Torrance Fiber Festival 2009

Two weeks ago was the Torrance Fiber Festival put on by the Southern California Handweavers' Guild. We started the day off by meeting for breakfast, then seven of us carpooled up together (thanks for driving Edina). As usual it was fun to go and check everything out.



These were my purchases for the day. One crazy looking merino/cotswald batt with purple and green in it with some sparkly stuff. Reminds me of Wicked, and anything associated with that, makes me smile. It is a One of a Kind from Susan's Kitchen and I'm really excited about spinning it to see how it comes out. Could be bad, should be good, won't know until I do it. It's that kind of suspense that keeps me going.



A Triple Play Roving from Crosspatch Creations. I bought one of these last year and had a really fun time spinning it. Some crazy yarn resulted and I'm not sure what to do with it yet, but that has never been the point. We'll see how this one comes out, it has to be good with these crazy colors.



And a sweaters worth of Malabrigo Silky Merino in Blackberry. I got this at a discount, which is why I went for it. It wouldn't let me leave without taking it home and I'm really glad I did. It is so beautiful that I may just fondle it for awhile before I decide to wind it.



After exhausting ourselves shopping, we went to an area noodle house where we were joined by knitters from Orange County whom we have met before at Stitches events.













And as if being with like-minded, fun friends wasn't enough of a treat, I received two birthday presents. My beautiful stranded socks from ItShe, which are so beautiful and fit perfectly. I had seen them on my birthday, but they had been re-possessed for finishing.


And Cupcake surprised me with The Harmony Guides 101 stitches to Knit. Son #2 and I had a fun time at the library where I was laying them out so I could plan a project. These two were his picks. I told him to hold them up for the camera and he put on his excited face for the picture.

These two were my picks, but I have a hard time going against good taste, which son #2 does have.



For more pictures of the festival, Wendy wrote a great post on her blog about it. I'm definitely on the wagon for next year's festival!

First things first

Since I haven't been able to blog since I started having blog-worthy news, I'll just start at the beginning.



I finished the Meditrina fingerless gloves and they turned out so cool I could barely part with them. The Mountain colors yarn turned out amazing, the colorway is Moccasin Trail. I started them from the top because I knew I would probably run short on yarn and have to finish the cuff in another color. Yeah for two-at-time top-down! I was able to finish them off with some black fingering yarn with a little ruffle. They look a little girly, but a little punk rock at the same time.



I joined a mini sock swap on the Knitters Brewing Co Sockaholics group on Ravelry and it was my first swap ever. Each person had to knit a mini sock and send it to their swap partner by October 31. I checked out some of the ideas floating around, and people were putting little things inside their mini socks and adding little things to their packages. So I was very surprised when a box arrived at my house on Halloween afternoon with all of these goodies in it.



Chocolates, coffee, Burts Bees chapstick and Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, 3 skeins of yarn, a notepad, and yes, my mini sock. It was really neat to get something from my swap partner's part of the country and now I wish I would've included something "San Diegan" in with mine. I'll know for next time!

And on Halloween night, my vampire family hit the streets for some Trick-or-Treat fun. I have to say, this was one of the best Halloween's yet. The kids have such a good time with it and we enjoy watching the show. We get together with a few other families, have dinner and hit the streets. There were kids everywhere, all dressed up, people in their driveways with firepits passing out candy (or running out, there were so many kids) and we had an ice chest in a wagon filled with adult refreshments. We went as long as the kids could go and when they finally crapped out and were loony from their sugar highs we went home.



It was a good night! And the next morning I woke up bright and early to attend the Torrance Fiber Festival.

Our mornings @ Moonlight

I guess having to stay out of the house in the mornings could be worse! The little figure by the water is Son #2. He likes to chase the birds. :) Have many things to post about, hopefully tomorrow.

Fraggle Squiggle Socks

These were the May 2009 shipment from the Rockin Sock Club. Like I've said before, just knitting with this yarn makes me happy. I don't think I've ever not liked anything I've made with it (other than the cursed Chapman Springs which we shall never speak of again). Because of the stitch used in these socks I came very close to running out of yarn. Every sock so far this year has been top down, which I usually don't mind, but this time it made me kind of nervous. I wondered if anyone else had come close or not.



Name of Project: Fraggle Squiggle Socks by JC Briar
Yarn: Socks That Rock Lightweight, Colorway Pepe Le Plume
Needles: Size US 0 (2.0 mm) Knit Picks circulars



I need to bind off the Meditrina fingerless gloves and then I'll be done with those and will have nothing on my needles. Just the thought of it really freaks me out so I'll be winding some yarn tonight after the kids go to bed.

Meditrina

These are toe-less, heel-less socks of my own design. The recipient suffers from arthritis and has acute chronic pain in her ankles. Meditrina is a goddess associated with healing and I hope these help heal. I used my beautiful skein of Mountain Colors Barefoot that I received for entering the Think Outside the Sox contest last year. They are definitely her colors and I know she's going to love these. (Although they were my colors too!)

I started with a Channel Island cast-on from Lucy Neatby's book Cool Socks Warm Feet. I love how it puts the little nubbies at the top. I worked for about 5 inches in 1 x 1 ribbing, then bound off half of the stitches using a tubular bind-off.

I casted on (long-tail) enough stitches to accomodate her extremely swollen instep, continued the 1 x 1 ribbing, and did a few decreases to fit them towards the toe. Then I used a tubular bind-off at the end. I've already cast on for the matching pair of fingerless gloves. I'm going to knit them from the top of the hand down the wrist so I can go as far as the yarn will let me in the same 1 x 1 rib pattern. It's so pretty and gives more stretch then plain stockinette. It's a perfect project to carry around in my purse because I can pick it up and put it down whenever without having to reference a pattern.

The other project I'm working on is my Fraggle Squiggle socks from the Rockin Sock Club.

I've turned the heel and am working down the gusset. I've said this before but I'll say it again. I love Socks That Rock! When I start a project with it and am knitting, I'm happy. Just plain happy! I love the way the yarn feels in my hands, the way it feels when I'm knitting with it and the beautiful colors it comes in. I'm a little backed up on my shipments due to other projects but I know I'll find the time somewhere. I just got this in the mail last week.

Gorgeous colorway with a wonderful Cat Bordhi pattern. Does it get any better? I think not.

In spinning news, I've finished my beautiful SeaWool Fiber that was a gift from Cupcake. I love her motto of knitting (or spinning) the nicest stuff you can afford. This is definitely some nice stuff! It's from Creatively Dyed Yarn and is 70% Wool, 30% Seacell. The colorway is Key West.

I started spinning this back in February. It's taken me seven months to spin this. I am a very slow spinner and 8 ozs is a lot to me. My singles filled up to bobbins and were pretty skinny. This is navajo-plyed. I wasn't sure if I wanted to have a 2-ply or 3-ply but after a little sampling and swatching decided on the stronger colors with the 3-ply. Plus, navajo plying is really fun. It's just a big crochet chain and has a rythym that I love. There is a cool video from Sarah Anderson on Navajo plying that I like, although it's not exactly how I do it.

I'm really excited about swatching a little with this to see what kind of fabric it wants to be. I'm thinking about trying a small top-down cropped sweater to wear over some of my dresses.

And lastly, for Son #2's birthday, the Three Little Pigs. His preschool teacher does a puppet show with that story and she has her own knitted pigs that she uses. Son #2 loves them so for his 4th birthday I gave him his own.

My new hobby of geocaching has cut into my knitting time quite a bit, but it's so fun I can't stop. My boys and I have gone every day this past week!

Another cute baby sweater

My baby shower gift all ready to go for Saturday. I bought some onesies and socks to go with it and it's almost cute enough to make me want more. Almost.



The pattern for the sweater is a Lion Brand pattern called Naturally Nice Baby Sweater and I chose it because of the top down construction. I've made it before and will likely make it again because I was able to fit it into my knitting queue without a whole lot of shuffling. I like that in a project!



The hat I made to go with it has a rolled brim and a fancy pom pom on top. It started out with matching trip on the cuff of the hat but it was so bulky I just cut it off and made it a rolled brim instead.



I think she'll like it and can't wait to give it to her!

Football season officially started tonight. I've got some bets rolling on them but doubt I will do very well. Unless my husband is sitting there doing the picks with me, I pick based on whose uniform colors appeal to me at the moment, or whose name I like best. Not very scientific. I think it'll be a good time!

We had our first day of second grade this week too. The routine and rhythm has started and is falling into place. Here's to another year of wonderful education!

Purple Hooter

I am proud to present my finished Purple Hooter socks! I think they were actually renamed Social Butterfly which is very fitting.



Name of Project: Mystery Sock from Knitters Brewing Company
Yarn: Knitters Brewing Company Sockaholic in the Purple Hooter colorway
Needles: Size US 0 (2.0 mm) Knit Picks circulars

Here is a closeup detail of the butterfly lace pattern. It has beads that outline it and you would see them better if I splurged on some of those cool wooden sock blockers. Unfortunately my money goes to the sock yarn, but if I ever have money burning a whole in my pocket...



This was my very first mystery knitting project and I loved it! It was fun watching the pattern emerge and not knowing what you were going to have in the end. I've always wanted to try the Mystery Shawl KAL, but haven't wanted to commit to a project that big. After making these, I think I've found my favorite kind of mystery project. There were seven clues and each one was started and stopped at a perfect spot.



The only project I have on the needles right now are the yoga socks for my mother-in-law. I'm using Mountain Colors Bearfoot and it's so beautiful. I'm a little more than half-way done and am looking forward to working on some of my Rockin' sock club shipments next. I've gotten two that I haven't had a chance to knit up and I think the next one is due at the end of the month.