A Sweater at Long Last

Many years ago (ok, probably at least 10) I bought this lovely pink "denim" yarn to make a cute hoodie for my daughter Adelaide.

I was so busy with my hands having little kids that I never did anything with it.

I finally started a few years ago, then kept putting it aside for other things.  I finally decided that I'd better finish it quick before my youngest niece was too big to wear it.

It fits, which is great, but even better, she loves it!  You never can count on that with kids!

McLean Holiday Craft Show

I've got a bunch of knitting in the McLean Holiday Craft Show this weekend.

I have lots of hats, mittens, and scarfs for sale, along with a bunch of other wonderful things made by my guild members.

This is a bunch of hats being blocked.

And some matching mittens.  Matching is of course a relative term.  They match the hats, but they don't all necessary match each other!  We'll see how many people like the charming randomness of that look.

Thrum Cap on the Lady Washington

I received these pictures of one of my thrum caps a little while ago.  Aren't they beautiful?  The ship is the Lady Washington, and the pictures make me want to hop aboard.

I love this way of wearing the cap thrums inside.  That's how thrummed mittens were worn.  

Thank you so much Jeremy Brooks for sending the fantastic pictures!

Oh, No!

I came back from a week-long vacation and found this on my window sill:

I was very afraid it was a wool moth or case bearing moth that eats wool.  After searching the internet, I can say that I don't know, but I hope it isn't.  Most of my wool is now packed in air tight plastic after my last scare, so hopefully I will be fine.

Can anyone identify this moth for me?

The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival 2015

When I moved to Northern Virginia a couple of years ago, I had no idea that the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival even existed.  I knew I was closer to some wool festivals, and I was really hopeful that I'd find my way to Rheinbeck one of these years, but I didn't know what was almost in my backyard.

I was innocently knitting away in the Apple store one day (while my daughter took an animation class) when a fellow knitter spotted me and came over for a chat.  She told me about a few of the festivals in the area, including MS&W, which I had just missed.  DARN!  Well, I told myself, I'll make it next year, and put in on the calendar a year ahead of time.

The festival was great.  I had a terrible time protecting one Saturday all for myself.  Hubby was gone camping with one son and the scouts (as always), and I had to enlist help to find rides and care for the other kids.  But I made it!

I set out thinking that I would peruse the entire festival, pick out my favorite things to buy, then go back for my favorites.  I'm very limited in budget, and have to be careful.  It didn't take me too long to realize that there is NO WAY to see everything.  It wasn't until that night at the spin-in that I was told this is the biggest sheep and wool festival in the United States.  I believe it.

One of 5 or 6 huge indoor barns, plus there were scad of outdoor vendors.

I also loved the sheepdog demos.  I love animals, and I find the way sheep flock together fun and crazy to watch.  They almost look like a school of fish on land.  And man those dogs are smart!

The day ended with a spin-in, which was a blast!  Basically, I got to sit and spin, meet people, compete to make the bumpiest yarn in 3 minutes (I came in second!), and enjoy the many many prizes they were giving away.  I won a beautiful shawl pin.

I loved this image of the woman spinning next to me.  You can tell what colors she likes: her spinning wheel, fiber, and the single sock she just finished all match.

What I didn't realize a year ago is that I needed to keep checking the website for when the new classes were listed so that I could sign up quick.  By the time I looked, they were ALL FULL.  Maggie Casey (whose book taught me to spin) was here, and Judith MacKenzie, Carol Bodin and Jaycee Boggs Faulkner.  How did I miss these women coming right to me?  Well, next time I won't miss out.  I've put "sign up for MS&W Workshops" on my calendar a year ahead.  And I'm saving my pennies.  See you all next year!

Lucky Me

I finally got pictures from my friend with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee when she was in Baltimore.

She was promoting her (then) new book The Amazing Thing About The Way It Goes.  Go buy a few copies, seriously, and you'll never lack or a good gift when you need one.  Don't we all need more laughter in our lives?  That book is hilarious AND awesome.  And now I can pretend I'm good friends with Stephanie!

The cowl I'm wearing is the Tilting Tardis pattern by Marilyn Phillippi that I knit on my way home from England a couple of years ago.

A Yarn Harlot Sighting

Last month I was lucky enough to get to go to a book signing by Stephanie Pearl McPhee.  I went with a new friend on a road trip to Baltimore to see her and it was totally worth it.  She is an awesome stand-up comedian; dry, sarcastic, with perfect comic timing.  I laughed so hard for an hour and half that my laugh muscles were sore the next day.  

She read a chapter from her new book, and at some point made a joke about her brother being so practical he practically shaved with Occam's razor.  My scientist friend and I laughed out loud and then found that that reference was pretty obscure for the knitting audience.  

And I can't help but blog without a picture.  Here are the beautiful daffodils that came up like a gift in the garden of my new house.