Cobblestone Pullover

Here is my handsome son wearing his new Cobblestone Pullover in Skye Tweed. I made a medium. To me it looks a little small and I should have made it a few inches longer but he says it is fine. I’ve decided to start a few holiday presents. Here is the first, a Lace Wrap pattern from the Hub Mills Factory Store that we visited this summer. The yarn is Socks That Rock in the colorway Foo Foo, heavy weight.

My First Yarn Review

When my son moved to San Francisco a few years ago I immediately checked out what yarn stores were around. At the top of the list was Artfibers. It was located conveniently downtown and the reviews were uniformly fantastic. With my son in tow I found the building, climbed to the second floor and looked around. He was happy to see a nice sitting area where he could snooze while I shopped and I was happy to see neatly labeled shelves filled with unusual and interesting yarn. Most were blends I had never seen anywhere else. I immediately noticed a gorgeous alpaca scarf hanging up. When I asked about it, I was provided with the proper yarn and the complete pattern. Though the scarf is a little worse for wear, I’m still wearing it and I love its softness and warmth. I visited the shop a few more times during San Francisco visits and always found something beautiful to buy so I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from the company saying that they had updated their website, http://www.artfibers.com. They advertised new lower prices and some new yarns. They send swatching samples so I selected some newer yarn, Chutney, Nirvana, Bhutan, Banbusa and Galicia, all with exotic or luxury fibers like cashmere, bamboo and silk, and quickly received them. I happened to have some size 8 needles handy so I just swatched Galicia and what a pleasure it was to knit. It’s 90% silk, 9% superkid mohair and 2% wool. Just look at the color and sheen. Too bad you can’t feel the silky softness. I just loved this yarn and will certainly order some for a little jacket or scarf. I would definitely advise everyone to check them out on the web.

Rhinebeck Was Today

I just got home from Rhinebeck. What a beautiful day. First, the weather was just glorious. I wore my Crocs because it rained heavily last night but I didn’t really need them. It wasn’t even wet. They showed off my handmade socks though. The sun was shining and there was a little breeze. It was so much fun to walk around and see all the vendors and animals. We left the house at 7 am and got there at around 9. I immediately raced to The Fold booth but I didn’t intend to buy much and I didn’t. I already have Socks That Rock from last year and I haven’t even used it yet. The booth was jammed as usual but I am getting tired of that type of colorful yarn. Shaded solid colors just feel fresher to me. Then my husband and I just walked around exploring. A highlight of the day was the Bloggers’ meet-up. This year I was square and a player for Rhinebeck Blogger Bingo. At first I was shy but then I got into the spirit of things and just went around asking other people if they were on my card. Everyone was really nice and I met so many new knitters. I actually finished a row. I was on a lot of other people’s cards too and I was so surprised to hear that they read this blog. I always feel that I write to myself and some nebulous blogosphere. I am so happy that others are reading this too.
The animals were adorable, as usual. We watched some judging and some shearing. Anyway, I didn’t get much yarn but I did get some mohair roving. We won’t mention the Golding spindle I found at the last minute and couldn’t put down. After, we went to the Morehouse Farm store where they were having a garage sale. Skeins of lace weight yarn that sold for over $8 in the store were only $2 each. They were considered broken but the woman that worked there examined them and said they only had one or two breaks. I’m an expert spit-splicer so I didn’t resist.

Tilted Duster Finished

This is the first thing I finished from all the yarn I bought at Webs this summer and I love it. It is Tilted Duster from Interweave Knits Fall 2007. I changed the collar somewhat by omitting buttonholes and added a loop and button closing. I usually wear sweaters open anyway. The yarn is Berroco Peruvia in Marron and is very soft and warm. I can’t wait for some cool weather so I can wear it.

I’m now working on Cobblestone Pullover for my son from the same Interweave issue. Someone said it was a quick and easy knit but not for me. I’m using Classic Elite Skye Tweed and it is very rough and it catches on the needles, which makes for slow going. But I like the way it looks and I already told my son I was making it, so now I have to.
Artfibers is sending me some swatching samples to review. It will be my first blog review and I'm looking forward to it.

Saturday Spinning

What a beautiful day it was on Saturday. I started at the Rembrandt exhibit in the MET and then I spent part of it at Spin Out 2007 in Central Park. The weather was perfect, Cherry Hill Fountain was beautiful and the people, well they were just the best. I had bought a spindle at Rhinebeck two years ago and never learned to use it and I decided that this was my opportunity. Michelle from Jersey City deserves a medal. She was unstinting in her time and effort to teach me the basics. She even gave me a CD spindle. After she showed me several drafting options, I took a seat and practiced for two hours and I’ve been continuing to practice and love it. When that twist travels up, it is magic. Then Karen let me try her wheel. I was so nervous I broke the yarn immediately and then tangled everything up. She was so sweet and didn’t seem to get upset at all when I over spun her beautiful yarn. I don’t quite think I’m ready for a wheel yet, but we will see what happens at Rhinebeck. Meanwhile, I love my spindle.

On Sunday I went to my best friend’s birthday party at fantastic restaurant in Congers, NY and finally was able to give her the scar I made for her. She loved it.