Home again

I am pleased to be at the end of my traveling season, though I've been on the phone with my sister, Sally, planning travels for the holidays. Today I unpacked suitcases and got samples back on the walls and put yarn away.

I had fun knitting this weekend when we weren't busy at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival. It was so cold on Sunday that I was highly motivated to finish my second glove--the first having been completed in early spring, then the project abandoned when the weather got warmer. I also finished a baby hat--the socks were already done. I knit a second sock to create a completed pair!

Bonnie Bailey, who accompanied me to the SVFF both days, also got some knitting done. I remember her binding off on a sock. We both planned lots of projects--enough to keep us going through 2008, I'm sure!

Sterling now available in black!!

Jill and I toured Kraemer Textiles mill last Wednesday. What fun to see all that fiber being spun into yarn. This mill, one of the few left in the US, employs about 70 people, some who have worked there for many, many years. George, in the lab, has worked there for 51 years!

Of course, one of our questions was when Sterling Silk & Silver would be available again, since we had run out and the mill had no more to sell us. When we got to the part of the mill where yarn is put into hanks, we discovered 83 hanks of Sterling had been made. We told Victor we'd take 40 to Stitches, so he carried 40 hanks (these are all hand twisted) to Olga, who put labels on them. We sold 37 of the 40 and have some on order.

Yesterday Victor called to say that they had produced black and he could add it to my order. It arrived today! This won't last long, so if you were waiting , don't wait long. We hope to have some hand dyed Sterling, but no ETA on that yet.

Lobster Claws

No one seems to recognize this style of winter hand covering. They are called "Lobster Claws" and are used by cyclists as you have the brake fingers free from the others.

Mittens are warmer than gloves as your fingers keep each other warm. Lobster claws are warmer than gloves and have more flexibility/usability of the fingers than mittens. They are also easier to knit than gloves, almost as easy to knit as mittens.

The yarn? Autunno by DiVe. Dreamy soft merino in a self-patterning colorway. Guage was 4.25 sts to an inch, so these knit up quickly. I'll get the other done soon!

Another Finished Object

Here's a great look in my favorite color combination. Terry Thorson knitted this shrug from Glam Knits in Blue Sky Organic Cotton. Terry is a meticulous knitter. Her daughter will love this!

If you're having trouble getting projects finished, consider the third Saturday drop-in sessions at Y2Knit. The UFO Conversion is designed for those who want to turn UnFinished Objects into Finished Objects. Bring any type and any number of projects, regardless of how long they’ve been languishing. (we won't tell!)

Focus will be on:

1) figuring out how to get projects on track,
2) finishing techniques (seaming, working in ends, picking up for edges) and
3) “corrective measures” that might be needed.

Third Saturdays, drop in, 1:00-5:00. $10/hr