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This week Tuesday is my Monday. Yesterday was a travel day, so today it's time for most of my usual Monday things.
After being gone for several days, it's hard to know where to start. This morning I took one look at the kitchen and decided to tackle my desk. Apparently my family thinks that cleaning the dishes means piling them all in the sink and walking away. There were grumblings about the dishwasher not working, so the problem is probably bigger than just a sink full of dirty dishes. You can understand why my desk is the first order of business.
I spent the weekend at KnitEast in picturesque St. Andrews, New Brunswick. This event was held at The Algonquin Resort - a place full of charm and history. KnitEast offered classes, a market, a fashion show. Some people took a full load of classes, others had more downtime for relaxing and knitting with friends.
A beautiful setting complete with gorgeous fall weather . . . the perfect ingredients for a fiber getaway. Here's a glimpse into my weekend.
Seeing my Canadian friends, connecting and chatting with other knitters . . . thanks for a lovely working getaway.
This past weekend I had two booths running in two very different locations. I sent one booth off to the mountains of Vermont for Vermont Sheep and Wool. I took another booth and headed across the border to St. Andrews, New Brunswick and KnitEast. Both locations are lovely, and both had gorgeous weather as a bonus.
My team in Vermont didn't take many pictures (I guess I left that out of the job description), so the only ones I have are from KnitEast. Here are a few highlights from the weekend.
The KnitEast weekend included a full lineup of classes and a market.
Yes, the market was held in a curling rink.
Cricket Cove, the shop that sponsored this event, had a wide variety of yarn available, including a nice selection of Fleece Artist.
I may have experienced a moment of weakness in this section.
Ready-to-wear for those who couldn't wait.
I resisted these, but aren't they adorable?
There was yarn bombing everywhere.
It was a lovely weekend chatting with new knitter friends and old. I was delighted to meet Lyn. Every time I turned around she was wearing a new beaded shawl.
This is her Laminaria with thousands of beads . . . absolutely stunning.
In the blink of an eye, the weekend was over. Now I'm back at work plotting my next adventure. From the mountains to the coast, thanks to everyone who came out for this fiber-filled weekend.
Progress is moving forward with my Dover Castle Shawl. I'm still optimistic that it will be finished for the weekend. I've just started the border, but for the last couple repeats of the body, I was caught in a vicious cycle. I would knit a couple of rows, weigh the ball of yarn. Knit, weigh. Knit, weigh. All the while my stitch count was increasing, making any kind of mathematical prediction even more tenuous. Could I squeeze in one more repeat and have enough yarn left for the border? After several debates with myself, I called it quits on the body and moved on to the border.
Right now I'm confident I'll have enough yarn to finish, but that confidence will undoubtedly erode as the ball gets smaller and smaller. The border section is written for 16 rows, but the instructions say you can quit after any wrong side row. I'm going for the full 16. Since I made the body bigger, I don't want to cross the finish line with a skimpy border.
There's one slight snag in my Dover Castle master plan. Later today I leave for KnitEast, and I'm doing the driving. This time I'm traveling with my blocking wires. I'm staying with a dear knitter friend who lives just this side of the Canadian border. I have visions of one of our late night chats over a pile of wet wool and a couple beers.
If you want to follow along with the weekend adventures, I'll have live updates on Twitter. I also have a booth this weekend at Vermont Sheep and Wool, and there will be tweets from that event.
Now I'm off to take care of last minute details . . . and make sure the wires and pins are packed.
While I've been enjoying the relaxed pace of summer, I realize it's drawing to a close. To help with the transition from lazy days to fast and furious, I updated my list of fall events. It's easier to come up with a plan when I can clearly see the train that's headed in my direction. You can see the complete train wreck list on the right sidebar and on the Events page.
It's shaping up to be a whirlwind fall. A couple of highlights . . . on September 14 I'll be at KnitWit Yarn in Portland for a yarn tasting. We had a similar get together in March. Since we had so much fun, we decided to do a repeat. Suzie, the shop owner, is friendly, encouraging and enthusiastic. I'm looking forward to visiting the Portland-area knitters again.
At the end of September, I'll be at KnitEast in New Brunswick, Canada. This event has a full lineup of interesting classes, and there are still several openings. It promises to be a stimulating fiber weekend. If you're within striking distance of New Brunswick, consider taking advantage of this event. The scenery alone is worth the trip.
Just to clarify . . . yes, I do have two events listed for the last weekend in September. And yes, I may have taken leave of my senses. While I'm across the border, I'll have another booth up and running at Vermont Sheep and Wool. Don't burst my bubble. I've convinced myself this will be double the fun and not double the work.
And now I'm off to finish what I started yesterday.
I had bonus social knitting time, and this sock went from cuff to heel flap. Now I feel compelled to turn it and work the foot. I'll ponder my fall strategy while I knit.
I have the farmers' market to thank for my color inspiration this week. We're in the thick of it now with more and more goodies each and every week.
Plums . . . ready for sauce.
In case you're wondering, it's gingered plum sauce. It tastes as good as it sounds, and it's easy to make. Follow the link and scroll down for details.
