A Finished Item!

Yes! I AM alive and I HAVE been knitting!!

proof of both:



For the record, that is the back of my head... and yes it did take me about 100 pictures to get the picture right.

I know lots of people knit sweaters for the upcoming fiber festivals but hey, let's face it, I'm not a fast knitter. Plus I missed the memo saying while not a pre-requisite, a newly knitted item for said festival wouldn't be a bad idea. SO, I knit a hat! It's the Cinchy Hat from Interweave's knitscene. The yarn was a gift to me by my friend Catie. She said they were my colors. And I believe she was right.

The best part, I still have a about a hank and a half left! What to make now...

Fall Fiber Festival

I know in my last post I promised actual knitting content. I may have stretched the truth a bit. I was planning on knitting content but well, I changed my mind. You are going to get lots of pictures and fiber though.

Saturday I loaded up the truck (in the rain I may add. In the dark rain since it was 6:30am) and drove to Bedford. There I met up with Dianne, Dana and Linda. Then off we went to Montpelier for the Fall Fiber Festival (and sheep dog trials. That we missed. It was really hot y'all).

We made it up there with no trouble at all. I will spare you the very blurry pictures of the signs along the way. You may thank me later. Dana and I made plans to "Kinnear" someone and to take some suitable pictures to send to Dave for a future edition of Ass Watch Wednesday (or whatever day the next Ass Watch falls on). We failed in both plans. I'm totally blaming the "fiber fumes". You know how it is, you have great plans and the next thing you know you've got a handful of gorgeous roving (or yarn) and bammo. You're hopeless and forgot all your plans.

So we got to FFF:



We bought stuff:






We ate lamb instead of the packed lunches we had. (it was so much better than MY packed lunch at least!)

We saw sheep and lamas and alpacas:







We totally missed any blogger meet up in the skein and garment tent (sorry guys!) and apparently everyone else who was there (such as Mary,Robin and IndigoMuse).

But we had a great time and bought a lot of stuff:



(no. this is NOT all mine. It's our combined haul!)

However, despite much planning and desire. We did NOT bring home a small animal. (We were all leaning towards bunnies but then this little fellow came over to snort at me and well, I thought maybe he should come home to live with me and the heathens).



But despite all that, I did buy an alpaca:



What?

I brought some camel home with me. I've found several sources including the most recent Spin Off, but if anyone has any suggestions/tips for camel, I'll happily take them.

I got some lovely dyed wool roving:



8 oz. I have no idea what it'll become but I'm sure it'll be lovely! Linda liked it so much she bought a bag like it too!

I also got some freebies: notecards, wool wash, some ordinary ol' white wool (that will be used for dyeing after SAFF)... but most of all, I had a great time!! Even if it was 90 degrees outside!! and dusty.

Pink for October

I read on Jane's site a "movement", for lack for a better word, where you change your website/blog pink to help create awareness for Breast Cancer. I thought it seemed like a good idea. I am very lucky that my grandmother is a breast cancer survivor and if turning my blog pink through October creates any more awareness that can save someone else's grandmother, then I'm all for it!

Here's the site for Pink for October.

And just for additional goodness, go here. Help some women get mammograms (and you know, it really only takes a minute so go on and click on all the other tabs to help out those sites too...)

Next post, I promise there will be actual knitting content AND pictures!

Goodies

Yesterday, I learned that I won a blog contest. A mighty cool prize, I may add (even if I don't entirely know what it is yet!). You see, earlier this year I found Spindle And Wheel (there's also a link in my sidebar). It's a really cool online spinning magazine. I would read each of the new issues and occasionally read the blog. Well, I started reading the blog more often and made more of an effort to comment when Allena mentioned having a little drawing and to enter all you had to do was comment. So I started commenting more. I mean, I almost never win anything so I'm not gonna win but we all like comments, ya know? So. Yesterday. I read the update and guess what? I'm the first winner!! I've chatted back and forth with Allena and she's customizing a little basket for me. I don't know what all will be in there but I know she is going to include some of her own Shetland wool for me since I haven't spun any Shetland before. The rest, is all a surprise right now.

Don't worry, I'll post when I get my package. But in the meantime, all you spinners (and knitters, I mean there are patterns there) go check out Spindle and Wheel.

Now... I've been waiting for the right time for this and this seems like as good as any. A little bit ago I signed up for a whole "pay it forward" thing on The Yarn Yarn's blog. N is paying forward her own good luck. She's sending out a little surprise present to three people from her blog and well, I'm doing the same. All I ask is that you have a blog so that you can continue to pay it forward. The first three people who ask to be part of the whole Pay It Foward in the comments will get something nice from me within a few months I'd say. It may be yarn or fiber, if you're a spinner, or it may be something I've created (ie - knit/spun) for you or something else all together. I'm not sure what's going out yet. It'll be personalized.

Just to be clear, you can comment without participating in the pay it forward. But to participate in the pay it forward (and get a nice little present) you have to comment and ASK to be part of it - and be one of the first three people to ask to participate.

Socktoberfest!

It's Socktoberfest, y'all!

Here's my modest Socktoberfest goal: to finish these socks. OK, I mean I want to DO more but that's my goal. I'm still working on Dad's sock so that's more socky things and well, I'm sure I'll get some kind of sock yarn this month but I want to make sure these socks, MY socks, are done by the end of Soctoberfest.



If (and only if) I finish Dad's socks this month then I'll cast on for Pat's socks. I've yet to decide if she'll get some sort of designed pattern or just good ol' stockinette socks. However, because I love my Pat so, I did get her some austermann step sock yarn to keep her feet soft and cozy.

Stay tuned for exciting news and while it won't be a contest, prizes may be involved...