One Crazy Fiber Lady

You’ve waited patiently through a silent weekend, a long post involving people meeting people and lost blankies.  I know this is the moment that some have been waiting for, the SEX.  Other than a couple of items that I’d like to get, I went to this festival without a shopping list.  You should see the list I had for Rhinebeck a couple of years ago.  This is partly due to the fact I decided to go so late so I didn’t have weeks (or months) to assemble the list.  Also contributing is a physical limitation in the amount of stuff I can carry while pushing a stroller and still caring for its inhabitants.  We won’t mention the ongoing yarn acquisition and the recent fleece additions to the household.  Combine all that with working full time and having little monsters at home and you come up on the hobby short end of the stick.  But not to disappoint, I did whip out the credit card and add some new things.

While I have had a "no new fleece moratorium" in place of years now, someone keeps ignoring it.  I did tell that someone only 3 fleeces this year (and they were acquired prior to even getting on the highway).  Naturally this someone ignored the moratorium once again.  Good thing too.  She bought a beautiful, clean, white cormo fleece from Alice Fields at the American Cormo Sheep Association.  I got one from her two years ago, that yummy wanna roll around nekkid roving.  This fleece is so clean that I’m tempted to spin it in the grease.  The other is a dark gray, very evenly toned Border Leicester fleece.  I’d love to spin it and join the Harlot in Gansey hell.  I still have that Wensleydale Cables sweater from that back issue of IK whispering to me in the back of my head.  I know I had redirected the first order of Peruvian Highland from Elann initially intended for it to a Ribby.  Anyway, I’m planning on spinning this pretty fine and tight as the nice shepherd lady suggested.  The fleece is open and will require a minimal amount of processing.  Yippee.

Staying in the spinning portion of the acquisitions, I didn’t just buy fleece.  I bought roving too!  From left to right, there’s a pound of nice soft brown coopworth, (bottle of Euclan NoRinse Woolwash), 8oz of handpainted wool roving, 4 oz of green wensleydale, 1lb of romney in blue/pinks and 1lb of red/black pin drafted rambo roving.  Previous years I’ve purchased nothing but solid natural colors like the coopworth.  This year I’ve felt pretty funky and opted for the colors.  Must be the socks thing.  Like always, I’m not sure what I’m going to make with any of it other than making it into yarn.  Only rarely do I have an end project in mind when I buy the fiber.  The BL fleece is definitely the exception to the rule.  As a result, I usually buy either 8oz or a pound of the roving.  This way I can usually have enough to make something other than a hat.  8oz is enough for at least socks, and a pound can usually buy me a vest.

That was the spinning software, now for the hardware.  You see here the new driveband for my Lendrum castle style wheel to replace the one that Baron Belgarath ate.  I also had to hide the driveband for the Womack as he starting to hang around in its neck of the woods.  Beast.  But I digress.  On the left is an Ashford Flick Carder for opening the tips of locks instead of full carding or combing.  I used to use a cat brush and figured it was time to get the real deal.  I also got a Woolee Winder and two extra bobbins for the Lendrum!  Finally eh?  Chatting with the WW vendor, I mentioned that I now have one for all my wheels that he makes them for and would very much love one for my Lendrum Saxony.  He told me that he’s been trying to get the info from Gord on that wheel so he could make one.  I offered to loan him my flyer.  He took my number and will be calling shortly.  Cool huh?  Maybe I’ll get a deal on the WW

Moving right along, I also bought new spindles.  I always buy a spindle or two at a show.  This time I added two from Hatchtown.  As you can see, I’ve actually used one of them!  The roving is the 8oz handpainted that I bought at the show.  I’ve been taking an arm’s length, splitting it into three or four parts and then predrafting it.  I got some good spinning time at the Hotel after the twins went to sleep Saturday night and honestly none since.  I have tucked this spindle into my tote bag so I can now spin when the opportunity strikes.  I kind of lost the tag that was attached to the spindle, but I’m pretty sure it is their full size high whorl spindle.  It weights in at 1.65 oz if I remember correctly and is Walnut and Maple.  It’s beautifully turned and spins like a dream.  I don’t remember the specs on the little one, but it is their Kaari.  Pretty little thing that I haven’t used yet.  I’m getting a single that when doubled will make a nice sockweight yarn.  Cool.  That’s what I wanted from it.  The little one will probably be good for a laceweight.  Yeah, I spin fine on a drop spindle.  Even finer than my wheel spinning.  For the non-spinner types, generally the heavier the spindle the thicker the resulting single.  I need me a HEAVY spindle to get a sportweight yarn.  Two years ago I asked Sheila for the heaviest Big Bossie they had so I could attempt a DK.  Got it too.

Now that we’ve seen the spinning hardware and software, time to fulfill the knitting desires.  Years past has seen NO NEW YARNS being added at a fiber festival.  Why?  With all the spinning supplies, seemed silly to buy yarn too.  No longer mon frere.  Bottom right are two skeins of beautiful sock yarn from Ellen’s Half Pint Farm. The yardage and the price were irresistible and besides, can never have too much sock yarn.  Right?  There’s also a skein of Trekking XXL as well.  I picked up some short sock dpns in sizes US1 (Skacel – pointy metal) and US2 (Brittany birch) that I’m eager to try.  Finally pictured is the Aran Sweater kit that I purchased.  That orangey yarn is a 50/50 wool/mohair blend that is just perfect for an Aran sweater.  I love the cables in the pattern, though I think I’m going to chicken out and ask the designer to revise the pattern for me for a smaller sweater.  This is a large (54") that will just dwarf me.  I measured out to be a 34" at Victoria’s Secret.  There’s ease and then there’s EASE.  I’ve discovered ORANGE is not an enemy color.  I actually look pretty good in it.  Big old surprise.

Well that’s my take from the festival.  Not too much, though I would have liked a couple of skeins of the Brooks Farm yarns for Clapotis.  I realized I didn’t buy enough of that handpainted stuff for it and will use it for something else.  I’m thinking either the Harmony or the Four Play.  Now do I order it online or wait until Rhinebeck

If you’ll notice, Baron assisted me in taking pictures last night.  He’s ever so much a helper.  Gotta fly, need to run and get a box for my belated Mother’s Day present.  More on that tomorrow.

Knit Craft on.

Well I made it through the weekend with the twins!  I don’t know why I was scared out of my wits to take them, but I was.  Now I know I can do it, watch out world! 

Damn I love the MDS&W festival.  It was so worth the trip.  Was it for the SEX (sorry googlers, Stash Enhancement eXpedition) alone?  Nope.  I can enhance the stash without leaving my living room.  The topic of why we go to these things came up on one of the mailing lists and I thought hard about my answer to the question.  It isn’t the SEX, it is being part of a community and being surrounded by this community that actually draws me out there.  Sure blogging has let me know that there are others out there that feel as passionately about the fiber hobbies that I do, but honestly meeting and seeing the sea of humanity that shows up at these festivals really drives the point home that I am indeed not the crazy fiber lady that my day to day contacts treat me as.  THAT is why I schlepped toddler twins two states away for a weekend alone…. because for a change, I wasn’t alone! 

In that vein, I spent some time with old friends and met some new ones:

Here’s the EZasPi group gathering (thanks to Judy for the photo) on Saturday.  From left to right, Shari, Elsie, Elaine, Sue, Judy, Chris and Me/Alex.  Kat was running loose while Alex was a bit clingy.  They both needed naps by this point.  Shari was a saint and gave me a huge Mother’s Day gift, she helped me with the twins for the afternoon!  She and her family spent the rest of the afternoon at the festival taking turns pushing the stroller, carrying a tired toddler that wanted out, walking hand in hand, and simply allowing me to get into the very crowded booths to check wares and spend some cash.  I couldn’t have done it without them.  Big thanks to Shari and her beautiful family! 

This is Cece and Mamacate, a new blogging friend and one that I finally met in person.  They both were great helps in wrangling the toddlers.  Cate was especially helpful at lunchtime.  I didn’t get to spend a great deal of time with these ladies as the ebb and flow can split up groups, but what I did I very much enjoyed.  I’m really looking forward to Cummington and hanging with Cate and finally meeting her twins.

Who did the twins and I have breakfast with yesterday?  None other than the Harlot herself!  I was ever so excited to read that there was going to be a breakfast meet up at the Homewood Suites in Columbia on Sunday morning, the same hotel where the monkeys and I were staying!  How fortuitous was that?  Pictured with Stephanie is Mia.  I also met reader Donna (Hi Donna!) and some very nice people. It was a great time.  Stephanie was very witty as a regular blog reader would expect.  Nice to find someone my size.

While I had planned to come straight home Sunday, I was tempted back to the festival with the promise that Sunday was a far less crowded day than Saturday.  No surprise, I went.  I shopped.  I saw more friends, pulled into the parking area one car ahead of Stephanie and her agent (sorry forgot her name, a very nice lady!).  After expanding the stash, meeting up with the NJ gals again and having lunch, the monkeys and I headed home at 1:30.  Sadly I did miss meeting with Vicki as I didn’t get the message she’d called until I was in Delaware and about the cross back into Jersey.  I hit nasty traffic in  a couple of places and didn’t get home until 6.  The twins were great and other than short periods of fussing were fab travel buddies.  They handled the excitement, the stroller confinement and the long drives like troopers.

After two days and just shy of 500 miles, this is what my car looked like:

While I did forget one thing, diaper cream they do have CVS type stores in Maryland and they do sell Desitin there so no harm, no foul.  We did lose three pacifiers at the festival, but that was not unexpected and I had plenty of backups.  I dodged a few bullets in the loss department as well.  On the way into the festival on Saturday, one of the sippy cups fell out of the bag.  I made do with only one, as well as a water bottle with the sport lid in hydrating the monkeys.  Wouldn’t you know it, on the way out of the festival a woman tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I had dropped something.  While I had just fetched Alex’s chewie (his version of a blankie is nothing more than a cloth diaper) I looked at where she was pointing.  Sitting on top of the barrel that marked the entrance path was the sippy cup!

The bigger problem had been Kathryn’s blankie.  Now I have three of them as I know how important blankie is in this kid’s life.  I’m a blankie girl myself so I really understand the implications involved in losing one.  When she latched onto this thing at 6 months old, I bought more and regularly rotate them so she wears them evenly so to speak.  Unlike Alex’s chewie and binkies I didn’t bring a reserve of blankies with us.  While I have spent considerable time retracing steps at the supermarket and various and sundried other places retrieving blankie you would have thought that I’d pack all three!  The kid goes nowhere without and certainly doesn’t sleep without it.  You know where this is going.  Yes, she lost it at the festival.  Twice.  The first time was about an hour in on Saturday.  In the very crowded Main Exhibition Hall, somewhere between the superfine Australian Corrie Fleece booth around the fleece sale and the much mobbed Little Barn booth where I discovered she didn’t have it.  (As an aside, that crowd had me forgo Little Barn for the first time.  Ever.)  It was a zoo. It was a very sad zoo to get through with a tandem stroller.  I made it back and forth.  Finally a very nice woman who had a booth there selling gorgeous felted items (hats and stylin’ scarves) offered up babysitting services and stroller parking to allow me to go find blankie.  I hopped on that one and went back one more time. Some kind soul had found it and placed it on the outside edge of the fleece sale table.  Thank goodness.  Thank you kind soul!

Blankie was lost again yesterday.  After lunch with the NJ folk, we started heading out with Shari and her family when Kat started whining.  No blankie anywhere in the stroller. I ran back to the lunch site.  No Blankie.  This time I can’t even tell the last time I’d had it, unlike Saturday when the nice Aussie lady told me she’d seen Kat playing with it with Cece.  Sigh.  I was already dreading the very long drive home without blankie.  Shari reminded me of my luck with the sippy cup and finding blankie once before and held out high hopes we’d locate it again.  Half fearing that I’d used up my luck, I retraced our steps.  What was that on one of the posts along the main walk????  BLANKIE!  Some kind soul recognized its value, picked it up, put it on the post and went so far as to put a rock on top to keep it in place in the wind!  THANK YOU.   Disaster averted, I decided not to push what remaining luck I had and made my way to the car.  I stopped long enough to drool over the gorgeous mohair yarn from Brooks Farm, but resisted.  I couldn’t resist though an aran cable sweater kit at another booth.

Pictures and listing of actual stash enhancement will be tomorrow.  I
was so pooped by the time I got it all in the house, gave the twins
dinner, got them to bed and unpacked the necessities that I was just
not ready to sort and photograph the new stuff.  All in all, I’m glad I made the decision that I did.  I’m so glad that I went. 

Now that the siren call of MDS$W has been answered, we can now return to the regularly scheduled blogging content.  Okay so I have a ton of things to do tonight and seriously doubt that I’ll be able to do any crafty things, I can leave you with this:

Alex’s hoodie is done but for the buttons.  I ordered a bunch of cute ones off eBay and they should be here shortly.  It took just under 3 skeins of the Jaeger Shetland Aran.  I used the pattern located here, with some modifications.  The hood is from a very 70′s pattern that my mom gave me that too was modified.  Kathryn’s version will be a heavily modified version as I probably blogged about recently.  I didn’t like the sleeve construction so hers will be picked up and knit down to the cuff.  Instead of the half-arsed set-in sleeves, she’s going to get a drop shoulder.  I’ll more than likely do a 3 needle bind off for the shoulder as well.  While I didn’t like the actual construction of the sweater, being a toddler sweater it was thankfully quick.  I’ll start Kat’s shortly, probably after my Ribby Shell is done. 

This morning on the train I read instead of knitted and finished this:

It was a fast and enjoyable read. This is the first book I’ve read by the author and I’ll probably be getting more from her. I love a good detective yarn. Yarn? Did someone say yarn? Oh yeah, I did Back to the book, this one was a good one that kept me entertained on the train when knitting wouldn’t do, or gasp, I didn’t feel like it. Even better, this was a freebie book that I picked up off the giveaway shelf at the office. One of the perks of the job location, free books. A goodly number of those free books are uncorrected page proofs or advance reader’s editions, but every now and again a real gem turns up. This one was happily one of the gems. I hope the next in the queue is as good.

I think I might have a case of startitis as I have indeed started a new knitting project.  Like I didn’t have enough on the needles or in the queue.  I started one of these cute little Baby Bobbi Bears.  Thanks to some evil generous fellow knitter on one of the mailing lists I read, I found the yarn at a substantial savings online (sorry the sale is still going on for $5/skein .  I shared the info with Marina and the two of us cast on for this on Tuesday at lunch.  We’re both using the Blue Sky Alpacas sportweight yarn held doubled in the natural streaky brown color.  I finished the first section yesterday at lunch and will proceed further during Knit Club today. 

I really need to put together a list of all the things I need to bring along this weekend.  The Pi group is getting together so I’ll be bringing my shawl for the group picture. If its cool I might just wear it and help others pick my petiteness out of the crowd.  I have a ton of stuff the kids will need.  I also have to decide what to bring to keep me entertained.  I think I’ll bring my Journey Wheel along for sampling fiber purchases Saturday night after the twins go to sleep.  This is provided I don’t feel like collapsing right along with them.  Though while I don’t have a specific fiber on the list to buy, nor a list to buy, I’m sure I’ll want to sample some new fiber!  Now that I think about it, some rainbow dyed something for socks would be nice.  Hmm, maybe some bamboo fiber so I can try spinning it myself!  I do need a new driveband for my Lendrum as the little monster that is Baron Belgarath gnawed through the existing one.  I would like a Woolee Winder for that wheel.  I guess I do have a wish list afterall  

I might pack Stonington or my Twinkletoes sock for knitting fun.  Yes, the Twinkletoes socks are back in semi-active pile even if they did completely fall off the blog.  I had been toting them around in my bag until the cable rib socks took their place.  The CRS even took the TS place in the sidebar.  I had even pulled the needles from the socks about a week ago, ready to proclaim the 3/4 finished sock dead.  Oddly, while making dinner Sunday night, I reinserted the needles and went right back to working on them.  Strange I know.  But then again, I am crazy.  It still is a simple 2×2 rib in this pretty handpainted yarn.  Having seen Cassie’s sock in the handpainted, I’m seriously tempted again to rip it out.  Maybe I’ll just leave them home afterall.  I guess Stonington gets packed!

Nancy posted recently about her HandpaintedYarn.com laceweight yarn that she bought (and got a double bonus of!).  She asked how I liked it.  I happen to like it very much.  I’ve been using the Bergamota colorway for my Stonington and I really do like the subtle color shifts that are in this colorway.  The others that I have aren’t quite as subtle and would definitely have a different effect.  I’m very pleased at the feel and the texture of it.  I’ve knitted a bit with singles, both commercial and my own homespun and this yarn is very similar.  So far it is standing up nicely to my knitting and I haven’t noticed any great variation in diameter, though there is some minor fluctuations.  It is definitely pleasant to work with.  My choice of Addi Turbos as the needles for Stonington have made for a slippery slick experience, but I don’t have any trouble getting the tips through the stick and no troubles other than general coordination.  Tis a good thing I like the yarn, I do have a load of it!  I am planning another pi, be it a simple one or a spiral shawl out of one of the other colorways.

So much fiber, so little time.

Knit on.

Oh my.  I was just struck with the burning desire to go to MDSW.  I HAVE TO GO.  Oy. 

Up until today I was perfectly fine with my decision not to go.  It’s complicated bringing little ones with me.  I have yet to stay with them in a hotel. Alone.  Away from other adult help.  Ignore the fact that I’m alone with them every damn night.  It just strikes me as something far more different and far scarier outside our home.  This would be the downside of being a SMC. 

The alternative would be to get someone to watch the monkeys while I went.  Well boating season just started and it looks like the first decent weekend.  My parents will decidedly be on their boat.  Now last year the twins didn’t exactly sleep well there and we had to only do day trips.  If they had been proven on the boat this year, hell the folks would take ‘em in a heartbeat.  Except they haven’t and dad won’t give up a boating weekend this early in the season.  He’s jonesing now.  Already asked me if I could get out of work a smidge earlier on Friday so I can pick the monkeys up at daycare.

So here I sit, debating whether I could handle the pair of them out in the big bad world.  Not to mention whether I could get a room at this late date.  I’ve spent the last half hour playing on various websites and have indeed found a room.  I could leave home early Saturday morning, after breakfast, drive my heart out and get to the festival by lunchtime.  We’d then stay over and come home Sunday, spending some much needed Mother’s Day Goodness.  OR.  There’s the leave Friday night after dinner, putting the monkeys in jammies and planning on a late LATE check in.  (Need to see if Friday is even a hotel option.)  Do the festival thing on Saturday and then either come home Sat night or Sun morning.  The latter would mean a very long Friday and a scary prospect of two nights in a hotel and a full day of meals in public.

I do think a day trip is out of the question as it is @4hours each way.

I WANNA GO I WANNA GO I WANNA GO.

Any advice? 

**********

Addendum:  As of 3:10PM EDT, we are going!!!!  The room is booked, cribs reserved, and late check in noted.  Friday night after dinner I’ll pile the monkeys in the car and head down to Maryland!  I hope to meet lots of fellow bloggers.  I’ll be the 5’0" chick with just shy of chin length brown hair pushing the double stroller ( tandem jobby   If it gets cool, Alex can wear his newly finished sweater out of the Jaeger Shetland Aran that I was going to post about today until the sickness took hold. Tomorrow.

I found something this week that made this geek very happy.  I truly dislike going to the grocery store.  I’ve never really liked it.  Since the kids arrived, I’ve taken a stronger dislike to it.  At first it was because it was almost impossible to take twin infants to the store alone.  The carts are not set up for two of them.  I would have to plead with someone to watch the twins or to come along with me. If I couldn’t get someone, which was most of the time, I would put Kat in the snuggly/mayan wrap (depending on which one I preferred at the moment) and Alex would sit in the built in baby seat.  Made for a somewhat difficult grocery experience with Kat hanging there front and center.  I could use the stroller, but was very limited in what I could buy.  There was just no ideal solution.  Now that they can finally sit in the cooler carts for kids, they have grabby little hands, especially in the checkout aisle. Not to mention the meltdowns that make me want to abandon the cart

So what made me so happy?  I got my hair cut on Saturday (trim only, I’m letting this mistake of a short cut grow in) and I had to bring the monkeys with me.  My hairdresser has two as well, her youngest is 6 months older than the twins.  Well she tipped me off to something oh so cool.  Shoprite.  Now I’ve been an A&P girl for years, but I did get a Shoprite card last week after being impressed by one of their newer stores.  What had me smiling ear to ear?  Shoprite.com!  Online Ordering.  That’s right.  You can order groceries online.  Okay folk who have had PeaPod, FreshDirect and a host of other grocery buying online for years, I have not had that luxury.  I just live in the wrong place for it.  My sister in central Jersey has had it, but not me in the northern part of the state.  While I can’t have it delivered as I don’t live close enough to the participating store, I can still order it online and then go pick it up!!!  Yes!!  Frickin A Cool.  Hell its worth the $10 "delivery fee" and 13 mile drive.  Oh yes indeedy it is.  It also stops that impulse buying that we all face while in the store.  I got what I needed and only what I needed.  I shopped after the twins went to bed and picked up the stuff after breakfast.  I never even had to leave the car.  They brought the stuff out to me and even loaded it in the back for me.  Sweet.  No antsy twins and Kat even took a nap on the way home.  Heck if I put the DVD player in the car and left Barney on for them they’d probably start asking to go grocery shopping!  Round trip was still less than what I’d spend in the store backtracking for Kat’s blankie, for the items I forgot, looking for Alex’s binkie and just putting things back on the shelves that the little hands grabbed.  I’m convinced.  Technology is my friend.

Since I saved time on the grocery shopping, I was able to pick up crafting time! Double sweet. After finishing the second sleeve for A’s sweater, I steam blocked the pieces and sewed them together.  As an aside, I am not using this pattern unmodified for Kat’s sweater.  Stupid construction.   A half-assed set in sleeve where the body has an inset but the sleeve is boxy and without.  Blech.  I’m going to three needle bind off the shoulders and just pick up the sleeve and knit them onto the body.  Nothing is gained in the current horrible version and I just don’t like it.  I did the button bands yesterday.  Then using an ancient pattern I got from mom as a model, I picked up stitches for the hood from the neckline.  Again, I’m modifying that pattern as it has a hem casing for a drawstring that I’d rather avoid.  I’m doing a 4 stitch garter edge and I like how it looks.  I’m considering picking up stitches on the edge of the hood and attaching an i-cord to it, but I haven’t decided.  After it was sewed together, I tried it on the boy and it fits a bit large.  Good, maybe he’ll get some good wearing out of it   I’m going to have a lot of yarn left over as I only used 3 skeins out of the 10 pack.  I really do like the yarn and it is so nice to work with after spending time with the Rowan cotton. 

I did do another two inches or so on my Ribby Shell.  I would do more, but my hands get so tired working with it.  It might be a combination of the yarn and the Addi Turbo needles, but whine whine whine, its slow going.  If the Denise tips in the right size weren’t in use on some other WIP (probably summer ribby) and that I’d wind up with a line where the change occurred, I’d try and see if plastic were better for cotton as Norma found.

Sometime this week I’ll be getting a new computer at work.  For those that don’t know, I’m a computer programmer for dotcom and believe it or not, they have me working on a P733mHz with <512meg of ram.  I’m pretty sure my Sony Clie palm device is more powerful than this desktop.  I know for certain that my machine at home, a Sony Vaio 2.4Ghz IS more powerful.  Anyway, they’ve gotten a shipment of new machines in and I’m getting one.  It was nice having a helpdesk dude visiting my cube neighbor last week as I got to chatting with him. I indicated my museum ready computer and he suggested putting in a ticket for a new one.  While he wouldn’t swear to it if I asked for a new more powerful and I had a genuine need for it, they would probably replace it without having to get director signoff.  So I did.  And I will.  And no director signoff is necessary.  Now I just have to clean this guy off and write down some passwords.

Sorry no pictures today.  Thanks to everyone for their kind words on the twins new picture.  I still have a couple more of the formals to scan and when I do, I’ll post them.  Hmm, need some frames as well.  Got to make a note of that.

Knit on.