Connecticut Sheep and Wool

Saturday was the Connecticut Sheep and Wool.  It's only a 1 day event, but it is 104 years old. It kicks off the sheep and wool season for me....Maryland is upcoming, but I can never get to that one...we also have New Hampshire and Massachusetts coming up...I've been to NH once (it was raining) and I've gone to the Mass one the past couple of years....but CT kicks it off....and it was a beautiful day...and quite packed this year....

I pulled in a bit later than normal, about 10....and right next to me, Becca and her daughter Lorelei, got out of their car...and right next to Becca was Dayna of Madison Wool!  Wow!  Already people I know!

I stopped by to check in with The Happily Hooked on group first...

That's Grace, the President, on the left...and Dee S...a one-woman ambassador for crochet..always fun to see them....

Then I headed out in search of Jessalu, it was her first showing in CT...and she was slammed!

I snagged three of her bags....I have no idea how many of her bags I have now...but as I was going up to her booth..who do I run into?  Maureen!  We went to Rhinebeck together last year....and attend the same Knit club throughout the year....So Maureen and I hung out and got caught up....then she left, as she'd already done her shopping...so off I went....

Across from Jessalu was "Going Gnome."  LOVED!!!

This little guy came home with me, along with a flower ring...

Then I wandered for quite awhile.....visited some sheep and some uncooperative alpacas..and some totally adorable baby Angora goats!

Look at the colors on those goats!
I saw some yarn and some spinning wheels and spindles...

And I didn't buy any yarn for the longest time.....but I kept going back to two booths...two vendors whose yarn I have used...Dirty Water Dyeworks....who had this sample hanging (and causing quite a commotion)

I love those colors!  It's the Catkin, which has been in my queue for awhile, but I think is beyond me right now....I did go back to Ball and Skein and ended up with three of her yarns....I just made my So Cazh socks with her Sophia yarn...so going to try some of her others....

So my haul?

T-shirt (to support the event), three Jessalu bags: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock; Gnomes, and Sugar Skulls (el dia de los muertos) and three skeins of Ball and Skein: Sierra Super Sock in Squash Blossom (a shawl), Glissade in Black Forest for Cedar Leaf Shawlette; and Super Sock 416 in Manise (not sure if I'm going to do socks or shawl)

I have 3 "shawls"  A blood red one made for me in a swap; a white, green and pink one I made...and then my Kathy Merrick scarf I use as a shawl.....and I decided I like them and need to make some....so I've had several queued and I have the yarn for several..it's about time I get cracking on them!

YOP: Week 17

Whenever I finish a big project, I take a couple days to rest....so after finishing Green Spring, I really didn't work on much....But I still needed some projects for this round of Nerd Wars....so I made a striped cotton baby hat and a daffodil....I also started another baby hat last night....but it needs some finishing....and I did another round of the Plum Pudding....I do not have project pages for these yet...or pictures of the daffodil..

The orange wrap I worked on last week is made of a thick cotton and hurty to the hands after awhile, so I need to work on that in small doses....a did another row during the week...

But I spent most of my week blogging and reading blogs for Knit and Crochet Blog Week...I have been a part of this since the beginning..and it's a ton of fun...
  
YTD Completed:
Crown for Natalie: 1/5/2013
Sparkie the Monster: 1/21/2013
Casseiopia Shawl:  2/9/13
Crikey Cowl: 2/10/13
Feet Blankets: 2/12/13 
Eros the Owl: 2/16/13
Ladder Up: 2/20/13
Chocolate Peep: 2/26/13
Czech Republic flag: 2/27/13
So Cazh Socks: 3/9/13
Deep Blue Seas 3/23/13
Spock bear  3/23/13
Stargate Keychain 3/24/13
Noodle Baby Hat 3/24/13
Bunnies, It Must Be Bunnies 3/30/13
Beaded Camo Sock 4/7/13 (technically done, but need some fixing)
Green Spring  Dissertation for T7  4/21/13
Daffodil 4/27/13
Cotton Baby Hat 4/25/13

WIPS:
Crochet:
Plum Pudding Round Ripple (started 2007?)
Mission Falls Poncho: (Started 2006)
Round Ripple: (Started 2006 (?) Aiden)
Aran Blanket: (Started 2009): two panels done
Around the World Afghan: (April 2010): about ¼ done
Betty Shrug: I don’t know how long I’ve been working on this, but it only has an arm and a border to go.
Sunrise Sunset Afghan: this has been hibernating awhile, 6 squares done.
The Trellis Shawl (February 2013) - frogged 3/9/13
Orange wrap (started ?)
Citrus Hat (4/27/13)
 
Knit:
Learn to Knit Afghan: (started 2010): 3 squares done

Socks:
Kai-Mei: (April 2012)
Hermione's Everyday Socks (January 2013)
A Heart Full of Love: Johnny's Socks (January 2013)
Adele socks: (April 2012)

Scarves/Shawls:
Splashy Flowers: (May 2011)
Larry Stashbuster Scarf (2012)
Breath of Fresh Air Scarf: (April 2011)
Creekbed: (Feb 2012) - frogged

Bags:
Beach Bag: (started May 2010)  Just needs lining sewn in
Really Big Bag (2011): Stashbuster

Charity: 

Hats:

Misc:
Sunflower: (August 2012) Need a back and to felt

Gifts: 

Owl for Rose

Hats for Beckett

2 Stargate keychains 1 pair Stargate earrings

WIMs: Projects I have the yarn and the pattern
Sweaters:

Baroque Tabard Tunic

Test Pattern Sweater

Car Coat

Cowl Vest

Shawls/Scarves/Cowls 

Bedford Springs Shawl

Rockefeller

Wholehearted

The Age of Brass and Steam

West End Scarf 

Gathering Leaves

Alhambra

Petal Edge Scarf

Filippi Scarf 

Firefly Scarf

Fraxinus Danube Cowl
Simple City

Fire and Ice

Multnomah   Leylines 
Holden Shawlette

Hats and Mitts

Hermione Hearts Ron

Nehalm Hat

Felicity

Stellar

Cabled Headband

Fetching

Cayunga Hat and Mitts set Preposterous
Ruffled hat and mitts

Evergreen Gloves

Socks:

Memento Mori

Rubus

Siren Socks

Hey, Have I Ever Steered You Wrong?

Savory Lace Socks

Autumn Flame

Firebird

Rescue Me, Chin Boy and Show Me the Stars

Bags:

Sarape Shopper

Pleated Purse

Circular Felted Bag 

Knit and Crochet Blog Week - Day 7

Day Seven (Sunday April 28th): Looking Forward
One year from now, when the 5th Knitting & Crochet Blog Week rolls around, where do you hope your crafting will have taken you to? What new skills, projects and experiences do you hope you might have conquered or tried?

This could be anything from mastering a technique (broomstick lace, entrelac, etc), trying a new yarn or skill, or a long term wish to crochet only from your stash, or knit every stitch in one of the Harmony Guides. Maybe you have no desire or plans for your craft at all, no new element of knitting or crochet that you dream of mastering, in which case write about why that might be. In a year's time participants will be asked to look back to see if they achieved any goals, no matter how general, and see which house conquered the art of looking forward.

The first thing that jumped to mind was Tunisian crochet or Afghan Stitch.....I have toyed with it, but not really made anything with it....I would love to really work with this technique, as I think it makes a beautiful fabric.

(Image from Craftsy.com)

In knitting, I really want to get socks down...I have made several pair...and most have something wrong with them...

First time using beads, BUT one is too big and the other is too small....

Slightly loose at the cuff and bag a bit at the ankles...

Loose at the cuffs....

First toe-up, two-at-a-time....but could not find a bind-off that worked and the cuffs roll...

One is slightly short...loose at cuffs, baggy at ankles....

So I seem to have the same issues....but I keep trying to make them.....I have not really modified yet, as I don't feel I'm strong enough to modify knitting designs yet.....any suggestions?

I also want to needle felt.....look what I bought yesterday...how cute is that!  I want to make some...and I have plenty of kits...I just have not taken the time to sit down and do it...

So what do you want to make or improve on for next year?  Please type in 4KCBWDAY7 if you'd like to see what others are saying...

Knit and Crochet Blog Week - Day 6

Day Six (Saturday April 27th): A Tool To Covet
Write about your favourite knitting or crochet (or spinning, etc) tool. It can either be a tool directly involved in your craft (knitting needles or crochet hook) or something that makes your craft more pleasurable – be it a special lamp, or stitch markers.

Is it an item that you would recommend to others, and if so for which applications/tasks do you think it is most suited. Conversely, do you have a tool/accessory that you regret buying? Why does it not work for you?

Hmmm...a tool I use....well mainly a use a hook, needles  and some yarn...but beyond stitchmarkers, not much else....so I decided to share the one thing, besides the hook, needles or yarn, that I always grab to have with me...

It's my "Tool Kit" I bought the bag at a Jo-Ann's Fabrics a very long time ago...it is zippered and it holds...

Stitch markers (locking and split), sticky notes and pen, a sharp pair of scissors, a measuring tape, and two needles cases...the large robot one I bought at Stitches East a couple years back (and wish I had a bought a couple)..it holds large yarn needles...the small one with the purple top holds smaller needles and is magnetic...I don't go anywhere without this little bag....it also holds other items at various times...I usually have a nail file in it (must have used it) and sometimes other types of stitchmarkers, bits of yarn or other little do-dads...

I decided to show some of my other favorite things...

My "work-in-progess" bag...I bought it on clearance...it's all fabric...I love this bag...I have other, more expensive" project bags..(Namaste...I'm looking at you) but I have found this one to be the easiest to carry around...

At the moment it has two of these in it...

That would be a Jesslau box bag...love her box bags,,,(and she will be at The CT Sheep and Wool today...yeah!) I have many....
On top of the bag is a nifty tool that a local alpaca farm created....it is a WIP DPN holder...I own two of them....It is beautifully made in wood...and just gorgeous....

Last year at Stitches East, I was also looking for a bag to hold my wooden hooks...the wooden hooks tend to be longer than other hooks and they did not fit well in any case I found...until this..it's from here

And speaking of wooden hooks...my absolute favorite are the Lantern Moon ones....they are gorgeous, feel good in my hand...and make my crocheting "as smooth as butter!"

So those are a few of my favorite "tools."  Want to find out others favorite tools?  Type in 4KCBWDAY6 into your favorite search engine....

TA-DAH! Friday!

I have a Ta-Dah that could not wait until next week.....there has been a peek of it on this blog this week already...and you all have been following the creation of my Green Spring....I am wearing it today for the second time (as it's green day at school)....I have not done a thorough blocking of it yet....but have done some steam blocking.....I really love it....sorry for the crap pictures...the sun was in my eyes...

I do love it...there is some puckering by the sleeves, not sure if that was the way I was holding my arms....

If you want to see what others have done, please join up at Tami's Amis

Knit and Crochet Blog Week - Day 5

Day Five (Friday April 26th): Something A Bit Different
It’s the annual challenge to blog in a way different to how you normally blog. You may choose to create a podcast, or vlog, create a wordless post or write in verse. You've already stretched your wings with an infographic, now it's time to freestyle. You can post on any topic you like, but be sure to post in a style different from your usual blog presentation. There's not too much guidance for this one simply because the more varied the posts are on this day, the wider the sources of information for other bloggers will be. Bonus points if you manage to work your house animal in somehow.

 I don't feel as if I am a very creative/artist person....but I decided to have a bit of fun...and I did this in the early evening...in my garage...so I could use the last of the natural light...and my Hubs came out to take me back in before the neighbors saw me....

What the Stash Gets Up to When I'm Not Around.....

Starring my newest yarn: MadColor Doolally in "Life is Short and You Are Hot"
Araucania Aysen in color 801
Iron Horse Farms in Herb Green
Nerd Girls Yarn Trifecta in "My transformation is supposed to be a dignified experience!"
and
Miss Babs Yummy in Ice Core Sample

And if you want to see other much more creative posts than mine...please type in 4KCBWDAY5 to your favorite search engine....thanks!

Knit and Crochet Blog Week - Day 4

Day Four (Thursday April 25th): Colour Review
What are your favourite colours for knitted or crocheted projects. Have a think about what colours you seem to favour when yarn shopping and crafting.
What I favor when shopping are greens, purples and autumn colors.  However, lately I have been buying blues....I was never a blue person....and I am trying to buy more solids...most of my stuff is variegated, striped, tonal or somehow mixed...except for acrylics, (that I use for amiguramis) I don't buy too many solids....

Only after writing this part of your post should you then actually look to see what colours you have used in your projects. Make a quick tally of what colours you have used in your projects over the past year and compare it to the colours you have written about. Compare this, in turn, to the colours that are most dominant in your yarn stash – do they correlate?
I went with my last 10 projects, as I was running short on time...of my completed projects:
3 were toys or amis...so they had several colors...main colors were blue, brown, red and white...
1 was a sweater....bright green...with edgings of blue, orange and lilac
2 cowls with variegated yarn
1 cowl is shades of blue
1 pair of slippers (feet blankets) in blue and green
1 baby hat in pink and yellow
1 keychain in blue

Now the blues.....Many of the blue projects stem from me being co-captain of Stargate Command in Nerd Wars on Ravelry (if you have not checked this out you should!  There is a team for everyone!)  If you don't know what a Stargate is....

See the blues?  So many of my projects for my team tend to favor that color scheme.....

My personal favorite color is green....and this is evidenced by the things I make for myself:

Do those colors correlate with my stash?  Most definitely!  I have many, many greens in my stash...but as I said, I am more likely to buy variegated yarn.....

Now think back to your house animal - do the colours you have chosen relate to your animal in anyway - if you are in the house of peacock, for example, are your projects often multicoloured and bright?
Interestingly one of the recent projects I made for myself was this cowl..

Well if those aren't some bee colors there!  I also bought some bright yellow yarn to make a sunny beret....I don't tend to make a lot of black things....but I have lately been drawn to the color yellow...

And those are my colors....how about yours?  If interested in seeing other people's answers to the question type 4KCBWDAY4 in a search engine.....

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week - Day 3

Day Three (Wednesday April 24th): Infographic
There are many ways of conveying information on a blog; text and images being the two most widely used. Many infographics combine both these elements to provide a visual way of presenting text information.

Make your own infogaphic (no fancy imaging software needed, you can draw it on paper and photograph it if you want) to convey any element of your craft(s). It can be just for fun or a thoroughly researched presentation of an idea/finding.

  

I could not decide what I wanted to do.....I have a very difficult time reading graphics...and understanding them...I much prefer lists....I wrote a post about this concerning charts vs written instructions...I'd much rather have written instructions...best of both worlds, designers include both..

So I don't play with the graphics in my Microsoft Office...but figured I'd give it a shot...and hey look what I made!!!

Whoo-hoo!!!!!  This is a graphic breakdown of the projects I have made...I did include WIP's, but not WIM's or frogged projects....There is also a bit of overlap..as some gifts fall into the other categories...

I got the information from my projects page...I have been trying to remember to add tags to my projects and sort them into groups....this made me go back and update the ones I had not done yet...

So what does this information tell me?  Well I like making amigurami's or toys the most..next would be neckwear...that would be my affinity for cowls and scarves...hats and baby gifts come in third and fourth...but I do think I have quite an variety of projects....that would be the bee in me....I do get bored with a project easily...

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week - Day 2

Day Two (Tuesday April 23rd): A Mascot Project.
Your task today is to either think of or research a project that embodies that house/animal. It could be a knitting or crochet pattern – either of the animal itself or something that makes you think of the qualities of that house. Alternatively it could be a type or colour of yarn, or a single button. Whatever you choose, decide upon a project and blog about how and why it relates to your house/creature. You do not have to make this project! It is simply an exercise in blogging about how you come to decide upon what projects to make. Try and blog about the journey which inspiration and investigating patterns, yarns, stitches, (etc) can often guide you through. You may wish to make a collage or 'mood board' to present several ideas, or even sketch out your own design.

When I first read this, one design came to mind....mainly because of the colors....It's the Olana Shawl by Grace Akhrem.  I think it is a beautiful shawl....and it has some "busyiness" to it...with the stripes and then the texture/cables at the bottom that look a bit like honeycombs..especially in the yellow/grey version....I absolutely ADORE this shawl....and some day may actually make it....She also has a design called Bumble Stripes that is so obviously a bee-inspired design...

Now since I am mainly a crocheter, I also thought I would put a few Kathy Merrick designs in here too...She is my favorite crochet designer....many of her projects are done in motifs...she is most famous for the Babette Blanket.  Look at all those colors...and the motifs!  I do work motifs on occasion...but I prefer more solid pieces....I have made her Chain Lace Big Fat Scarf. It's probably my most favorite thing I have made and I wear it at least once a week...my version...

I have also made her Boteh Scarf

I made a version of her Rist Canyon Shawl....I didn't quite follow her design, but mine was inspired by hers...

 So even though I have made Kathy's (I feel like I can call her Kathy, as I have met her a couple of times and had a couple good conversations with her) more solid pieces, I believe her motif pieces really represent the bee....because with motifs, you are working on something new almost all the time. 

Blog about the journey which inspiration and investigating patterns, yarns, stitches, (etc) can often guide you through.  I'm pretty literal...when I see a pattern...usually it is the yarn that attracts me....and I will try to use the yarn called for in a pattern...even down to the color...I have ordered yarn because it was called for in the pattern....but at other times, it's the yarn...it tells me what it wants to be....I am drawn mostly to yarn first and then patterns....so I don't normally think about it a lot...I just pick up the pattern, get the yarn and start....although I do "wing" patterns quite often, but that is when I have an idea in mind and I use a picture for inspiration and then just create...my latest being my Spock Bear...

I just looked at a picture of Spock..and using what I know from my amigurami making, I just created him as I went....so not only do I have a lot of WIP's or WIM's (Works in Mind)...I am also pretty eclectic in project choice....How about you?

Knitting And Crochet Blog Week - Day 1

The House of Bee: Bees are busy and industrious, but can flit from one interesting project to the next as bright and shiny things capture their interest.

Why did I chose this House?  Well just by looking at my weekly Year of Project posts on Sundays, you can see that I like working on bunches of projects...At any given time, I am working on a variety of projects...

My main projects right now are my Spring Fling sweater, which I must finish by the 28th, to get the points for my Nerd Wars team, as it is my dissertation...in addition, I am rotating in and out, 2 main pair of socks and 2 additional pair...(ETA:  I finished my sweater! and started and finished a bay hat...see what I mean?)

I gathered all the in-progress projects that I could find....(sorry for the crappy pictures)

There are 6 blanket projects, and there sre at least two more I did not pull out.  The pink star is almost finished, then I'll probably work on the yellow round ripple...the others are all motifs....

There are 4 pairs of socks

There are, at least, two bags...I actually have the yarn and patterns for many, many more bags, but these were the only "in-progress" ones I could find...

There are a couple different types of "wraps"

I do not have the "Breathe of Fresh Air" knitted scarf in this picture, as I forgot to grab it...it is in the main picture, under the red sock...

And I found two hats that I'd begun...the pink one is just a basic hat that I make and give away...the green one, I actually bought the pattern, but haven't gotten farther than this...

Then I have my Green Spring, which will be done this week...and I am spending the majority of my time on it...and the Betty Shrug..which I have been working on a very long time....it has an arm and border left....

Just today, I have worked on the H's Everyday Socks, the pink starghan, and the orange wrap....(ETA: that would have been Saturday)

And this week, I have bought yarn/patterns for three more projects...two hats and a pair of gauntlets...it's a wonder I get anything finished...