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The winter weather blew in just as a mitten came off my needles.
Fiesta Mittens by Lucy Neatby.
The clever Flying Swallows stitch covers the top of the mitten.
A simple color pattern covers the palm.
The thumb and gusset include wonderful details.
It was entertaining to watch the design unfold.
This detailed pattern includes both charted and written instructions.
The yarn is Dirty Water DyeWorks Lucia, colorways Seaweed and Mustard Seed.
The Fiesta Mittens Kit will be available at Fiber Festival of New England with several color combinations to choose from.
Fiesta fun.
I'm pulling everything together for next weekend's Fiber Festival of New England. In order to get from here to there I need to be organized.
Now I've long been a fan of these colorful little squares.
Post-its. They plaster my desk, work table and surrounding areas. My kids have turned me on to the virtual kind, and they have their place. But they're just not the same as the original.
You can imagine my delight when I came across these.
Poster size post-its. These sticky whacks of white have been my salvation this fall. When I'm heading out for a couple of days, I leave a large, long list so that my household continues to function on some level. When the list is the size of a poster, no one can say they didn't see it. Not even bleary-eyed teenagers.
And I use them for my large to-do list when I'm gearing up for a show. This one is ready and waiting for my weekend list. I can't wait to pull out my Sharpie and get started.
Believe it or not some things get taken care of without being written on a list. Fun things like decorating the yard for Halloween.
We now have a spooky graveyard complete with caution tape. The graveyard is a tradition around here, and we make additions every year.
Fun things like baking.
Colorful, tasty treats. We are set for Halloween, and I didn't have to lift a finger.
Yesterday before the rain turned to snow I captured this richly colored leaf. My color inspiration for the week.
Shimmering red.
Fiber Festival of New England is right around the corner, and I'm in the midst of restocking. There will be a couple of new items available at Fiber Festival. Keep an eye on the blog for a sneak peek.
I'm happy to report that after a brief hiatus the Diamondback Mitts Kit is back in stock, available only at shows.
These freshly dyed skeins are waiting for labels. There are plenty of options available for making the mitts using either one color or two.
I leave you today with the creative work of Kate Jenkins - a knitted supermarket and a knitted hotel room. I wonder what she will knit next.
This has been a busy fall with many shows and a lot of travel time. I realized over the weekend that this lovely season is slipping away, and I haven't had time for many of our traditional activities.
While I try to figure out if I can still squeeze in some apple picking, I do know that I haven't missed out on one of my fall traditions.
The Red Scarf Project.
This project collects scarves for foster children who are no longer part of the foster care system and are on their own in college. The scarves are distributed in time for Valentine's Day. Donations are being accepted from now until December 15. There's still plenty of time if you want to contribute.
It's Monday, and I have a new project in the works. This week is off to a good start.
Sometimes it seems I have to take a step backward to make any forward progress. Case in point. Yesterday I picked up my current mitten in progress - the one with the entertaining colorwork. I was admiring the colors when I noticed a particularly big, blue blob. Was I imagining it, or was there a mistake about 9 rounds back?
I put the mitten down and went for more coffee. When I came back, the blue blob was still there. There was definitely a mistake - a ssk that should have been a k2tog . The stitch had the wrong twist and was showing blue instead of yellow.
Now a mistake is not the end of the world, and some of them I can even live with. This, however, was not one of them. Ripping back 9 rounds of colorwork on 2.25mm needles is not for the faint of heart.
In the end I was left with this colorful tangle and the satisfaction of correcting that decrease and eliminating the blue blob.
As luck would have it I had an opportunity for extra knitting yesterday. Meetings and time spent waiting can be productive when it comes to knitting.
I caught up to where I had been interrupted by the mistake and then some. The thumb gusset is complete, stitches are set aside and I'm marching to the top of the mitten. And I'm on the lookout - no more blue blobs.
As leaves and plants dry up and shrivel, there is still plenty of color to be found. My color inspiration for the week.
Red-orange, vibrant to the very end.
It's the Wednesday after Rhinebeck, and I'm still recovering. In fact I may feel more exhausted today than I did on Monday.
I hate to disappoint if you stopped by the blog looking for pictures of knitting in progress, new colors or fun projects. The lighting today is awful for photos, so my knitting update will have to wait. Instead it looks like it's going to be a day to tackle the mountain of paperwork, process orders and sift through emails. With any luck I'll even find time for a nap.
The long-anticipated Rhinebeck weekend has come and gone.
True to form the weekend did not disappoint. It was crazy busy.
Rhinebeck is many things.
There is yarn and fiber of course.
But that's not all.
Food.
Music.
Colors in all shapes and sizes.
Activities for kids and grown-ups who dare.
Remnants of a sand sculpture from the Dutchess County Fair.
Complete with knitting.
Rhinebeck celebrates the season.
But above all Rhinebeck is a tradition, an annual trek to share time with friends. Thanks for a most memorable weekend.
The adventure continues. I'm packed and ready to hit the road to Rhinebeck. I'm going through a mental list to make sure I haven't forgotten anything. Yarn, kits, more yarn, samples, still more yarn. If I've forgotten anything, I probably won't realize it until I'm unpacking on the other end.
Last, but not least, is the latest shipment of bags from Michele at Three Bags Full.
New fabrics.
New sizes.
The sweater bag.
New details.
The bead alone is enough to make me want this bag.
All of these goodies and more will be in the Dirty Water DyeWorks booth - Building C, Booth 42.
All summer I meant to get some sunflowers at the farmers' market. I admired their beauty and color, but for one reason or another I never brought any home. While most of the flowers have come and gone, this particular sunflower caught my eye the other day. I was driving but pulled over to capture the last of its color. On this gray, rainy New England day I leave you with my color inspiration for the week.
Bright yellow fresh with raindrops.
This coming weekend is Rhinebeck, and I'm in the midst of final preparations.
Twist, label, repeat is my mantra.
Last week I spent several days at the SOAR marketplace. Even though I didn't participate in any of the other SOAR activities, I had some wonderful experiences and met some interesting people.
There were attendees from all over and many make this an annual event. I met Myrt, an elderly woman from San Antonio. This was her 25th consecutive SOAR. She talked about the friends she has made over the years and how she looks forward to seeing them every year. Myrt is energetic and lively and has vowed to keep on attending as long as she is physically able. She is truly an inspiration.
Janel Laidman was teaching at SOAR and stopped by to say hi. She had a busy teaching schedule but managed some time for the marketplace. As always it was nice to chat with her.
There was so much to see.
Fiber.
And more fiber.
Subtle shades of plant dyed fiber from Michelle at Sunshine Daydream Farm & Gardens.
Silk.
Cheerful color combinations from Misty Mountain Farm.
There was all sorts of equipment - spinning wheels, drum carders, hand carders.
And spindles.
More spindles from Hatchtown Farm.
Weaving.
Stunning rugs from Demetrio Bautista Lazo.
Made with plant dyed wool.
Woven in the Zapotec tradition.
SOAR was memorable and inspiring on many different levels.
All week I've been trying to squeeze in a few minutes of knitting time. Usually I have plenty of time spent waiting and knitting but not so this week. I even had to give up my weekly knit night for more pressing matters.
Yesterday, much to my surprise, there was a break in the action. Just enough time to knit a couple rounds.
My latest project with a splash of color. This isn't just ordinary colorwork. It involves yarn overs and decreases and is oh, so much fun. Now that I'm in the groove, I don't want to put it down. This could be trouble.
Spin-Off magazine's annual event, SOAR, is being held in Manchester, New Hampshire and is going on right now. Dirty Water DyeWorks is one of the marketplace vendors. If you're interested in spinning and are in the area, you really should stop by. The market is full of spinning equipment, beautiful fibers and more. See the SOAR website for details.
It's fall in New England, so it's no surprise that my color inspiration for the week is very seasonal.
A cluster of mini pumpkins, orange and yellow.
Green. A new green shawl.
Cobble.
No, I didn't magically whip this up in the midst of my busy fall schedule.
A dear friend knit this for me.
It's been keeping me company at my desk, and I appreciate it as only a knitter can.
This shawl is full of texture and interesting details.
The yarn is Dirty Water DyeWorks Paula, colorway Avocado.
Next week Cobble will debut as a booth sample at Rhinebeck, but for now it's mine. All mine.
This past weekend Dirty Water DyeWorks was at the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival. I love all the fiber festivals, but Vermont is one of my favorites.
There are so many things to like about Vermont.
Breakfast at the diner.
Fun for the kids.
A sculpture of a moose family.
Vermont is still recovering from the recent hurricane. I didn't know what to expect but was prepared for the worst. There was evidence of flooding along the river. Homes and businesses washed out and empty. Damaged roads that had been repaired. FEMA workers in the local restaurant.
And this message posted along the White River.
We had a wet weekend at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds.
But that didn't keep people from turning out.
There were vendors inside and out. Attendees came prepared with umbrellas, rain gear and mud boots.
I had a visit from designer Becky Herrick who just released an ebook. Stop by her website for information on the ebook and her other designs. I also met Chris from Vtknitboy, an avid spinner and knitter. Check out his blog for information on bunnies, spinning and more.
As always there were so many things to see. So much creativity and inspiration.
Adorable booties from Moonlight Llamas.
There were animals of course.
Curly locks.
And good food.
NOFA Vermont with organic pizza made fresh at the fairgrounds. They worked hard to keep up with the demand.
Vermont was wet, soggy, muddy . . . and delightful. Thanks to all who came out for this lovely event.
