Dknitting’s Blog

Day 2 – September 2, 2009

Miles driven – 46.7 Time on road – 9am to 3:30pm with two store stops

Start/Stop points – Best Western Waterbury, VT

Number of coffee shop stops – 0

Music listened to – various NPR channels

Worst part of drive – detour for 100N in Morrisville, VT

Best part of drive – small signs on the road – One small farm had a sign – Haircuts $15. A lot of farms/homes had items out on the front long with a For Sale sign on them – everything from a makeshift veggie stand to an old Caddie all shined up

The day began around 6am with some knitting time between shower/breakfast and heading out. I worked on a sock using Waikiwi from Naturally New Zealand Yarns/Fiber Trends and then started a pair of glovelets with my own hand spun yarn. I always have a small project like this with me so I can work on them during shop visits when the store owner has to help a customer. Most of the store owners are happy to see that I am a knitter and that I do not mind the interruption. The last thing I would want to do is make a store owner or their customers feel awkward about carrying on their business when I am in a store.

Today my travels centered around Stowe, VT. Fifteen years ago, I would come to Stowe twice a year to take part in craft shows that were held here in the summer and fall. Stowe has always been a favorite place with its natural beauty, plenty of walking trails and people who are very knowledgeable regarding the weather. Snow is very important up here and everybody has an opinion as to how much we will get this winter.

Carla, one of the co-owners of Stowe Fabric & Yarn, 82 Park St. in Stowe, pointed out that the great number of forest fires in the world this summer could cause a greater amount of snow. Evidently, the ash from those fires would serve as fodder for the white fluffy stuff and what goes up has to come down. Fortunately for their customers, Carla and Kristy ordered some yarns with kid mohair in them from Great Adirondack Yarn.

My second visit of the day consisted of a drive by to The Bailey House in Morrisville, VT. However, that store’s offering of yarn has greatly diminished since my last visit. This store is primarily a garden center with a small corner devoted to yarn. The owner is also an eye doctor with offices on the property. One really great thing about the people in Vermont is that they put their buildings and properties to as many good uses as possible, and then some.

The rest of the work day consisted of calling/emailing stores to make future appointments and follow up on shipping problems, etc. I try to use email as much as possible since the stores are getting busier now and I don’t want to pull a store owner away from a customer. That is the tricky part, trying to figure out the best time to reach a store owner. I applaud the reps who went before me and performed this work without the benefit of fact filled store blogs, gps devices, cell phones and what we now consider the most basic of technological tools.

Dinner was again at the Cider House BBQ & Pub. However, the Seitan Picata was not ready yet. Evidently, that will be the Seitan special for the upcoming long weekend.  But, the black bean burger was just as great and I highly recommend it. I knit a little bit more while watching Federer sail through to the third round at the Open. Serena was halfway through when it was lights out.

Tomorrow – St. Johnsbury, VT and then home.

Great Adirondack Yarn, knitting, spinning

In an attempt to get back into blogging I decided to write about being on the road as a yarn rep and being a fiberholic for the next 30 days. While driving through Vermont yesterday I tried to think of some catchy name for this series – Repolution #9, Traveling with the Raveling Rep, etc. Nothing really worked except a kiss name – September with a Yarn Rep. Right now the photos for this post are trapped in my blackberry pearl until I get the right cable to upload the images. If only the blackberry had an underbar character so I could log into my flickr account!

This may not be the most exciting of blogs. But, it will serve to get me back into writing and possibly look at my work a little differently.

Day 1 – September 1, 2009

Miles driven – 266.7 Time on road – 8:30am to 3:30pm with two store stops

Start/Stop points – Great Adirondack Yarn Studio Amsterdam, NY/Best Western Waterbury, VT

Number of coffee shop stops – 2

Music listened to – Essential Heart, Stevie Nicks Soundstages recordings, various NPR channels

Worst part of drive – being stuck behind trucks on VT 103 & 7N

Best part of drive – being the only car along 17n between New Haven and Waitsfield VT. That road was a lot of fun driving with all the twisting turns and views. Although it must be horrible during the snowy winters.

One frustrating thing about driving so much in this job is that I get such great ideas for knitting projects, my etsy site, etc. while in the car. However, I can’t really stop and write them down and I surely can’t get started on them until I get home. For this trip, that won’t be until Thursday night.

I started the day (6:30 am) at the studio/home of Great Adirondack Yarn. The previous night Patti & I came up with some new designs to submit to Knit ‘n Style for spring while Patti did battle with a very messy cone of Holo Hoops yarn. I will knit a slouchy sweatshirt style sweater using ChaCha.

My day started with leaving Amsterdam, NY and heading first to Not Just Yarn in Brattleboro, VT to pick up the rest of my handspun yarn that I had left there on consignment months ago. The store has both knitting/crocheting supplies as well as those for needlepoint. Susan had sold 10 skeins of my yarn during that time. Now I have both some stock to sell from my car and a check!

Next stop was Knits & Bolts in New Haven, VT. Half of this store is devoted to quilting and fabrics. However, the yarn side does have taller displays filled with colorful yarns. I do know that the store will be getting some new colors in of Tofutsies from Southwest Trading Company soon.

From there I headed up to Waterbury and my hotel. This summer I decided to go as vegan as possible. That is a lot easier to do at home and definitely a challenge on the road. However, I did find a great restaurant in Waterbury where vegetarians are catered to and vegans warned about foods that may contain eggs, etc. – The Cider House BBQ & Pub on route 2. Their food was great and I am going back there again tonight. It turns out that the chef is a vegetarian and a knitter as well. She asked me about my sweater and area yarn stores and I complimented her on the great BBQ Seitan that I had for dinner.

After a long day driving I really didn’t have much energy for knitting. Instead I pulled out the needlepoint and stitched while I watched and made sure the Maria won her opening match at the US Open. I started to watch Andy Murray sail through round 1. But, my eyes were just too tired and begged for lights out.

Tomorrow – Stowe awaits.

Great Adirondack Yarn, Needlepoint, US Open, knitting, spinning

This hat was born from my watching too many shows on the finance channels. Many of the pundits were offering 5 ideas to get us through the current crisis. Well, this hat is my answer to them.
There is plenty of warmth and color to this hat. The hat starts with a thick rolled brim and is topped with a 5 point striped area and a couple of squiggles tied into a knot. Most of the yarn in this hat was dyed and spun by myself. The hat was hand knit and then fulled (slightly felted). Materials – wool, alpaca, mohair, some metallics and synthetic yarns may have made their way in.

Now, I am off to knit a couple of strips to finish off a throw for the living room. It is amazing how quickly the weather has cooled down!!

dyeing, hats, knitting, spinning

Over the past few weeks I have been to two celebrations of fiber, Stitches and Rhinebeck. My favorite was Rhinebeck since I was able to meet some of the actual producers like Macho Man the alpaca. Now, a week after Rhinebeck, I have finally gotten back into the swing of things. My yarn companies are starting to get their spring lines to me and I am using these last few days off of the road to get some spinning and car organizing in. The mound of blue/green fiber here is going to be Curly Blueberry when finished.

Plus, there is my new addiction of ravelry. Since I was working at the Great Adirondack booth at the sheep & wool I wasn’t able to make either of the meetups. I really wish I could have gotten one of those buttons!

I am also now a member of the Tortoise club, which is a sub-set of the Secret of the Stole group. Unlike MS3, where I was right up to date, I am just now nearing the end of clue #1. thanks to holidays coming up, I am sure that I will have the stole done in time for New Year’s, or there abouts. Well, back I go to wheel.

Rhinebeck, Secret of the Stole, ravelry, spinning

This past week I have been busy doing some last good weather dyeing and fleece washing. My goal of finishing the batch of Curly Heat Wave didn’t happen until yesterday afternoon. But, last evening I started spinning up some BFL in burnt orange, nutmeg, etc. I will ply it with some alpaca dyed in light nutmeg and with these mohair curls worked in.

It seems I have started working on this just in time as today is the first cool day here in MA in a while. Perhaps fall has finally landed in New England. The leaves are starting to cool and the peepers have gone silent. Since I will be in Baltimore for Stitches much of this week, I will miss out on some of the early days of leave changing around here. However, I will have the joy of driving through the colors on my way to Rhinebeck the following week. A couple of years ago that was an incredible drive as the whole area was in a misty fog. The brilliant leaf colors shown through just as you passed them. May everybody have the change to enjoy some of the beauty that is the changing of the season this fall.

Rhinebeck, Stitches East, fall colors, spinning

Today I am working on the Silk Chevron Shawl to get it ready for Stitches East. It is being made with Silk Twist from Great Adirondack Yarn Co. As you can see from the photo, I really have to haul out the speed knitting skills in order to finish. fortunately. a chevron pattern is easy to get into once you get going. The only thing I don’t like is that I have to do it on circs – not my needle of choice.

I have also kept up with my dyeing and fleece washing during these days of far too beautiful weather that we have had here in New England. The image above is of some yarn that is currently coming off of the wheel. That should be finished this weekend and then I will start another batch on Sunday.

I have also decided that I am going to make my Secret Stole out of Trendsetter’s Cash Wool in a nice dark gray. That color will be perfect for me to use and wear. Plus, the beads that are left over from the Mystery Stole will work perfectly.

Great Adirondack Yarn, Secret Stole, Silk Twist, silk chevron shawl, spinning

Yesterday evening I received my invite to join Beta Ravelry. My id there is dknitting. I woke up early this morning thinking about how I was going to build my account their. I had already heard that Ravelling (if that is a word) could be addictive. We will see what happens this weekend.

Last week I travelled out to northern New York to visit my friend Patti at Great Adirondack Yarn Co. It may be a little fuzzy, but the view was beautiful this early morning. No wonder she always comes up with those great colors.

I also finished up spinning some yarn and have started on another batch. These next few days I am exploiting the last hot days of the season by dyeing more wool, washing/drying fleeces and other sundry fiber activities. When it is nice and dry like this, wool takes no time at all to dry.

Everyone enjoy the last full day of summer.

Great Adirondack Yarn, dyeing, fleeces, ravelry, spinning

Well, I was busy this past Labor Day Weekend with spinning, dyeing and knitting. I made headway on two knitting and two needlepoint projects as well as finished the Mericash sweater. that yarn is a dream to work with – 20% cashmere and the rest an extrafine merino. Pattern for this little sweater is available from Punta del Este Yarns.

Spinning and dyeing wise – I finished the Spicy Cantaloupe yarn and started spinning another batch as yet unnamed – blues, lavender, greens, etc. Yesterday I dyed two pans of blue faced leicester – one in reds/oranges and the other dark/med blues and purples with lime green. This evening I will continue with the spinning as I watch both the US Open Women’s quarterfinal and the a couple of other things. I love it when my dh is not around so I can easily switch between programs during the commercials!

US Open, dyeing, knitting, spinning

You know that you live in a small place when the only place you can lay out your blocked stole is on your car! I must have a thing for green as you can see from the photo.

I loved working on this stole and will gladly do another lace project. Since the fiber is so fine, it is perfect for summer early morning knitting. People will have a chance to see my stole at both Stitches East and Rhinebeck this fall. It will either be displayed or draped over my shoulders while I am at the Great Adirondack Yarn Co. booth at both events.

Although I haven’t posted in a while, I have been busy. This morning I started test knitting a little cotton jacket using a new pattern from Glampyre Knits called “Petal”. I have had some multi colored Cotton 100 yarn knocking around which I had over dyed in a muted teal. It should work perfectly for this jacket. I have also finished spinning the chestnut colored alpaca as well as 6 skeins of what I call Frosted Leaves. Now I am working on some Spicy Cantaloupe while I watch the US Open.

Glampyre Knits, Mystery Stole 3, US Open, knitting, spinning

I have been busy working on Clues 4 & 5 of MS3 – now the Swan Lake Shawl. Now, I understand why the designer suggested black or white for the yarn colors. However, my colorway of Pheasant definitely has a bird theme and has woodsy overtone to it which reminds me of the woods where much of the ballet takes place.

It is also very appropriate that a project with this theme is my first foray into lace knitting. My paternal grandmother was a ballerina in Russia and Latvia in the 20’s and she danced in many productions of Swan Lake.

On the other creative front, I have finished spinning the Purple Haze fiber (image to far right) and also finished knitting a sock. Now, I am spinning some fawn colored alpaca into a dk weight yarn (image to immediate right). With the heat and humidity that we have had in MA these past few days, lace knitting, spinning and needlepoint are the only things that I have felt like working on.

I have been thinking more about the idea of a Needlepoint Olympics during next year’s summer event airing from China – if the air is clean enough for the athletes. There are so many beautiful Oriental canvases out there to choose from that would be appropriate for the event. Or course, dragons come to mind first. I realize that next year is not one of the dragon. But, I have a magnificent magical looking dragon canvas painted in various tones of red that just might do the trick. Although, considering the size of the canvas, it may be too large to stitch during that short a time frame and still be able to work and sleep. But, I will still keep knocking the idea around.

Knitting Olympics, MS3, Mystery Stole 3, knitting, spinning