Wool Gathering 2009

This year we had a caravan to the Wool Gathering in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Lynne and Rachel the Peach went in one car because they had to leave early and I followed in another car, eager to wring the last drop of wooly goodness from this year's event.

The weather was fantastic and everyone took advantage of it ... EVERYONE. As I left, one of the sponsors told me that attendance was record breaking -- and I believe it. It was downright crowded! Good for the vendors and a little frustrating for the shoppers, but everyone was good-humored.

The very first thing I saw as I came in was the sheep dog demonstration. A very talented border collie was herding black ducks through tunnels, up ramps and into enclosures. As always, it was amazing to watch the owner direct the dog and the dog guide the ducks through the course.

I walked the entire place twice -- once to look (and feel and smell) and once to buy. There were two huge tents and booths lining the aisle in between them and they were filled with fiber of all types -- from fresh off the animal to finished garments and everything in between, including the animals themselves. There were sheep and goats and llamas and alpacas and rabbits for sale in addition to the yarn and fiber from them.

Best of all, I got to see a lot of friends from the fiber world: Joan Payne, Pat Maley, Moya Jones, Barb Gallagher, Annette Boose, Lisa Rodenfels, and lots more, in addition to spending time with Lynne and meeting Rachel the Peach.

On the way home I passed a field full of sunflowers and couldn't resist stopping the car and taking some pictures. It was a lovely day.

Now for the goodies I bought! I got 2 oz. of a cashmere/silk blend to spin up for something yummy. I also got some Cascade 220 for making some more nativity figures. I got two tubes of a multicolored roving that's meant to be spun in sequence so you can ply it and make striped yarn. I got a cool bracelet that lets you hang a ball of yarn from your wrist while you knit. I got some turquoise dye and highlighter tape (which I'd never seen before -- genius idea!) and last, but not least, several ounces of tussah silk to spin. I definitely did my part to support the vendors and keep the Wool Gathering going!

More Progress on the Bohus

I finished the yoke on the Bohus sweater and it's starting to look good. The white and gray colorwork really lifted the mood from the all black background and gave the sweater some life. I still need to knit the 1 inch of ribbing that finishes the neckline and graft under the arms, THEN it's on to the dreaded steeking. I've heard that a couple of stiff drinks may be necessary to work up the courage to cut the knitted fabric. I wonder if pina coladas are too frou-frou to work...

Off to College

We got Ally all settled at Centre College this week. We went down and stayed at Shakertown on Tuesday night and then moved her in on Wednesday.

The college had everything remarkably well organized. We were stunned that a swarm of volunteers -- including professors and even the president of the college -- descended on us and helped us carry all of her stuff up to the room. It took no time at all to get the car unloaded and then we had the rest of the morning to put things in place.

There were a lot of orientation meetings for both the students and the parents and then it was time to leave. Her Dad and I didn't start crying until we were headed out of town, but we felt pretty good about her ability to cope with college life. We've been communicating by email since then at least once or twice a day. She's settling in just fine.

Bohus Update

I started the sleeve of the Bohus, only to find that it was created for an elephant. I started looking for pictures of the finished sweater -- the pattern picture isn't that good -- and found a few on Ravelry. The sleeve is a BELL shape! Well, I don't want that, so I contacted a great knitter on Ravelry who changed the shape of her Bohus sleeves and got some advice from her. With help, I was able to make a regular sleeve with the fancy cable rib cuff and I've started the second sleeve. So, the Bohus is moving right along.

On the spinning wheel, I've spun two bobbins full of the merino/mohair blend that a friend gave me. I need to ply them and I'll probably dye the yarn before I knit it up.

Around the house, we're getting ready for the big change. Ally is going off to college -- our first is leaving the nest. We're trying to get everything ready for her to go -- trying to anticipate every need. I think all of us are both in denial and thinking to ourselves that this will be the last time the family is together living as a family. I shouldn't be so dramatic, but things do change once you're living on your own at college. When you come home, it's like your a guest in your own house. Oh, well. Time marches on. Our goal as parents is to make her independant of us ... but it goes so fast.

Slowly, Not Surely

The body of my black Bountiful Bohus sweater has been finished for at least two weeks. I just got up the gumption to start on the sleeves, only to find that they're bell shaped and only three-quarter length. Why didn't I look at the pattern more closely?!

Actually, the pattern itself doesn't show the sleeves. I had to look at other people's projects on Ravelry to find some pictures of them. I only thought to look when I had done three rows on a sleeve and realized that it could fit an elephant. Anyway -- I think the pattern sleeves are really ugly and now I'm going to have to redesign them, which is going to be unpleasant. I want close-fitting sleeves that go to the wrist. This sweater may not get done any time in the near future.

Knitted Bangle

I finishing the knitted bangle that I talked about in the previous post. I think it came out pretty cute. I used some leftover sock yarn and it just took a little while. I think next time I need to make the knitted strip a little narrower because it doesn't cling very tightly to the bangle. Anyway, I've got two more bangles to experiment with. It's a fun project.

The Catch Up Episode

It's been a while since I posted. Since Ally's graduation, the main thing I did was go to Ireland with Kate, Linda and Butch. We were an odd group, but it worked out very well. Linda is a high school friend, who was also my college roommate, and Butch is her husband. Kate, of course, is my 16-year-old daughter.

We were in Ireland for two weeks. The first week we traveled around and the second week we rented a cottage in Glengarrif, a little town in County Cork. It was lovely. I'd say the three highlights were: (1) riding in a pony cart around the Aran Islands, (2) Going to a Maureen O'Hara film and having Maureen O'Hara actually show up to answer questions, and (3) the Irish breakfast spread that Mrs. Maxwell had for us at Woodlands Farm (it was incredible!).

At the moment I've got three things on the needles and three things on my wheel. On the needles I have a washcloth that I'm making out of the KnitPicks spa kit. I bought the kit because I thought it was cute and would be a small and easy project to take with me on the Ireland trip. Unfortunately, the kit is entirely cotton/linen blend and is no fun to knit at all. It's just like knitting with kitchen string -- no give. I'm going to persevere and finish this washcloth if it kills me, but I hate the knitting. I'm not going to do any of the other items in the kit.

The second thing on my needles is more fun. It's a Bohus cardigan sweater for myself. It's knit in the round and steeked and I expect it will take forever and a day to knit. I'm not a small person and this is not a small sweater. The main body is black worsted wool from my stash and the yoke part will be gray and white. Okay, I know it's pretty neutral, but if I'm going to put this much time into a sweater I want to be able to wear it with everything.

The third thing on my needles is a cute little project I've been thinking about for a while. I finally found the plastic bangle bracelets I needed at Walmart last week at a decent price. What you do is cover a cheap bangle bracelet with a knitted piece. I probably won't be able to fit them on my wrist, but I think they'll make cute gifts and I might even make some for the Guild sale. I'm using sock yarn leftovers and the first pattern I'm using is an Aran Braid from Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

On the wheel, I'm spinning up some laceweight Shetland from the sheep Lynne and I saw being sheared last spring. I'm also spinning 4 oz. of merino/mohair blend that a friend gave me when she bought one of the baby rabbits. And last, but not least, I'm spinning a bag full of Andy fur.

Sad news, I don't think I reported that Timmy, the little runt rabbit that Kate loved and that we kept from the litter, died just before we went to Ireland. We're not really sure what happened. Kate was home alone and she put him in the outdoor exercise pen for a little while. She said he was so happy to be outdoors and was binky-ing all around the pen. She watched him for a while and then left him for a few minutes. When she got back, he was in the middle of the pen, on his side, and spasming. He died in her arms. The vet said he might have run into the fence and broken his neck. My own guess is that he had a heart problem and that was what made him a runt to begin with. We'll never know, but Kate's heart was broken. We buried him under the crabapple tree with full honors. We've got some of his fur and I'll have to spin it into something special for Kate. I hope it's long enough to spin -- it was baby fur after all.

Look what my sister brought me from her cruise to South America! A huge wad 'o wool! She got it in Chile and she also got one for herself. She's thinking of knitting and felting hers into a bag. I'm not sure yet what to do with mine. I'm thinking felted hat and scarf.

I'm enjoying a peaceful morning. Kate is at camp and Jeff and Ally have gone to Chicago, so I have three days all alone. I don't know what to do with myself!