Fiber Factor Challenge 1 Judging Preview

The Judging Preview is up! The Judging Preview is up!

The Fiber Factor

The full results are going up tomorrow (Monday) at 6 PM Central Time. I don’t know how I can be expected to work and exist until then.

I can’t wait to see the other designs closer. John Ravet has just been talking in the Forums about the incredibly thoughtful construction of his piece, and I know that Steve May’s vest has some colorwork patterning on the back we haven’t been able to see yet. I want to see the neckline on Talitha’s pullover more closely and know what Queenie’s lace patterns all mean. And I want to see Lauren’s dress in closeup!

I cannot wait until the full episode goes up on Monday night!

Junkyard Dogs

It’s full winter in Absaroka County and the denizens of Durant are getting restless after being snowbound for so long. One thing I love about Longmire is that events have consequences – in this book Walt is dealing with physical injuries sustained during previous Great Feats of Physical Heroism, Vic is dealing with Walt, and Saizarbitoria is not dealing with his own mortality.

Walt is trying to help Saizarbitoria with that, so when a thumb turns up in a cooler at the dump, even though it’s claimed a short while later, he puts Saizarbitoria on The Case of the Missing Thumb. (Maybe since they have the thumb it should be called The Case of the Missing Person-Without-A-Thumb?)

In the meantime, Walt is investigating the death of the man who found the thumb, the previously unkillable Geo who runs the junkyard. Along the way he finds a geriatric love affair, an escaped prisoner, some vey cranky junkyard dogs, and the perfect Valentine’s present for Vic.

This was another solid Walt adventure. Like all of the women in Walt’s life, I could have done with a little more Henry Standing Bear, but it was a great complex coincidental mystery with my favorite Sheriff’s Department investigating. I read the whole thing in about two days, even though I was on deadline for work, because I just couldn’t put it down.

Fiber Factor Challenge 1 Video 2

My progress video for Challenge 1 posted today! Take a look here – The Fiber Factor – for today and on this page – Progress – in the future!

Let me know if you have any questions about the design – I’m loving how short the lead time is on these, it’s so hard to design something you LOVE and then not be able to show anyone for months and months! In this case I only have to wait a few more days!

Maryland Sheep & Wool

It’s been an action-packed two weeks here in Virginia so far and there are still a few days to go before I’m Texas bound. Last weekend I finally fulfilled a many-years-long dream and went to Maryland Sheep & Wool!

I thought it was a really well run festival, and it was the perfect weekend for it – cold in the morning and towards evening, warm in the afternoon, bright and sunny all day long.

There were open spaces with tents for shade and people brought lawn chairs and blankets to just sit and knit and enjoy their friends.

There were barns and barns of fiber, yarn, tools, felting paraphernalia, and finished objects.

There was all kinds of Fair Food. I availed myself of the chocolate-dipped frozen yogurt, Lions pizza, and lemonade.

There were people wearing the most lovely knitted and crocheted goods – that’s one of the things I love most about Fiber Festivals – so many people dress to impress!

And of course there were the sheep and goats! More sheep than goats. This was my favorite sheep (I love her little black face) -

And this charmer was my mom’s favorite -

She thinks he looks like trouble.

There were a couple of vendors there I was particularly delighted to see – Golding, who made the BEAUTIFUL spindle my in-laws gave me (the Art Nouveau one) was there and I almost left with another Golding spindle (the Celtic Sheep one) – or a Lazy Kate. They make such wonderful and lovely tools it’s hard to walk away!

I was also delighted to see Into the Whirled – I first shopped with them at the New England Fiber Festival when we were living in Providence, and it was right after I’d started spinning. Chris, the dyer, was so kind and patient with me that she made me feel right at home and she steered me towards some lovely stuff. I ended up getting a braid of hers in an Alpaca/Merino/Silk blend, and I can’t wait to spin it – I’ve been a strict wool girl so far and I’m excited to branch out!

It’s also such a great color!

I also loved the fiber at Misty Mountain Farm and almost got another pink and green, but forbore and left instead with this beauty -

It’s Blue-Faced Leicester, and I love it.

I’m tempted to do both of these ply-on-the-fly on my Art Nouveau Golding, but I am signed up for a Wheel Spinning class when I get back to TX, so I may hold off a bit. I’m really excited about the class; Kennedy Berry, who does all of the photography for Hill Country Weavers, is teaching, and she’s the best.

All in all we had a great time at the Fair! I hope I’ll be back around for a future MDS&W – it was crazy fun and I saw so much that was beautiful and inspiring. I just get jazzed up being around Fiber people – I love us!

Achievement Unlocked: #19

Let the angels sing, for the most beautiful blanket in the world is finished and I have crossed another item off my 30×30 List!

19. Finish the Barn Raising Quilt.

Here it is drying in the backyard after a trip through the washing machine on gentle. It’s so incredibly heavy that I stretched out six clotheslines to drape it across so that all the weight wouldn’t hang in one place.

Barn Raising Quilt on Ravelry

In honesty, the blanket was finished several weeks ago, but I’ve had . . . kind of a lot going on. I am so glad I finally have the chance to show it off. Ever since I’ve finished it I’ve had to stop myself showing the mailman or any other person who comes to the door.

Stats:

80 Squares

16 different colors of Mediumweight Socks that Rock

  1. Froggin’
  2. Seedy Weeds
  3. Rocktober
  4. Strange Brew
  5. Jonagold
  6. Vine Maple
  7. River Rocked
  8. The Witching Hour
  9. Black Magic
  10. Ghoulash
  11. Fall “On Tap”
  12. Cornicopious
  13. Gail’s Autumn Joy
  14. Autumn
  15. Saffron Jungle
  16. ST-1

 
5 squares of each color

2 different colors of Lightweight Socks that Rock

  1. Rumplestiltskin (2 skeins)
  2. Rare Gem from Rhinebeck 2011

 
5 years of collecting yarn – gifts, purchases from BMFA, The Fold, and eagle-eye watching of Destashes

2 squares knit as swatches before proper knitting began

7 months start to finish, September 1, 2012 to April 1, 2013

6,106 stitches joined by Kitchener

1,548 live stitches picked up for garter stitch edging

You can’t even see the top row in this photo – the blanket is 8 squares by 10 squares – as it’s hanging over the other side of the fence. This is a huge beast. I tried to take a photo of it in my bedroom on the king bed, but it was too dark. It could almost be used as a coverlet for the entire bed, it’s just a smidge too small. If I’d done 10 squares by 12 squares it would have been a generous coverlet and it only (!) would have required 8 more skeins of yarn. What was I thinking!?

I am so beyond happy with it; it was very hard to leave it in Texas when I came home. In spite of its enormous weight I definitely considered packing it. It’s a good job I didn’t though; as it was I had to do the suitcase shuffle at baggage check.

I can’t even describe how soft the yarn became after washing. It’s really unaccountable. It’s warm and wooly, but so soft that it doesn’t feel wooly on your skin. I don’t know if I can describe it.

I’ve been coveting this quilt since before Knitalong even came out, and it’s everything I could have wanted. When I’m with it I sleep under it every night, and I have not yet (and will never) let the dogs near it. This one is MINE!

 

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