Now Norma Knits

The (Tangible) Things I Brought Home From Rhinebeck 2009

I had the unrealistic plan of buying nothing, but you know how that goes. I did spend more than nothing, but I didn't damage the budget too terribly bad, I think.

A really great tote bag:

It's great-looking, well made and well designed, with two outside pockets, two inside pockets, and a drawstring-topped liner in contrast color, as well as a carabiner on the side. From Sliver Moon Farm.

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Some really interesting soap:

 

They had me at "gin & tonic."  From a very cool Rhinebeck business called Merriweather's.

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Some Trekking sock yarn for Paula, because she is Trekking-deprived and I was on a mission.

 

This one doesn't count against the budget, since it's for Paula.

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A sweater kit to make a couple sweaters for you-know-who:

Charcoal grey alpaca, no less. From Style Hounds SoHo. I know I said I wouldn't, but if you saw this lady's pooch sweaters, you would have caved too. And I chose charcoal grey because it just seems to match a sophisticated little city-and-country Yorkie with a posh and proper name like Mr. Jefferies. However, for a small dog like Mr. J., the kit makes two sweaters, and I wish I had had my wits about me to ask her for two different colors. (she had a great selection) What is a guy gonna do with TWO charcoal sweaters, hm????  Perhaps I will have to use two different stitch patterns.   
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And a sweater's worth of Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair in Moss Green (I have in mind the sweater pattern Gaelic Mist for this yarn, a finished model of which I saw and admired this weekend)... 

...which they packed for me in a nice canvas tote.

 

And just before I was ready to hit the hay for the night before a very busy work week, I remembered that I forgot to photograph the pewter Celtic buttons I also bought for the green sweater. I'll save that for another day, and now I've got to get to sleep.

Answer to Yesterday's Question: Yes, Apparently.

Well, a little adversity adds to the storytelling and the fun memories, I suppose.  But Joan is my witness: I am a magnet for the bizarre. It's almost as if I'm walking around carrying a sandwich board that says, "Blogger needs work. Please give me something to write!" and the universe is ever-so-kindly obliging.

Ergo, if you wanna have a good time, call 5FR-EAK-SHOW, and go somewhere with me.  Guaranteed to be memorable or your money back! 

So after we had finished with one building, we hobbled through the mud and walked into a barn where there was a nice display of really great-looking felted items -- an amazing big dragon and some artistic figures of various kinds.  I was admiring a very realistic-looking (well, except for the twee Christmas froufrou stuff attached to it) felted Sorel boot. I picked it up to show Joan, because it was tight in there, and she was using a walking stick and having trouble negotiating the place.  A voice from somewhere behind me said, and when I say said, I mean shrieked, "Lady, can't you READ?  It says do not TOUCH."  I started to turn around and said, "What?"  She said, "ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!"  

Stunned, I dropped the felted boot and looked to see where this was coming from, with a huge smile on my face and a giggle.  I have a lot of friends with slightly sick senses of humor, and it could very well have been one of them.  But no.  It was just that Halloween had come to Vermont a bit early.  It was a lady sitting behind a barrier that we later not-so-affectionately referred to as "The Troll Lady."  

The sign that said "Don't touch" was a handwritten Sharpy scrawl on a piece of lined notebook paper, stuck onto the shelving with a little piece of masking tape at hip level (whereas the items on display that I was admiring were up at eye level) and curled up from the rain.  

Who ever heard of NOT TOUCHING THINGS at a fiber festival?  It's a TACTILE experience.  And if you don't want items to be TOUCHED, particularly at a fiber festival where touching is very much a part of the experience, put them behind glass.

So I put it down, and then she screamed at me to NOW, STAND IT UP! My sense of humor evaporated -- *poof* -- and I told her I shouldn't TOUCH IT, so I wasn't going to STAND IT UP. Joan and I both said, "We should LEAVE now," and made sure all the other booth minders in that barn heard us.  And we did leave, looking at their uncomfortable smiles as we did so.

We were still talking about it in the lamb burger line, and the nice lady with a slight southern accent (wish I'd gotten her name and photo) in front of me said, "Where was she?" so I told her which building and where.  She says, "Hold my place.  I'm going to go TOUCH EVERYTHING in there."  So I followed her in the pouring rain with my camera in hand, to record the fireworks for y'all.  

Our new compatriot in crime goes in with a great flourish, after I had pointed out to her the troll lady, and starts touching EVERYTHING (it was the cutest thing EVER, and made me giggle).  But the troll lady saw me, recognized me, and she slithered out of there, away from the display of felted items, past me, and, without making eye contact, said in a very teeny, grudging voice, "I like your sweater."   

Memo to Vermont Sheep & Goat Association, with huge apologies to the remaining vendors whose booths we did not visit because we were turned off from the festival and left shortly after that, because none of this was your fault:  If this had been my first-ever fiber festival, I would never go to another. Also, if this were my first visit to Vermont? NEVER, ever AGAIN.   Welcome to Vermont, indeed.

BUT!  I bought some wonderful things, and let's forget all about Troll Lady so I can show them to you.  

 

I wish I could photograph this clearly and without a glare, but I can't seem to manage it.  It was labeled "Celtic Agate," and it is stunning. I also wish I could tell you the name of the vendor, but I don't seem to have that info, either.  It was the first vendor we happened upon that took credit cards, and I said to Joan, "I'm going to buy something here, JUST BECAUSE they take credit cards," and lucky for me, WOW, this stunning pendant was there.  Score.  

 

Once again, the photo does not do this luscious "Autumn Flame" sock yarn justice.   It's Ivy Brambles SockScene 100% merino from Yarn and Fiber.  

Now, I know what you're thinking -- "You don't knit socks!"  

True, but I planned on making a cowl with it.  Well, as great fortune would have it, in the next booth I stopped, I got to try on one of Anne Hanson's wonderful neckwarmers, Spiraluscious, at the DyeDreams booth.  I loved it, and I also loved the sweet KnitSpot kits she had put together -- choose your pattern, choose your yarn, and it all came packed in a great see-through plastic tote bag.  Very neat.  Joan got one, and I would have, but I had already bought this yarn at another booth. I bought the pattern from KnitSpot as soon as I got home. 

Except for one other thing that I can't blog about, that's all I got at the festival, except for a few hugs and laughs and getting screeched at by Troll Lady. And that was followed by a wonderful meal -- complete with a really weird (but highly positive) experience of its own -- at a grill and pub in Waterbury called Arvad's.  Highly recommended.

Acquisitions

The other day I was headed to get my car washed and discovered that the Ben Franklin Habitat (ha, Franklin Habit-at, haha) store was plastered in "going out of business" signs.  You know I absolutely need nothing from a Ben Franklin type of a store, even if it's hugely on sale, and in fact I've been working hard to unload crap at the Goodwill, but of course curiosity got the better of me.  Because I don't read the papers much, I never know what's going on around me -- it's better that way, trust me -- so I have no idea how long this has been going on, but probably not too long, because though there were some completely empty aisles (I suspect certain departments such as the fabric was job-lotted out somewhere), there was still a lot of stuff left, and the discounts were only 20% off for 99% of it, with a sign that said 40% off books, but there weren't enough left to even bother looking.  And it was not hugely busy, either, just FYI.

Anyhoo, I was tempted to pick up some Cascade 220 superwash in various reds, (they had quite a few) and had some in my hands, but decided that at 20% off, they weren't worth it and put them back. I've always felt 220 Superwash is overpriced, (though it is a nice superwash, I'm just not that big a superwash girl)  and even at 20% off... well, meh.  Instead, I bought regular Cascade 220 in a great brick heather kind of a color.  

Great color, less expensive than the superwash, and though it's not machine washable and maybe a teeny tad less soft, still it'll be nicer and more fun to knit, I think.  Of course it's destined to be another Red Scarf, but that heathery color is going to be so fab I might want to keep it myself.  I am so bad like that.

When Diane H. was visiting a couple months ago, we shopped in Montpelier, and I fell in love with the shop model of this:

This picture does NOTHING for this wrap, I'll tell you.  The shop model is done narrower, with only two buttons, and in a tan color that is 

♪ a-MAZE ♪-innnnng!! ♫.  

 And the yarn is so soft and elegant and drapey, I'm tellin' ya - it's gorgeous!  I tried it on and it looked tres chic and elegant, but I decided I wanted to make it a bit longer (also the narrow version) and omit the buttons, wearing it with a black shawl pin that I also bought at the time.  I had to order the yarn, and it arrived just in time for my birthday (what luck!), and also just in time for the arrival of this stunning wooden shawl stick from My Margene.

I can't wait to wear this.  But of course I'll have to knit it first. Not sure when that will occur, but every time I walk by the yarn, I yearn to knit it, so that's got to be a good sign. The pattern, by the way, can be purchased here.

When I was in Utah last spring, you may remember I bought this wonderful turquoise necklace.  I've been searching ever since for the right earrings to go with, and I was almost ready to give up.  I couldn't find the right disk-shaped pieces of turquoise, the right casual feel, in any turquoise earrings.  Then one night I decided to see what I could find on Etsy.

Hot damn. The color is not quite the same, but they wear very well together.  The only thing that would make these better is if they had matching, but not too matchy, little pieces of those red coral chips dangling off of them.  

I luv these so much I'm hardly even annoyed at all by the liberal use of the twee word "luv" in all of the seller's notes and stuff.

It's May 31st. I Declare This "Please Help Out My Friend" Day

Remember the Kristen I have mentioned, the one who recently got her Ph.D. and who had sent me the orange Russian yarn that Cookie magically knit into the lovely Faux Russian Stole? 

She's having a "Congratulations, you now have a PhD but no job!" destash sale on Ravelry.  She has a wide range of stuff from fancy-schmancy silk lace yarns to good old Cascade 220 to some things she picked up in Moscow.  You can find her on Ravelry under Vertushka, and she accepts PayPal.

Go check out her sale, and please send her good vibes for finding a job, too. 

Show and Tell -- My Utah Economic Stimulus Package

These days are busy.  I am spending a lot of time (and money) on professional development and self-improvement and not working (gainfully) too much.  Such is the life of a freelancer.  At least right now I have the time to do the education and training that for so long I hadn't been able to find a good time to do.  And because I'm also tired from my whirlwind trip, I'm glad I have some show-n-tell to make a little blog post.



Left:  Red coral necklace and earrings, from the Sundance Catalog Outlet Store.

Right:  Handmade turquoise necklace from the T.P. Gallery in Salt Lake City.

*Love*
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The green, leaf-shaped, and round brownish red buttons are from Unraveled Sheep, but I bought them all so there are none left.  Sorry.
 
The red oblong buttons are from Blazing Needles, and they are for my red cardi, which is soon to be finished.

ShiBui Sock Yarn (for making a summer tank) from Blazing Needles, also.

My camera crapped out on this trip.  I am done spending big money on cameras.  I am not a photographer -- I just take pictures -- and fairly crappy ones at that.  I am not careful enough with my cameras, the lenses get wet and dirty if I take them out to the garden with me, etc.  I can't be bothered to try -- I've got too many other things to do -- and I don't want a heavy or large thing to lug around.  I am strictly a point-and-shoot person, and I am finally at peace with that.  So Margene took me to Costco, about three minutes from her house, and we were in and out in five minutes.  For $129, I got a camera that will do the job -- 'til I ruin it again, I suppose.

And then we have this mystery object, a gift from Cheryl:




Here I am, showing it to the stitch-n-bitch group at The Jitterbug Cafe. Please note the protective posture.

Much Calmer Now

My mail carrier has been quite busy bringing me batches of Calmer.  Very pretty, hm?  I think Abigail is going to put her name on that lighter blue shade called Pool -- it's her favorite color.  Then again, so is the other blue.  

One of my favorite memories of an "Abigailism" is about color.  I always have been partial to red cars, and for all of her life I had had a red car.  I was going to buy a new car when she was about 14, and of course I was going to choose red.  She very loudly expressed her opinion about that:  "Mommmmmm.  Choose a different shade of red.  Like.....BLUE!"  It makes me laugh every time.  (But I chose dark red.  Heh.)

She seems to think I owe her a sweater.  She says the Rogue I made her doesn't count because it was made when I was just a beginner. 

Ahem?!

Speaking of Calmer (and red), I finished the left front of the red cardi last night. 

I was sort of hoping I'd be a tad closer to the finish line by today.  I had hopes of wearing a new red cotton cardi when I go to Utah this weekend.  It still could happen.  There's a lot of flying time to get from here to there.  

Yes, Margene has been spreading the rumor and it is true -- I'm going to Salt Lake City for a seminar this weekend.  But we all know the real reason is to go visit my Utah friends.

Collections

There's a new addition to the cabinet of blue:

Can you see it? 

How about now:

Now?

How about now?

Currently collecting:  Rowan Calmer yarn.  I've been buying it up from destashers in Ravelry.  (This is colorway "Slosh" and I've got "Coral" coming as well.)  If you have a sweater's worth of Tree or Peacock or Drift and want to sell it to me, I'm your woman.  Call me.  We'll talk.  There are an awful lot of Ravelers who have one or two skeins in their stashes.  That's not what I'm looking for, though I bought these two because someone else had a quantity of 5 or 6 in the same dyelot that I also bought.  I need 8 to 10 skeins for a sweater for me, 12 or more if I want to make a sweater for a larger person. 

The pleasure of the knitting of the red is evident by how fast I am progressing on that cardi.  Calmer has some issues -- most importantly gauge.  The newer sites, I notice, recommend knitting it on US 8s.  I don't know.  I'm knitting my sweater on 7s, but making myself intentionally knit very loose.  And because I am such an anally tight knitter, you have no idea how painful this is to me -- not painful exactly as just not in my nature -- but on the other hand, how blissfully sweet is the sensation as it floats over the needles, and still gives me a fabric that is lovely.  I'm afraid as hell to knit wool like that, because I'd end up, I fear, with a garment that is three sizes too big after it's washed.  But knitting this yarn, which is characterized as a DK weight, is a bit weird, and the gauge doesn't really match many patterns.  That is why it's a bit tricky to choose a pattern for it.  The row gauge is the biggest issue.  Row gauge does not match anything (well, very few things, anyway).  It seems to be working with the Golden Vintage Cardi pattern, though, because row gauge isn't all that critical -- one can mostly just go by measurements.  Of course, the proof will be in the pudding (notice the new blue Calmer is in an antique pudding basin, haha) after I try it on and hopefully wear it.  But in any event, I think I'm going to love it.  Let's hope I'm right.  It is wicked pricey yarn, which explains why I'm mostly interested in buying it in destash sales. I hope it makes a garment that is worth the price. 

When I was a fledgling knitter, I made a snug-fitting tank top in Calmer.  I hardly ever wore it, because it was way too hot for a sleeveless garment -- it was like wearing a paradox -- too hot for wearing sleeveless, too cold for going without sleeves.  Does that make any sense whatsoever?  Partly that was because I knit it too tight, I think, but also Calmer makes a rather too-warm-for-summer fabric if it's a snug-fitting garment.  A loose tank or a cardi should be just the ticket.  I think it will be wearable all year long, and I think knitting a looser-styled garment (though I'm not sure my red cardi is going to be very loose) and knitting it at a looser gauge is the key.

The Indecisive Knitter

"Waffle" is my middle name -- and I don't mean the Belgian kind.  I have not yet ripped the brown, and I have changed its status in Ravelry from "frogged" to "hibernating" to back to "in progress" -- maybe.  It changes from moment to moment.  I blame it on the weather.

Yesterday morning I got up and got dressed in some lightweight sweatpants and put the knitted piece around my hips.  You know what?  Keeping in mind that this is a jacket, it seems to be the right size.  It shouldn't be too form-fitting.  It certainly shouldn't be tight.  It needs to be worn over stuff, right?  So I think I'm going to keep on going as is. Or, as some smart-alec (she knows who she is) mentioned yesterday, I COULD turn the excess fabric into a peplum. 

Everyone had so many good things to say about the red Calmer and analyzing my pattern choices for it, yet I still don't know what to do.  Cheryl's analysis was a most thorough and excellent one, she knows my tastes very well, and I think I might be going with that.  And many people felt, as I do, that Air just has too much going on and I should probably avoid the peplums (particularly since I often look at those patterns and go "ew" and I feel they will be so dated and make a garment that will go unworn.)  So why do designers keep on making them, I wonder?  Just because they can, I'm thinking.

Late last night, after quite a bit more waffling, I seem to have cast on something.

 

GVC it is.  Until I change my mind, at least. 

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Yesterday I did a little bit of household organizing, and a bit of stash organizing as well.  I've put some more things in my "for sale or trade" folder in Ravelry (normaknits) if you're interested in looking, and if there is anything that you see in my stash that is not listed for sale and you want it, feel free make me an offer.  No guarantees I will accept it, but I'm in the mood to unload, so go ahead -- take advantage of my mood if you want.

 

And A Great Time Was Had By All. Especially Me.

 Me, Rachel, Joan

Oh, what a fun outing we had yesterday!  By we, I mean Rachel, her friend Lois, her daughter-in-law Heather, and Joan.  I did remember my camera -- a rare event these days -- and I even used it, but the resulting photos are so poor (because of my poor photography skills) that I fear Rachel and Joan would never forgive me if I posted them, so I borrowed photos from Joan's photo album.  Thanks, Joan!

Heather only became Rachel's daughter-in-law yesterday afternoon AFTER our brunch at the wonderful Chef's Corner, and shopping.  Well, at least that was the story they told. Honestly, I have never seen a more calm bride-to-be and mother-in-law-to-be, just mere hours before the big event, out brunching wit' a bunch o' strangers and shopping for yarn.  Then the cute bride said, "Oops, I forgot I have to go get my nails done. I'd better go."  Could you just die? 

I think it was all a very elaborate plan to pretend her son was getting married, and a very long commute for Rachel to come here from California, so she could hang out with me for the afternoon. Well, lucky for us it all worked out:  We had lots of laughs, shared stories, had wicked fun and became fast friends. 

On our outing, we saw the most A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E non-traditional baby sweater, a sample at Kaleidoscope -- a hoodie made from gray Eco-Wool, with pewterish (I'm not sure if they were real pewter or pewter-like) skull buttons.  Cute, cute, cute.  Stop knitting pink and blue for that next baby!  Knit gray!  With skull buttons!  Do it! Yours will be the most cherished gift at the baby shower -- seriously.  It was really fab, and I wish I'd gotten a photo. There was also a sample sweater from Knit Jo Sharp Issue 2 that I want to make.  If anyone has that issue and wants to sell it, please get in touch. 

As for the shopping, I think I'm the only one who bought much of anything.  I bet that is a big surprise.  I do believe I am incorrigible. BUT it's special.  Really.  Wait 'til you hear and see, and you'll agree, I am sure.  That's an easy call, since I know you are all as willing enablers as Joan was.  A girl doesn't stand a chance around here. 

You remember Plain Vanilla, right?  It was the first sweater I made for myself way back in the day, made of that most wonderful Rambouillet wool.  The sweater is no longer vanilla, but more like merlot, and it is still wearing like iron.  Sadly, because I damaged the front of it with all my attempts at removing a stain before I gave in and dyed the whole thing red, it doesn't look perfect anymore. (The dye didn't take as well in the place where I had tried in vain to remove the stain.  And the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain. Oops, sorry.) 

Also, I really prefer a more shapely sweater nowadays, so I only wear it at home.  But I still love that thing -- it's comfy like a sweatshirt, and even though it's been through hell and back, it is still soft and cozy and unpilled and unfelted even after all the abuse.  A true champ of a sweater, all owing to that amazing fiber, Rambouillet wool. 

May I introduce to you the makings of Plain Chocolate?

Earlier this week I saw these wonderful beach stone buttons on Anne's blog.  She took care of me, hooked me up with the Etsy seller, and I got some of my own.  Yesterday I brought those buttons along with me.  Lo and behold, while we visited Northeast Fiber Arts, Joan and I found the perfect yarn to go with them -- some heavy-worsted-weight Vermont Rambouillet wool in natural (undyed) dark brown.  I now try to reject any yarn that will not make a garment that wears like iron, and I also want these buttons to take center stage. We feel they will really "pop" on this color.

The yarn is luscious and soft and local and natural, and well...  I have in mind a cartridge-rib-stitch jacket sort of thing for this, or perhaps just a plain stockinette jacket with dressmaker shaping in the front and seedstitch or hemmed edgings, accented with those very special beach stone buttons.  Something like that. Something shapely and jackety and in a gauge of 4-4.5 st/in.  If you know of anything that fits that description, please send 'er my way. 

I think I'm going to have to come up with a different name than Plain Chocolate, though.  It doesn't have the quite same ring to it as Plain Vanilla.  Perhaps Hot Fudge?  Chocolat?  Ganache With Panache?

So I've added this yarn to my stash in Ravelry, and in my never-ending quest to tweak and stir my stash, perfecting it and honing it down to things I believe I will actually knit and use, I have put a couple more things up for sale in there.  Red Rowanspun Aran, anyone? [sold]  Also, watch for an upcoming spinning fiber and spindle sale, and possibly some sock yarn.  I'm cleaning up.  Getting rid of all my spinning fiber.  Keep your eyes pealed.  Or peeled.  Whatever suits you. 

Why I Should Always Be Reminded to Check My Stash

After the discussion of Margene's sweater yesterday and all the wondering about what yarn would I use, I woke up in the middle of the night and remembered that I have this:

Duh.

I opened the bin that contains the cottons and silks. This led me to document a few more of my yarny possessions in Ravelry.  I've put some things for sale in there.  Go in and poke around (my Ravelry name is normaknits), and if there's anything you're interested in, please let me know. (Just under the tab "will sell or trade," please.  Right now nothing else is for sale.)

I must never buy yarn again.  Srsly. 

P.S.  Margene tells me I should hand in my membership card in the Ravelry Slackers group, since I'm, uh, actually doing stuff in there.  But geez, I am one of the founding members...... :)