Starry Starry Sky

I finally finished my Celestarium this past week.  It has been in and out of my focus for a while now.  Cast on months ago, it puttered out for a while due to its ever increasing size.  Until I bought a dress to wear to my cousin's wedding and decided this shawl would be perfect to wear with it.  And then it was too cold to wear that dress to the wedding.  So it sat again, part way through the bind off.

Then the owner of Done Roving heard about the shawl, mentioned her Starry Starry Night colorway and discovered I was knitting mine in that very yarn.  And she wanted to display it at her TNNA booth.  Back to binding off I went.

Finally bound off, this large baby needed an extra special blocking.  Except the weather was bad.  Or I didn't have time on a gorgeous day.  Or I was just too lazy to do it.  And then it was forgotten, burried under other project bags.  Until this past weekend.  When I realized I had to have it done by Tuesday to head to TNNA with the bosses.

I frantically started setting up my blocking boards outside while the shawl soaked.  And just as I was draining it out, the drizzling started.  I dragged my foam blocks inside and set about pinning.

Not gonna lie, it looked pretty shitty.  So out came the blocking wires.  Into every one of the 500+ stitches they were threaded and pinned.  Did I mention over 500 stitches?

Before I even started the shawl, I decided I did not like the applied garter edging.  It was just too blah for my taste.  After sampling a couple stitch patterns, a ruffled edge was suggested.  And I did it, adding beads in the bind offs.  That made 1700+ stitches.  Yes, I understand I'm a little crazy.

And now this beauty is out in Columbus, waiting to be displayed for everyone to see.  If you see her there, tweet/instagram me a pictures with her!  I hope she has fun and comes back with plenty of new friends.

Up Close and Personal

More sheep fun for your day :o)

Sheep Talk

This month's SSGLI meeting was all about SHEEP!  While we often focus on wool and fleeces today there were actual live sheep at the barn :o)

Mama Lisa leashing them up to come play with us.  Yes, sheep on leashes.

Needless to say, I was in heaven.  These little guys were so damn friendly!  They're like dogs- only better because you get to spin them.  Someday, someday, I will take them all home with me.

As you can see, everyone enjoyed feeling these 3 month old boys.  Lisa of Bay Haven Short Tails brought 2 of her 4 little men to visit with us.  These 2 were the ones she had to bottle feed.  The other two stayed home with their mommy (Hazel, Lisa's son's sheep that he WON at MS&W last year, and Hercules, the ram she brought home to, well, make more sheep with).

These boys just love attention.  Granted, they did get a little distracted by things they could chew on.  But really they loooooved being petted.  And we willingly obliged them!

This is Malin, my new boyfriend.  I can't say no to a sheep who WANTS to lay his head on my lap.  He nibbled my fingers too.

Julia got some kisses from Oliver too :o)

Here's what I learned tonight about raising sheep:

1. They're cheaper to buy than a dog.
2. You don't need allll that much room for them.
3. They're the friendliest little guys ever and make awesome pets.

Even better- they talk to you:

Mock-trelac Heart Duo

While planning the upcoming events for the Brooklyn Knit and Crochet Guild, someone suggested we have me teach....something...at an upcoming meeting.  It was settled that I would teach entrelac.  Originally it was going to be March but after scrapping a bunch of ideas for February, we moved it up.  We wanted something Valentine's themed, so after a couple tries.  I made these little cuties.

It's a great into to entrelac recipe- using any weight yarn and any needle size.  There are no pesky end triangles so that the knitter can get the hang of the idea behind entrelac.  It's small enough that if you decide you hate knitting entrelac, you can still have a finished project without having to do something huge. 

I'm planning on incorporating this pattern into a themed series down the road, but if you want to knit it with us for Valentine's Day come to the meeting this weekend!  We'll be at the Brooklyn Central Library in the Trustees Room on Sunday, February 10 at 1:30 (library doors open at 1:00). If you're commuting in, the library is a 20 minute walk from the Atlantic Terminal LIRR stop or accessible by several subway lines (some come closer than others).  Or if you actually care to drive through Manhattan, it's just down the road from the Manhattan Bridge.

Silly Kitty

I was working my butt off yesterday to get a project done (more on that coming soon) when I happened to notice someone was having a bit too much fun with my yarn.

That would be my madelinetosh Vintage in The Village Knitter's custom colorway, Great South Babes.  It's a gorgeous blend of blues and greens.  And it's destined to be the handmade piece for my Downton Abbey Season 3 Swap with the Subway Knits Podcast.  So, do you think you're my secret swapee??

Dino sure hopes he's my swap partner :o)

VOGUEknitting LIVE! Wrap-Up, Part the Third- The Projects and the Haul

Now I know this is what you've all been waiting for.  Before I show you the goodies, though, here's a look at what I was knitting throughout the weekend.  That's what it's really about afterall.

First, I finished knitting up my BFF Cowl link during my Thursday train ride.  After a couple snags, it was seamed up with the other link.  Which was perfect to wear to the Subway Knits Meetup on Saturday.  Where I saw my two swap partners.

My link was knit out of Noro Taiyo.  It's a cotton yarn I actually like, probably because it's blended with silk, wool and nylon.

Throughout the weekend, I worked on my Hexipuffaday challenge.  I finished 4 (maybe more) during train rides and downtime standing around during my shifts.

So far I have 24 done (and number 25 is on the needles now) for January.

My last project for the weekend was a Pogona, cast on specifically for it's easy and mindless miles of stockinette and reverse stockinette.

I'm using my Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! leftover from my Tempest Cardi.  Speaking of, I can't find this cardigan and have no photo on my project page for it.  Which means it's probably lost on the floor of my closet somewhere.  Ugh

Now, for what you really wanted to see:  the stash acquisitions!  

Siiiiigh.  Blogger decided to rotate my photo.  And it's staying that way.

First purchase of the weekend was from Loop.

Colorway:  Atlantis

Fiber Content:  merino, bamboo, tussah silk, angelina

I can't wait to spin this fiber!  I've heard such great things about Loop and want to start now.  But too many other things are waiting to be finished on Cocinella first.  Like the stuff I bought at VKLive last year...

But that didn't stop me from buying more fiber!  I have to support LI Livestock Co. every time I see them!  I love that my local fiber source is growing.

This roving is 95% llama with 5% Gold Bamboo and comes from the llamas Patches and Butterscotch.  I love this method of naming :o)

Next acquisition was a set of needles from Indian Lake Artisans.  These guys vended Vogue last year, but only had straight needles.  They came to the shop to show their wares but we don't have a market for straight needles.  I heard from MooseManor that they were at Rhinebeck and had finally made some circulars.

And, even better, they have the twisty cables.  Meaning the needle swivels around the cable, helping to prevent cable kinks.  

They even have the size burned/stamped (?) into them.

Once I use these, I'll do a review.  Especially since I also just bought the ChiaoGoo interchangeables this week too.

ChiaoGoo size 4 tip vs. Indian Lake size 4 tip

So far, these ones have a leg up on the ChiaoGoos solely because they are 100% American made.

Now, on to the yarn purchases!  I really didn't want to buy yarn since I have so much already, work at a yarn shop, and still haven't knit everything I bought at Vogue last year :o/

So my only purchases were super special.  Well, mostly.

First up was my purchase from Habu Textiles.  I bought 3 cones of a raw silk wrapped stainless steel in a slate blue-gray color.

I've always wanted to try a steel wool style of yarn.  And since I know I won't go out of my way to purchase it, I took my opportunity this weekend.  Each cone has 575 yards so I have plenty to play with, but I have a sweater idea brewing around my mind for it.  Just have to find the perfect companion yarn.

Next purchase was from The Plucky Knitter.  I don't think I've ever heard of these ladies before, but their colors were amazing!  So I knew I had to try some out.

Primo Worsted in Glacier and Sticky Toffee.  Colors are not accurate- my camera didn't like them very much.

I will most likely do something colorwork with these two.  Not sure what yet though.  I did scour Ravelry Saturday night when I should have been sleeping looking for ideas.  Nothing perfect yet.  I'm open to suggestions though!

My last purchase of the weekend was Sunday morning at Dragonfly Fibers.  I waited to purchase until Sunday because I knew I was going to be dragging purlingswine there to take a look.

This color also isn't entirely accurate.  It's a little more green tinted in person.

I really wanted a variegated color, but I have so many sock patterns that need to be done in a solid that I settled on the bright sea color of Mermaid.

I can't wait to play with all my knew fibery fun stuff.  So, what did you pick up at the Marketplace??

VOGUEknitting LIVE! Wrap-Up, Part the Second

I got up semi early Saturday with the intentions of heading in for some shopping before my commitments for the day but no luck.  I did get up a bit early but vegged around for quite a while before heading to the train.

Once I got to the hotel, I wandered the market for 10 minutes but headed up to the Ysolda lecture very early (so early, I was the first one there).  Since this was my only scheduled event, I wanted to make sure I had a great seat.

The lecture started a little rough.  But after the first couple minutes, Ysolda was on point and did a great jobs, despite some technical and scheduling difficulties.  She had a great "make it work" moment with the help of an attendee with a smartphone.  The lighting was pretty bad for the webcam she was using to project images of swatches on the screen, but the other student used the flashlight app on her phone as a spotlight.  Gotta love us knitters :o)

Overheard at #vklive:  "Why isn't technology instant?  We're in a spaceship.  It should be instant." -Ysolda.

After the lecture, I went and did the majority of my shopping for the weekend (in about a half hour).  You'll see all my purchases in tomorrow's post though :o)

Next I went over to the Subway Knits meetup and met so many listeners!  I saw venusfueri, knityorkcity, kreyoli and stitchmistress.  And I got this picture:

That's Kim, me, and Maria- my BFF Cowl Swap partners!

Does my camera take terrible pictures or what??  Maria got a better one on her camera

In the Subway Knits BFF Cowl Swap, I sent the link I knit to kreyoli and venusfueri sent hers to me.  And I'm wearing mine here :o)

I took a quick trip through the market again before heading to my next shift- Marketplace Doors.  I felt icky through this shift- most likely dehydrated.  But it wasn't terrible.  I got to see lots of people I knew walking in and out and checked out everyone's handknits and purchases. This was my not-so-humble encounter with a designer who thought dropping her name let he do what she wanted and be pushy. Ugh. Not buying her books anytime soon. Seriously people, when you go to these events, wear your badges and don't complain about showing them, wristbands, or tickets. And no, you can't get in without them.  Most popular questions we got:  1- What floor am I on?, and 2- Where's the bathroom? (they were right behind me).  After the shift there was one more quick walk through of the Market and then I headed home.  I was not feeling up to meeting up with anyone and really just wanted my bed.

Sunday morning I got up at the ass crack of dawn because someone, ahem purlingswine, wanted to get on the 7:55 train.  But once coffee was in me I was ok.  We met up with january_one and headed to the hotel.  purlingswine wasted no time in making fun of my tabbed Guide book.  But it was necessary for my shift at the Marketplace Doors!

When the Marketplace opened, I immediately dragged purlingswine to Dragonfly Fibers.  I loved the yarn colors so much Saturday that I wanted to try my best to get them into The Village Knitter.  Ann liked it too so we brought some home to show at the shop.  My fingers are crossed.

january_one was beyond ready to head to The Plucky Knitter and we ran into Thea Coleman of Baby Cocktails over there.  She was a riot and had us almost crying from laughing at her stories.  We even had some photobombing going on.  And this:

Overheard at #vklive: "I knit my own panties" @purlingswine@january_one @babycocktails

Off to my shift, I did some door monitoring for John Brinegar and Vedis Jonsdottir's lectures.  They were both awesome.  And another wonderful overheard:

Overheard at #vklive: "I'm being fondled" -John Brinegar. Can't say I blame the ladies- it was a nice cowl :o)

My last shift of the weekend was what I do on a regular basis:  winding yarn at the Yarn Tasting.  So many friends from the shop came by and heckled me.  Lucky I love them.

I had yet another fantastic weekend volunteering for Vogue.  It's always lots of fun meeting all the other volunteers and just getting to hang out everywhere.  Beth and Erin did a great job and were so awesome to work with.  I was absolutely flabbergasted that Beth knew me by face and name, either remembering from last year or just really good at putting names and faces together.  Either way, it was nice to work with them.  I didn't interact with Gabby and Carol much, but I saw them working their butts off constantly throughout the weekend.  I'm ready for next year's event!  So, when can I fill out the volunteer application?

VOGUEknitting LIVE! Wrap-Up, Part the First

The whirlwind of a weekend is finally over! Once again, I had a ton of fun. Great people, great yarn and so far the best weather yet! 

Because I was volunteering most of the weekend, there wasn't much time or opportunity for me to take photos.  But if you want to see some, head over to the Subway Knits Podcast website.  

Thursday I left subbing an eensy bit earlier to make my train for the volunteer meeting. I was still late to the meeting, but I have to be very thankful that Huntress999 was already in the meeting and gave me a heads up about the elevators. Good thing because I would have been even more late trying to figure them out on my own. The meeting was quick and then we had a brief tour of where we'll be working. None of this sunk in for me and it took me a while to figure out where I was half the time.

Friday I planned to get into the city early but as usual I was running late. Once I got to the Marriott I checked in for my first shift- very easily redirecting people whose class had been relocated. It was a short shift so after I sat and knit with rachmouse for a while. My second shift of the day was helping out at the Cocktail Reception. 

Tables set up ready for the Cocktail Reception Auction

We helped set up the area and then I stood with pepperknit taking tickets at the door. This was fun because I got to see all these awesome handknits as well as lots of designers, many pointed out to me by pepperknit. I didn't know what many of these designers looked like beforehand. Here's some of the people I saw:

Nicky Epstein- sweet as always
Josh Bennett and Brooke Nico came up together. Jokingly, Brooke said "We need tickets?" Thankfully she was joking. Not everyone was always humble. Most, yes. All, no.
Ysolda- looked super cute
Lily Chin-words can never explain this one. Completely ignoring the fact that her hand knit dress reminded me of a flamenco dancer, all she wanted to do was show off her teapot purse. 15 minutes before this, we could see her on the floor below checking into the hotel...in a completely different outfit. This woman is a wonder!
Debbie Bliss- I asked her for a ticket before looking up and realizing who it was. Her daughter was very sweet as well.

I'm sure more came through but these were the ones who stood out for me. 

And yes, I didn't know who Karen Allen was.  I have never seen any of her movies.  I know, I suck.  I've heard it all weekend.  If someone wants to set up an intervention, I won't fight it.

After I finished my shift, I was left with about a half hour to shop. A couple of us meet up and started wandering the marketplace. Until I heard that Loop only had a small and limited number of her fiber bumps. I've only heard amazing things about them so I had to make a beeline and pick one up.  And Steph was super sweet to talk to us.  But of course, because she has the best name ever.

We didn't have much time left after so we gathered our group and headed out for dinner. After walking in many circles trying to find a pub with enough space for our group, kreyoli, rachmouse, Huntress999, daisydeadpetal, MooseManor and others whose Ravelry/Twitter names I don't know (share with me if you want!) settled on Connolly's. Good food and fun. Our waiter, Middle-Name-Brendan, tried to convince us all to knit him a hat. Fat chance!

Come back tomorrow for more wrap up, and a bit of pictures (I promise!)