Socktoberfest--Even Though It's February

Each year, usually in January, our family gathers at Bryce Mountain Resort in Basye, Virginia, for a family reunion. When we first started going there, our children were just toddlers. In fact, my son, now 27, learned how to ski not long after he'd learned to walk, in a program called "Ski Wee." Every year, another one of the cousins would be ready for the lessons and soon, all ten of them were flying down the little hill like fearless little demons. My mother-in-law usually stayed in the condo making meals while the six parents spent their days, skiing with the youngsters and ferrying them back and forth from the hill. Nowadays, the youngest (top photo) of the ten drives himself to the slopes but no one skis--they're all on snowboards now.

Gradually, the parents stopped skiing and the week has become something of a retreat. The adults, read, hike, take naps, watch movies, cook, and visit. Dear Hubby takes his computer and ham radio equipment, spending the days speaking to hams around the world. I knit.



















Left: Sister-in-law, Anne, serves up dinner Below. : Some of the younger cousins still have to take time out for homework.


This year, before we left, I realized that my stash had grown heavy with unused sock yarn. Anyone who knits socks knows how easily that happens--you only need 400 yards for a pair of socks and usually, that's only one skein. Add to that the abundance of interesting sock yarn out there and presto! You've got yourself a sock mountain. So, this year, I decided that my goal would be to knit at least one pair of socks.

The first pair I made was from my new favorite sock yarn, Cascade Handpaints, purchased recently from the new Island Yarn Boutique. I did mine on #1 needles and used one of the patterns from Charlene Schurch's book, Sensational Socks.
I completed a second pair from Lorna's Laces sock yarn, using a simple K2, P2 rib
and a stockinette foot for your basic crew sock. The last pair was a little more of a challenge. I'd ordered a skein of Socks That Rock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts in a colorway called, "Braun's Woods." Online, it looked like a pale mix of sky blue, forest green and chestnut but when I started knitting one of my favorite lace patterns, I discovered that the lace was totally obscured and that the brown was pooling in a way that really turned me off. I switched to a mock cable pattern and it worked out better, because the stitch broke up some of the pooling, while the cable stitch stood out against the busyness of the colorway. While I was working on them, my sister-in-law, Amy, commented on how nice they looked, so, at the end of the week, I gave them to her as a gift. (She does a LOT of the cooking for the crew and it was the least I could do in return.) By that time, I had completed five socks!
Mission accomplished.

Old (But Good) News

Our newest LYS is Island Yarn Boutique, located on Kent Island. It is owned and run by Susan Pilsch, who loves knitting and dogs. (What an unbeatable combination!) Shortly after she opened in 2008, she announced plans for a special Fiber 'n' Fur Fair to benefit ARF(Animal Resource Foundation) in Queen Anne's County. Fortunately, the day of the event was one of those wonderful Spring-in-the middle-of-Winter days. The sky was clear blue and the temperature was absolutely balmy.

On the first floor, there was a "Meet and Greet" with several ARF animals who were currently available for adoption and I think it was the first time I've ever walked past piles of yarn without stopping. Two little orange stripe kittens slept quietly in their cage and, while they were absolutely precious, my heart was safe--Dear Hubby is very allergic to cats--so I could admire them without wanting to take them home. The dogs, however, were a totally different threat. There were two Lab mix puppies, both of whom I would have claimed in a heartbeat, if I didn't already have Molly and Jack. I've always said that Labs are some of the world's most adorable puppies and this pair was all of that and more.

The fiber part of the fair was located on the second floor of the store. There, a local spinner sat working at her wheel and another was carding alpaca wool using a drum carder. I've seen shearing before but I'd never witnessed the intermediate steps that are necessary to get the fleece ready to spin.
Another artist was demonstrating sculptural needle felting. Her animals, some whimsical, like a fire breathing dragon and some realistic, like a curly little lamb and the head of a bison, were soft and very lifelike. I especially liked a little creature that looked like the cross between a devil and a gnome. The artist told me a story how this little guy had evolved during a needle felting class in which the teacher had instructed the students to construct three different shapes and then, with eyes closed, to marry them into an organic whole, letting the wool "guide" their hands as to its final form.
Surprisingly, this piece had the most personality. Finally, another local artist demonstrated "ribbon art." She explained how she'd always loved ribbon and had accumulated a large collection before discovering how to use them as a medium to make miniature paintings. My favorites among her collection were the scenes that also incorporated unique buttons. These pieces, she said, almost always grew outward from the buttons, which dictated the nature of the scene that she constructed around them. I've seen her work in local shops and it was interesting to learn about the creative process behind it.

The day seemed like a great success and later I learned that Susan had raised almost $500 to benefit the critters of ARF.

First Snow

On Tuesday, we got the first snowstorm of the new year. Here on The Shore we only received about 1 1/2 inches, but it caused school and many other business closures. I was scheduled for Sip 'n' Stitch at the local cafe, but outside it looked dismal and cold. Telling myself that most likely, no one would come out on such a gray, icky day, I snuggled deeper under the covers to decide whether I should give it a try. When Dear Hubby called the office to take a vacation day and got up to walk the dogs, I pulled the blankets up closer around my ears to further ponder the matter. When he appeared in the doorway with a tray of warm oatmeal and tea, I figured that the Universe had made my decision.

Later that morning, I got a call from one of the local knitters. Not only had all of the the regulars (sans moi) managed to appear, but one who would normally have been at her school job and someone new, as well. All I could do was blame it on the oatmeal.

Oh, Baby!

For some reason, I've never really gotten into knitting baby things. Maybe it's because I no longer have any babies in my life--mine are all grown up and off living lives of their own, which, thankfully, do not yet include babies. However, a few friends and younger relatives have recently had little baby girls and I decided to try my hand at tiny knitted things.

I found Baby Shrug, by Debbie Bliss, on Ravelry and bought some washable cotton called Cottontots (Bernat) in sunshine yellow to try it out. I loved the bright color but I didn't think that the thick 'n' thin nature of the yarn was suited for such a small scale project. The pattern is written for Aran weight and my gauge was dead-on but I prefer to knit stockinette stitch in a smaller gauge so, when I try this one again, I'll probably choose a worsted or DK weight yarn and knit up a few sizes.

Another issue I had was, as always, seaming. Why is this such a stumbling block? I've successfully sewn wedding gowns, baby clothes, draperies, slipcovers, and even bathing suits; I can embroider, hand quilt, and do needlepoint but I can't sew up the sides of a sweater without it looking like it's the first time I've ever held a sewing needle! So, I did my usual botch job and it looks wretched, so I'm going to tear out the stitches and try it again, using directions from Knitty. Wish me luck. I'm determined to learn how to do this right!!!

December Stash Busting

December was a great stash bustin' month for me. The first thing I did was to go through and pull out any yarns that I couldn't see myself using in the future. I culled out all of the specialty yarns that I had collected for scarves, felted bags and that Color Box sweater that I never finished. All of the single skeins purchased for projects that I couldn't even remember went in the pile, as well as all of the half skeins from finished projects. I threw it all in a bag and took it to the Tuesday Sip 'n' Stitch. By the time we were ready to adjourn, everyone had adopted at least one orphan skein. When I came back home and considered the stash, it was like a burden was lifted. What was left was only wool that I could really see myself using.

Then, I decided to knit Paul the sweater vest that I had planned a long time ago. I'd originally purchased some Cestari worsted (from Churchville, VA) for the project and I hoped that he'd forgotten it so that I could surprise him. Amazingly, given all of the thousands of patterns on the Web and on Ravely, I couldn't find the right one, so I used a freebie and made modifications. Using one of the vests that he already had, I cast on and knitted in the round. For weeks, I worked, sometimes as we watched TV together in the evenings. I even took it to a Christmastime open house at one of the local airports and he didn't seem to catch on that I was knitting a gift. Finally, about a week before Christmas, I finished and was blocking the garment. Ten minutes after I finished, he came home early. Whew--almost busted!

The photo shows Jack "hiding" the vest from Dad. He's such a helpful dog, although I didn't really appreciate his customizing my size 9 double-points. Apparently, he thought they should be shorter.

After Christmas, I decided to try something I'd never done--mittens. Using some Lamb's Pride Worsted from my stash, I used the Basic Cabled Mittens pattern on Ravelry and worked up a great pair in just a few days. I love the bright kiwi color and they came out
very well, but, even after several attempts to rip out and shorten them, they are still too long for my small hands. Hopefully, I can find someone in the family who can use them. I think I'll try again using a smaller cable.

If It's Tuesday, We Must Be Knitting

One of the best things I did last year was to start a weekly knitting group at one of the local cafes.
At first, it was just me, knitting away, but I knew it was just a matter of time before others would join me and they did. Most weeks, we can fit around a table, but other times, the crowd overflows. Most of the faces are familiar, regulars from the monthly meetings of the Wild Woolly Women, but new ones keep popping up.

Marianne, the owner of the cafe, has been extremely supportive of our group. She is not a knitter--and we keep threatening to pin her down to teach her--but she owns a herd ofalpacas and sells her yarn in the shop.

Last month, a young mother with her three homeschooled youngsters started coming. Her children are only eight, six and four years of age, but they sit for an hour and work on their own projects. We love watching the progress they make from week to week, but I sense them watching ours, as well. The oldest, a girl, has fine rosewood needles that she received as a birthday gift and she looks so sweet as she knits along on her scarf. The oldest boy works with a pair of needles that he made himself from dowel rods. The points are nicely carved, not too sharp, and the ends are acorn caps. The youngest hasn't really shown an interest in knitting and he usually draws marvelous, colorful pictures. One our members is a retired school teacher and she loves to help them with their projects.

A Smalltown Christmas

Here are a few holiday scenes from the lovely little town where we live.