October, 2009
The Story of 2 Shawls ...
October was the month of the shawl. I completed the French Scarf knit in beautiful mohair yarn and the Ishbel knit in Knitpicks Essential Sock Wool.
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SAFF - Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair in Asheville, NC
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The Fiber Fair was waaaaaaay cooool! There were thousands of people at the fair today...including some of us "Ravelers." It was fun recognizing each other in the crowd by the hand made items we were wearing. I spotted 2 "Ishbel" shawls which gave me a chance to introduce myself to their owners and talk about raveling news and the latest patterns and techniques. My felted entrelac tote designed by KnitPicks precipitated many comments. And YES ... I'm a fiber nerd.
The first picture above is the booth for "Miss Babs." Imagine my embarrasment for thinking I would have trouble finding her booth. She was the queen of the vendors. I have not seen that much merchandise in most free standing stores! It was the biggest display of hand dyed yarn and roving I have ever seen. Miss Babs' sister, I'm sorry to say I have forgotten her name, took the time to teach me how to hand wind a center pull ball. Yes, I know everybody else already knows this, but I'm a little slow on the uptake. I purchased a pattern, "Choix Entrelac Socks" and bought 3 mini skeins and 400 yards of hand dyed Superwash Merino for the entrelac.
I was particularly interested in finding the "Clay Cat." I originally found Sue Dial, the owner and artist, by searching Ravelry for Western North Carolina artists. She has an etsy site and is just getting started, I think. So, here is a great big plug for Sue Dial! Her button designs are so unique and colorful. I think I'm going to cut the buttons off several outfits and replace them with her designs.
http://harvestmoonhandspun.etsy.com
She makes buttons, shawl pins, stitch markers and jewelry out of polymer clay. Of course, I had to buy some earrings and stitch markers. It was the only polite thing to do.
One other thing of note was the triangle shawl loom. It is such a simple contraption! I think I'm going to talk to my brother about the possibility of making one. Pictures of the looms are seen above.
Among the animals, I could only get close to the little angora bunnies. They are so pretty.
And...finally...what I actually went to the fair to find...a special yarn to make my second "Ishbel" shawl.
Vendor: Just Our Yarn
For this pattern, I purchased 1000 yards of laceweight, hand dyed and hand spun tencel. It is so luxurious and shiny.
Click on the picture to get a better view. This stuff is gorgeous. I plan on wearing the shawl with a solid black pantsuit.
This yarn can be purchased at www.justouryarn.com.
September, 2009 Sockdown at Ravelry.com
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Finished Objects ...
