SVFF:The Stuff

Did you guess that I brought home a sweater kit? I did. Everywhere I went I saw the Soldotna Crop sweater on display. It was $100. Yes, $100. I NEVER spend that much for anything yarn related but I did on Saturday. I still blame the heat.

 I was standing in line to pay for some fiber thinking I might faint when these kits caught my eye and the next thing you know I was putting one up on the register. Golly. I'm still in shock.

I was standing in line to pay for this fiber when I lost my mind. If you're thinking that this is not the prettiest fiber I've ever seen I'm going to agree with you but let me explain.

It was a special colorway for the festival. It's the Streets of Laredo and the vendor was donating part of the proceeds to RAICES the non-profit legal aid organization for folks caught up in the mess at the border. I've been to Laredo and seen the issues firsthand so I've been donating to them anyway making this a win win. I'll tuck the crazy stuff away until next's year Tour and then figure out something to do with it.

I always stop in at Wild Hare booth if I'm looking for something bright and beautiful. I wasn't disappointed. This is the Autumn colorway in Falklands-a fiber I've never spun. It'll be up next on the Ladybug as soon as I get all that green finished.

Isn't this pretty? I always try to buy something from a new-to-me vendor. This year it was Kim Dyes. I loved her soft pastels. This is some Polwarth/Silk in the Pressed Petals colorway. It will perfect for a spring spin.

Finally, here is my one lone skein of sock yarn. It's also from Wild Hare and it's superwash Merino in the November colorway. My sock yarn bin runneth over so I made an extra effort to control myself. It was hard to do. The place was full of pretty.

 This is the part of the SVFF post where I usually show off all the beautiful locally grown produce that I pick up every year at Nall's on the way home but alas, it must not have been a good year. There was little to choose from. I picked up a few apples out of a bin but they are not very photogenic.

The produce was a bust but the pumpkins were spectacular this year. People were carting them out by the wagon load. It's too hot for pumpkins right now. If I sat one outside I would have pumpkin pie. They say it might cool down by Friday. I sure hope so....I've got soap to mail. It's packed. It's ready. Mother Nature is just taking her sweet time bringing on the fall. Sigh......

SVFF 2019

 Doesn't this make you happy?

This is where I was yesterday and I was so happy to be there.

 It's been ages since I've been to a fiber fest and I was giddy at the sight of all this fuzzy beauty.

 I wanted it all and I mean ALL.

 My knitting and spinning mojo has been off the charts this week so it was hard to control myself.

I did however walk right past the fleeces. Ever since they stopped letting you feel them I haven't been interested. If I can't bond with a big bag of dirty fiber it's not coming home with me.

I had to tear myself away from the baskets. I wanted one in every color.

 I am going to show you what I brought home tomorrow but here's a hint.

And another.....

 ....and one more. Something was sending me a message and I ended up doing something I NEVER do. I blame it on the heat. It was 90 degrees and miserable inside all the little booths. I only lasted about a half an hour before I packed it in and went home. I did a lot of damage in those 30 minutes though. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.

Saturday Spinning

 I haven't forgotten about my unfinished TdF spinning but after all the frenzy of the Tour I usually take a break from fiber in August. I'm heading out this morning to the SVFF so I had to kick myself in gear this week to clean up the old fiber to make way for some new-hopefully.

I have this much more of the fiber I started spinning in July to finish and then that will finally be a done deal.

 I should get another small skein from Dirty Nora.

 This will be the fourth ounce in the gradient green skeins I've been working on. I've got one more to go.

 I'm hoping to get enough for a pair of socks out of Trinidad, the California Red. I still have plenty of washed fiber of hers to card so I should have a pair of socks worth in there somewhere. I hope.

Diving In

 There was only one way to get over my fear of machine quilting and that's to just do it. That table runner wasn't going to quilt itself no matter how much I wished it would.

 The stencil gave me the confidence to know where I was going. I've had to fudge it here and there but it's not too terrible. I'm working on one small section a day and so far, so good.

 Even better, I've got four, yes FOUR of the center Dresden blocks machine quilted petals and all.  I haven't exactly made friends with the Juki but at least we are on speaking terms these days. Whew.

This week I've also managed to finish three more blocks for the sunflower quilt. Jeannie, you better sit down because I'm getting ready to say that I'm packing it up until next spring. I just can't work on projects out of season. If I wasn't afraid of angering the machine quilting gods the Dresden would be packed up too. It's too springy for me right now. I need fall colors.

This is what I'm itching to get to. I started it last fall with some autumn batiks and packed it away in December. Now it's an old friend that I am happy to see again-I just have to make some space for it. My tiny sewing nook is getting mighty crowded.

Finally, here's a kitty for Friday Felines. Emi is helping Daughter do the laundry. All together now......
Awwwwwww.

Silvia Squirrel

I liked those vinyl bags so much for my embroidery projects that I bought a set for my rug hooking WIPs. 

They are big enough for the canvas, the pattern and the wool. It's nice having everything in one place.

 I packed up Rainbow Kitty until next summer and went looking for something fallish. I am not ready to pull out the pumpkin for Halloween yet but I wanted to use some of my pretty fall wool so I went looking through the stash and found.....

 .....Silvia Squirrel. I don't remember when I bought her but I am glad I did.

 I had a happy afternoon making her strips.

 Hello Silvia! I'll work on her until we get into to October. Then it will be time to show Mr. Pumpkin some love. It would be nice to think I could finish him this year but I doubt it.

That's a lot of background to hook.

Big Needle Wednesday: Unraveled

 When I spent the night with Daughter on Friday I took along the hat I was making for her.

 She hated it. She liked the fit but hated how the colors of the Chroma were working with the yarn she had bought in Maine. One of her kitties kept me company early Saturday morning while I ripped it all out.

 Instead of the Chroma I'm just going to double up the wonky Maine yarn and instead of seed stitch I am using garter for the brim. Let's hope the second time is the charm.

Since she wanted the hat for her trip to Iceland I thought I would surprise her with another hat in an authentic Icelandic pattern. This is Mosi by Helene Magnusson the author of Icelandic Handknits. If she hates this one I am NOT ripping it out. I'm keeping it.

 I've also got an FO to show off. My latest Wandering Cat socks are done. Thanks again Valerie, they really were a treat to knit.

They've taken their place in the gift pile or the maybe not gift pile. I'm trying to decide which pair I will keep for myself.

As you can see I don't need anymore socks so I am only allowing myself one new pair a year. One in. One out. Now how to decide who has to go to make room in the sock drawer? They're like family to me.

TNT: Something New

 This is as far as my little shepherdess is going. I'm packing the sheep breed sampler away until next spring. All that green grass and blue sky is not doing it for me right now.

 I've got a fall sampler that's calling my name but......

...look what just showed up in the mail. When I was at Daughter's for my nine day stay several Floss Tubers were showing this project off and I had to have it. It's a little kitty pin cushion and I LOVE it. It's called Button Eyed Cat and I found the pattern at 123Stitch.

In other little needle news, I've got one more Dear Jane finished.

 So far I've got 33 crazy Jane blocks done.

Number 34 is in the works. It's a pretty simple one. Thank goodness.