Have Ewe Any Wool?

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

A Very SWEET Friend!

Wow! What can I say? Tonight, when I got home from work there was a package waiting for me! Wow! It's from Mia......the secret pal that totally spoiled me during SP8.

I can't believe it....She's sent me a whole set of stitch markers (red.....just in time for the holidays) - handcrafted, I'm sure! AND......some of the WONDERFULLY YUMMY cookies that she's been baking!




Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You really made my day!

Lansing Yarn Shops Update

FINALLY! I've got a few special things to show off that I bought in Lansing.....and some details about the shops. I won't bore you with all the individual items I picked up (multiple patterns, notions, standard sock yarns, etc.).

OK....Rae's Yarn Boutique was FABULOUS! The owner is VERY nice, helpful and easy to talk to. As it turns out, my hostess (Nicol) from SP8 knows her via one of the recent swaps....small world, eh? Rae designed the Nov. Six Socks Knit-A-Long sock, "Iris Garden"....and I got to oggle them in person! I have to check with my friend Elizabeth to see it she's knitted them yet or not.....






Her store is fabulous and just crammed with all kinds of fibery goodness. She has yarn AND roving. She also has some of her own hand-dyed roving. Of course, I HAD to buy some! It's 4 oz. of Superwash Merino She's used it to make some wonderful socks and said they're easy care - toss in the washer, toss in the dryer....no problem. I can't wait to spin it up and try to make my own sock yarn. (I've never spun for a specific "fitted" project that's dependent on gauge consistency.....this should be a real challenge for me!)

As you can see, she also had some "Socks that Rock" yarn.....and you know how I love all those colors! I even picked up a skein for a special friend of mine who LOVES green....I hope she likes it! (It's a surprise!)

Rae also carries a huge variety of books, notions, and MANY types of yarn. I really had a wonderful time in the shop. It's a very "warm" store and DEFINITELY worth a visit if you're in town.

Next stop was Threadbear. What a huge and fabulous store! I don't think I've even been in a yarn shop that's this big! My daughter was a bit peeved with me as I spent nearly 3 hrs. there......fondling yarn and talking about knitting....but it really took that long to look everything over and select my purchases!

Rob and Matt were so much fun to talk with....as was the staff. Everyone was very helpful, encouraging, and knowledgeable. And talk about selection of yarn/patterns/notions and MORE yarn/patterns/notions! Just when you think you're done, you round the corner and find another treasure trove of goodies.

Talk about a small world.....Rob and Matt know my "knitty" friends Nicol and Kris....both of whom I've only met through the wonderful world of "knitting and the internet"! What a fabulous world we all live in!

Back to the shop description.....When overcome by all the shopping, there were PLENTY of couches and chairs dispursed throughout - providing plenty of places to catch your breath, fondle your potential purchases, or socialize with one of the two resident doggies. I had a fabulous time and bought a few unique items.

Below are a couple of pictures of my Threadbear purchases. The Alpaca is going to become a scarf for a dear friend.....it's sooooo cuddly! The Maroon "Silk Road" by Jo Sharp is a wool/silk/cashmere blend that will become mittens to accompany a scarf I made of similar yarn a couple of years ago. Funny how I'm always drawn to the same colors! I also purchased the pattern and the yarns to make "acorn" handbags (you can see a picture of the pattern for them below). I think the acorn bags are absolutely adorable! The second picture shows the fabulous "doggie-proof" basket I purchased for "stashing yarn".....it should help keep the dog fur off WIPs! I LOVE baskets...especially those that have a "knitty" purpose!

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Slow Going

Geez....I've been so busy traveling and getting ready for the holidays that I haven't really had any time to knit! I did manage a few rows on my 2nd Claudia sock, but that's it. And...I still haven't had a chance to get the pictures of some of my recent purchases posted!

I have yet another project to do: bed socks for my sister! She's suffering from "sock envy" big time! She saw the socks I made for my mom and the one's I made for my daughter.....and is feeling very left out. Well, at least that gives me some ideas for her Christmas present! If I could just find the time......

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Checking Out the Lansing Yarn Shops

Just a quick note about what I'm up to.....details and pictures later.....

I'm checking out some of the yarnshops I missed in May when I was out here.

I've found a fabulous yarn shop in Lansing....Rae's Yarn Boutique and had a wonderful afternoon there. The owner designed this month's "Six Socks Knit Along" sock....it's really cute! (Elizabeth.....I think you participate in that....and I mentioned your username, and she thinks she remembers you....small world, eh?) Her store has a great variety of yarn and even some rovings....including her own hand-dyed. She's only been open since April this year. Many thanks to Chris for mentioning the shop!

Tomorrow, I'm off to ThreadBear (my poor daughter will be soooooo bored!).........and then HOPEFULLY back home in time to go to Knit Knutz!

Let's finish with a bit-o-fun:

Thanks to my friend Elizabeth, I couldn't resist this quiz - try it and see what type of accent you have! . I've always had a rather "confused" accent......Midwest vs. New York. In both places, they "accuse" me of having the accent from the other. Looks like I'm a bit more like Illinois.....(Mine does change......when I'm in NY, it's more of a Northeast accent....but with subtle undertones of an Illinois/midwest accent!)

What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Inland North
 

You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."

Philadelphia
 
The Northeast
 
The Midland
 
The South
 
The West
 
Boston
 
North Central
 
What American accent do you have?
Take More Quizzes

Monday, November 06, 2006

And Now For Some "Show and Tell"

Spinning is soooooo addictive, and even though I bought a ton of roving, etc. at Maryland Sheep and Wool, I just couldn't resist the gorgeous stuff I found in Rhinebeck. First, the obligatory pictures of the NY Sheep and Wool program and some souvenirs.....













The drive up had so many gorgeous views of hillsides full of trees with their leaves in various shades of "fall": yellow, red, orange, and a variety of greens. Although it was just past peak, the views were stunning! This roving from Misty Mountain Farm was a "MUST HAVE" - the multicolored one reminds me of the drive to Rhinebeck. I'm envisioning the creation of a felted bag where I'll needle felt the various colors either as trees or mountains.....a somewhat permanent reminder of the view. The orange and green roving reminded me of pumpkins and fall....and I'm thinking I'll spin it and make the felted pumpkins from the Knitty pattern.

Of course I had to purchase more "Socks That Rock" - boy was that booth mobbed! You really had to decide on colors quickly as they literally "disappeared" right before your eyes! Learning my lessons from Maryland Sheep and Wool, this was my FIRST stop! I also found some wonderful "Gypsy Girl" sock yarn as well. The second picture that only shows the "Gypsy Girl" was purchased as a surprise for a friend.....I can't wait to give it to her! I think she'll be quite surprised!









Of course, I couldn't resist the 70% merino/30% silk roving - I stared at it for quite a while while waiting in line to pay.....and finally succumbed!






"Ellen's Half-Pint Farm" - Oh, did I go crazy here! Colored roving - mostly purples, but I did manage to get one bag with blues and teals. The natural colors were some very interesting blends: Merino/Alpaca, Flax/Merino blend (I need to check on this one), Flax/Hemp blend, Llama, and an 80% wool, 20% possum blend (I got enough of that to make a sweater....or at least a vest!)






Oh.....I got to meet "Stitchy McYarnpants" who autographed a copy of her book for me.










And finally, tons more roving! The first picture is the cormo/mohair blends I purchased from "Buckwheat Bridge Angoras/Hudson Valley Worsted Spinning Mill. They say it's produced ENTIRELY with Solar Power....pretty nifty, huh?



The bright pink Shetland came from "Wild Apple Hill Farm" in Hudson, NY. They had fabulous colors to choose from.






This is natural Coriedale....it feels really nice. (I need to look up the vendor on this one.)







This is dyed Jaeger Spun super wash.....I thought it would be fun to "play with". I used it to test out the fabulous spindle I found. The price was fabulous and it spins like a dream. The spindle is made from sycamore. (Ooooops - I need to look up both the roving vendor and the spindle vendor!)


Finally, I loved the color of this roving.....the deep rich tones are gorgeous! It's Dorset/Romney/Leicester from Amondale Farm.