Well hello!

My apologies for being away for so long. Life has a way of getting in the way!

I've decided that during this current presidential administration, I'm going to knit pink pussyhats and give them away. So in recent days, I've made hats for my mom:

my friend Lisa:

and my friend Terry:

I am also making one for Lisa's 2-year-old daughter.  It's not quiiiiiiiite finished, but will be in just a few moments.  All that's left is to tuck in the ends.

Also, I had the pleasure of finishing this beautiful baby sweater:

Here's some background on that.  I have a friend, Brenda, who works with a woman named Melissa. When Melissa's mother passed away, Melissa gave Brenda her mother's knitting supplies which included this partially knitted baby sweater.  Melissa's daughter  recently had a baby girl, for whom Brenda had started knitting a sweater.  Brenda asked me whether a piece of the great-grandmother's knitting could be incorporated into the sweater that she was knitting for the new baby.  After looking at both sweaters, I deemed it wouldn't be possible to do a sweater "mash-up."  So I asked Brenda to let me have the partially knit sweater and I'd see where great-grandmother left off in the pattern, and that I'd let her know how to finish it.  As I was puzzling over piecing it together, I decided to just go ahead and finish it.  Isn't it precious?  I enjoyed knowing that the little bit of knitting I did will provide an heirloom for the family to treasure!

Maybe I am starting to get back into my knitting "groove."  I really do hope so.

-mz

A little retail therapy never hurts

I need yarn like I need a hole in the head.  But that hasn't stopped me yet.

Last weekend some friends of mine came up to northeast Ohio for the Autumn Fiber Festival in Ashland, Ohio.  It was one of those beautiful autumn days ... sunny, clear, and warm. Ashland is less than an hour's drive from my house so I jumped at the opportunity to meet up with my friends and see what I could see.  I didn't plan to buy anything but, well, I kinda *had* to.  You'll see why in a moment.

I was really good about walking around to most of the vendors before I bought anything.  Then I had lunch with my friends and decided I might buy something but only after lunch.  After all, you can't shop on an empty stomach.  True story.  My friends had to leave shortly after that but I hung around for a while after that, presumably to do my "little bit" of shopping then go home.

I recently read about Yarnbyrds, an RV that's been converted to a traveling yarn shop, or I guess more accurately, a yarn truck.  Cool idea, right?  It turns out that they were at the show and I was excited to see what they had.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of the inside but if you click on that link to the newspaper article I read, you'll get a real good idea of what it's like. I ooohed and aaaahed over the lovely yarns like I always do, but I quickly went down the rabbit-hole of getting some stuff I "must have."  In so doing, though, I made it a point to get yarns that I don't already have.  Like:

The one on the right is sock yarn from Oink Pigments in the "Spring Fever" colorway.
The one on the left is sock yarn from Ancient Arts' Meow Yarn Collection in the "Le Chat Noir" colorway.
Proceeds from this yarn is donated to charities that help stray and abandoned cats.  Cool, huh?

Okay, so I probably don't need any more little project bags, but I couldn't resist this one.
Perfect for toting around socks or a lace shawl ...

As a corn-fed Ohio girl who was born, raised, and has a deep and abiding love for the Buckeye State, I HAD to have this ski hat kit, which includes the yarn and the pattern.  And once the shop owner told me that this was the last kit she had in stock AND that she wouldn't restock it, I kinda felt obligated to take it off the market so no one else could have it, either. 

So.  I was planning to stop shopping right then and there.  Buuuuuuuut..... then I wandered around at the vendor booths INSIDE the hall.  On my first trip around, I spotted this cute little owl shawl pin.  He was still there when I went back so I had to bring him home with me:

Look at his little eyes! <3

Here's where I really fell down, reader (my apologies ... I'm listening to Jane Eyre via the CraftLit podcast (you should, too!), and Jane sometimes speaks directly to her reader).  I passed DreamWeaver Farm's booth where these lovely embroidered tote bags were for sale, and, well, I decided that I needed something to carry the aforementioned loot in.  Look:

It's expandable, it has 3 pockets, AND it has this adorable flock of sheep on it!
It'll be perfect for taking to other fiber shows in the future.
Because, let's face it, there WILL be other fiber shows.  

On my way out of the building, I stopped at Gwen Erin's booth and picked up a pound of fiber -- a half pound of Shetland (on the right) and a half pound of Falkland (on the right).  

 I can neither confirm nor deny that I may or may not already have some of these fibers in my stash.  I won't know for sure until I actually open those fiber bins when I get around to cataloging them on Ravelry.  So far I've only made it through the sock yarns and a wee bit of the lace yarns.
But that's a post for a whole different day.

I'm quite pleased at my haul, and I hope you've enjoyed it, too!

-mz

Of COURSE there are famous knitters!

When I told my husband last week that I'd been invited to have coffee with a famous knitter, he was all like, "Cool." He wasn't nearly as giddy about it as *I* was, or as I would have been if someone else had told me s/he was going to meet a famous knitter.  I'd have been all, "Who? Where ya gonna meet?  Whatcha gonna talk about? Tell me, tell me!"

But my excitement was enough for both of us.  Last week, my dear friend Jan said she'd been in touch with Kay Gardiner (yes, THAT Kay Gardiner of Mason-Dixon Knitting!) who was in town bringing her daughter back to campus.  Jan told me that Kay would have a bit of time to meet up at a local bakery on Saturday morning, and asked if I would like to join them.

Uhhhh, YEAH!

So we did.  We chatted, we ate brownies (and I may have had TWO red velvet cupcakes), we drank coffee.  And we knitted.  

And before it was all over, we took a selfie.  And it was Kay's idea!

It was a perfectly wonderful way to spend a perfectly wonderful afternoon.  I look forward to meeting up again some other time when Kay comes down Ohio way.  

In other news, I've spent a chunk of the summer adding my stash to Ravelry. Yup. After many years of flat-out avoiding this task, I decided that it would be a great way to help me remember what I even HAVE in my stash (since it's all tucked away in gigantic plastic bins, and can't be displayed nicely on shelves like my very own yarn store).  I'm finally to the bottom of the sock yarn bin. Next up will be the laceweight and other skinny-ass yarn.  Then I'll tackle the overflowing bin of sweater yarns (mostly worsted). Fiber stash will be next, and then any odds and ends after that ... knitting needles and crochet hooks, maybe? It's a big task for sure, but taking it in smaller pieces sure does make it easier. Stay tuned for more.  I may finish this task before next summer!

-mz

Time flies

My deep apologies for being absent for so long.  I've been *meaning* to catch up but life's been happening.  Here's a very image-heavy post to catch y'all up!

The end of May always means the annual Great Lakes Fiber Show.  This year, 3 friends and I hung out in Wooster, OH for the weekend and had so much fun.  Here's a bunch of photos ... mostly of stuff I bought.  Next year, I'll try to do better at getting photos of people (including me and my friends!) and animals but for now (and in no particular order) ....

Christina brought buttons.  These are the two I chose.

A trip to Wooster always includes a meal at Broken Rocks Cafe.
On the first night, I sipped a strawberry margarita with a sugared rim (instead of salt).  Yum!

My dinner on the first night was kind of amazing.
Beef tenderloin, topped with something I don't remember, but I asked the chef
to add bacon to it.  Sides of asparagus and potatoes.  Divine.

A friend asked me to repair the thumb of a mitten that her dog chewed up.
It was in my knitting basket so I got it done while I was surrounded by folks I could ask for help if needed.
  Turned out to be an easy fix!

Fish leather.  Makes sense that it's a thing, but I'd never seen it before.

Check out this cool basket.
I think it's actually a planter, but it will certainly suffice for yarn storage. 

There's my car at the end of day 1.  Last one standing.

Project bag.  Oil cloth ... should be nice & sturdy.  And how could I go wrong with sugar skulls?

Day one dessert: Strawberry shortcake with creme fraiche and vanilla bean ice cream.
The calories are SO worth it.

Sheepy oilcloth apron.  I ended up buying more twill tape and lengthening the straps so I could wrap them around my waist in order to hang a towel.  That's how I roll. 

Black yak/merino blend fiber.  It was 50% off ... I couldn't just LEAVE it there!!

Here's that fiber on the spindle.  Ply on the fly, baby!

One vender had these light-up letters at her booth.  I need this in my life!

Two new baskets.  Fair trade, made in West Africa.  I love these!

These cute bags are made from recycled materials.
The larger one is my "notions" bag with all kinds of stuff in it (markers, tape measure, a crochet hook, darning needles, etc).  The smaller one with the elephant is my makeup bag and lives in my purse/backpack.

Squishy little stress reliever sheep.  I think he needs a sweater.  

More yak/merino fiber, waiting to be spun up. This stuff is heavenly.

I had to have this cute red scarf with sheep on it!

Large project bag, with hedgehogs and OWLS!  

Small project bag, perfect for knitting socks on the go.

Here's the inside.

My friend Kate Larson wrote a book ....

... and was kind enough to sign (and date) it for me.

Saw this adorable little sheep keyring ....

.... and decided I needed a flock.  This is the closest I will ever get to being a shepherd. 

So .... this gorgeous yarn was on sale too. $10 each (from the original $28 price).
This is a lovely merino, cashmere, and silk yarn, you already know I had to have it.
I got enough for a sweater.  Now to choose a pattern ....

Another cute project bag.  You can never have too many.  Seriously.

Fiber I've never spun before: Targhee.  I bought about 12 oz, and put some on the spindle right away.
I love how springy it is. 

This is a fiber blend I've never spun ... alpaca/bamboo.  It's black alpaca mixed with emerald green bamboo.
It's so subtle but boy does it pop in the daylight.

Cute owl and pearl stitch markers.  Something else a knitter can never have enough of.

And I "needed" another spindle.  This one came with its own storage bag.

Next time, an update on my list of current and recently completed projects!

Until then ...
-mz

Catch up post

I recently played a game that until now I'd only heard about, Cards Against Humanity.  In April I decided I need to get my own set.  So I did.  And then a friend told me about the unofficial expansion pack called Knitters Against Swatches.  So I got that, too. And all I need now are some folks to invite over so we can get a game going. I can't wait!

Have you ever tried double knitting?  I did, a LONG time ago.  I knitted just enough of Debbie Stoller's "Uncle Argyle" pattern to figure out how the technique works, and then I quit. But I am in need of a special thank you gift for my godfather, and I thought a double knit arygyle scarf in Ohio State team colors (scarlet and gray) would be perfect.  So I tried again.  The first few tries were frustrating but now that I have remembered how to do it, it's going well:

There's still a loooooooooong way to go, but I think it will be worth it in the end!

And with that, I better get moving.  I'm meeting up with a friend in like 10 mins for a short Sunday night hangout.

Talk to y'all soon.

-mz