Rhinebeck II

The next day - early for late-riser Amanda - we got to Rhinebeck by just after 9:00 when the event opened.  We were by no means the first to arrive - the parking lot was already pretty full.  Amanda and I have been going to Rhinebeck for a number of years so it was quite familiar and comfortable.   Having spent money the night before at Indie Untangled, we wanted to pace ourselves.  A group trudged toward the entrance gate before us, rolling a huge suitcase in anticipation of scoring.  It's always surprising how fervent yarn shoppers are.  We knew where our favorite vendors are and made sure to hit certain areas.  This year we made sure to taste the famous fried artichokes (they are really tasty, even at 10:00 in the morning) and we visited the book vendors.  This gave us a chance to thumb quickly through the latest Pom Pom and other recent publications.

This year we spent a little more time with the livestock, even watched a sheep judging.  As we were leaving around midday lines at food vendors were already long.

-Chee Mee


Five words: fried artichokes and kettle corn
-Amanda

Coming up: Rhinebeck purchases

Rhinebeck ...again

To add to the tons of  photos and comments from Rhinebeck this weekend, these are snaps taken by Amanda.  We went up to Kingston to attend  Indie Untangled - our first time.  We were bowled over by the huge numbers of attendees squeezed into basically two hotel rooms.  Despite the crowding the general impression was one of enthusiasm, civility and community.  A lovely thing.  We even saw the famous Stephen West.
- Chee Mee


Indie Untangled was interesting for me.  I was obviously interested in seeing what these small batch dyers had to offer since I've been interested in dyeing (though mostly natural) for the past fews years.  I wasn't prepared for the mob scene that was INDIE UNTANGLED.  The Best Westin of Kingston was probably not ready for the onslaught of yarn hungry, yet mostly polite, knitters.  Despite the winding queue to just enter the 3 exhibition rooms there was no pushing or shoving, just energetic enthusiastic energy.  We saw multiple people knitting socks while on line (that's dedication) and people knitting in the hallways with their purchases as well.

My favorite vendors at the fair were Backyard Fiberworks , Spun Right Round, and Skeinny Dipping. They had some beautiful colorways and my mom bought a bunch of skeins from Backyard Fiberworks.  I would like to go on the record that I didn't buy anything at Indie Untangled so my mom is using the royal "we" above... I do have self restraint...sometimes. The overall vibe of Indie Untangled seemed younger and yarn more trendy.  We're talking small batch kettle dyed and speckle dyed yarn. I enjoyed the contrast of seeing Indie vs. Sheep and Wool.

Afterwards we went to a great taco place called Diego's.  The night ended with spicy chocolate mousse made in a mason jar.  Yarn, great food, fun night! I can't complain about the Indie experience.  If I go again depends on the vendor lineup, but it's definitely worth checking out at least once.

-Amanda

MORE ABOUT SHEEP AND WOOL TOMORROW...

What do you do when you are smart, driven and retired?

I just spent some time in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (a bucket list item - not mine) and then Pittsburgh where I met Karen and John Crandall.  After working for years in corporate America, Kate and John retired.  Instead of fading into the sunset, they've spent the last thirteen years building up a small business based on machine embroidery.  Starting with one machine and some talented and trustworthy employees, they've built the business into what it is today.  They can embroider just one item or several hundred. They can customize designs and items exactly to each customer's needs.  If you can imagine it, they can probably do it.  Wow.  Something that is both practical, commercial, and creative all at the same time.

As a lifelong sewer and handcrafter, I was green with envy seeing their walls of threads, in every color and sheen imaginable, and seeing their four industrial machines lined up and ready for action.
This is a great example of entrepreneurship.  If you are ever in Monroeville, Pennsylvania look them up at monroevilleembroidery.com

-Chee Mee

I could not wait to start spinning the hand painted fiber bought from the SOADFF aka the best fiber fest I've ever been to* and I'm pleasantly surprised by how its turning out.  When I opened the roving knot I found that the 4oz of dyed wool was mainly yellow with irregular splotches of pink, blue, and red.  Needless to say I was a bit skeptical mainly because I've never spun hand painted roving and didn't know if it would turn out speckled, striped, totally irregular, or what.  I guess part of the fun is in the mystery right? I still don't know how it's going to look knit up but I'm very happy with the results so far.  I'm planning to make a scarf or shawl since I believe I'll have one generous skein once it's double plied... or I might chain ply to keep the colors separated... Hmm.

*As my mom said in a previous post, SOADFF was a completely relaxing and fun experience.  I enjoyed talking to a lot of the vendors, taking time to learn about the sheep, and eating 4H food served by business saavy 8 year olds.  Highlight from the festival was talking to a woman about feathers she collected from her farm's fowl for about 15 minutes. Yes, I bought some of them and they are beautifully spotted.

-Amanda

I've had a few days to think about my comments about the Rhinebeck Yarn Festival.  While I stand by my comments, I also wanted to add more color.

The RYF has evolved over the years into a very well-attended and much-anticipated event drawing serious yarn addicts from the region.  Clara Parkes in "Knitlandia" cites that RYF started in 1972. When I first attended RYF, Amanda had not yet been born so that was over 30 years ago.   As I recalled, back then Rhinebeck was an agricultural fair with yarns, animals and demonstrations of sheep shearing etc.

Today Rhinebeck is an "event" with a strongly commercial bent.  Years ago, yarn was just yarn.  Today, knitters are particular about what breed of sheep, from what region, organic or not, natural dyes or not...long ago knitting was a way to save money.  Today, it is a political or life style statement.  It is part of the movement away from mass-produced, environmentally irresponsible consumption.  Rhinebeck has become a part of that statement.

Somehow the Southern Adirondeck Fiber Festival seemed to harken back to the Rhinebeck that I knew so many years ago.

All this is to say that we certainly look forward to Rhinebeck like the thousands of other yarn fanatics but Southern Adirondeck was a nice breath of fresh air.  Perhaps next year we will make it to the wool festival in Maryland!

-Chee Mee

Spring 2017 RTW Part I

Only a few shows have caught my eye this season.  I used to really enjoy fashion but recently have become so... bored by runway shows.  Probably because I've become increasingly repelled by the fashion market and it's push to sell sell sell.  Even the idea of a "fashion season" and "new now" that the industry creates is tiring. It's crazy that runway shows are planned to highlight fashions a full year and a half in advance.  At the same time I enjoy when designers push back to create pieces that are creative and not boring stuff that they know will sell. If you're going to sell your designs for uber expensive prices why not at least make them stand out. Yet there are still a few unique shows thank goodness.  Here are a few of my favorites thus far:

1. Tsumori Chisato
Mixed patterns, interesting shapes and accessories. Super eclectic

2. Lemaire

Creative layering, interesting shapes, delicate pattern details. I imagine it becomes wearable once you break down the outfits into single pieces to mix into your existing wardrobe... and I wouldn't turn down one of the camera shaped bags.

3. Charlotte Olympia

Just for fun... this show looks like it would have been a blast to attend with the live band.

-Amanda

Our Saratoga and SOADFF purchases...

Chee Mee's: Malabrigo (will have to check the colorway and edit), Madeline Tosh Cosmic Wonder, and 6 skeins of green yarn from Battenkill

Amanda's: hand painted cheviot and rambouillet from Brown Dog Fiber Arts Studio (the red + yellow mix is not something that I would normally pick but I was drawn to its color combo for some reason. So far it's spinning up wonderfully... more on that in the next post), grey wesleydale/rambouillet roving, two tiny alpacas that I couldn't resist they are so cute, and some squishy targhee roving. I'm most excited to try spinning these new fibers to get a feel for them.  So far I've tried spun merino, polwarth, and corriedale.

-Amanda

More from Southern Adirondack fiber festival... I had so many highlights from the festival but here are a few photos of my favorite moments. Highlights include beautiful weather, petting a very gentle cream colored Cormo sheep, and of course cider donuts!  Fall is here, people. And Fall means knitting and spinning without sweaty hands.  Coming next... our purchases from SOADFF.

-Amanda

Us at the winners barn looking at the winning sheared wool ^ 

This little guy surveying the scene^ at SOAD Fiber Fest 

At the risk of blasphemy...

After all these years the  Rhinebeck Yarn Festival has become something of a Mecca or "must do" for enthusiastic knitters drawing huge crowds.  Ravelry, popular yarn and knitting authors, craft bloggers...their presence at Rhinebeck add to the frenzy.  Unfortunately vendor booths are over-crowded, under-stocked and unpleasantly chaotic.  Food purveyors are over extended and long lines for food add to the sense of stress.  While we will continue to attend the RYF, it is verging on too big, too successful, just too much.

In contrast, for the first time today Amanda and I went to the Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival & Romney Sheep Show in Washington County, NewYork with my sister (another rabid knitter) and her unbelievably patient husband.  In Schuylerville, New York, the SAFF&RSS was a wonderful surprise.  100 vendors, prize winning exhibits of rovings, spun yarns, knitted and other crafted projects, sheep shearings, Gotland, Romney and other breeds sitting peacefully in their individual pens - everything was great.  Everyone was so happy to chat and share their experiences.  Spinners busy at their wheels were everyone.  There was equal emphasis on roving as well as yarns.  Spacious; tons of elbow room.  Plenty of benches to sit and rest.  Just three key food vendors including the 4-H Food Booth.  Possibly the world's best fresh donuts EVER.  Low key, ernest, calm.

Maybe it was the clear blue skies, the clean, cool weather or the friendly folks.  Maybe it was the fact that we could stroll into any vendor booth without being elbowed by a million other New Yorkers up for a day "in the country".  Maybe it was the ease, the relaxed atmosphere.  Maybe it was the authenticity of a young entrepreneur selling handmade bracelets made from recycled belts for $8.00.  Maybe it was the evident, straightforward interest of all in the goodness, pleasures of wool.

Whatever it was that made SAFF&RSS such a great experience, we will likely add it to our list of annual rites going forward.  What a great addition to our wool world.

-Chee Mee

Sometimes stars align and voila, you're happy.

Shopping in my old haunt, Century 21 (if you are a New Yorker you know what I'm talking about), I found this perfect example of convergence and serendipity.  I mean, can you believe it!
This is a Sonia by Sonia Rykiel.  It is a jeans jacket.  It is quilted lined.  It is denim but tastefully EMBELLISHED.  And best of all, it FITS!  I've been admiring Sonia Rykiel for such a long time because she's had such staying power, she's built her brand on knits, and she is was a woman designing for women.  It's not that I've loved everything that she has designed but you always knew when something is a Sonia piece and you could sense a joy and appreciation for women in her designs.

Since we are in the midst of New York fashion week (showing Spring 2017?! When we haven't even left Summer??)  I think it is worth ranting that fashion is so lacking in everything that women are looking for these days.  I wish there was more intent, more integrity and more honesty in the fashion world.  Listening to public radio yesterday, I was so pleased to hear Tim Gunn talk about the deplorable state of the fashion industry in that it continues to refuse to design for the average woman in the U.S.  The average American woman wears a size 14/16, not a size 2.  The average woman is intelligent and thoughtful, not some bimbo with the attention span of a two year old.  No wonder there is a parallel universe of independents and home-makers gathering in strength.  No wonder the retail industry is becoming irrelevant, and, horrors, boring.

Thank God for Sonia Rykiel!

-Chee Mee

Stopover is done!

Hurray for Stopover!

Sometimes it all comes together.  Amanda brought home delicious Lettlopi yarn for me from her recent trip to Iceland.  I was intrigued by the 600-plus knitters who have already produced such beautiful, individual versions of Mary Jane Mucklestone's genius pattern.  I was also happy to use size 10 1/2 needles after focusing for a long time on smaller needles and sock weight yarns.
Result?  I banged out my Stopover in one week!  And it fits and satisfies!

The pattern is well thought out and includes just the right balance of straightforward stockinette with stranded color and yoke techniques.  I made a few modifications.  I did the sleeves flat instead of in the round (because I didn't feel like getting the right size DP needles).  I added an inch or so to the length.  I also finished the underarm with three needle bind off (which looks great).  Since my gauge was a little off and since I wanted a little bit more ease, I knitted one size up.
Knitting Stopover was amazing.

Now what should I knit?  Aside from the tons of other half-finished WIPs that is.....

-Chee Mee

Weekly Spin

Spinning is my new obsession ever since I learned at Webs. I love it so much I decided to start posting a "weekly spin" entry so you can see a little more of my process as it progresses.

This week I'm focusing on the amazing fiber from Nistock Farms in upstate New York.  I'm plying together charcoal and buttermilk colorways to form a chunky weight yarn.  The charcoal is my favorite (mostly Cotwold fiber) from the Nistock Farms sheep.  So happy with how this yarn is turning out.  It's truly a pleasure to spin and flows perfectly and effortlessly through my fingers.  Hands down my favorite fiber thus far!

Above you can see the small swatch I knit up on size 13 needles.  I love the looser knit look but I'm sure it will bloom and full up once it's washed in a warm Eucalan bath... but I'm getting ahead of myself.  I'm excited to improvise a bottom up sweater from the finished spun yarn (my mom is going to teach me how to improvise a pattern).  It will be supremely satisfying to see the whole process through, from the beautiful roving to the finished garment.

- Amanda

Goldenrod Part II

Before I left for Iceland I was able to finish knitting a short shrug cardigan using my handspun goldenrod dyed yarn!  It was an extremely fast knit that I would recommend. I used the Kaya Cropped Shrug pattern in small.  If I use this pattern again I will definitely size up to medium or large to get a more boxy fit.  Unfortunately I wasn't sure if I had enough yarn this time so I went with the small.  I still like it a lot but it's...fitted haha.

Currently still organizing my ICELAND photos so I will post those very soon... what an amazing trip.

PS: I was finally able to upload photos of all the sweaters my mom has knit over the years (and even a few of mine). Check them out on our ravelry profile: muslinmezzotint

-Amanda

#WIP Stopover

Amanda just returned from camping (!) in Iceland.  She brought back a ton of photos and experiences which she will share shortly.  For now I wanted to share the super Lettlopi yarn that she brought back for me to make Mary Jane Mucklestone's brilliant Stopover pullover.  I am about seven months late to the famous Mason Dixon Stopover KAL marathon where hoards of great knitters "banged" out hundreds of Stopovers" in every color combination imaginable.  I was still working then and still relatively new to the Ravelry phenomenon so my head was not in the right place.  Thanks to Amanda I can finally make my first Stopover - and with hand delivered Lettlopi!  How cool is that?

So despite the fact that I am in the midst of about four WIP (I am finally using Ravelry-speak), I cast on for Stopover yesterday and ended the day having completed six inches.  The stuff practically flies off the needles!  Maybe I can finish by this weekend.

-Chee Mee

Goldenrod Part I

Time to naturally dye that hand spun yarn I mentioned last post!  Goldenrod flowers were gathered from the front yard.  According to Jenny Dean  and her book Wild Color, the ratio of flowers to wool should be .5:1 or 1:1 for a stronger color.  I probably used .75:1 and mordanted with 8% alum sulfate and 7% cream of tartar for an hour.  Meanwhile I simmered the flowers in water for an hour and then strained the liquid. Then I added the mordanted fiber to the dye liquor and simmered that for an hour, then let it sit overnight, rinsed, then air dried.

As you can tell, it's a lot of work but it's really worth it to gather or grow your own dyestuffs. It's kind of like the farm to table food movement... but for knitting. I'm currently trying to grow marigolds and coreopsis as well. Coming up: photos of the finished knit goldenrod sweater!

-Amanda

You spin me right round

This is a long overdue post.  About 2-3 weeks ago I learned how to spin yarn!  It was a great experience.  It was a two days (beginner on saturday, beginner advanced on sunday) 6 hours each of just spinning wool, so fun!  Some people will probably ask why would you spin yarn when you can buy it super cheap online. Well, it's more about connecting with the material and the process.  It's a form of slow fashion which will hopefully make me appreciate the work that goes into a garment and it's impact on the environment and my lifestyle.  Plus it's very fun to see something evolve from the raw material into a finished garment.  Next step if I get ambitious will be to source local fleece from a New York state or USA small farmer. But I'm probably getting ahead of myself.

It was also very cool to learn about different types of spinning and different types of wool.  For example did you know that there are two main styles of spinning: woolen, which is more lofty (good for socks and any garment needed for insulation) versus worsted (not to be confused with the yarn weight, the more dense spin).

Update: I bought myself a spinning wheel so look forward to lots of pictures of handspun, naturally dyed yarn. While I learned on a Louet S51 I actually decided to buy the Lendrum folding wheel because of its portability.  Also my teacher said that it was a great wheel that you could grow with and that it would "do everything you need it to do" which seems like the greatest endorsement.  And it was her personal wheel of choice so there's that.  I've loved the Lendrum so far (canadian made) and have spun enough yarn for another short cardi in corriedale which I just naturally dyed last week (a post on that process soon) as well as a skein for a hat.  All is well in spinning and knitting land.

-Amanda

Mirasol Sulka Cardigan

Unlike my mom who is a pro-knitter, I'm more on the beginner to intermediate level.  I tend to scour Ravelry with the keywords "bulky" and "free" to get inspiration.  I'm always on the look out for relatively quick knits because I fear I may become bored in the middle of a larger project and then never finish.

So the Mirasol Sulky Cardigan pattern was perfect for me. It's a cute cropped cardigan worked flat in double moss pattern (which I previously had not tried but now love).  The overall texture is great and I would definitely make this pattern again in many colors.  I used Malabrigo Mecha in Arapey colorway (reminds me of mermaids swimming in the sea) which I bought at Webs in Northampton, MA (aka best yarn store) while visiting my friends Hannah and Chris. I needed 4 skeins at 130 yards each and I had about a 1/5 skein left over.  If I make this sweater again I would buy 5 skeins and lengthen the pattern to make a full length regular size cardigan. I just finished knitting and sewing up the seams so all that's left is to pick the 6 buttons needed. Hooray! Can't wait to wear this one in the fall over dresses.

Cost: 4 skeins Malabrigo Mecha $48


-Amanda