THE Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and New Friends
I FINALLY had the opportunity to attend The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this past weekend! I have been hoping to attend for years but because I lived “out west” it seemed there was always a reason I couldn’t get to it…I had to work (work always seems to get in the way of the more important stuff like knitting and spinning), the distance, etc..etc…but now that I live and hour or so away I firmly stated to anyone who would listen…”I don’t care if the President wants to come and visit me on May 5th and 6th…he will have to meet me at The Howard County Fairgrounds.” And attend I did…I was there both days from open to close and may I say IT WAS SPECTACULAR! It so completely exceeded any expectations I could have imagined. I have been to numerous arts and crafts shows, as well as state and county fairs over the years but this was the cream of the cream of the crop. I don’t know why I am so surprised though…in reading through the fair website before I went it does state that this festival is the premier festival of its kind in the world. For me it was the combination of all of the sheep and the many, many, many wool related vendors all in the same place. I recently purchased The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius and have been devouring the information on all of the breeds of sheep, goats, musk ox, bison and other furry creatures and it was such a treat to see some of the more rare breeds of sheep that I’ve been reading about. I also made some fun purchases. I’ve been wanting to try some different types of projects so I purchased a silk hankie (I really don’t know how to spin it yet but it will be fun researching and watching some you tube videos), some bamboo, wool and tencel roving which has beautiful pinks, blacks and greys (pictures to come), a flower kit with mohair and a boucle yarn, and some angora fiber from “Sharon” the angora bunny (who was at the show allowing her people mom to hold her and pluck some fiber for spinning demonstrations). I can’t wait to try out all this fun stuff and I will definitely be counting down the days until next years festival.
Tonight hubby and I were sitting in our now local Barnes and Noble cafe and there were 2 women sitting next to us who appeared to be knitting. I’m certain I was making them uncomfortable with my staring so I finally blurted out “it looked like you were knitting so I had to find out” (like I couldn’t have just politely asked them). Then someone else came over to the table and asked them about their projects and suddenly I heard the word ”alpaca.” Then I heard one of them ask “did you go to The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival?” When I heard no’s I immediately offered up “I did” (as if anyone was asking me). We then discovered the woman who had approached the table raised alpacas. Although we had only intended to stay at the bookstore for long enough to have coffee, of course now everything was out the window. We had an absolutely wonderful time chatting about her farm Nine Patch Alpacas, our farm, and everything other alpaca related subject you can imagine. Diane, the owner of the farm was so friendly and interesting to talk with and her daughter was a gem! We will definitely be planning a visit to their farm to chat again and get our alpaca fix!
UFO Progress
Slowly but surely (and I think it’s more slowly) I am making some UFO progress. I’ve been trying to get the 2nd sock done in the Colinette yarn. This yarn is really wonderful and if you haven’t tried it you should. It has just the right amount of stretch for socks and is great to work with. 
I’m about to turn the heel and I’ve been trying to carve out a few uninterrupted minutes to do this. I know from past sock experience that if I put it down in mid-heel and lose my place I might as well never have started.
At the same time (you can never have too many projects going on at once!) I’m making great strides on a pair of fingerless gloves for hubby. These actually have fingers that will be open on the ends so I guess they aren’t technically fingerless gloves but you get the idea. 
This is the first time I’ve made gloves and although they’re not hard to make, I have to say thank you to all the you tube videos I’ve watched to get from one finger to the next. (What did we ever do before you tube?) I’m making these out of Expresso’s yarn and I’m using size 2 DPN’s and one strand of yarn. I found the pattern on Ravelry and it was archived so it took quite awhile to load…I got a number of rows done on the socks while I was waiting…felt proud of my multi-tasking skills!
Now that I’m living on the east coast my calendar has big stars, arrows, highlights, you name it on the weekend of May 5-6. I am SO looking forward to attending the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival for the first time. Every year I would say…well maybe next year I can fly out there and go but this year I only live about an hour drive away so I will be thoroughly enjoying every second from the time the doors open until they kick me out! I’m sure I’ll be making some purchases as well! I feel like a kid at Christmas….I’m counting down the minutes!
It is FINALLY finished!!!!
WHEW! The Ivy Cap is finished and am I ever glad!! Even though it’s all one color and it’s knit in one piece I still found it to be one of the most challenging pieces I’ve ever knitted. I learned a lot along the way so I’m glad I stuck it out. Trust me, there were a number of times when frogging it didn’t even come to mind. I wanted to just open the front door and chuck it out and hope someone would run over it!
Even though it’s midway through January, I want to comment that I did make some New Years Resolutions before the clock struck twelve on December 31st. Oh yes, there were plenty of things I could have put on the list such as the need to lose weight, learn a foreign language, become a movie star etc, but I decided I should get realistic about my resolutions so for once I could look back and feel that it was a really productive year in terms of my knitting, spinning and weaving. I drank a significant amount of espresso, then went through my stash and took pictures of all of my UFO’s which includes knitting projects, a couple of crochet projects and lots of roving to be spun. As I’ve been job hunting I have realized the need to make some significant progress on my lack of knowledge of Excel, so I decided to make a spreadsheet listing all of my projects to be completed. I’ve also got columns to update my progress as I go along and the estimated completion time. Hubby found it somewhat amusing because he has been after me to make up some spreadsheets so I can practice but I think what he had in mind was getting the bills organized, not my craft projects. (I have a system that works for the bills it’s just that he says he can’t figure it out!)
I’m thrilled that the first item I can put on my new spreadsheet is the Ivy Cap! Now that we’re living where there is a definite winter, hubby is thinking the original Watch Cap may still need to be on my list. It’s a pretty simple pattern (I think I may have said that about the Ivy Cap) but I still figure I can knit it up rather quickly and not disrupt my UFO flow.
Off to the first project on my list-the Colinette socks……..
The best Christmas present ever!!
I’ve been meaning to post since the 1st and have had everything I wanted to say swirling around in my head but is seems I haven’t been able to find a spare minute.. As usual, lots of changes and chaos going on in my life…..I’m not complaining though! We have recently left Southern Utah and relocated to Pennsylvania for hubbys job. I am HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY (have I mentioned HAPPY) because I am now close to my family for the first time in about 20 years. If I didn’t think I would hurt myself I would do some cartwheels! We were able to go visit my dad the weekend after we got moved, then went again for Christmas and I was able to stay the week after Christmas to visit. We had such a great week, the sisters going shopping at the after Christmas sales and visiting some local crafty type shops we’ve been wanting to check out. My dad was the happy chauffeur and drove us from place to place so we could all yak nonstop. As we were out and about I found I had a really hard time realizing I only live a few hours away and I can come back as often as I want. In past visits I’ve always felt the need to race from place to place to get it all in before I had to get on a plane and not be able to come back again for 6 months. I’m sure I was starting to annoy my family with my constantly stating what a relief it was to be able to throw eveything in the car vs having to carefully pack for security at the airport, pay an arm and a leg for 1 checked bag and hope I can get everything smashed into it. (more…)
Progress, Progress!!!
The Ivy Cap is definitely looking like a cap! It was really hard to get good pictures (as it always is in the RV) but I think this one shows some good progress from the last pictures. 
I’m hoping to be able to add it to my FO’s soon! (Hubby would like that too so he could finally wear the darn thing!)
I’ve also been able to make some progress on the magic loop socks from the Colinette yarn my sister sent me awile back. I have to say I am very very pleased with the pattern and how it came out. It fits perfectly and hubby commented that it looks professionally made! (Sweet!)
On to sock 2 and finishing the Ivy Cap!
The Ivy Cap is starting to look like something….
I was ecstatic when I started taking pictures of my progress on the Ivy Cap that it is now actually resembling a driving cap. 
For me it has been a challenging pattern but I have learned a number of new stitches along the way so I can’t complain too much. 
I’ve actually been able to get some spinning done lately as well. I’ve been very happy with my progress into making thinner yarn. 
I like at least a 2 ply yarn so I’ll be anxious to see the result to see if I really can spin thinner. I bought this roving in Bozeman, MT at The Yarn Shop and Fiber Place while visiting my in-laws. I am always drawn to multi-colored roving (it’s that impressionist thing again I’m sure).
I’ve also been working some on what I call Moms Shawl.
When my mom passed away 2 years ago my sister who knits and I went through her projects and split them up. My mom used to carry this around with her when she knew she would have extra time in a waiting room. As knitting usually does, people would always ask her what she was making and she always cracked me up because she would say “I’m making a shawl to wear whan I get old.” It took me awhile to figure out the pattern and where she left off. I’m not sure I started on the exact row but for me the point was and is that when I’m having a rough day it really helps to pull it out and work on it. I sit there knitting with it all bunched up in my lap and think about all the good times my mom and I had together.
I LOVE FALL!!!
I have always loved fall, I love the change of all of the seasons but there is something about that crisp feel in the air, the leaves changing into that impressionist look (I’ve always had a thing for impressionist art and that’s what a gathering of fall trees looks like to me), and most definitely pulling out my hand knit socks, scarves and mittens rejuvenates me and gets me moving. This year in particular after living in a really hot summer climate I am appreciating fall even more. I think I have said to my husband “isn’t this weather divine” until he is about to scream. My favorite month hands down is October with Halloween rating number one as the top holiday in my book. I know it will sound strange but October and Halloween have a slight edge for me above December and Christmas. When I’m fortunate enough to be in West Virginia during October, my sister and I barely have time to sleep. First there is my twin nephews birthday to plan for and enjoy but then things really take off. There’s the zombie walk on the main street downtown, visiting the halloween stores that have the appeal of choosing the ”brave souls” entrance over the scaredy-cat entrance (then spending quality time checking out all of the moving and groaning ghouls), the haunted hayride at the local park and then the highlight of The Fright Farm at Rich’s Truck Farm (almost better than Trick or Treat night!) It’s really nontop fun for my sister and I and I always cherish when we can share our love of all things scary together. I love creating custom pumpkins as well-here is a picture of one I did the last time I was there
This might be my nephews last year for Trick or Treat which will be a shame because they come up with some really good costumes but hopefully they will love Halloween as much as their mom and I do!
Ivy Cap Progress at last!
I am FINALLY getting somewhere on the Ivy Cap. What started out looking like a small lump of coal is beginning to develop into something that could actually become a hat!
- Ivy Cap beginning
and I’m about to start on the next section that involves wrapping and turning. It reminds me of turning the heel on socks. You have to carve out a few uninterupted moments to complete the section because if you stop in the middle-forget it-it will take forever to figure out where you left off.
Where the heck have I been lately?????
The last few weeks have been stressful to say the least. When we were driving from Washington State to Southern Utah we had a bit of an incident. One of the rear wheels on our 5th wheel sheered off the trailer. Yes-you read that correctly-the wheel sheered off. I was following hubby in the car and saw the whole ordeal. I saw something fly off to the right (which we believe was something that was on the road that he hit and it flipped up under the trailer), then the trailer made a sharp drop and I saw sparks fly and then the wheel shot off to the shoulder of the freeway. We carry walkie talkies to more easily communicate and I’m sure my screaming ”YOU LOST A WHEEL, YOU LOST A WHEEL” repeatedly was almost as much of a jolt as actually losing the wheel itself. Luckily hubby is very experienced in towing trailers of all sizes and he was able to quickly get off to the shoulder. When you’re towing a 40 ft. trailer it’s a bit difficult to dodge something in the road when there are 4 other lanes of crazy drivers whipping and darting around you as if you’re driving a mini cooper. Luckily no one was hurt but it has been quite the experience headache dealing with the insurance company and getting the repairs done. The wheel ripped off a fender on the side of the trailer and there was considerable damage as a result. After 2 months of the repair shop preparing for the fix we finally got the go ahead that they were ready for us. We decided to head to my in laws in Montana to wait out the repairs which we were told would be 5-7 days. As we expected, that turned into 2 + weeks. I envisioned relaxing and getting in some much needed knitting and blogging. Unfortunately the carrier for our mobile broadband card has zero service in all of Montana. I did get alot of knitting done but was frustrated at best with no internet service hence no blogging.
Worst of all was the hearbreaking passing of our beloved border collie
BoPeep
She came to us as a rescue and gave us nearly 10 years of absolute joy. She loved traveling in the RV with us and would get so excited at each new stop. We didn’t know how she would react to constantly having new surroundings but she actually adjusted to it all much better than we did! This is the first time in 18 years that we have been without a dog or animals of any kind and the sense of loss is really overwhelming. The trailer is finally fixed and after we got back to the RV park and got the trailer set up we kept finding ourselves starting to do all the routine things we normally do for Bo after we’ve set up-reaching for her food and water bowl, getting out her treat can. I know it will get easier with time but with all the unsettling things in our lives right now, this will really take some getting used to.
Getting my posting act together
Wow! I didn’t realize it had been so long since I posted! What the heck have I been doing? Among many things which have thankfully included some knitting and a little (not much but some) spinning, I have been reviving my real estate license that’s been on inactive status for a while. This has involved taking some required courses to get current and then visiting brokerages to decided who to affiliate with and go “live’ with my license. ALOT has changed in the few years since I originally got my license so I wanted to make certain I was comfortable with how the market had changed before taking the plunge.
I’m also still working on the damn swatch for the Ivy Cap. I’m wondering if the yarn I’m using just isn’t going to work but I’m giving it one last swatching shot before giving up and trying another yarn. More later but I felt I needed to get a post posted to get me back on track!
And the swatching continues….
I’ve made several swatches for this project. I started out thinking I would make the English Driving Cap out of the same yarn I was going to use for the Watch Cap (I don’t know what I was thinking but it seemed like a good idea at the time). It was a black yarn from a blend of fiber from my alpacas Rosie and
Dominoe.
I must tell you all that I miss my animals ALOT. And I mean ALOT so they will be included in posts ALOT especially since I’m carrying around all their wool with me in our travels (see my post on sock progress for more explanation of my craziness with this). Also, if you hadn’t noticed, some of them (the girls) are in my header picture. Anyway, back to the swatch. The gauge should be 19 sts and 31 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on size 6 needles. The gauge of the first swatch with alpaca was off but more importantly I realized that it was too soft to hold the shape of the hat (you think I would have realized that early on in the swatch). On to swatch #2. While I was knitting on another project and finally getting to an episode of LOST Season 6 on DVD, it suddenly hit me (I actually think a skein may have risen up out of my stash and smacked me in the back of the head) to use yarn from my black/brown Border Leicester sheep Espresso. 
The first swatch out of her yarn was with the recommended needle size of 6 but I still didn’t think it had the stiffness I was looking for (and the gauge was off) so I went down a needle size. As I expected the gauge was too small but I felt if nothing else I would have the results in my project journal for future reference. In the end I decided that using 2 strands together with a size 6 needle would give me what I was looking for. I haven’t finished the swatch yet but I think I’m finally onto something. My goal is to get the swatching finished and be casting on by the middle of the week. Progress reports and pictures to come.
It wasn’t meant to be…
Living and travelling in an RV definitely has it’s advantages. We’ve been able to go, do and see
places
in the span of a couple of years
that probably would have taken us many years if we would have had to rely on trying to take time off from our previous jobs/lives. And at last count we’d crossed the Mississippi River 6 times.
Plus, if you don’t like where you are you can hook up and head out. Also, you don’t have the worry of the house while you’re gone and stressing over things like whether or not a pipe may have burst causing a flood, if the furnace/air conditioner is coming on at regular intervals or if your home is being robbed. That being said, there are some disadvantages of an RV. RV’s unfortunately aren’t built like a house and they come with their own worries and stresses. Although the underside is sealed there is still alot of space between it and the ground. The floor can be cold in the winter (thank goodness for those socks) and an RV just isn’t insulated like a house would be. When we decided to go back to the Pacific Northwest one of the things we didn’t anticipate was the moisture problems we would encounter in our RV. Seemed like it was a constant battle to keep it under control. After MUCH discussion and believe me there were actual sleepless nights spent discussing this, we decided it would be in our best interest to be in a dryer climate. We’ve spent considerable time in the Southwest and really loved it and decided it would keep our home on wheels in a happier state. So, we hooked up and headed out to Southern Utah. Although it’s colder than we anticipated for the time being (again those socks are coming in handy, along with an alpaca hat, scarf and mittens) we are very much enjoying not seeing once ounce of moisture on the windows when we open the blinds. I do have to add that I’m actually thrilled that it’s as cold as it is here at this time of year. One of my disappointments was that I might not ever be able to make and wear anything out of my stash again. I’m not unrealistic though, I know it will be HOT here in the summer but I figure I can do the reverse of what people do in cold climates during the winter. Instead of sitting by a fireplace knitting and spinning, I’ll be doing it in air conditioning in anticipation of the cooler months that will come.
Dads Roving
Periodically (as I’m sure alot of people do) I like to reflect back on where I was and what I was doing a year ago. It keeps me focused and helps in keeping my crazy life in check. Last year at this time I was visiting my dad in West Virginia. We were always on the go looking for fun and interesting things to do. Among the many things we did were going to some really unique wine tastings and to see The Rockettes Christmas Show in Pittsburgh. One morning while we were having our coffee and reading the paper, my dad saw an ad for a local farm that was having a holiday open house so we made plans to attend the following weekend. As luck would have it we woke up that morning to snow and lots of it but our family likes to keep the motto of the postal service in mind when it comes to craft shows. We dressed warmly and piled the car full of extra blankets, hats, gloves and food. You would have thought we were heading to the Alaskan wilderness. As we made the turn off the interstate the roads became increasingly more snow covered, but we forged ahead. The turn onto the drive leading to the farm looked untouched by cars, tractors or hooves but we could see blinking christmas lights and some sheep at the end and we figured we’d come this far! The open house was glorious. There was yarn, jewelry, knitted items, food and lots of roving which pulled me to it like a magnet. I picked out 2 braided bundles of hand dyed roving
and my dad patiently held them for safe keeping as I continued shopping and other crazed shoppers arrived. I’ve just stated spinning it
and don’t really have a project in mind yet as I want to see how the colors come out before deciding. One thing I do know is that no matter what it ”becomes”, it will always remind me of the fun adventure I had with my dad that day.
Ohhhh Noooo!!! My wheel is empty!
This is the latest project to come off my wheel….luckily I have some roving waiting in the wings. 
BTW, I spin on an Ashford Traveller. It was my first wheel and well, actually, it’s the only wheel I have, but the point is-I love this wheel. It has been with me through thick and thin-and I don’t mean yarn! I do wish I had taken a picture of the roving before I started spinning but occasionally I duh out as I did here but at least I did think to take a picture of the singles. 
I was visiting my in laws in Montana and went to the LYS and was pleased to see bundles of roving here and there. I bought two 4 oz bundles from local farms that I figured would keep me occupied while we watched movies in the evening. I didn’t spin this with a specific project in mind but I do love the way it came out after I plied it. 
Have I mentioned how difficult it is to get good project pictures in an RV? Whoever designed the window blinds should be taken out and ….well, I’ll let you fill in the blank. Also, my dear neighbors have hung up some wind chimes on the side where our bedroom is. They are at least the length of a yard stick. I might consider something that large if I lived on say about 5 acres. It was windy last night. No wonder I have a headache today.
Welcome To My Blog!
I’m finally ready to start blogging! I’ll probably be up all night! I have all sorts of stories, projects and things to share that I feel like I can’t type fast enough (which is a riot because I can’t pass a basic typing test to save my life!) and because real life keeps getting in the way of my knitting and spinning and weaving, I’m sure I’ll be including posts about what many people think is an unconventional way of living. My husband and I have been full time RVers for the past 4 years (we really only meant to do it for a year, 2 at the most), but we’re still at it and now we have a love, hate relationship with it. So…give your hands a knitting break and I hope you enjoy my ”about” page and my posts!
