for us. Each store was mobbed with happy fiber addicts, arms filled with fluffy and colorful beginnings of projects that were no doubt started that night if not on the way home!

I do not regret going, and it was not a sign of weakness to buckle and change my original plan of bowing out. I figure this; if you are lucky enough to have a great group of friends and have the opportunity to spend a day laughing and sharing and shopping with them, why not. Life is too short to miss out on happy moments like these. I am still smiling!

Ahhhh Almost Fall

Boy, the summer has been great. Interesting sights, visits, weather. But a sure sign that fall is nearing is the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan, MI. I had the great pleasure of going with some of my Black Sheep buddies for the weekend and a chance to enhance the stash. As a teacher, the mention of fall makes me feel a little tense. Sure, I am excited to get to the kids and the creative ventures of the art studio. But there is much to be said for having a choice about when and where the creativity is taking place. This past weekend, it was all about fiber and friends and that felt "just right."

I went with a different plan for shopping. First off, I need NOTHING. Next, I have so much that I am anxious to knit just waiting for me. Add the new stuff that I got while I was in Colorado and Wyoming, and I am almost uninterested in seeing new fiber. Almost.

Briar Rose is always a great temptation. I just got enough wonderful yarn from her to make the Retro Sweater, so I felt that I should put off the pleasure of more of this stash until next time. Wow. What control...I was feeling powerful!

Next stop, Rita's wonderful Yarn Hollow. Hmmm, the power was fading. I got some sock yarn. Yeah, I need about 200 pairs of socks and I better keep getting more yarn for when they all wear out. She had a lovely worsted blend of merino and silk that is in my favorite colorway, Chai, and I could not say no. 500 yards will make the Sassymetrical, I was advised by Ravelry's "Sweatershy" and it looked great on her project page, so it was a done deal. But what if I need more? What if I make something else? Should I get more? Oh man....The strength returned, I stuck with my one skein limit. Even when I went back and got MORE YARN from her! What control (but what if?????)

Back to Briar Rose for a couple of wonderful patterns, no yarn this time either, but ideas are brewing.

The shopping continued and our bags grew full and we grew tired. Onward to Margaritas and ribs, yum. It is so rewarding to have friends that support each other and have so much in common. Plus, the thrill of the hunt and the exciting purchases are a great way to start getting into the new season.

I got home and started entering the new members of my fiber collection on my stash page in Ravelry. What a surprise... the Chai that I was agonizing over having only 500 yards...guess what? I bought the EXACT SAME THING at the last fiber show, so I actually have 100 yards. I guess that I must have really loved it. I bought it twice, imagine that.

The sky is grey, it will probably rain today. Oh well, let it rain or even snow, I have my fiber and friends to keep me happy!

Coming Home and Getting My Act Together!

This has been both the most whirlwind summer while simultaneously being the most relaxing and exciting. I began June vacation with a two week trip to Spain with Smithsonian Tours. I am not usually the organized tour type, I like the planning and flexibility of doing what I want, when I want to do it. But my teaching partner and I agreed that this would be a good way to see Northern Spain and the Basque country and get the most out of the time we had available. The tour was an architectural and art based venture, both being my interests, so we went for it. The organized trip itself was not as long as we would like, so we added days to the beginning in Madrid and at the end in Barcelona. Great idea and it sure paid off. If you ever get the opportunity to tour this part of the country, do it! The food is out of this world and the variety of cities and sights will surely please anyone.

A mere 3 days back at home, and my sweet husband was ready with the camper and the kitty to begin our usual wild west days. We had an eventful trip, some good and some scary. Good was the book I bought that listed yarn shops state by state. It really helped when I was asked "which way should we go?" The answer always being, "in the direction of this shop!"

I scored sock yarns from a number of sources as my samples, got a new book for knitting toe up socks, found Addi sock needles and circulars "buy one and get one free" in Buena Vista, CO, and added a drop spindle and some roving just for the fun of it.

Having such a HUGE collection of yarn makes it easier to travel and ask for the local specialty or unusual fiber. Since we go west every year, I have noted the return visit possibilities and those that we passed while they were closed. If you are ever in Fort Collins, CO, please drop in and visit "My Sister Knits." It is a charming carriage house shop in the back yard of a wonderful house. Upstairs was a grand collection of sock yarns and a well stocked addition to the lovely store.

Tomasina, our traveling cat companion, enjoyed the trip, as usual. What was NOT usual is the way that the chipmunk caught her eye as we were closing the camper door at the TOP of a steep canyon in Yellowstone National Park. Before I could even register what happened, she flew out of the door, over the guard rail and down about 10 feet of loose gravel that ended with a sheer cliff drop off. She luckily stopped at a small grassy knob, looked up and came to her senses just before completely going over. I kept my cool long enough to alert my husband, grab her treats and start calmly talking to her. Meanwhile, my knight is shining armour hubby managed to scale the side of the wall going down a bit, coaxing her to come to him and the treat bag that he held. There went one of her nine lives, and I am sure a bit of my one and only life. We are so lucky to have her back!

Our camper gave us a little trouble this year, giving out at the top of the Colorado Monument. We needed to creep down the winding mountain side without side rails at about 5mph and into town to have a mechanic work on it for a few days. Scarrrrrryy!!!!!! We are, again, lucky and the thing was fixed many hours and dollars later without injury to its passengers.

A day home and I am getting the plans together with my friends to attend the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan this weekend, so a busy week of laundry and bill paying, phone calls and maybe a little knitting will help to acclimate me to the real life that I live when summer ends.

Time is flying, faster than the speed of light!

It is so hard to balance the many facets of our lives. Who ARE the people that claim that they have nothing to do. I don't mean teen-agers, they claim that BECAUSE they should be doing something, but long to sleep. I know, I had three of them.

I finished the cotton, "Hey Teach" and am sewing the vintage buttons on tonight. The experiment in cotton for the cardi on the cover of Interweave Knits is teetering on the edge. I have a love hate relationship with the more open gauge, even though I wanted an open and light summer sweater. About 3/4 of the way through, maybe I will finish, maybe I will restart in another pattern.

Since the last posting, our guild had their annual retreat. Wow. It is so much fun and so rejuvenating to spend a whole weekend devoted to friends and fiber. We laughed until we cried, we ate too much, we got caught in the rain, bought yarn, took workshops, and made friendships grow. An impromptu concert by some visiting musicians became a sing along and we could not have had a better night! For those of you who were there...yes, we do have the body of a goddess (don't let anyone tell you otherwise!).

The school year is quickly coming to the end, my planning for a two week tour of Spain is drawing near and I have so much knitting to do!

The other night was our annual dinner and swap with the guild. What fun to see what treasures others are ready to part with and how exciting to go home with someone else's stuff and less of our own! Members are getting more savvy about this swap and displays are showing up. Just wait until next year! People will be joining the guild just to get in on the swap, not to mention the retreat!

Lucky we are, indeed, to belong to such an active and caring group. Knit on!

A sign of the times

I am busy making summer sweaters since I have recently fallen in love with cotton and linen for spring knitting! Whilst I am busy with my pursuit, the rest of the world is focusing on other issues. I have been washing my hands like the rest of them, but like this knitter's solution to the Swine Flu mania

http://blog.splendorknitting.com/2009/05/because-every-pandemic-needs-some.html

Anyone in on this project??

Loving the summer knitting!

It is early, I know, but I have the Spring/Summer fever. Using cotton and linen for weaving was a natural thing to do, but for some reason, knitting them was not on my agenda. All of that has changed. I started with Elsbeth Lavold's Hempathy, great yarn and great colors! I finished my "Marilyn's not so fitted cardi" from Knit and Tonic. Love it. I am just waiting for it to dry to get the photos posted. On the needles right now is "Hey Teach" of Knitty.com fame. I am making it in exactly what it calls for, Knit One Crochet Too 2nd time cotton. This is not my usual method for selecting yarns and patterns. It was one of those things...I will tell you.

I was shopping at one of my favorite knit shops and saw the yarn. The color is a great linen color and I was thinking of making some kind of sweater...maybe the cover of the Interweave Knits? But the guage was not great. In the store was a cute little sweater that I recognized...Hey Teach! Guess what it was made in??? That is right...guess what size....MINE! So I tried the sample, loved the fit, the look and the yarn, bought it an knit the back right away. I did notice that my usual method of marking lace sections was not working out about the 7th repeat in the lace pattern. Good old Ravelry...I looked up the forum comments and found that others had the same issue. So, don't marked the sections, 7th row messes it up and you will go out of your mind wondering what is going on! At least, I was.

The first evening of knitting on this, with friends and chatting, found me repairing a little stitch that slipped away about 3" down. I picked them up and worked them in, but my neurotic side couldn't deal with it. I went home frogged to the "good" part and started back up. So far, I am loving it and the yarn is great.

This little beauty is short sleeved and could be layered, but I am holding out for the 80 degree weather that is promised for this weekend. All I need is a little tank or tee and the sunshine and my summer has begun...all that from the excitement of summer yarns!

Yeah for Casting On!!!

This is the time of year that I refer to as "Neatening the Nest." It is a form of spring fever that makes me open the windows, air my fleece and yarn and cast on for summer projects. Part of the neatening this year was my desire to start adding magazine issues to Ravelry. It never fails that I will find a great pattern, see it available for a purchaseable download and realize (later) that I actually have the magazine where the pattern first appeared when I PAID for the issue!

So, now with everyone in a necessary phase of being green for the environment and not wasting paper, and being conservative with their cash, not wasting dollars, this seemed a sensible thing to do.

I must say, it was not as bad as I was anticipating! Less than an hour allowed me to enter about 65 magazines and find about 40 that were not on Ravelry's database yet. Now I have magazine cases that are Ravelry checked and those that are not....

Maybe this will help ease my pattern purchasing a bit. I know enough to alter a pattern to update the look using yarn, details or shaping. I have enough yarn and patterns to keep my entire guild busy and clothed for all eternity.

Which brings me to the next neatening adventure...adding those cases of yarn that have not made it onto my stash yet! I was feeling the guilt and slowed down a bit, until I noticed another member's stash WELL over mine! She knows who she is, she reads my blog. I will not name names, but am sure that she does not know enough feet for the skeins of sock yarn to warm. Or maybe she does....I hope she puts me on her list, I could use a pair of hand-dyed hand knit socks.

My most recent cast on is "Marilyn's not so fitted cardigan," a Ravelry download purchase (I know, I have plenty of patterns, could have modified one for this, blah blah blah, but I was in mental distress. I broke down on a spring day in Michigan that was grey and beginning to snow amid a growing pile of personal concerns.). I am using Elsbeth Lavold's Hempathy (love it) and it is moving at a great pace...I just hope I did not make it too big. Pictures and reviews coming since I am on the second sleeve waiting to decide 3/4 length or long. Always a little turmoil at this point in the project, but I hope to be past that this weekend.

Neaten your nest and get started on the Spring projects! It feels so good!!!!!

Knitting with Purpose

The Renaissance of Latvia's ethnographic mittens (reprinted and translated from the "Iberian point of View") Be sure to check out the links at the bottom for the examples of the many patterns! Amazing.

What will 9.000 hands have in common during the NATO Summit in Riga this November? 4,500 pairs of traditional hand-made Latvians mittens!That's what the NATO Summit Latvia for Task force there are prewall Summit guests. The mittens were specially knitted by hundreds of women and men around the country ranging in age from 30 to 86. Each to pair features to unique design, utilizing to wide variety of traditional colors, patterns and symbols. For Latvians, mittens plows much dwells than to way to warm your hands. Every ethnographic Latvian mitten tells to story, marks an anniversary and represents to specific region in Latvia (Vidzeme, Zemgale, Latgale and Kurzeme.) Some intended mitten designs plows specially for weddings or to other special events. There is of even to rich tradition folkloric etiquette associated with the wearing, storing and displaying of mittens. (Story Dwells about The of to thousand to year old Latvian mitten)All, mittens for men and women plows different in size. Men's mittens in general plows to bigger. In addition, and dwells dramatic reserved colours plows characteristic for men's mittens. The colours in women's gloves plows to brighter and dwells cheerful.
The ornamentation elements plows “blended in” from one neighbouring region into to another; therefore the identification of to mitten to particular region dog sees characterized dwells precisely by the composition of its colours and shades. Latgale is to land of linen; therefore linen-congregation light colourings predominate in gloves of this region. Similarly, bright and joyful colours plows characteristic for Latgale and also Kurzeme. Also the Word “rakstaini” dwells precisely characterizes mittens from Kurzeme, because to their ornamentation is to brighter than in other regions. Calm and vibrant earthy colours plows the basis of mittens from Zemgale. However, light and beige colourings plows for typical Vidzeme.
For most Latvians, this project is to national special source of pride, because it you combine tradition, culture and history with something of lasting practical VALUE that will sees enjoyed around the world.
Please, enjoy it!
Galleries of the mittens.
Download all mittens here (200 MB to.rar case out) NEW
Latvian mittens men `s from the Zemgale region of Latvia (they men `s/women `s)
Latvian mittens from the Kurzeme region of Latvia (they men `s/women `s)
Latvian mittens from the Latgale region of Latvia (they men `s/women `s)
Latvian mittens from the Vidzeme region of Latvia

February Ladies Sweater, but it is April!

Well, I am nearly there. I am in the home stretch on my February Ladies Sweater. You saw the pictures I posted, it is in handspun that I got at the Chelsea Fiber Fair. Since there was just barely enough yarn (and I discovered an orphan yarn that I THOUGHT was the same stuff when I bought it) I knit the yoke and sleeves and am finishing the length to fit the yarn. Almost done. It was not actually started in February, so it is no great crime to finish in April. In fact, it was my pre-Lenten cast-on in keeping with the Black Sheep tradition of no new cast-ons during the 40 days before Easter. It has nothing to do with religion or the holiday, but is a way to see if we can limit ourselves or finish the UFO's during this time. So far, so good.

I finished my Sneaky Sheep Swap one skein item for a member of the guild. I have a sock mostly done from my trip to San Miguel de Allende and a second from a pair of socks from a previous project in the home stretch.

School is winding down (or up, depends on how you look at it) and conferences are the last big hurdle of the year. That and writing final report cards. But the end is near and I am ready for the summer break. We always go west to Colorado and opted for the Korean ceramic adventure last summer, so we are longing for our own mountains to hike. Plus, the cat, our adored Tomasina misses travel in the camper. But before we go, I have one last adventure of my own.
I will be traveling to Spain! The Smithsonian Adventure tours was offering an art and architecture tour that starts in Madrid and moves in a horseshoe to the border of France and ends in Barcelona. We will take a couple extra days there for our own little adventure and head home in time to pack the camper. Yippee! My next step in preparation is to check Ravelry for yarn stores in Spain. Wish me luck!

Pictures!!!

Here they are: the Mexican Monkey Socks! I decided to bring this yarn since it felt like Mexico and I love knitting this pattern. Thanks CookieA! I preordered her sock book, so that treat should be in my mailbox any minute now.

The little (or not so little, it holds a whole sweater and a couple balls of yarn) black bag that I was able to snag after losing my self control. No regrets this time...I got it.

Imaginary Alpaca Farm was my first stop at the Black Swamp Spinners sale. She had not even priced this beauty yet and had two skeins of 305+ yards available. MINE MINE MINE!

My Briar Rose 4th of July yarn for the Retro Cardi that I have been dreaming of for 2 YEARS!

February Ladies Sweater in the handspun and handdyed yarn from the Chelsea Spinner's Flock Fiber show and sale last month...almost done. Still praying that I have enough yarn to make it longer than a cropped sweater since I cut it pretty close. We will see....soon.

One of the most lovely sock yarns of recent purchase (yesterday's jaunt to Ohio for the Black Swamp Spinners sale). I needed to guard this one, others had their eyes and even their hands on it, the nerve!

More River's Edge sock yarn. I happened to choose her two most recent colors for this year. This one is more grey than blue...like Good and Plenty candy and some fade...it matches my hot pink Converse tennis shoes!

Bernal is a wool specialty area in central Mexico. These little slippers are alpaca and handknit from the town, a nice addition to my collection of knitting around the world! Plus, an easy pattern to make if I want more!

Hola!

I am freshly back in the states after a bit of sunshine in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This is my second time in this colonial paradise of central Mexico. The vibrant colors of the buildings and the sights, sounds and sunshine make me reallllllly happpy!!! I went with my mom and had a great time. We toured some wonderful houses and their fabulous gardens, saw a flamenco show, walked for miles and miles each day on the cobbled streets and narrow walks to discover each adventure. A couple of side tours to neighboring states revealed Diego Rivera's birthplace, a mummy museum, a Jurassic period mini-mountain that holds all kinds of lore and tons of history and beauty. Purple trees in bloom dotted the landscape and we shopped the galleries of a retired muslin mill. Ole! I even found a pair of hand knit alpaca socks in one of the wool capitals, Bernal, to add to my multicultural knit collection.

One week back on American soil and I found myself traveling with friends from the Black Sheep to the Black Swamp Spinners fiber show in Ohio. Of course, I added to my mega stash on Ravelry and cannot wait to get knitting. Briar Rose was there with the ingredients for the much coveted retro cardigan in 4th of July yarn dyed with greens and blues...something new for me and soooooo lovely! We found a new yarn shop in Sylvania, thanks to our driver and pal, Suzanne and will be returning for more goodies soon, I hope!

While in Mexico, I decided to bring socks as the knit along project for the trip. I used the original Noro sock yarn in multi colors that reminded me of the colors in San Miguel. I call them my Mexican Monkeys, since they are the Monkey Sock pattern with a theme. Unfortunately, I missed my daylight opportunity, once again, to photograph the new stuff (tax season requires daylight or I make mistakes). Just you wait, pictures will be here and there will be no room for words!