Catching up, part I

Help! I've fallen so far behind in blogging that I can't find a big enough chunk of time to update everything. Fall, it turns out, is a busy time. So I'll break things down into two parts and see if that helps.

KNITTING

A handspun hat for my husband, done:

 

It's the same Norwegian Star Earflap Hat I just made, only this time it's out of handspun BFL and, obviously, I skipped the colorwork. Who needs Fair Isle when you've got handspun?

  

He refused to try it on for the camera, which may have something to do with the Holly Hobbie thing, but that's fine.

I also got all crazy and pumped up with a desperate need for an Aran vest of my own design. Never mind that I don't know how to design knitwear. After days of taking notes, planning, swatching, and waking up in the middle of the night with a concern about armholes (what, this hasn't happened to you?), I decided to plunge in. I started, top-down, with this:

  

This is my kettle-dyed "Bristol" Real Vermonter yarn, held double for an Aran weight. I absolutely love it.

Then I woke up, again in the middle of the night, and realized I had intended some shoulder shaping so I don't look like a linebacker. I'm going to start again, this time from the bottom up. Don't know when I'll get a chance to work on this.

SPINNING

Good news: I finished my sweater spinning project! Two pounds of wool/alpaca, all local, and processed from raw fleece to finished yarn. I am so awesome!

Bad news: I spun it so densely (or the alpaca was dense, or I put in too much lead, or gravity is acting up) that two full pounds only yielded 750 YARDS!!! I suck!

Check it out:

  

That little ball, which fits nicely in the palm of my hand, weighs 4.7 ounces. Hmmm. It's bulky, but it's hardly super chunky. I'm afraid I'm not going to have enough for even the plainest sweater, which is breaking my heart. I have to swatch and see if I do it on big enough needles if it will look cool and artsy or just stupid. It's so heavy, I'm afraid it's going to knit up into chain mail.

VERMONT SHEEP & WOOL FESTIVAL

It seems like ages ago already, but I did attend VT S & W, without a camera. If you were expecting me to reveal the contents of a fiber-stuffed trunk, here's the deal: I don't need any more yarn or spinning fiber. I am not a mad stasher, and since my current projects are at overload, I couldn't see buying more raw materials at the festival. I bought a mug.

But I did get to meet lots of people. In no particular order (and certainly not a complete list; I didn't have a notebook): I met vtknitboy, the Ravelry-pin-sharing Mountain Fiber Folk, Norma, Sandy, Laurie and Laurie, Manise, Monica, Paula, Lee Ann (and her patient family), Gayle, a more-local Gayle, Lee, Marjorie, and a lot of other people who are slipping my mind but only for the moment. It really was cool to meet people in person and to see people I already knew.

I hear the festival is (a) going to be held in October next year and (b) going to be held at the Tunbridge fairgrounds. Thumbs up on both counts. My husband and I just spent a day at the Tunbridge World's Fair last Friday and it was wonderful. We spent most of our time on the "antiques hill" looking at antique farm and home stuff and watching demonstrations of 19th century activities such as hewing logs, making shingles, running a drag saw, etc. The place definitely has the feel for a wool festival. I ran into the same spinner who was running the great wheel at VT S & W (check out pictures in Gayle's post here) and this time I saw her spin flax also.

I must have a great wheel of my own.

Seriously.

APPLES

Apples. We got 'em. Not a huge amount, since our trees got pruned hard this winter. But enough. So far we've made a few batches of applesauce for the freezer, made one pie and put away enough for a few more, made apple dumplings, made applesauce bundt cake, and eaten a few.

Just another reason why fall is the best time of year.

I have also been baking lots of bread and processing an endless supply of tomatoes.

SHOP UPDATE

I almost forgot to mention that I updated the shop with more bamboo blend sock yarn in lots of yummy colors, such as this:

And this:

And, for a change of pace, some giant skeins of Long Trail sock yarn. Superwash wool/nylon in skeins running close to 700 yards and weighing almost 6 and a half ounces. Massive. If you want stockings or have a large-footed husband who wants socks for Christmas, check these out. Here's a teaser:

 

PIGS

I better quit with the update now as I'm already out of time and getting too wordy. I leave you with a happier-than-last-time series of pig photos. (At the moment we have 10 pigs, in case you were wondering. two of whom are presumed pregnant.)

The above pig is one of three we keep in one pen. Sassy and her six piglets are in a different pen. But the piglets made a hole between the pens.

Three of them can still squeeze through.

The other three are very upset that they can no longer get treats over here, and there is much squealing and gnashing of teeth.

Silly pigs.

NEXT TIME...

• My list of favorite blogs, since I got the "I love your blog" award and must pass it on
• Photos of Saturday's Great Pig Escape
• Sophie
• Neckwarmer in progress
• and much, much more...

Comments

[margene]

Pig escape?! Can't wait! ;-)

[Rippedoffknitter]

Oh, how I love your amazing variations over a much underrated colour, my favourite grey.

And apples. Love apples.

[trek]

I absolutely love that hat!

[Carole]

I love the new hat - it really looks beautiful in your handspun. Now I want apple pie. Thanks a lot.

[Marcia]

I love the handspun hat. Very nice. Must go find the pattern, I like the shape.

I love pigs! How fun.

[gayle]

Great hat, great yarn (even if a "trifle" heavy...), and pigs, pigs, pigs!
You covered a lot of territory in this post. Take a deep breath, now.

I was absolutely thrilled to meet you at VS&W! I've admired your blog for the longest time. (Chicken Pictures!! And Peacocks!! And Yarn!! And Pigs!!)
Looking forward to the pig escape story. Pigs are wily critters.
My dad raises them, too. Recently a bunch of them kept getting out, and he couldn't figure out how. He finally traced it to a gate latch where they had removed all the nuts from the bolts (with their teeth!) until the latch only LOOKED like it was fastened...
Wily, I tell ya...

[moiraeknittoo]

Ohmigosh there was so much lovely in this post I can barely stand it! Except for those naughty pigs. *G* And now I have a craving for applesauce mmmmmm! Maybe with a piece of Vermont cheddar?

[Kristen]

The hat is gorgeous in your yarn and looks like it will keep him toasty. Good luck playing with sweater design. Someday I'll take the plunge. Mmmmmm applesauce.

[JennJ]

Love the hat! And where has Milo been? Did something happen to Milo and I missed it?

[lindy]

Love the hat, the pigs, the apples and the yarn.
Looking forward to part 2 with Sophie and what about Milo?

[Kelli]

Really must check out your shop next time I have yarn money!

[JessaLu]

Wow you are busy! I'm sorry I missed VT but I just couldn't face the 3 hour drive back and forth again this year after the great road trip of '08. ;o) Let me know when you'll be in my neck of the woods again and maybe we can orchestrate lunch or something. :o)

[Spinning Fishwife]

I love your blog too, so I've given you one of my awards!

[Teyani]

Pig escape?? hahahahaha
your handspun looks so wonderful.
and you know, since alpaca is so very dense, maybe you could knit and airy vest out of it (and thus have enough??) fingers crossed.
and that aran vest is going to be lovely when you're done.

[Jane]

Ooh, the hat is fabulous! Nice yarn, too, even if it didn't come out as expected.