Thank goodness I have a patient child

I went yarn shopping today.

Now, I really don't need any yarn. I have half a room full, and projects scattered all over the house, and I don't know if/when I'll ever use all of this yummy yarn that's slowly getting organized. Fortunately I have a husband who says I'll eventually use it and it won't go bad, so buy it while I can.

I also have a local yarn store (LYS) that tempts me almost daily. Currently the owner is running a series of trunk shows. These consist of displays of specific types of yarn or books, and finished products to see what you, too, can do if you put your mind to it. There's usually a discount involved, and even classes using the books or yarn.

A few weeks ago was a trunk show around 60 Quick Knits, a book of 60 hats, mittens, and scarves that could be made easily, with a nice reasonably priced yarn, and looked oh-so pretty. I managed to escape the LYS with just the book and one hank of yarn, at 20% off. I was very proud.

Today I was going in to pick up yarn to finish a project, and I knew there was a trunk show around Mission Falls yarn. I love this yarn. I made a sweater for S using their wool in a beautiful peacock color. I liked it so much I went back to the store and bought more wool in lavender to make the same sweater for her again. So I had to check this out. I popped S into her Ergo carrier and marched into the store.

Oh, my fingers will be flying soon. I found a book with a gorgeous striped hat and a scarf that looks like linked flowers. And a toy fire truck that I can make for my nephew for Christmas. I decided to get the yarn as well, and had so much fun with the owner's daughter, picking out a rainbow of colors described in the book. And they're crocheted, which means I can bang them out pretty quickly. Then I was tempted by another book that had beautiful sweaters. I'll go back for yarn later. Maybe Saturday, when S is with Daddy.

The whole time, S just hung out and watched Mommy shop. She smiled at the ladies who wandered by and said hello. She patiently gazed at the pattern books as I oohed and ahhed over this or that pattern. She was such a good girl. Maybe she'll be a knitter. She'll certainly have yarn and patterns to work with.

What I did this weekend

Mommy got a solo trip this weekend to attend the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.



(No, that's not me)

I went for the first time last year. I was heading down to MD for another reason altogether, but J sent me a link and said, "You might be able to find some yarn there." Um, yeah.

So I bought some yarn. And a beautiful hand-woven wool blanket for the guest room. And saw lots of sheep.



And alpacas



I also got to meet up with some old friends for dinner at Samos (highly recommended if you're visiting Baltimore. Just remember, no reservations, and BYOB). We closed the place down. Congratulations to Jason and Alisa, and Chris and Angie, on your impending nuptials.

The best thing I saw, though, was when I came home.

Can you stand the cuteness???

Jonesing for spring

I was really fine with winter. Really. Even with all the snow, and being sick, I was fine with it. We hadn't had good snowfall in a while. I kind of liked it.

But a package came today. I bought some yarn from a gal who was destashing. And I got the most gorgeous skeins of bright spring green and a pink that's almost coral.

I have a vision in my head of what I want to make. A sweater, maybe a baby/kid sweater. Kind of a fair isle, or something with a floral motif up near the neckline. Mostly white, but with the pink and the green as great spring accents.

I haven't found exactly what I want yet on ravelry. But I haven't gone through my books yet either. I have been printing everything that might work. J thinks I'm going to break the printer at this point.

So bring on spring. I can't wait to have a project ready for it.

Winter knits

What's a girl to do when she's sick and snowbound? She knits!

And these have a story. I like yarn with stories.

Not long ago, my mother in law got me The Book of Wool. I totally fell in love with this book. It talked about many of the different kinds of sheep that make wool for wool yarn, going into the specific characteristics of each type, what kinds of garments will work well with each, and so on. I read it from cover to cover.

It just so happened that we hit up a yarn store while we were visiting, and there was a basket of random wool yarn for a great price. The label said it was Corriedale wool, handspun from a local farm. I bought a couple of hanks and headed home.

I can't tell you exactly what my book told me about Corriedale, but I thought it was cool I could see what the sheep looked like, and the book said the yarn felted well. So I found a pattern for a simple felted wool hat and started knitting.



Here is my hat. It is way softer (and not very scratchy) than I thought it would be. And that's not a trick of the light--the top is darker than the bottom, because I got 2 unrelated balls of yarn, I don't care, I think it gives it character.

So while I was making the hat, I started thinking about another 2 balls of yarn up in the craft room. I picked them up at an antique and consignment store in the Finger Lakes when we were there last October. Since that was yellow yarn as well, and I just got another book with a mitten pattern, I figured I'd make some mittens to (sorta) match the hat.



These were really fun to make, and only took me a few hours.




Now I have a sunny winter hat and mitten set. I'm pretty stoked.

I think I have enough of the mitten yarn to make socks. I've never made socks. And then I'd have a real winter wool set. Hmmm....

So, I've been knitting...

These are a couple of examples where I had some cool yarn and just needed a pattern for them.

First up, one of those great "buy the yarn, get the pattern" deals from a local yarn store. I just adored the variegated blues throughout. It felt so, so soft, and was a joy to work with. This kimono sweater pattern was pretty darn easy.



Next up, the product of a basic baby pattern book and a great nubby cotton yarn. This just shouts spring to me. If only I had taken a picture against a lighter background...

The reason I'm getting these done all of a sudden? My wonderful husband made me not one, but two blocking boards. I just discovered the importance (and dare I say it, the joy) of blocking knitted items to make seaming and assembly that much easier. So all of those sweater bits that were rolled at the ends and overwhelming me with the thought of making them look decent are now slowly becoming nice, flat bits that sew up together quickly.

So expect to see more pix soon. I already have another toddler sweater pinned on my boards, then I'll get started blocking the sweater in shades of blue I made for little old me!

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

I went to Baltimore last weekend, to see friends old and new. In between, I had some downtime, and J told me there was a sheep and wool festival going on. And I quote: "You might find some yarn there."

Boy did I.

I also saw sheep, goats, bunnies, alpacas, and a lot of really nice people. It was a good trip.


A fuzzy sheep



Another fuzzy sheep

A sheep with 4 horns!

The head is on the left, by the way

My plunder