martinimade

I've made a few Vintage Velvet scarves, all of which went to other people. When I noticed that Jimmy Beans Wool had Muench Touch Me on super-duper sale, I decided to make one for me. Finally.

(The Teen served as a model. She was unwilling. So it goes.)

I love, love, love this yarn because it's buttery soft and, given the wool core, can be machine washed, which tightens it up a bit. It will really come alive once it has been worn a few billion times and fluffs back up again. 

For now, though, it goes into the "pull it out in the fall" bin. Although, given how cool and damp this summer has been so far ....

Just in time for the summer swelter, I finished my Fiddlehead Mittens. They were great fun to knit and I'll likely whip up another pair some day.

(Actually, I finished them about a month ago. I just got around to taking a picture and putting them in the winter gear storage box.)

The yarn is from Foxfire Fiber and I picked it up in January in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. As one does.

The lining is a peachy pink color that refuses to photograph well. 

As for what's on the needles now -- I just finished a scarf, whose picture I'll take sooner rather than later. I also have two socks-in-progress but I don't really like either of them and am finishing out of a sense of duty. There are a couple of projects currently on the time-out shelf that may be due for a re-visit. Other than that, though, I've got nothing. What should I knit next?

In other news, HRH Lucy would like to say "Hello."

This winter has seen the death of two pairs of gloves. Two. Feh, I say.

I picked up a fiddlehead mitten kit from Barbara Parry when I was at the Slater Mill Knitting Weekend. I'll never get them done in time to use this winter, I thought to myself, because soon we'll be past the worst of the weather.

Today I blocked the outer shells:

I'll still need to knit the liners. Surely the winter weather will be done by the time I get that part done. Please say yes.

This photo, taken yesterday, might help you with your prediction.

I have been working on a linen stitch scarf for what feels like ten or 11 years.* It is done.

And the twisted fringe, which I spent most of the Superbowl working on.

I love how twisted fringe looks; I find making it beyond tedious. Still! Done. And satisfying.**

I love the subtle tones that developed. The kit is from Churchmouse Yarns on Bainbridge Island, which we visited summer before last when we visited Scott's sister in Seattle. The colors kind of remind me of that day, which was a lovely if oddly fraught one. I'm totally ready to go back, though. 

This is one of those few projects that I knew where it was going before I finished it. And since the recipient reads the blog .... well. Maybe I'll get her to take a picture after it is delivered.

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* Six months. Just one of those projects that feels like it will. never. end.

** Snow makes a good background, I guess. We certainly have enough of it. 

Because I was intrigued when my friend Terri posted her version, I whipped up a little bracelet from a tasty yarn sample (Titus 4ply from Eden Cottage in Slate) tucked into our treat bags at the last Knitter's Review Retreat. 

Cute, right? Not sure I'd make another one -- it's more fiddly than I'd like -- but it's cute. And the yarn is tres soft. The pattern is here but modified for a bracelet, not a necklace, which I can't seem to find online.

My wrist did more than model bracelets this weekend. It was also collateral damage in another project.

The Tween crossed another milestone off of her list this weekend and dyed her hair, as you do when you are a Tween. Rite of passage. 

The photo makes it look more subtle than it is. But we have learned a few things for next time. I'll keep you posted.

I've been meaning to recap my trip to Pawtucket for the Slater Mill Knitting Weekend, where I was Friday night's keynote speaker -- but keep getting distracted by shiny things and children (and a job) with demands. As one does.

So -- the short version: it was lovely. The Slater Mill audience laughed in all the right places and asked questions that were full of insight. Afterwards, many of the assembled knitters had such kind words for me that I will now insist that all places I speak have free-flowing wine before, during, and after the event.*

Then, I crashed into my Comfort Inn bed like a mighty writer who crashes after the event. 

The Mill by daylight could not be more scenic.

The yellowish building is the main building. And what you can't tell is that those picturesque ducks are likely frozen to the river. There is no cold like a New England cold, which made itself known over the weekend.

So many lovelies, some of which I took home. Like this Fiddlehead mitten kit from Foxfire:

And this scarf in potentia from my new favorite Quebecois dyer Julie Asselin:

The picture doesn't even come close to doing the colors justice. 

All in all, a great weekend. My heartfelt thanks go to organizers (and generally kick-ass women) Mary Lee Partington, Ruth Sunn, and Lori Urso for all of their enthusiasm and smarts. If you're in the area, drop in. Slater Mill is a wonder for anyone with even the slightest interest in how fabric used to be made.

Other recaps (with better pictures) are here and here, btw.

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* I read this piece about Elizabeth Zimmermann and selected parts of Sweater Quest. For those at the event, a picture of my grandmother and her mother:

As I do most years around this time, I spent the weekend at the Knitter's Review Retreat in lovely Canandaigua.*

In addition to fun with yarn, 

there was dessert at every meal.

`

Totes adorbs bunnies (or, really, bunny heads) were made.

As were hats:

Best running buddy Lisa and I worked a run in:

 And I might have found myself doing yarn-related Zumba:

{PICTURE UNAVAILABLE}

All in all, an amazingly fun time, as it always is. 

Until next year ....

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* The Tween told people I was going to Canada. Which is close, really, but not quite accurate.

Last February, I had a quandary. It only took eight months to solve it. 

This is the Thundercloud cowl, made out of a skein of Plucky Knitter cashmere I won at the last KR Retreat.

I'm pleased with the way it turned out. There are beads in there but they can be hard to see, which is what I wanted. I didn't do the edging because a) too many beads in it for my taste and b) I ran out of yarn.

You can see them better in this blocking shot. I'm always amazed at how much better knitting looks once it has had a good blocking. 

Lucy, because she is so helpful, supervised the pinning from her perch on the couch. 

Still working on the Top Sekrit project. Here's where it stands:

Yes, they are fraternal rather than identical twins. 

My general approach to basic sock knitting is to not worry about how long any given sock takes me, because it's the knitting I pick up to pass the time in otherwise tedious situations. This pair might have taken a year or so, which means I managed to keep myself out of tedious situations, mostly, which is a win no matter how you look at it. 

If memory serves, which is a total crapshoot because the ball band has gone on walkabout, this is one of the Kaffe Fassett sock yarns. Maybe anthracite? Or not? 

They are already in the sock drawer, ready for the winter. Because in Upstate New York, winter is always coming.