A Little Rhinebeck Therapy

Here is most of what I purchased at Rhinebeck :

The lustrous blue is a 100yd skein of silk from Spirit Trail that was in the *discount* basket for $10.50 and will make a lovely pair of Fetching wrist warmers. The larger skein is from A Touch of Twist, 100% alpaca sportweight, natural silver color, a whopping 665yds. I bought 2 of these at Maryland, and wanted a little fiber insurance for a sweater, TBD.

The requisite Socks That Rock, colorways Downpour and Blue Brick Wall. Yes, I stood in line for like 20 minutes to get it. However, I met some interesting folks in line, talked to Cara as well as The Harlot. Time well spent? I think so. And no, I don't need to be reminded that I haven't cast on the 2 skeins I purchased in Maryland.

I ended up spending the bulk of my $$ at Morehouse Merino this year. I bought their new pattern, Camellia which is a simple tubular scarf, and 2 skeins of verigated yarn to make a few:

I also picked up this kit, with a deep burgandy yarn and 3 shawl patterns. BTW the background for all these pix is my completed, blocked Kiri shawl!*


Recognize these lovely ladies?



They helped me find "squares" for my Blogger Bingo card while I worked on a secret mission, which will most likely be revealed in the next few days here. I may or may not have made other purchases that may or may not be birthday/Christmas/SP9 prezzies.... ;)

*Funny story. T and I were in San Diego for the charity event we worked at, staying at the Four Seasons Aviara Resort (rough, I know). I had not blocked Kiri, and forgot to buy pins. T went down to concierge and asked them if they had any straight pins. 20 minutes later? A white gift bag with 40 T pins. In our room. That night I blocked Kiri by pinning it to the floor of our room on top of a hotel towel. Wait, what? I mean...no, I didn't pin anything to the floor of the Four Seasons...there are no pictures! You can't prove anything!

Rhinebeck, here I come!

Playing Blogger Bingo? Am I a square on your card? Identify me by:
My teal ribby cardi and my scarf. If the weather becomes too warm for a sweater, I will keep the scarf visible in some manner, as it is quite distinctive. See you at Rhinebeck!

Watch this Space!

For those of you playing Blogger Bingo, I will have a photo up tonight to help you find me!

I'm a joiner

I'm really looking forward to Rhinebeck this year. Last year I was a newbie, blogless and apparently clueless. I met many well known bloggers, but I had no idea who they were. None. Tres embarrassing in retrospect.
So now I'm a joiner. I have a blog. I am playing Blogger Bingo! I will be a Square and a Player, Saturday only.


Speaking of joining...I did it. I finally joined a Secret Pal swap. KSKS was a great warm-up. I think I'm ready. This button? Says it all.

SP9 questionnaire

Here is my Secret Pal 9 questionnaire, down and dirty as I am a) not at home and b) exhausted after getting up at 3:30am to catch a very early flight half-way home, so sorry, no links. Maybe once I make it home.
What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I will admit it, I am a yarn snob. I prefer natural fibers, but a bit of nylon in sock yarn for strength is OK by me. I love Blue Sky Alpaca’s entire line, I love Cascade 220 for it’s fabu felting. Basically, if it’s natural fiber and soft I love it. I love the "No Acrylic" button!
What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? One of those on-sale-at-Target-for-$1 plastic see-through bins. It’s a disaster!
How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I have been seriously knitting for 2+ years, I have no idea when/how I learned because I did some knitting as a kid (Mom says nobody taught me I just figured it out, but I find that hard to believe…) I consider myself a solid intermediate knitter, but I’m not afraid of a challenge.
Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No, but I would love anything by Elizabeth Zimmerman, and I really like the new Chicknits pattern, Ariann. I covet Chibis, too
What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) Natural, not over-powering scents (do you sense a theme?); subtle is best in my book. I love citrus scents, melon, jasmine, lavender if it’s not too strong.
Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I have a horrible sweet tooth with a penchant for dark chocolate, but I’m trying to cut back…
What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I do not spin (I have tried, and it’s just not in the cards for me right now). I like to make stitchmarkers, and I am dabbling in sewing a bit. I would love to find a good pattern and sew myself a circular needle holder that folds up and is portable.
What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Broadway musical soundtracks and ‘80’s pop/new wave, in a nutshell. But I am open to newer music. I , like the music Brenda Dayne finds for the Cast-On podcast. Yes on the MP3s
What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? Not a fan of pastels in general, or orange/yellow/pink/brown. Love blues and greens, purples, black/grey, reds. I like muted shades.
What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? Married with an almost 4 year old boy, no pets
Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I have more scarves than I know what to do with, do not wear ponchos. Coming up on hat/mitten season here, though!
What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Um…socks. I love the mindless, repetitiveness of knitting bags in the round to felt (french market bag, booga bag), and fitted knit tops/sweaters for ME (green gable, something red, ribby cardi) And I have recently discovered the delights of knitting lace.
What are you knitting right now? 2 pairs of socks
Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes
Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Addi circulars. I actually just gave away almost all my straight needles at our yarn swap because I never, ever used them. I would like to try some wood or bamboo circulars, though.
Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? No and no
How old is your oldest UFO? Don’t really have one…my socks nearest completion have been on the needles for less than a month, I think.
What is your favorite holiday? Christmas!
Is there anything that you collect? Ummm…Addi circulars. Stitch markers. Tape measures (because I am forever losing them) Do they count?
Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Do not have any subscriptions, but covet Interweave Knits; I love Cece and Ariann from Bonne Marie; I love Lisa Souza’s sock yarn, Socks That Rock, and I would like to try Schaefer yarn Anne, the sock yarn.
Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I would like to knit a gansey, and whatever new techniques I may need for that
Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? YES!!! Length 9", circumference at ball of foot 9.5"
When is your birthday? (mm/dd) September 22