Change of Plans

Sometimes Mother Nature doesn't cooperate.

My solution for a rainy Monday holiday.  

If you have a long weekend, I hope you're enjoying it.

Drachenfels

My Drachenfels is finished.

This has my in-between project.  By that I mean I worked on it 
in-between other projects.  

This shawl traveled well and was easy to pick up and put down.  The design includes plenty of variety, so I was never bored. 

I confess the I-cord bind off of 260 stitches was a bit tedious, but other than that there was never a dull moment.

The yarn is Bertha Sport in colorways Vermont, Mushroom and Purple Rain.  I'm still in love with this Merino, Cashmere, Nylon blend.

Picking the colors is half the fun, and I've already contemplated other combinations.  So many possibilities . . . 

I captured this week's color inspiration when I was in Rhode Island last weekend.

Sparkling blues.

A Little Faith

I've been poking around on Ravelry and lining up new samples.  I'm still working out the details and can't cast on just yet.  Since I'm finishing up one project, I needed something new to work on in the interim.  Oh, the temptations . . .

This is a sweet little project (Belgian Waffle Boomerang) now that it's up and running, but I had a couple false starts.  At first I didn't like the gauge, so I adjusted my needle size.  Easy enough.  

Then after I had worked one repeat, I was convinced it didn't look anything like the pictures.  I thought the texture was going to be created with a different technique and had a notion I must have been doing something wrong.  So I ripped it all out. 

After re-knitting what I had just ripped out, it still didn't look any different, but I decided to forge ahead.  After a couple repeats, it started to take shape, and now it looks totally like the picture. Sometimes a little faith in the pattern can go a long way.

Monday's Mission

Spring is a busy time of year, and I'm always juggling commitments. Between shows and graduations and parties and showers . . . well, usually I can't do it all.  

This past weekend was an exception.  On Saturday I was in Rhode Island for a one day event.

Short and sweet.

It was a lovely day.  It started out bright and sunny.  The clouds rolled in by midday, but the rain held off.  Thanks to everyone who came out.

Sunday morning I was glued to the couch with my knitting.  I could have spent the entire day lounging, but I had a graduation party to attend.  I was tempted to take a nap, but I rose to the occasion and was out the door by mid-afternoon.  This was one of those rare weekends where I was able to do it all.

Here I am Monday morning, and this is the task at hand.

Find a hat pattern for these two.  I'm on it.

Random on Friday

I enjoy having variety in my work days - that way I don't get bogged down with just one thing.  This has been one of those weeks where I've had an extra dose of variety - a little knitting, a lot of dyeing and hours and hours of planning.  In my world, fall is right around the corner.

To mix it up even more, I did a quick update on the website.  In the end it wasn't so quick because I had to make a lengthy call to tech support. I was on hold for over half an hour, so I made the most of it and turned it into knitting time.

The Rip Curl Shawlette Kit is now available on the website.  This kit features a gradient bundle with a purpose.  The yarn is Lucia, a blend of Superwash Merino and Nylon.  The kit is available in six different colors.

Since I was in the mood to update, I tidied up the events list in the right sidebar.  Note that I added the Squam Art Fair which is coming up in two weeks.  After the dust settles, I'll roll out the fall shows.

I talk about various knitting techniques with customers, and lately one of the most popular ones is the garter tab cast on.  This is one of those techniques that's hard to visualize, so here's a helpful video that takes you through the process step-by-step.

There are so many outdoor color options this time of year.  It's hard to pick just one.  This week's color inspiration . . . 

Pink on green.

Pack, Travel, Repeat

On Saturday I'll be at Rhode Island Fiber Festival, so today I'm organizing and sorting inventory.  Back-to-back weekend shows can be challenging.  Just when I recover from the first one, it's time to gear up for the second one.  I don't unload the truck completely between shows, but there's still plenty of packing and rearranging.

This sweet little event is held at Coggeshall Farm - a living museum with beautiful views of the water.  It promises to be a fun fiber day.  If you need a break from gardening, yard work and running errands, stop by.

Snapshots from New Hampshire

I'm back from a delightful weekend at New Hampshire Sheep and Wool.  Usually this event is held on Mother's Day weekend, so we were a little out of sync this time around.  This is a traditional New England event, and people came out just the same.  Even the weather was typical New England - almost summer on Saturday, more like fall on Sunday and winds reminiscent of a good Nor'easter.

I completely failed at pictures this weekend.

I had slotted time for picture taking on Sunday, but a flat tire first thing in the morning thwarted my plan.  Life has a way of doing that.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth.  This show is always good for social connections, and it was wonderful to chat with everyone.

I came home full of ideas and inspiration.

For today . . . time to recover and plot a few new projects.

Multis

Fresh out of the dye pots . . . 

Multi Bundles.

Just in time for New Hampshire Sheep and Wool.

If you're looking for me this weekend, my booth is outside.  I'll know the exact location later today and will post details on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Ravelry.

It's tulip time.  I don't plant my own, but my neighbors do a good job. This week's color inspiration . . . 

Fire engine red.

Dangling Conversation

My Dangling Conversation is finished and blocked.

This is a sweet little pattern with plenty of options.  The shawl is crescent-shaped with mostly stockinette and a little bit of eyelet lace. This project is easy to pick up and put down . . . great for on-the-go knitting.

I plotted out the pattern to fit the Mini Lucia Gradients.  

My planning was on target, and I used up almost every bit of yarn.

I'll have the shawl on display this weekend at New Hampshire Sheep and Wool.  You'll find me in one of the outside vendor areas.

Loose Ends

The countdown is on.  New Hampshire Sheep and Wool is this weekend, and I'm tying up loose ends.  Oh, so many ends . . . 

I'm kicking off the week with a fresh master list.  Last week I was working from post-its with random, incomplete notes.  This week I'm determined to be more organized, and a master list is a step in the right direction.

Add plenty of coffee and I should be good to go.  I got this mug for Mother's Day and had to give it a trial run this morning.  It's called the Self Reliant Spinner from Flat Creek Wool.  I have a feeling it will be my constant companion this week.

As you can see the pink project is still in progress.  I'm almost ready to attach the fourth and final color.  I'll do that after I get a refill.

And So It Grows

I have an itch to cast on a new project.  I don't know what exactly, but I've been resisting the urge to hop on Ravelry for fear of falling down a deep, dark hole.  

This week I've been bouncing back and forth between two shawls, but the allure of a fresh project is hard to resist.  I'm in the midst of spring shows and really need to hold off on anything new until I get to the other side of this flurry of activity.  And so I soldier on with what's already on the needles.

The pink project is growing, and that's a good thing.  The pattern is Dangling Conversation in case you're wondering.  I've tweaked the pattern to fit a mini gradient bundle I'm working with.  I'm on the second skein of four, and I'm not quite sure how this will play out on the other end.  I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.  For now I'm just enjoying the rhythm of the pattern and the subtle shift of colors.

This week's color inspiration . . . 

Rich purple complete with raindrops.

Stripes of a Different Color

The other day I had a meeting.  On my way out the door, I grabbed Drachenfels, my meeting project.  I've dubbed this shawl my meeting project because it seems I work on it only at meetings.

It's funny how taking a break from a project can skew my perception of how much knitting is actually left.  I probably hadn't worked on Drachenfels since a meeting in early April, but I was convinced I was ready to move on to the next section.  Or at least very close to moving on.

The truth of the matter is I'm still in the striped section.  I told myself I had just a handful of rows and then I could start the next section. Wrong.  I have more than just a handful of rows.  I'm still striping, but I'm on the final color combination.  At this point I probably need two handfuls of rows, but for now I'm not counting.  

Snapshots from Connecticut

On Saturday I was at Connecticut Sheep and Wool.

I didn't have much time for taking pictures, but it was a beautiful day both inside and out.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by to chat or to share finished projects.  It was great to see so many familiar faces. Before I knew it, the show was over, and I was on my way home.

Yesterday was raw and rainy, so I decided to take the day off.  Well, not the whole day but as close as I could get.  After putting out a couple fires and a quick run to the grocery store, the rest of the day was mine.

Since I had finished a project late last week, I had license to start something new.

There's nothing like a little pink to brighten a rainy day.