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May 31, 2006

Project Spectrum May: The Results

As I’ve done for the past few months, I have used the Project Spectrum color guideline to help me choose sock yarn and spinning fibers.

This month, I knit socks for Lois with yarn from Brooklyn Handspun. Lois, who will knit fiddly baby dolls and Aran sweaters and other things that are beyond my scope, will not knit socks. I, of course, would prefer knitting socks to just about anything else and therefore stepped up to the plate and made her these socks.

They were a huge success! She wore them to work the very next day and received loads of compliments from other knitters. I am happy to have made these for my dear friend. And don’t mind that she showed them off one little bit.

My other green projects included spinning this:

Into this:

This was my first time spinning with the Grafton Fiber batts and I just loved it! The fiber practically drafts itself and that helped keep my spinning pretty even.

I also spun this:

Into this:

More first experiences here, this time with Fleece Artist roving. It wasn’t as easy to draft as some fibers I’ve worked with but the colors are beautiful and I love the finished product.

And now, on to June and the color blue. Don’t we all have loads of blue in our stashes?

I’ll be knitting socks from this

Oooh. Yummm. Denim Blue Yarn from Jessie at A Piece of Vermont. Have you ordered yarn from her yet? You really should. I'm just saying.

And I'll be spinning Foxfire Fiber batts.

I may have gotten a head start on the Foxfire this past weekend. I’ve got the blues and I just couldn't wait.

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (37)

May 30, 2006

Cummington

So I've been composing in my head for two days, trying to come up with a way to explain the beauty of the Massachusetts Sheep & Wool Festival. I had a fabulous time with friends and fiber but the words just weren't coming.

Well. When I came in the house last night, after a very pleasant cook out on our deck with only my father-in-law for company, I read my dear friend Cate's post about this past weekend. You must go read it, too. Now, please.

Yeah. I'm done with the words for this because there's no way I could say it better than Cate did. My little knitting hobby has become such a huge part of my life and the friends I have made because of it, well, it just amazes me. For these are not just blogging acquaintances but real life friends. Even now, I feel like words are failing me. Just read Cate's post again if you want to know how I feel.

I do, however, have pictures.

The fairgrounds. Really, the whole festival wasn't much bigger than this. And yet the size was perfect. I know, I sound like Goldilocks, but this was just right.

Sheep in crazy, psychedelic coats. I'd be embarassed to wear either of these coats, were I a sheep.

Morris Dancers. Or, dance softly and carry a big stick.

A fleece. Half of this belongs to me and the other half belongs to Laurie. Because, when Laurie offers to split a Blue Ribbon winning Coopworth fleece with you, you just don't refuse.

Oh. Another fleece. This one is all mine and, while it only won a red ribbon, I fell in love with the crimp and just had to have it.

Assorted fiber purchases. I've decided that I buy fiber according to the weather. New Hampshire was grey and cold and rainy and everything I bought was either beige, grey or brown. Massachusetts was bright and hot and sunny and everything I bought was bright colored and fun. So, really, between the two festivals, I've got it covered.

I would be remiss in this whole fiber story if I didn't recognize and thank my husband. Dale is a trooper. He not only visits and socializes with my friends but he also lugs around 12.5 pounds of fleece, assorted fiber and bottles of water. He's willing to sit and talk with virtual strangers until 10 pm at night, even while facing a 2.5 hour ride home, just so I can spin on Marcy's new gossip wheel. And he only mildly makes fun of me when I try to spindle spin the day after the event. Despite being taught by a master and enoucouraged by the various members of the Spindicate, I still have issues with the spindle. I guess this means I need another get together for more lessons with my friends.

So, really, that about sums it up. Just one more thing, in case I haven't said it yet. I had a fantastic time.

Posted by Carole at 7:15 AM | Comments (37)

May 29, 2006

We Will Remember

My first poppy of the season bloomed just in time for Memorial Day.

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row

Enjoy your cookouts and please remember those who have gone before.

Posted by Carole at 11:27 AM | Comments (10)

May 25, 2006

Decisions, Decisions

Remember these?

The long-suffering, never-ending, knit on size 0, Final Four socks? I started these on April 2nd. Pathetic, I tell ya. Of course, I've finished two other pairs of socks since starting these, but still, I'm sick of them and determined to finish.

Here's my motivation for finishing.

Mmmm. Trekking XXL. For the Trek Along With Me knit along, of course. I already had all four of these skanks in the stash, just so you know. You thought I just collected Vesper? Nope. Trekking, too. And maybe some Opal. Oh, and let's not forget the Socks That Rock. But I digress. I must decide which skank of Trekking to knit first. Any favorites? I'm looking for guidance, dear reader.

Oh, one last thing... My Iris are in bloom.

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (53)

May 24, 2006

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly #8

I've been postponing a Good, Bad & Ugly post for about a week because I don't really have enough bads and uglies to even things out. So, this time, it's almost all good. And that's not bad or ugly, is it?

Good: My nephew Steve earned the rank of Eagle Scout on Sunday. Dale, who has been both Assistant Scoutmaster and Scoutmaster of Steve's troop was so proud. The whole family was in attendance for the ceremony and reception and it was wonderful.

Steve, Lisa (Steve's mom and Dale's sister) and Dale. Too bad there's no family resemblance, eh?

Good: I know I said it was great to see the whole family at Steve's party. But can you guess who I was most excited to see?

My adorable granddaughter!
She just gets cuter all the time. And I managed to get her measurements so I can knit her some stuff. Yay!

Good: Since joining the Y I've lost 5 pounds. I've also lost 5 inches from various parts of my body.
Bad: You all can guess where I've lost the most inches, right? The only place I actually don't mind keeping inches.

Good: A rainbow in my backyard Sunday night. It was a lot more vibrant before I took this photo. So bright that I gasped when I saw it.

Good: I hosted another spinning night at the library. Five people came, including Martha, Maggie and Blogless Sharon. Also in attendance was a woman who is a member of the Harlow House Heritage Crafters. She owns an original Canadian Production wheel. It's actually the one that David Paul used as his prototype for his reproduction wheels. It's gorgeous and I was very excited to meet this particular wheel. And, I learned to Navajo Ply! And, Maggie brought me some of her soap! I'm loving this group, I'll tell ya.

Good: Speaking of Blogless Sharon, her daughter Heather has started a blog. Go on over and say hello, wouldya?

Good: I've finally met Melanie and her twins. The babies are adorable and Melanie is a sweetheart. I've been able to visit twice and can't wait to go again.

Good: Prizes and Prezzies. In the past couple of weeks I've received a Martha's Vineyard postcard from Deb and official Maryland Sheep & Wool notecards from Norma. Clearly, I'm not on the shit list if I'm getting gifted, right, Vicki? I also won a custom made bag from Julie as a prize for donating to her Relay for Life fundraiser. You can still donate. Maybe you'll win a prize, too. Speaking of donating and prizes, don't forget to pledge to Claudia's MS Bike Ride. You could win some great prizes there, too.

Good: Massachusetts Sheep & Wool is this weekend. And now that I know how to Navajo Ply, I can gleefully purchase all those lovely multicolored rovings. Yippee!

Posted by Carole at 6:30 AM | Comments (31)

May 23, 2006

Dye Festival

Who says you need a hot date to have a good time on a Saturday night? When I found myself with a free Saturday evening because Dale had a band job I got right on the phone with dear Blogless Sharon and invited her over for a yarn dyeing festival. And we did festival it up a bit. There was a bit lot of wine and a bit of cheese and quite a bit of dyeing.

Since I had successfully mastered already attempted space dyed yarn, I decided it was time to try some hand painting. So, out came the dyes and the squirt bottles.

It was really simple and really fun! Following Dave's very scientific instructions, I put 1/2 tsp of powdered dye (PRO Chemical One Shot Dyes if you're shopping) and a plastic spoonful of vinegar into an 8 oz squirt bottle from the beauty supply shop, then filled the bottle the rest of the way with hot water. We then took wetted skeins of yarn and squirted them with dye. Then we wrapped them in plastic wrap and steamed them for about 1/2 hour each.


Right out of the steam pot

Unwrapped. Note the presence of wine. Just saying.

We made four skeins total and here they are hanging out after they had been rinsed until the water ran clear.

I left them there to dry over night. In the morning they were still a bit damp so I stuck them out on the deck in the sunshine. Finally, after an hour or so, they were dry and I set about re-skeining them.

Voila. Hand painted yarn. One is for my dye pal and Sharon and I are fighting over dividing up the other skeins.

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (41)

May 22, 2006

As I Lay Dyeing

I had my first dyeing adventures this past week and, oh boy, was it fun! As Geena Davis said in Thelma and Loise, "Now I understand what the fuss is all about."

Using the book Dyeing to Knit, an email from Angelia, and the blogs of some experienced dyers as references, I began my journey at the kitchen table.

Here we see Dyeing Command Central. Note all the assembled supplies: laptop, vinegar, newspaper, measuring cups, dyes. Everything is ready to go.

To make my first attempt easy I decided to use the space dyed method as described in Dyeing to Knit. Basically, you immerse a skein of yarn into a dye pot by thirds. For the first third of the skein you use the darkest color. When that color is all absorbed you lift out the yarn, rotate it by 1/3, add the next color to the dye pot, and put the yarn back in. When that color is finished you do it again. Finally, when the whole skein has been dyed and all the dye is absorbed by the yarn, you drop the skein into the water and simmer for 45 minutes to set the color.

Simple, right? Frankly, anything is simple if you plan ahead.

I set about soaking some Knit Picks Dye Your Own sock yarn (sold out, don't bother checking) in warm water and vinegar. And I encounter my first problem. The skein is only tied in 2 places and when it hits the warm water I wind up with a messy tangle of yarn. Hunh. Note to self: next time, tie the skein in a few more places before wetting.


Ahhh. The first color hits the yarn. And Carole's second issue erupts. If the dowel sits across the dye pot too much of the skein is going to get dyed by this color. Did I check this in advance? As in, before I dunked the yarn in the dye? Nope. So, here I am, holding the yarn above the pot, trying to figure out a way to suspend it in mid-air. And, of course, I can't let go and no one is here to help me.

Necessity is the mother of invention. And I'm really glad I keep the cast iron fry pans right next to the stove.

The second color is applied. Mmmm. Green.

And here's the thoroughly dyed skein, simmering happily.

Finally, a hank of space dyed yarn. Not bad, I think. Of course, I was going for magenta, bright blue, and spring green and wound up with cranberry, navy blue and hunter green, but that's okay. It's all about the learning experience, after all. Oh, and the fun. And I had lots of fun.

But wait! There's more! Tune in tomorrow to see the hand painted skeins that Blogless Sharon and I created together on Saturday night!

Posted by Carole at 6:45 AM | Comments (45)

May 18, 2006

J is for Jeep

As you probably all know by now, because I talk about it ad nauseum, I bought myself a Jeep Wrangler last August. I'm pretty sure it was a manifestation of a midlife crisis but whatever.

Here's how it came to be. Dale and I have a niece who lives on Martha's Vineyard with her husband and kids and every summer Hannah goes to visit. Last summer, Dale and I brought Hannah over and planned to stay for a couple of days to tour the island. We don't bring our car on the ferry because it's terribly expensive so we rely on Beth and Stuart for transporation. (Can you see yet where this is going?)

So, on this one beautiful sunny summer afternoon, we decide we want to drive around and visit Oak Bluffs. Stuart says, take my Jeep. And we did. And I fell in love. The top was down and the doors were off and the sky was blue. I was with the man I love and AC/DC was on the radio and all was right with the world.

We came home and I announced that I wanted to go buy a Jeep. Dale quietly pointed out that having a Jeep in real life wouldn't be like being on vacation on Martha's Vineyard. I said I didn't care. I just knew I was meant to have a Jeep.

We shopped and I fell in love with this one.

Never mind that it had no doors and no top, it was love at first sight and I had to have it. So I bought it. With my own money - a first for me. I ordered a top and some doors and figured it would be great for the fall and then I'd put it away for the winter. But then winter came and I couldn't bear to drive any other vehicle. So, I drove this Jeep with canvas doors through cold and wind and snow all winter long.

And now. Now. Summer is almost here. I've had the back window rolled up several times and the side windows out once or twice. I haven't taken the top down yet but someday soon it's coming down. And the doors are coming off. And the AC/DC will be blaring. Or maybe Led Zeppelin for Margene. Because there's nothing like a door-less, top-less Jeep with loud rock 'n roll. It makes a girl feel young and in love, ya know.

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (38)

May 17, 2006

Purple Koigu Shapely Shawlette

See that title up there? Say that 10 times fast. Yeah.

I've been wanting to knit one of these ever since I saw Judy's at SPA. I love the simplicity of the pattern and the small size of this shawl. Perfect as an accessory - you know, when you don't want to look like a total dork in a shawl (with a triangle pointing at your ass, right Norma?) but you need a little somethin-somethin to jazz up your outfit.

Please excuse crappy bathroom mirror shot taken at work. I had no photographers available.

I got the yarn, Purple Koigu, from Scout back in April with just this project in mind. The pattern calls for three skeins but I actually only used two. I modified the center stitches just a bit - I like a plain YO K1 YO for the center stitch increases rather than the sturdy center section the pattern asked for. While it's a simple pattern, I did have to pay attention. Every once in a while a row would kick my ass and I'd be tinking back.

In spite of some of the challenges, it knit up quite fast. I started on a Saturday and finished on a Thursday. And I added beads to the cast off edge. It was my first time knitting with beads and I followed this tutorial from Knitty. I had great success with the dental floss threader method and I can't wait to add beads to my knitting again.

In fact, I've got some more Koigu marinating in the stash. I'm thinking it would be really nice to have another one of these shawlettes, this time in blue!

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (48)

May 16, 2006

New Hampshire Soggy & Wool

Are you ready for the second installment in the continuing fiber festival adventures of Carole and Dale? Well.

I knew it was time to leave the fairgrounds when the legs of my jeans were completely soaked - they had wicked up from the hem and my jacket had dripped water down on my thighs and the two wet areas met at my knees. Yuck. I felt bad about missing some of the buildings but I knew I couldn't take anymore. So we left and headed to the hotel.

Can you say sublime? A king sized bed with an in-room jacuzzi couldn't have been more welcome after a day in the cold and wet. And yet, we had made promises to meet good friends for dinner and I didn't want to let my buddies down. I knew if we didn't get ready and leave that hotel room within 10 minutes that Dale would never get me out the door. So, I changed from wet to dry clothes, including my newly finished shapely shawlette, freshened up the hair and make up and we set out to find Margaritas.

We got there about 5 and didn't expect anyone else until after 6 so we sat in the bar. Rough, I'll tell you. The Negra Modelos kept coming and we had a great time. It seemed like minutes and suddenly there was Maryse and Joe. And then Kat. Finally in came Debby, Kellee, Wendy and Rob, and Elisa and Mike. My buddies. Dinner was fantastic, the conversations ranged from silly to serious but that jacuzzi was calling my name so we left the others at the restaurant and headed back to the room.

Dim the lights. This blog is rated G.

In the morning we had breakfast at the hotel and headed up to drive around Lake Winnipesaukee. Of course, Patternworks is right in the path of that particular scenic drive, so we stopped. Imagine my surprise when I heard Dale talking to people in a different room and there was Wendy and Elisa! It was really cool to bump into them and share more yarn-y pursuits. I might have slipped and made a few yarn purchases. Debbie Bliss Denim Aran was on sale, I couldn't help myself.

We finally headed home mid-afternoon. The rain had never let up and the sides of the road were flooded in many places. We made it down Route 1 South only to hear they closed it within minutes after our pass through. There is a state of emergency in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and some pretty serious flooding in areas. Send good dry thoughts that way, okay?

It was a great trip. I got to hang out and shop with good friends. I got to eat good food and drink good beer. I got a bit of romance with my hubbo. I got fleece and yarn and a bit of time away from home. I know we would have been more comfortable if we had been out in the sunshine. But I don't believe for a second that we would have had more fun!

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (29)

May 15, 2006

New Hampshire Sheep & Wet

As you may have read by now, it rained at the New Hampshire Sheep & Wool festival this weekend. Rain of epic proportions, frankly. But rain doesn't stop a fiber enthusiast!

I bumped into Norma and Sandy in the doorway of the first building I entered and the day progressed wonderfully from that point! I saw good friends like Maggie, Monica, Chris, Cheryl & PumpkinMama and made new ones (Hi Dave! Hi Sean! Hi Dharia! Hi Manise!), I shopped and slogged my way from building to building, and I had a blast. I'm pretty sure Dale did, too!

With advice from Laurie and Kellee along with a nod of approval from Cate, I purchased my first fleece. Five and one half pounds of a dark grey coopworth named Starlet. Sadly, I didn't snap a picture of the glorious locks before I left her to be processed. I'll show you in 3-4 months when she comes home to me!

I also proceeded to snag more Grafton Fiber batts, a pound of Icelandic roving, eight ounces of Shetland roving and four ounces of Polworth. I may have been wet but it didn't slow me done. Much.

Despite the weather we pulled off our picnic. It was cold and wet but we managed to eat and laugh in spite of it all. As Kathy said to Julia, we could be facing Armageddon but we're bloggers so we'll have a potluck.

And as I stood there stuffing my face with Sean's fantastic pickled shrimp, I kept thinking what a difference a year makes. Last year, I headed to New Hampshire because I wanted to meet Stephanie. I didn't know any other bloggers and I didn't spin. This year I not only have truly great friends in the blogging community but I am also a spinner. The combination of those two things makes all the difference in going to a fiber event!

Tune in tomorrow for more details of our weekend away, including dinner with all my Boston Buddies. And, in the meantime, sing with me
Rain, rain go away
Come again another day

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (36)

May 11, 2006

Holy Potluck Picnic, Batman!

I'm throwing up the knit signal, courtesy of my buddy, The Bookish Girl, to make sure you all know about the bloggers potluck picnic gathering at New Hampshire Sheep & Wool this coming Saturday.

Remembering what a great time we had when Cate organized one for Connecticut, I asked her if we could do it again. We strong armed Kellee into helping us organize and Julia offered up her advice on a spot. So, if you're interested, please meet up at Noon and bring some food to share with everyone. If the weather is fine we'll gather on the patch of grass between the dog trials area and the main festival. And if the weather is inclement (NO!NO!) then we'll meet at the covered picnic tables by the alpacas. Hope to see many of you there!

And, as further proof that the weather is crap and I can't take picture of flowers or knitting outside or nothing, I'm jumping on the quiz bandwagon.
Take MY Quiz

It was fun creating this, I can't wait to see the results!

Posted by Carole at 6:55 AM | Comments (29)

May 10, 2006

Slump

What's a blogger to do when she's in a slump? Why, it's at simple as 1, 2, 3.

1. Hold a contest. Don't forget to comment! This would be a great opportunity for de-lurking, too. I'm just saying.
And look what came in the mail at work yesterday!

It would seem that I'm not the only one thinking about dream interpretation this week.

2. Show you pretty pictures of flowers from her garden.

Oooooooh.

Aaaaaaah.

3. And answer a long-forgotten Edward Gorey Death tag.

You will drink too much gin. Not the worst way to die, but you won't remember too much of your life.
Hey, at least you made some people laugh!
What horrible Edward Gorey Death will you die?
brought to you by Quizilla

Okay, so this would be totally fitting if it was vodka and not gin. But, point taken.

Posted by Carole at 7:30 AM | Comments (22)

May 8, 2006

Monday? Already?

Well, well, well. Here it is, Monday morning already. Honestly, I don't have much to show you. Oh, I did a lot this weekend. But nothing with pictures. At least not yet.

Mostly what I have is a "honey do" list with a bunch of stuff crossed off. For instance, the border is up in the computer room! And the pictures and stuff are back on the walls. I've ordered a curtain and now all we need is a rug. What a great feeling it is to have that room back to normal. Which also means that the mud room is back to normal. As in, all the stuff that was in the mudroom until it could go back in the computer room is now back in the computer room. Woo and also hoo.

Let's see. What else did we cross off the list? The lawn is mowed. Cobblestones have been purchased for a new edge for an existing flower bed. The trim on the window and door by the deck has been painted. As have the stair risers coming off the deck. I've planned a week's worth of meals, grocery shopped and prepped tonights' dinner. A trip to the mall was made for a new cell phone for Hannah. It's pink. She loves it. Did I mention that it's pink?

Lest you think that everything that needed to get done actually did get done - we didn't get mulch, we didn't get new glasses for Dale and some new undies for me, and we didn't get to take our usual Sunday drive.

As you may have noticed, most of the things that were accomplished were things that Dale had to do. (Have I ever told you about the division of labor in our household? Remind me to do that.) Mostly, all I had to do was supervise. Supervise meaning make sure that Dale doesn't wander off and do things he'd rather be doing instead of things he's supposed to be doing - the things on THE LIST. So, what's a supervisor do while passing the time? Knit, of course.

I made decent progress on the Shapely Shawlette.

The color combination in this Koigu reminds me of the blooming lilacs in my yard right now. Don't you think?

Posted by Carole at 7:30 AM | Comments (37)

May 4, 2006

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly #7

Welcome to the newest installment of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, brought to you by your friends at Carole Knits. Where knitting isn't the only thing happening.

Good: Last week my stepdaughter, Jessica and I joined the YMCA in our town. We have gone and walked on the treadmill faithfully. I am determined to get my 40 year old body into better physical condition.
Bad: Now that I've told you, I can't back down from this.
Ugly: So far, with the exception of one time, I'm always the fattest person in the exercise room. Sigh.

Good: I received authorization from Blue Cross Blue Shield for a zyrtec subscription until the year 9999. I might not need it for quite that long.

Good: We had new walkways put in at home. No more puddles and mud!

Good: The perennial garden is beautiful right now. I love the lushness of all the plants in May.

Bad: I can already see weeds!

Good: My prize winnings from Ann and Kay arrived. They signed the book for me and it's fantastic.

Good: Knitting in the Suburban while Dale fills it with gas.
Bad: There are no words. This picture will have to suffice.

Ugly: The tank still wasn't filled.

Good: My blog schedule. Did you even know I have a blog schedule? My goal is to publish first thing in the morning, Monday - Thursday.
Bad: Schedule disruptions! Hackers! Twice in the last two weeks we've had hackers attempt to get into the system and knitblog has crashed and then I can't post.
Ugly: Me without my blog. It's not pretty. If you don't believe me, just ask Lauren. She knows exactly how I feel.

Good: A new haircut.

Posted by Carole at 5:40 PM | Comments (55)

May 3, 2006

Ride the Wave

You've all seen this by now, right?

It's the brainchild of Ms. Obsession du Jour with a button by my buddy Maryse. Don't you think it's a fantastic idea? We've seen time and time again what we can do when we work together. I'm sure if we all concentrate our knitting mojo on Mr. Etherknitter's leg we'll make a difference for him, too. Plus, I have it on good authority that he smiles and nods every time he reads that another knitter is dedicating their knitting to the healing of his leg bone. Smiling = happiness. And happiness is supposed to promote healing, right?

So, I hereby dedicate my current pair of socks to Mr. Etherknitter.

The pattern, big surprise, is Feather and Fan. The yarn is Hawaii Joy from Marie at Brooklyn Handspun. I'm calling them my Ocean Wave socks.

So, Mr. Etherknitter, if you're reading, I promise to think of you with every stitch and hope that it somehow helps your leg to heal. In the meantime, maybe you should take up knitting. I think it's less hazardous than skiing. And I'm sure there are loads of bloggers willing to teach you!

Posted by Carole at 6:40 AM | Comments (20)

May 2, 2006

Connecticut Sheep & Wool

On Saturday Blogless Sharon, the Evil Spawn of Blogless Sharon (aka her daughter, Heather) and I headed to Connecticut Sheep and Wool. This was only my second fiber festival, my first being New Hampshire Sheep and Wool last year. Of course, I wasn't a spinner last year, so I really did feel like a fiber festival virgin this time around.

CS$W is a small venue and I think that's a good thing. It's not overwhelming and it's not overly crowded. And yet it's full of all the things that matter. Like sheep. And alpacas. And fiber. Lots and lots of fiber. Wanna see my haul?

I actually showed great restraint, I think. In the top photo there is some merino/silk roving in a color called "garnet," a really nice circular needle holder, and some merino/tencel roving that's charcoal grey - and very slick and soft. In the other photo there are two skeins of laceweight alpaca, colorway eggplant, some Navajo Churro roving and a beautiful shawl pin. And that's it. I came home fleeceless.

While the shopping was fun, honestly, the best part of the day was meeting up with other bloggers. Isn't it always? I actually had three bloggers that I had never met before recognize me. As in, "Aren't you Carole? From Carole Knits?" I have to say, I thought that was really cool. Especially considering that last year, when I went to New Hampshire, I knew no one. And no one knew me. I literally introduced myself to Norma and said, "I'm Carole from Carole Knits. No one knows me." Now Norma and I are friends. Real life, honest to goodness friends. Isn't blogging amazing?

My dear friend Cate had a brilliant idea and organized a Blogger's Potluck Picnic. There were people I consider to be real life, honest to goodness friends at this picnic as well as people I'd never met before.

And we had a fantastic time! As always, when bloggers gather there is lots and lots of really good food. There was also lots of talking and laughing and knitting! I'm not even going to attempt to link to everyone - because I'd leave people out. If you were there, sing out in the comments so people can find you.

I know many of you are gathering at Maryland Sheep $ Wool this weekend. I hope you have a wonderful time and meet up with like minded folks, just as I did in Connecticut. And somebody buy me a fleece fer cryin' out loud.

Posted by Carole at 6:55 AM | Comments (36)

May 1, 2006

Project Spectrum April: The Results

I love how Project Spectrum gives me guidelines and deadlines for my sock knitting and fiber spinning!

In fact, the looming arrival of May 1st pushed me to finish the Cheez Whiz socks. They are for me and I love them! What do you think?

I have also been pushing to finish spinning the Lorna's Laces roving I got from Liz. It's not yellow at all and only sort of orange, it's more salmon and brown than anything, but it's got a beautiful sheen and it's been great to work with.

The fiber has been drafted:

And spun into singles:

And plied and turned into skanks:

I'm really pleased with the way this turned out. My spinning is definitely getting more even and this is thinner than most of what I've spun so far. There's about 600 yards there - enough for a small shawl!

Now on to May! I'll be knitting socks from this gorgeous Brooklyn Handspun, color Hawaii Joy.

And I'll be spinning Grafton Fiber batts and Fleece Artist roving.

This whole Project Spectrum thing has really opened my eyes to the colors around me. In March I saw red and pink everywhere, in April everything was yellow and orange. Now the world is turning green!

Posted by Carole at 7:45 AM | Comments (46)