Maine Morning Mitts

A tiny bit of knitting therapy and some good rest are making me feel human again as I've recovered from our long weekend but ended up with a cold. I had hoped to finish these Maine Morning Mitts/fingerless gloves (more Christmas knitting) while on our trip, but there was hardly a down minute and when things did slow down each night, I crashed!

I recently saw these in Magpie Yarn, and learned that the pattern is available on Ravelry and here for free. Many of the Ravelry projects show it using Noro Kuryon (as is shown here), but I am realizing that many recipients may not like the fact that the two mitts don't match. I honestly think that I'll do the next pair (and I do feel sure I'll knit many more) in some handspun/hand-dyed yarn of my own.

I do think they make the perfect hand-made Christmas gift- little to no sizing involved, quick but unique, and something that anyone can use!

Don't forget to comment on yesterday's post to be eligible to win a pair of alpaca socks, shipping included. (I'll even ship to someone else, if you want to send them as a gift!)
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Color for a Dreary Day

I was going to write about serious stuff like the topsy-turvy economy, how screwed up our priorities have become, how we've forgotten what Christmas is for, stuff like that. But, I decided instead to concentrate on something that makes me smile a little... handknit socks.
I found the pattern for these here, and originally intended to make a mismatched pair as shown on Faith's blog. I loved the way the first one I made turned out and really didn't think that the colors in the rest of the Noro Kuryon skeins would look very good, so I decided to try to match the second sock instead- I think it came out pretty well! I have a feeling that a certain 13-year-old girl for which they're made (ssshhh, they're for Christmas!) will love the bright colors and warmth of soft wool on her perpetually-cold feet. I should have enough from the two skeins to make myself a pair, though they will be completely different colors! The pile of yarn at the top is what I cut off after I cleaned up the ends. I did weave in the important ones at the beginning and end, and along the heel, but at color changes for the stripes I carried both colors for about 6 stitches and I felt that was likely enough to hold the new and old colors in place- anyone have any thoughts on that? Do you think the sock may be uncomfortable that way?

I have been knitting a ton, and we cocooned a lot this weekend and watched the Anne of Green Gables DVD's that my sister-in-law loaned us. Mirian and I cried in so many places, and of course I was ogling the gorgeous handknits throughout. What a great series! I can hardly wait to start on my next project!

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When Work is Fun!

Last week I found myself working and playing a lot in my studio, and at times it was tough to tell which was which. I think that's a good sign that I've somehow found my mojo again... things are so much more in balance in my life, at least for now! I've had some large blocks of quiet, which I've always needed more than the average bear.

A lot of my incentive to work in the studio was for dyeing yarn and fiber and organizing products for the Midway Festival. I also made felted soaps and put together some mini scarf kits. Attendance and sales were quite brisk, and the alpacas were a big hit again!

Being at the Midway Festival made me forget about the elections and all of the turmoil in our economy, if only for a while. There was bluegrass and Irish music, face painting, festival food, homegrown sorghum and honey, and sand sculpting.

My friend Dianne brought sheep and handspun, hand-dyed yarn and we did the booth together which made it more fun.
I've decided to try a more patriotic tactic and slow down on selling imported alpaca items and concentrate more on producing items from our farm's fleece, as people seem to be more "ready" for this and are willing to pay the difference for "homegrown." (I know I am as well). I finally put the finishing touches on a handfelted hat that I started back in July (shown here), and along came the person for whom it appeared to be made... Mary, a previous client at the festival. It was too hot for her to wear it yesterday, but when it cools off I hope she'll enjoy wearing it as much as I loved making it! Pin It Now!

Truly Bluegrass

The doors have opened! Truly Bluegrass is a new shop that launched yesterday in Versailles, and specializes in Kentucky-handcrafted items. I finally dropped off my own goods on Sunday, and although the smell of fresh paint was still in the air, the shop was well organized and stocked with high-quality items. These included some spectacular pottery, unique jewelry (I liked the punky pony necklaces), metalwork, stained glass, one-of-a-kind quilts, and food items from the region.

Although retail has had a tough time in downtown Versailles, I have a good feeling about the potential for success with this shop and I certainly plan to shop there! The owners are very enthusiastic and have great eyes for quality and beautiful displays, and they are located next to another successful Versailles shop, Daisy Girls. We appreciate the opportunity to contribute to their endeavor!

We have our own display area with hand-dyed yarns from Seldom Scene Farm's alpacas, handfelted soaps, handknit items, photo cards, and fiber for spinning and felting. Best of luck, Wendy and Joyce, and congratulations on your opening!

I've also been hard at work on dyeing fiber and yarn for this weekend's Midway Festival, one of my favorite weekends of the year! It's been satisfying to have more studio time, and I've been alternating between painting and dyeing. Here are some of my newly-completed projects which will be available at Midway and/or Truly Bluegrass...

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My Girl

For the past few weeks, I've been thinking about how on August 14th I would be asking if you all heard the loud whooping noise signifying that it was Back to School Day for at least one of the kids.... but it didn't happen. I didn't celebrate, nor am I very happy at all that this summer is coming to an end. The weather has been record-breakingly magnificent, and I have truly, truly enjoyed the kids being home. Although she was nervous, I am very proud of how brave Mirian has become about new experiences, and the first day of 6th grade wasn't easy... but she came home enthusiastic and cheerful. Yeah!

That's not to say that I won't enjoy having more "me" time again, to try to better organize the house, pay more attention to alpaca business, and even to have more time for things like this:

I dyed this in a turkey roaster with Country Classics Chestnut, Pumpkin, and Ripe Tomato. It's alpaca/wool yarn that I dyed up for a dear friend and mentor that I very much appreciate and admire. I was thinking of her last week as I processed and froze the bags and bags of tomatoes and corn that she gave us from her garden... just as she has shared so much time to teach me most of my knitting skills and to listen to my problems on many occasions. She is the Martha Stewart of my circle (and I mean that only in the good way), and is a model of good taste and generosity. Thank you again, Dianne, for all that you do for me!

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Bahama Waters

Okay, finally time to throw in some pretty yarn photos! Here's some hand-dyed yarn (contributed by an alpaca we sold named Senorita Libby, very lovely, soft and bright, commercially-spun)... I first started knitting what was supposed to be a "simple" shawl (free pattern on Ravelry, Blue Jeans Shawl), but it turns out that my definition of simple and fast lace never matches that of others.... After frogging it many times, I turned to one of my favorite tried and true simple lace patterns, Old Shale.

As I was knitting this, I had flashbacks of the source for this gorgeous shade of aqua.... the water of the Bahamas through which I've been lucky enough to sail and scuba several times on chartered sailboats back in the "good ole days" of college and singlehood. Here's a painting I did in 1987 after one of those trips, inspired by a photo I took at Great Harbour Cay. I wasn't thinking about this when I dyed the yarn, but I know that the images of that incredible water are imbedded in my brain and will likely be a part of the scenery when I (hopefully) reach heaven someday.

It got me thinking of other places that have inspired me artistically or otherwise... the Oregon Coast, the Rockies, my favorite vineyards, and oh yeah... the Kentucky Bluegrass! Beauty is everywhere I look on a warm summer day such as this. Hopefully, whoever wears this scarf will be wrapped in some of the same great karma that helped to bring it about.

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