Before the big purchases of last weekend, I was making some headway on stashbusting. Two steps forward - twelve steps back. Or something like that. I figured I best start up that little project again, especially to make room for some of the yarn that won’t even fit on the shelf… two less skeins now, thanks to this quickie stashbuster.

Knit with 2 skeins of Noro Shinano is colorway 08. I used a size US11 circular needle (16″). I did a light ruffling effect on either end, and chose to make the reverse stockinette the “right” side because of the color and stitch combination. The cowl is 16 inches (about 40cm) long from end-to-end. I wanted it to be longer to wear bunched up around my neck, and also to have the option to wear it as a headcover. This piece is wonderfully warm. The silk and wool blend is soft to touch, and feels very comfortable around the neck. I think it will definitely be useful for travel, camping out, and daily wear.

This yarn was a Norovember knitalong prize in 2006. Kathy at Minx Knits gave me the choice of this and another Noro yarn, and I immediately chose this one. Noro seemed to cast a spell on me from the first project I knit with it… my Klaralund back in 2005. (I have subsequently made a few projects with the Noro, and the love is still there!) And since all good things must come to an end (at some point), Shinano was discontinued by Noro last year. Of course, it was before I had tasted “the goods”, so now I am wishing that I had known about it sooner. Seeing Erqsome Emmms amazing cardigan in Shinano doesn’t help either. I know that there are still some sellers out there that carry it… I just have no room in the stash! Maybe when I free up some space there will still be some lots available? (I am probably not helping that prospect by blogging about it and letting YOU know how good it is!)

Noro is just such an earthy yarn - you can find flora inside - so I don’t think there is a better match for Project Spectrum Elements. The underlying color of the cowl is a grayish brown, with all of the lovely silky slubs of colors throughout. The cowl was also knit for the Lord Stanley Stashbusting knitalong, during the first two games of the NHL Conference playoffs.

Many thanks for all of your suggestions in the last post! I have some really amazing things on my list for Nova Scotia!

My mind is still playing catch up from the busy weekend. Then, I jumped right back into the work week with an exciting seminar on metadata and cataloging (holla!) and a fun night with these girls. Yep, my sissies are in town. We decided to take mom out for an early Mother’s Day. We had a night planned of pottery painting and delicious food. Unfortunately, the pottery place shut down, so we had a lovely extended dinner, a walk around the lake, and then a little frozen yogurt. Very fun. Sisters rocking the “finger guns”.

Kris and I are preparing for the upcoming Nova Scotia trip, and we took advantage of the big anniversary sale at one of the outfitting companies. We got some sleeping bags and a tent. (the boots at right were part of the Peru purchases, but they are going to NS too!) We have plans to camp in Cape Breton, and I can hardly wait. I just hope the weather cooperates. The tent has a rain cover… but I remember some childhood camping trips where the rain cover didn’t seem to matter. Whatever happens, it will be great. I have been chatting with Ingrid, and we have some amazing plans for our visit to the southern part of the province… I have heard that the people of Nova Scotia are amazingly hospitable and friendly, and my encounters thus far prove that point. Nature, hiking, camping, photography, food and friends: this is going to be a great and memorable trip. I realize NS is seafood central, but I am hoping to find some good veggie options. Some veggies should be in season, but I could live on trail mix too Also, we are looking for some fun pubs along the way so that we don’t have to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs as we move around the province… any tips from my friendly neighbors-to-the-north? I hear that there is some good homegrown yarns there too… (I can’t believe I am even thinking about that with yarn glutton I was over the weekend…)

Over the past four days, I have managed to knit about 10 rows on the Laila sock. That’s it. However, it seems like a lot because the pattern is coming out so well in the beautiful green and mustard colors. I feel that I have to turn the heel before I take another photo, so the rate I am going now, that means next week.

I can hardly believe that I let my friend E talk me into this… a triathlon in August? (ugh - heat and humidity!) It is not a “done deal” yet, but I do think it would be a good thing to try. At least, in theory. I think I love the thought of it - and the thought of Kris holding a sign for me at the finish line “GO LOLLY!” is enough to make me do it - but the real test is if I can 1) get over my neurotic phobia of open non-circulating water (eww, germs in lakes) 2) wear a swimsuit in front of a lot of people who are smaller than me 3) run a distance of any length. I am A-OK with the biking, I could do that now! (I say it so confidently, don’t I? hmm, pride before the fall) If I go through with it, I could finally have some new fodder for the Journey page!

I must be honest, I kind of dread the post-festival blog post. It is just such a sensory overload and even one day after, it kind of feels like a dream - a sweet fibery dream - of meeting amazing online friends and seeing beautiful animals and the lovely yarns. And after four years of attendance (and subsequently blogging about it), I always feel like I am going to forget something or someone.

As you might expect, I took a few photos - but not nearly as many as I planned. I was pretty busy handling yarns and hugging people. For the full set of MDSW 2008 photos, go here. Here are some highlights:

Amazing people: Isel, Jenna, and Kate. I met so many people that my mind is a little dizzy. Long-time blog friends (so many many many many more!) and some new(er) Ravelry and Flickr friends alike. I was thrilled to meet everyone!

So many beautiful animals! The sheep breeds are probably the most ubiquitous animals at the festival, but it is common to see the goats, llamas, alpacas, and (sometimes) bunnies too. Amazing coincidence: this handsome llama is actually owned by my old friend that I used to work with (in my first year of knitting!) We reconnected at the festival when I was up in her llama’s face taking photos! It was amazing to see Holly again! (remember Holly? she helped me overcome my fear of DPNs so many years ago!)

YARN! oh my gosh. I bought a lot. I really need to work on this attachment to material objects philosophy.  It seems to get me every year around this time.  I enhanced the stash, as they say.  Surprisingly, I did not buy any sock yarn this year.  A big step, considering that that has been the bulk of my purchases in previous years.  Nope, this year it was all about sweater yarns, and some drapey luxury fibers for elegant accessories.  My companions bought a few things too; I am sure they will be talking about them very soon!

[Click here for details about each skein]

It was not clear to me until I saw them all grouped together, that this year’s yarns are not my traditional color palette.  You may have noticed that I tend to group around certain colors, namely blues/violets, pinks/reds, and greens.  I also love brown, and have a lot in my stash, but not as many FOs in that particular color yet.  However, this year seems to be all about neutrals, or subtler shades of my usual choices.  Maybe it is a subconscious nod to the upcoming Project Spectrum AIR element with the grays and whites?  I got some very unique things this year - namely the beautiful handspun yarns from the Navajo Churro Cooperative.  The natural colors and wonderful texture of the yarn was enough to put them in my bag!  I also ran into some fabulous deals that were too good to pass up(Fingerlakes Wool and The Fibre Company).  I splurged for the linen up top, but I figure the stuff will last forever (if they found it in Egyptian tombs…) I was also very happy to see the Botanical Shades booth again this year - I used their indigo dyed alpaca blend for my Aftur pullover, and this lovely grass green will make an amazing garment as well.

Saturday’s weather started out a little gloomy, but the day brightened up and actually got a little warm.  I got a minor sunburn, even when rocking the SPF 45.  Sunday, always my favorite day to attend, was milder weather-wise and crowd-wise.  Mom, Jenna, and I had a lovely relaxed time.  We even got to sample some goat and sheep cheeses, drink some lemonade, and try one of the yummy dip ice cream cones.  At the end of the day, we sat out and reflected on the experience.  We smiled with contentment… one of those tired genuine smiles after a great day. 

The real highlight of this year’s festival was observing the very real success of Ravelry in a relatively short time period. I joined Ravelry in it’s infancy, and it has grown into such an amazing community. Casey, Jess, and Mary-Heather (and all the volunteers!) have poured so much of themselves into it, and we all reap the benefits in the form of the website and the activities surrounding it. For this, I am so grateful. Maybe a little less knitting since I find it so hard to click away from the forums, but no less gratifying or enriching!  There was a festival meetup for Ravelers, as well as a wonderful post-festival Ravelry party at one of the local hotels. 

I had met Jess several times at previous festivals, and it was wonderful to see her again.  This time, I got to meet Casey and Mary-Heather too.  They were the stars of the show! Mary-Heather and I have corresponded for years, and I was so happy to finally meet her!  …and Kris (who came to the party with me!  surprise!) chatted with Casey and met so many of my online friends.  I think he was surprised that he was recognized a few times as well!

Mary-Heather and I were all smiles!

We stayed at the party and witnessed the way that Ravelry has touched the community.  Everyone was so friendly and excited to be a part of it!  I met so many nice people, and reconnected with some old friends as well.  I don’t have the time to link to everyone, and my memory may fail… but know that I was very happy to see you!

…and now, back to real life… the fiber event of the year has come and gone, once again. 

 It was so sweet while it lasted! 

The adorable furry animals!

The wonderful people!

The luscious fibers!

This will be my fourth Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  I still marvel at the fact that I live in the town that attracts thousands of fiber enthusiasts from all over the country (world?) on this one weekend!  When we moved here in 2001, I was not a knitter yet - I had no way of knowing.  Pure luck or providence?   Whatever it was, I am grateful.

I don’t have a particular list this year, but I do have some stops I want to make.  This is my first year as a weaver, so I am planning to get some more linen for rugmaking, as well as a new reed so that I can weave finer gauge items.   As for knitting, I am planning to look for beautiful complementary colors from local sources - I want some good wool for colorwork and sweater making.  I am not planning to go crazy this year, but I guess that is all relative.  I have a large stash already, and plenty of projects I am planning that use those yarns.  Then again, the festival (and my vacations) are the only real yarn-buying times for me anyway.  Maybe I shouldn’t feel too guilty…

My dear friend Jenna is flying in from Seattle tonight (late!), and we will be at the festival on both days.  On Sunday, my mom will join me!  We are planning to attend the Ravelry meetup, and also the Ravelry party later in the evening.  I would love to meet you, so if you are there and you see me, please say hi! 

You know how some people just have their knitting thing?  like complete and utter love of lace or cables?  like that is all they want to knit all the time?  well, I think I found mine.  It shouldn’t really come as a surprise considering how much I love the interplay of colors and the simpleness of stockinette.

Could you tell with all of the colorwork projects of late? 

I wanted to try colorwork for years, but I was nervous about the technique.  I delayed even trying it.  I still have a lot to learn, but I am really in love with the process and the results.  And for some reason, it really seems to work up quickly!  Perhaps it is because I can’t wait to see how the colors will interact on the next row?

The Jacquard Pulli was a test trial - I wanted to see if five disparate yarns from my stash could come together in a Fair Isle pullover.  I think I lucked out.

The colors are combining and creating a lovely spring-themed knit.  I am using the deep brown as the main color - a nod to Project Spectrum’s Earth element - and mixing in the pink, cream, greens and blues.  Each yarn here has lived in the stash for over a year, so this is truly a stashbusting project.  And how quickly she grows!  I started this project for Project Spectrum, as well as the Lord Stanley Stashbusting KAL on Ravelry.  So far, I have knit this much after watching two playoff hockey games. (Go Penguins!)  However, when the hockey gets intense, I have been known to put the colorwork down, for fear of messing up the charts… such was the case during last night’s nailbiter between Pittsburgh and New York! 

I have found it quite simple to keep the tension in the stranding.  My floats don’t pull too much, and with a light blocking, I don’t think there will be any puckering.  I am using yarns of slightly different weights (the pink is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, but I have always thought of it as more of a worsted weight; while the green - Knit Picks Andean Silk - and blue -Cascade Lana d’Oro - are a lighter worsted, bordering on DK-weight).   

SO, yes, I am quite enamoured with the colorwork… maybe it is just a phase, but I see this one sticking around for awhile.  Guess what’s on my shopping list for this weekend?

What’s you knitting thing?  is there a technique that you just can’t get enough of?