Rhinebeck Roadtrip: Part Two

Saturday morning we got up early like it was Christmas or something.  We ate quickly and hightailed it up route 9 to the Dutchess County fairgrounds.  We heard that lines and parking lots were an issue, and  we wanted to get a good start on this yarntastic day.

There was a line.  We were towards the front of it and could actually see the gate.  So far, so good.

When we got in, Heather wanted to do some solo stuff so we separated and Lynn and I made a bee line for the Fiber Optic booth.  I saw the gradient yarns and fibers online and they are perpetually sold out.  We got in and out of there rather quickly with no bruises.  There were other booths that had crowd control issues (Jennie the Potter, Miss Babs, and Dragonfly Fibers).  We did pretty well with avoiding the bottle necks.

               None of us bought fleeces, but the fleece vending area was a hot bed of craziness.

     I am not into processing a whole fleece at this time, and I wouldn't know how to select something.

        Now finding things ready to spin and knit,  that is more my style and level of involvement.

                             Check out the dyed and processed fluff.  Pretty saturated and fluffy.

                                           We found good eats too.  Lots of lamby stuff.

And the artichoke French.

There was also a building full of fancy foods like Artisan cheeses, wines, pickles, cured meats chocolates,  pastries,  maple syrups, and herbs.  It was dubbed the husband tent, by some people.

I need to post photos of the critters too.

We did the Ravelry meet up thing.  That was a cluster of crazy.

I went fangirl on Casey.  He was tolerant and didn't yell for security.

And Jess acted so totally chill.  They are pros at this crowd stuff by now.

Just a few more photos to complete the weekend:

World music band that got progressively more annoying over the weekend.

Guy in Gandalf garb.  Why?

I have to post our Rhinebeck garments:

Lyn's masterpiece

Heather's mitts

My rolling Rock sweater, which was covered up most of the time.

                                                                           
                                       sorry for the tiny back view,  it is all lace (in a bottle motif)

Lastly, here is my haul.  I tried to label things, but it started getting all cluttered.

I hope it keeps me busy for awhile.  I can't wait to start planning for the next trip.

Rhinebeck-2014 (part one)

After dreaming about going to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival  (aka Rhinebeck) for the past two years,  I got my act together and finally did it.  Along with Lyn and Heather, we planned our pilgrimage.  Yes, there was really a planning meeting for this trip. We loaded up the car on the Thursday before and drove through Canada.  Peanut M&M's were the snack of choice for powering through our neighboring country to the north.

Canada was non-eventful, as we were on our best behavior.  Our first night's stay was in Buffalo, New York.  We were tired, so the easiest thing to do was walk over to the neighboring Thai restaurant for dinner (gluten-free bonus). 

Lyn  found out that we were staying less than five miles from Niagara Falls.  I  haven't been there since I was a little kid, we had to do this detour.  Here are our early Friday morning Niagara Falls photos:

The falls, in all their glory

and this,

                                           and don't forget this ridiculous windblown shot
                                                           

                                                            and my hand modeling gig

Myself, Heather and Lyn

My sock in progress photo

It was rainy that morning , but by the afternoon, the weather had cleared up and we were driving through the gorgeous colors of the upstate fall foliage.

Here is a shot of the bridge that we took over the Hudson River: 

It separated us from the Rhinbeckers that stayed in Kingston and Saugerties (I heard they were a rough crowd).

We got a swanky hotel suite, thanks to Jerry's travel points.  It looked all pretty and such when we first got there.

It even had a built in blocking table.  They must have known knitters were coming.  Lyn used it for her Stephen West technicolored sweater.

She finished it in the nick of time.

Friday evening we foraged around for deli food and some sushi.  We rested up for the next two days that were the blur known as Rhinebeck.  The next blog post may just be a big disjointed mish-mash of photos,  I was quite high on the fiber fumes and pan flute.

Road Trip

This has been on the bucket list for awhile.   I'll give a full report when we get back!

Finally Some Produce

Gardening started late and I was doubtful whether I was going to get anything worth my efforts this year.  This week I got some payback, not much, but enough to keep me going.  I was thrilled to pick a few vegetables.  Four little eggplants.  That's kind of lame.

Two mutant bell peppers, one mini zucchini and some basil.

Not to be discouraged,  I attempted a ratatouille.  I had to supplement it with some store bought squash.  It was so much better than last year's attempt (I let the eggplants grow too big and they tasted like wood).  I also topped it with a load of shredded mozzarella- delish.

I also picked my first tomato, a Cherokee purple, I believe.  Not very purple, not very attractive as far as looks go.  

But it was bigger on the inside, and huge on flavor.  Don't ever judge a tomato on looks.  This was insanely good.  Must grow more heirlooms.

I also saved some lavender for sachets or something scenty.

It photographs well.

Who Wore it Better?

Darla the dog:

Or Sue the human:

It's Darla by a landslide.   Darla may be old, with cataracts and hearing loss, but she totally rocked the shawl.

Here are a couple of more photos:

I think this one is a keeper.  It needs to be worn at Rhinebeck this Fall.

Here are the Ravelry notes on it:

Project info

Name

Cloudy with a chance of strawberries

Pattern

Fragaria Lace Shawl by Alina Appasov

 in my library

Craft

Knitting

Made for

Myself

Size

Larger than the original design

Tags

Needle and yarn

Needle

US 000 - 1.5 mm

Yarn

Oink Pigments Fancy Lace

How much?

0.7 skeins = 612.5 yards (560.1 meters), 70 grams

Colorway

Zoot Soot

Color family

Gray

Purchased at

Stitches West in Santa Clara, California

Notes

This yarn is fine, yet with a delicate halo. I bet it will bloom nicely when blocked.

Worked chart ‘C’ 15 times. I could have probably done a couple more increases, but I was afraid of running out.

Now I need to stop procrastinating and start on my Rhinebeck sweater.

Pay no attention to that thing in the middle of the living room.

It should be dry by tomorrow.  In the meantime, watch where you walk.

Hot off the Needles

This is just a sneak preview.   I gave it a just little bit of steam so I can see the design and make sure there aren't any major mistakes.

The next step is where the magic happens.

Nuppity Nupp Nupps

The nupps are the bubbly little things near the top edge of the photo. They will become more visible when this piece is done. As much as I love nupps, I am even happier when I am done with them.  They take forever. Nupps rule.

Summer Knitting on the Front Steps

Now that summer is in full force, I am trying to spend as much time outside enjoying it.  My favorite knitting perch is on the green lawn chair right outside the front door.  It has a little shade, so I don't burn and I can hear the kids if they need me.  I also like looking at the perennials.  The hosta are super sizing it this year!

My current project is a lace shawl called 'Fragaria', which I think means strawberry, since there is a repeated strawberry motif in it.  I am loving this lace yarn, it is a blend of baby alpaca and silk.  It knits like a dream and it has a smooshy yet fluffy halo thing goin on.

Here is my knitting tip of the day: A makeshift yarn bra.  WTF is a yarn bra, you ask?  A yarn bra keeps an unruly yarn cake from falling apart and becoming a mess while you are knitting.  I pulled a short ankle sock out of my drawer. I only own three pair of socks that I didn't make myself.  They are these little ankle socks that I bought so that my ankle tattoo would heal nicely.  That was during -10 degree weather in January. Brrr! Anyway, the sock/bra keeps the yarn from tangling. Stores sell these things for $, I just dug one out of my sock drawer.

It's all hugged together.  I may never have an idea like this again, so I am going to run with this and brag.  Yeah, I rock!