Gauge and Tension

This week had me working on yet another swatch in the quest for the elusive "gauge" and settling on a yarn to use for the submission swatches.  

Greenland is a superwash, and while delightfully bouncy and a joy to knit with (I can hardly wait to make a sweater out of it), it just doesn't block very well.  Oh, you can soak it, pin it out, steam it, and it looks great.  Unpin that baby, and it bounces right back where you started from.  Nope, I need something I can block into submission.

Cascade 220 and Lion Fisherman were neck-and-neck in the running for a bit.  I love both of them, although the Fisherman is a bit thinner than 220.  In the end, by the time I got a nice gauge in stockinette, they both looked a bit thin.

After looking at the samples, I settled on the Paton's Classic Wool; it's nice and round which means it fills out the stitches well, it has a bit of bounce but not so much that it can't be blocked flat, and on US 7 straights it gives me near perfect gauge of 19 stitches and 25 rows over 4 inches.   The Yarn Council says worsted should be 16-20 stitches over 4 inches, and the ball band says 20 stitches and 26 rows.

The next battle was (and still is, to some extent) my tension.  Here's the latest swatch:

I tried several different methods of knitting on this swatch: Continental ("picking"), English ("throwing"), Combination ('some of each"), purling back backwards, various tensioning of the yarn through my fingers, and anything else I ran across.  What I found is that my usual Continental method gave me the best result; that's what's on the bottom third of the swatch above.  It shows much better on the back side:

From the bottom up:  about 1/3 way up inside the blue is my usual Continental; the middle 1/3 inside the blue is my English; the top 1/3 is my Combination (Continental knit and English purl).  The bit above the blue is pure crap; that's where I tried purling back backwards.  What I learned was not to do that last bit.

I also tried various methods of selvages.  The Masters does not allow my favorite: slipping the first stitch of each row.  Of course, I love it precisely for the reason they don't allow it: It hides all manner of tension problems.

Here's where I started: terrible tension and stitches of every size imaginable and it rolls to the backside even after blocking.

I tried making the last stitch very tight, turning, and making the first stitch loose; hoping they would even each other out as some knitters said they would.  For me, not so much; although I could get the selvage to face front and lay down with blocking.

I tried throwing the first and last stitches.  Yeah, that didn't work, either. And it rolled to the back, too.

Last, I tried wrapping the yarn clockwise for the first and last purl stitch, the knitting through the back loop on those two.  Still not great, but I think with a little practice, I can get a pretty good looking edge out of this one.  It takes some concentration (after mumble, mumble number of years wrapping yarn counter-clockwise) to remember to bring the yarn UNDER the needle instead of over to purl.

They say practice makes perfect.  I think it should be "Perfect practice makes perfect."  Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some practicing to do.

Research

One of the requirements for Level 1 is a report on blocking and care of knitted items.  I thought I knew all about this subject; then I started research and discovered that I don't know nearly as much as I thought I did.    The more research I read, the less I find out that I knew, and the more I want to learn.

The report is supposed to be at least two2 pages but not more than four pages, single spaced.  While I don't think I'll have any problem filling two pages, I may have trouble keeping it inside four.

Gauge and blocking

Last time I blocked the swatches, I gave them a soak in warm water, squeezed them dry in a towel, and gently patted them out into shape.  They were nice and flat, mostly square, and all were within the gauge needed for worsted weight as required for Level 1 of the TKGA Masters Program.  

I wanted to see how the swatches looked after a more involved blocking, and to see how the stitch and row gauge was affected, if at all.  So this time, I opted for a foam pad, a ruler, a square, lots of pins, and a spray bottle of warm water.

If you don't have a set of  these foam mats to block knitting on, get to Lowe's and buy a pack!  They are usually under $20 for a set of 8; each tile is 2 feet square, and about 1/2 inch thick - deep enough to really hold pins for straight edges or points of lace items.  A single tile is big enough to block small pieces, or you can interlock several to block larger things like sweaters, shawls, and scarves.

I carefully blocked each of my swatches to 5 inches square, except for the Cascade Greenland.  It was the smallest of the swatches and stretching it out to 5 inches was just too much so I pulled it only a bit to hit 4 1/2 inches on all sides.

After the swatches were pinned out dry, and I was satisfied that all the edges were straight and the corners square (I used the old builders' trick of measuring diagonally; if it's the same both ways, then it's square and not a parallelogram), I sprayed them liberally with warm water, let them soak up the moisture for about 10 minutes or so, then gently blotted up the excess with a clean, white towel.

And I was generous with the pins; generally I put them on every other stitch, except for the Greenland swatch, which didn't need as many so it got every 3rd stitch pinned.

I left them to dry from Saturday morning until Sunday evening.  Then I unpinned them and left them alone to relax until this evening (Tuesday).  I re-measured the gauge and here are the befores and afters:

• Paton's Classic, 20 stitches by 38 rows; 19 stitches by 36 rows
• Lion Fisherman, 20 stitches by 40 rows; 19 stitches by 39 rows
• Cascade 220, 19 stitches by 34 rows; 18 stitches by 35 rows
• Cascade Greenland, 20 stitches by 38 rows; 20 stitches by 38 rows

All still within the worsted weight guidelines, but with very small changes in all of them, except the Greenland.  The drape and hand of the fabrics is about the same, although I do think the yarns have bloomed a bit more, except for Greenland again.  Because of the high twist, it hasn't gotten the nearly fuzzy feel of the other yarns, although the softness and drape of it has vastly improved with the second blocking.  And the biggest difference in the swatches is how they look: the stitches and rows are straighter, everything is much better aligned after being pinned and blocked, the edges are crisper and neater.  

None of these swatches will be in my final submission, but they've taught me a lot about gauge, how these yarns feel to knit with, how to block them, and how they react to blocking.  I still don't know which one will be the final yarn I use for my submission, or if I'll use different yarns for different swatches for different reasons.  

In fact, I don't think I'm ready to start knitting swatches for the submission yet.  One of the requirements is a report on caring for hand knits, including blocking, and I've decided to tackle that before knitting any of the swatches.  I see research in my future; lots and lots of research.  And possibly more swatches to block.

Gauge

The Instructions for TKGA Level 1 require that Swatches 1, 2, 3, and 14 all use the same yarn and needles. These are also the only ones that require a calculation of gauge, both stitch and row.  I initially started to knit Swatch 1, and progressing through to the end.  However, Swatch 1 has 2x2 ribbing with garter stitch, Swatch 2 has 1x1 ribbing with stockinette, and Swatch 3 has a cable.  That means gauge is more difficult to measure in those swatches.  But Swatch 3 is only seed stitch; while more dense than garter or stockinette, it is easier to measure gauge, so I decided to start there.

I gathered some basic yarns:  Paton's Classic Wool, Lion Brand Fisherman,  Cascade 220, and Cascade Greenland.  A circular needle in US7 (I used my Knitter's Pride interchangeable), some measuring tools, and I was off the the races.

I grabbed my needles and that Fisherman yarn, and dived right in.  After all, seed stitch is easy, right?  It's just knit and purl, over an over; piece of cake!.  Well, the first discovery is that I really sucked at seed stitch. My edges (which must be worked, no slipping the first stitch) were WAY too uneven, my knits too tight, my purls too loose, and my finished swatch was too wonky.  

So, I ripped it out and started again.  And again.  And again.  Until I FINALLY got a swatch that didn't look like it had been made by a Neanderthal wearing gloves.  No offense to Neanderthals intended.

It's not a great swatch, but one I can block into looking a little better.  So, I moved on to making swatches out of the other three yarns.  And here's were another discovery smacks me upside the head.  Take a look at these babies:

Clockwise from top left:  Paton's Classic, Lion Fisherman,Cascade 220, and Cascade Greenland.  (Click on the picture to embiggen.)  All with the exact same needles, all with 25 stitches cast on with long tail, all knitted for 4 1/2 inches (not counting cast on and bind off), and all cast off in pattern.  And they were all blocked the same way, at the same time; soaked together in warm water with a smidgen of dish soap, rinsed, pressed in a towel to remove the water, and patted out on a terry towel to dry overnight. 

But look at the difference in sizes; no two are the same height or width.  The only thing different in these swatches is the yarn itself.  The instructions call for the ends to be woven in, but I've left them out here so you can see the difference in the yarns.  Each has a different number of plies, different amount of twist, and while all are listed as "worsted" weight yarns, they are varying thicknesses.  But what about stitch and row gauge; how do they measure up against each other?

As called for in the TKGA Instructions, I used some contrasting lace weight yarn to mark the area to be measured.  I ran it loosely between rows and stitches, and use the TKGA method for calculating gauge: measure to the nearest 1/8 inch between the marking threads (mine conveniently all fell on 1/4 marks), converting to decimals; then count the stitches; divide the stitches by the inches (do not round off); and multiply by 4, rounding down to the nearest whole number.  And here's where it got interesting:

• Paton's Classic, 20 stitches by 38 rows
• Lion Fisherman, 20 stitches by 40 rows
• Cascade 220, 19 stitches by 34 rows
• Cascade Greenland, 20 stitches by 38 rows

The yarn weight, the needles, n the stitch gauge are all well within the Craft Yarn Council of America's guidelines  for Standard Yarn Weight System under medium or worsted weight yarns.

Still, there are those difference in sizes, as well as differences in the drape or "hand" of the fabrics.  Fisherman and 220 are quite drapey, Paton's is a little less so, and Greenland is quite dense.  So even though I have "gotten gauge" on my swatches, what if I was knitting a garment?  How would I manage the difference in size caused by the different yarns? By blocking to schematic size.  And that will be for the next blog post.

So it begins . . .

There's an old saying, "Start as you mean to go on."  It suggests that being prepared and laying a plan for yourself is more likely to mean success in the end.  And to that end, I began my way to the Masters by preparing my Level 1 Notebook. 

Fortunately, when you get your Level 1 materials, it includes not only the Instructions for the work to be done, but also General Information on how to organize your notebook with swatches, reports, bibliography, etc.  And the Welcome pages remind you, repeatedly, to read everything first.  Having read through everything multiple times, I decided the best course of action was to begin organizing my notebook.

Fortunately, the TKGA is very specific on how your submission notebook should be done; there are details of the size of notebook, the sections, even the information they want in your cover letter.  There's a section for everything, and everything should be in page protectors:  the index, cover letter (which I've written and re-written already), 

the 28 single-spaced pages of instructions, etc., each in their own section.  

Each swatch gets its own label, page protector and swatch sheet; some have gauge worksheets to include as well.

And there are additional sections for questions and answers, a report on how to block hand knits  and a bibliography.

While I was setting up my notebook for submission, I realized that I needed a second notebook; one I could high-light, scribble in, and stick notes to.  So I made a working notebook for myself.

I also have the Level 1 materials all saved on my laptop, along with the questions ready to be answered as I go along, an outline of the blocking report, a start on my bibliography, and a draft cover letter (which I re-read and have now re-written for a third time).  Good planning is half the battle they say, and if it is, then I may have half a chance at winning the war.  

This was a long weekend for me, so I started sampling some yarns for swatches and measuring gauge, which I'll discuss when next we meet.  Now, I think I need to re-write that cover letter again.  

A new leaf

It's been a long time.  I don't know if anyone still reads this, but I'm plunging into the blog again.  But with a new focus this time.

I've changed the layout and look of the blog to something simpler, cleaner, less cluttered.  I plan on focusing more on knitting, crocheting, spinning and fiber arts than personal topics.

I'm starting the Master Knitting Certificate from The Knitting Guild Association, along with a small group of local knitters.  We'll be meeting monthly to compare notes and encourage each other, and I'll be posting on here about my personal progress through this program.  I expect this will take at least a couple of years, so I should have lots of fodder for the blog.

You'll get some of my personal knitting details as well, like this one; Greensleeves, my personal take on Mr. Greenjeans.

It's knit in Cascade Soft Spun, in Deep Forest, on my Knitter's Pride interchangable needles.  I used a US 8 for the body but switched to US 7 for the sleeve cuffs.  I used Mr. Greenjeans as a starting point for a top-down raglan, making a few modifications to personalize it.  I liked the 3/4 sleeves, but wanted a longer length, so I added 4 inches to the body after dividing for the sleeves.  I didn't think the cable ribbing around my middle would be particularly flattering so I knit in stockinette, only using 6 repeats of the cable ribbing on the bottom, which is the same amount I did on the sleeves. 

I blocked the body before adding the button band.  I find a light blocking makes picking up stitches easier.   I also made 5 buttonholes on the right front, rather than the single in the original.  I like the deep v-neck, but do wish I'd added a couple more buttonholes.  Of course, if I had done that, I wouldn't have been able to use the vintage leather ones from my stash since I only had 5.

I wore it for the first time yesterday, all day at work, and found it very comfortable, but maybe a little too warm for the office.  At the end of the day, I looked down and saw this:

Yes, two purl stitches in a stockinette rib.  The sleeves are knit top down, so a fix would be easy; I could tink out the bindoff, drop down to those two stitches, fix them and pick back up for the bindoff.  So far, they're not driving me crazy, so I may just let them be.  A non-knitter will never notice them, and knitters who see them will know the sweater was hand-made.  And isn't that the point, anyway?

Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night.

My apologies to Bette Davis, but this is a rather disjointed post. So hang onto your hats!

This is Devon, my new neighbor, and her mother, Nancy. Devon and her husband bought the house next door several months ago, but Devon's been in Phoenix trying to get their house there sold or rented and finally got here last week. ToolMan apologized for making so much noise in his garage (running the woodworking equipment making shawl pins), Devon said she was a crocheter but wanted to learn to knit and spin. Poor thing didn't know what hit her.



















When she came to, she was in the middle of Westside Wednesday, being forced to play with sticks and string. Nancy had been a knitter, but hadn't picked it up in years; by the end of the night, she was back to doing garter, stockinette, and ribbing like nobody's business.

Last week was unofficial "Sweater Night" at Westside Wednesday. There were "February Lady Sweaters" in abundance.



















And a "Hey, Teach!" was there as well.
























Kathleen presented a darling turtle sweater to Rachel.
























And trtlgrl herself finished teeny, tiny sweater dress! Some of us who are already mothers thought trtlbby might have already outgrown this one; hopefully, it'll fit long enough for her to wear it home next month!



















I finished, or mostly finished, a sweater for trtlbby this week, too. A BSJ made from Red Heart's Heart and Sole in the "Mellow Stripe" colorway. This is one of their fairly new yarns; it's a superwash merino and nylon blend which has been infused with aloe vera that's supposed to last through about 50 washings. It's didn't feel especially soft when I was knitting it, but it did soften a lot when I washed it.


















I had 2 balls and you can see how much was left over. I used US 6 needles and did an I-cord edge all around the neck/front/bottom. It's about a 6-month size. I didn't leave buttonholes; I think I'll add either I-cord toggles or loops for buttons.

The TKGA Spring Show was in Portland this weekend, so Tami and I rode MAX into downtown on Saturday morning to hit the marketplace. We met Kathleen and Sara for lunch; they were both working the Carolina Handspun booth for Morgaine. The lucky girls are getting paid in fiber!

We arrived at the marketplace about 11:30 but Kathleen didn't get out of her class until 12, so we went to Morgaine's booth to visit a few minutes with Sara and Sheila until Kathleen arrived. Somehow, in that short space of time, Tami bought her first wheel! Well, to be fair, she's been wanting a Lendrum for awhile; she's not been terribly happy with the borrowed Louet with the warped wheel, so it's not like it was a real spur of the moment purchase!

The four of us had a nice lunch (fried egg and bacon sandwiches, Reuben sandwiches, sweet potato fries, and onion rings) at the DoubleTree Inn and headed back to the marketplace. Kathleen and Sara went to work, and so did Tami and I; we methodically went up and down every row and every booth. Partly to look for the best buys, and partly to visit with friends and vendors. I tried to restrain my spending but there were a few things that fell into my bag.

Klaus at Crown Mountain Farms had this exceptional black silk roving. The picture just doesn't do this justice. It's a true, deep black and the silk sheen is beautiful! I bought 2 ounces which I think will eventually become a shawl with jet beads.

And from Morgaine at Carolina Handspun, I picked up 4 ounces of merino in a luscious turquoise and 4 ounces of merino in a heathered blue/green.

Good thing Tami and I got home early on Saturday because we were up bright and early this morning to meet Cindy and head for Islay Hill Alpacas. The owners, Jan and Jim Grammer, invited us to come for the spring shearing.

The shearers got an early start on the llamas and were almost done with them by the time we arrived.

Then it was time for the alpacas. Jim had separated the boys into a separate pen, and divided the girls into two holding pens. While the shearers finished up the llamas, Jim talked about alpaca babies, including one little cria who was absolutely adorable.

That low humming or moaning sound in the background is the alpacas. I thought they sounded like one of Andy Rooney's toys when the squeaker is almost shot.

The girls waited patiently for their beautification,

and then spent a few minutes recuperating afterward.

Then it was time for the boys, who were generally not as cooperative; it's all that testosterone, you know.

I know Tami had her camera and took some videos of the shearing; go over to her blog and check them out.

When everybody had their new "do's", it was time to head home.

By noon, all 6 llamas and 20 alpacas had new haircuts, Jan and Jim had fiber bagged and weighed and ready for sale, their daughter Kate had gotten a drop spindle lesson, a little white dog named "Perogi" had herded alpacas, and 3 fiber fanatics had fondled a lot of fiber. All in all, a pretty good way to spend a sunny Sunday.

Milestones and New Starts

Well, the first week of my new job went very smoothly! Even though I'm working for a very large international insurance company, it's a small branch office of 5 attorneys and 4 support staff. Everyone seems very nice, and they're weren't even freaked out when they discovered I'm a knitter and spinner. Confused, maybe; but not freaked out.

I did stop by the old office a couple times last week, just for a couple of hours on Tuesday and Thursday to take care of important items. Tuesday was my birthday, and after working a full day and then another couple hours, I was too tired to even enjoy it! I didn't get home until almost 8, and after feeding Andy Rooney and getting his insulin shot taken care of, I wolfed down a couple slices of cold pizza and collapsed in bed. I had originally offered to work a couple hours twice a week plus a few hours on Saturday to cover until a replacement was found; but after last week, I've decided that I just physically can't do it. Working just a couple hours means I don't get home until nearly 8 p.m., so I don't have enough time to eat and relax before going to bed; and that means I wake up exhausted the next day. I've offered to train someone, but I just can't keep doing the extra work; especially when they haven't even started running an ad for the job.

Now that I'm back to commuting 5 days a week, I'm back to commuter knitting. I pulled out the Heart and Sole that was in the swag bag from the TKGA last fall with the intent of making myself a pair of socks. Well, on the last row of toe increases, I found a knot. Dang! So, I did a Russian join, marked that side as being the bottom, and went on. Barely another inch knitted, and out popped another knot! Needless to say, I was really ticked off by this turn of events. Good thing I had the Harlot's latest book in my bag, or my fellow commuters might have been in danger. Knitting, in one form or another, has often kept me from maiming people.

Anyway, once I got home, I frogged out the sock and wound the yarn on the ball winder to find out if there were any more knots in there. Good thing I did, because I found 6 knots in one ball! Of course, there were none in the second skein. Well, 6 knots is just too many to deal with in a sock, so I wound both skeins into one ball and cast on for something else. I can't tell you what it will be yet. Yes, I know what it will be! But it's going to be gifted and I don't want to take a chance on spoiling the surprise for the recipient!



















I almost forgot; the spring TKGA conference is next weekend. I'll be going on Saturday to meet Kathleen after her class; we're going to have lunch in Chinatown and then back to TKGA for shopping. This year's marketplace looks even better than last year; I'll have a full report for you next week, provided I remember to bring the camera!

I've also been slogging away on re-designing that driving cap. It's going, slowly but surely. I'm not entirely happy with the way this one is turning out; or rather, not any happier with this version than with the first. I haven't discovered what works exactly the way I want it, but I have learned several things that don't work. To paraphrase Elizabeth Zimmerman, I'm "unventing" a driving cap, so I shouldn't expect success the first time around. It's a good thing the Traveling Stitch Markers arrived a couple weeks ago; I've needed every one of them on this project!



















Last week at Westside Wednesday, I started spinning the yak and merino blend. I did a little sampling of it, but I'm not entirely happy with the way it was coming out. It's so incredibly soft and I want to preserve that loft and softness, but I also want to stretch it out as far as I can. After sampling, I've decided to let it set for awhile and I'll go back to it. I'll go back to it in a couple weeks and see how it goes.



















After putting away the yak, I bought a braid of this beautiful merino from StitchJones in "Earth Angel." Yesterday was the May meeting of Portland Spinnerati and since the yak blend wasn't working out, I took the Earth Angel with me. I'm spinning it very thin; it should come out to a fine laceweight. I don't know what I'll do with it, but aren't the colors just beautiful?

ToolMan and I met our new neighbor this week and learned that she wants to learn to knit and spin! I'll be taking her to Westside Wednesday with me this week, and maybe to TKGA if she's game. And next weekend is TKGA on Saturday, and alpaca shearing on Sunday, so I'll have lots to report when next we meet. Until then, see you in the funnies!

The Knitting Guild Association Conference

I was up bright and early Saturday morning. And not just so Andy Rooney could get his breakfast and morning shot, either! ToolMan and I went out to our usual Saturday morning breakfast and I got a much needed haircut. Believe me, I needed that haircut; I was having many more "bad hair days" than good ones. I started to feel like these guys look.

Afterward, Toolman dropped me off at the MAX station so I could head off to Portland Convention Center for The Knitting Guild Association Conference on Saturday. I hopped on the train, stuck my PDX KB and Ravelry buttons on my shirt, pulled out my knitting and settled in for the ride. I did overhear some ladies talking about the show, but didn't see another single knitter along the way.

After checking in at the registration desk to get my name tag and goodie bag, I went into the Marketplace so I could case the vendors until classes let out at noon.



While there were a lot of great vendors, it wasn't as large as I expected. All the "usual suspects" were there: Knit Purl, Northwest Wools, Ernst Glass, Village Knitting and Spinning, Crown Mountain Farms, etc.



And some of our very own PDX Knit Bloggers had their booths open. I found Gail holding down the fort for Abstract Fibers. Susan has been holding out on the Wednesday night group; she had fibers and colorways in there that I'd never seen before. Go over to her website and check the "Asia" colorway; it's beautiful!



And directly across from her was Portland's most unique LYS, Yarnia. It must have been hard to explain how Yarnia works; but they did have a video playing on the television showing how you pick out the plies and their machine winds them together for you to make your very own custom, one-of-a=kind, no more like it anywhere yarn.



I tried to keep track of time, but before I knew it, I heard Duffy calling my name! Her class had let out and she tracked me down so we could do lunch together. She had a classmate with her, Sarah, and we hopped on MAX for the short ride back across the river to Old Town/China Town for a dim sum lunch.

We must have been hungry because we practically devoured everything on our table! Fat and happy, we headed back to the Convention Center. They had tables in the concourse reserved for knitters and crocheters and who do I find sitting there when I return? None other than the famous, Magic Judy! I grabbed a glass of iced tea and sat down with her a bit. Cat Bordhi stopped by to say hello (to Judy, not me!) and Chrissy Gardiner came to sit with us while wolfing down her lunch. All too soon, it was time for classes to start again so everyone headed out. My tootsies needed a rest, so Karen kept me company and eventually Kathleen showed up and we hit the vendor floor again.

We stopped by Chrissy's booth; that's Kathleen showing off some Little Feet kits from StitchJones; Kathleen wrote the patterns! Behind Kathleen, in the bins, are some of StitchJones rovings, too. Chrissy has some beautiful, well written patterns on her site; that orange stole is simply gorgeous, it's a shame the picture doesn't show how beautiful the lace pattern is.



As we wandered around, we found more StitchJones yarn! Here's a display full at Naked Sheep's booth.



Then we found our own Dawn Seymour's booth. Dawn had this booth with her sister, who is a weaver. Sis wasn't there, so we fondled her woven bamboo scarves; they are simply luscious! And we laughed over how Dawn can take Silk City Fiber's Bambu 7 and turn it into that simply gorgeous Stormy Sky sweater on the mannequin, while all I got out of it was the Bamboo Sweater From Hell. That's why SHE has a Master Knitter Certificate and I do not.



I loved this brown shawl/ruana that was on the mannequin in front. Right now, the pattern is only written for knitting machine, but Dawn says they are converting it to hand-knitting; I hope it's soon, because I have just the yarn for it in my stash.

I know I said I wasn't going to buy anything at TKGA, that I was saving my money for OFFF. And I meant to do that; really, I did! The last booth we visited was Newton's. Unfortunately, they had a big sign saying, "All Yarns $5, All Cashmere $9, All Happy Feet $10, All Cones 1/2 price." It was a bad sign. (Pun intended.) Also unfortunately, they also had a shill working the tables. Kathleen and I dubbed him "Evil Yarn Boy", to which he responded will just a little too much glee! He was ever so helpful in suggesting combinations of yarns that could be knitted together. Not!

In my weakened state, having my immunity worn down by all the yarn and fiber fumes, I bought three skeins to use for scarves for myself. I never knit for myself, but doggone these are mine! All mine, I say! Really, I wouldn't have bought these if Kathleen had been able to resist; but once she gave it, it was no use. So, I'm blaming this purchase on her.



That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

*tink* *tink* Is this thing on?

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth; I just don't know where the time went!

The second weekend of the State Fair was pretty much same as the first, except we rallied the troops and had fiber, yarn, rugs, other things to fill up the booth. Lots more folks stopped by over the Labor Day weekend; people were taking advantage of the long weekend and cool weather (and staying close to home thanks to gas prices). The only bad part of the weekend was the occasional deluge of rain, but the temps were perfect. I even had a couple friends and a former co-worker stop by to visit!

I did get lots of the Incredible Hulk spun at the Fair, but there's still a lot left, too. My only prerequisite for buying fiber from now is that it NOT be green. I'm determined to make it through this stuff, if for no other reason than I'm sick of looking at it. So sick of looking at it that I think I might have StitchJones over dye it for me; maybe add some browns and blues to kill the green.

And now that the Fair is over, I'm going to put the Country Craftsman up for sale. It was a great wheel to learn on and it spins wonderfully and it certainly is beautiful, but the old girl just can't compete with the Lendrum and it's multiple ratios and it's portability. Time for it to move on to another spinner, or want-to-be spinner.

And I have been knitting but I have absolutely nothing to show for it. I had several scarves knit to go in the Christmas present box; a lovely pink mohair, a bright multi-colored bamboo, a lovely navy merino/silk blend, and a wispy teal in Shibui sock yarn. All of which went home with darling daughter-in-law when they came over for dinner on Labor Day. Come December, I'll remind her that she already got her fair share of the hand knits!

Oh, and I did get a hat knitted out of some bulky multi-blue merino; which was tried on, declared it to be perfect for wearing in the garage this winter, and promptly appropriated by ToolMan. And I mean promptly; it was tried on, and stashed in his coat closet within minutes of the ends being woven in!

And The Blob is still being knit on; actually, the end is in sight on that one. I only have 14 rows left (but they're BIG rows) so I only get about 3 rows a night done. I'm trying to get it knit up so I can do the sewing up and blocking next weekend.

Speaking of next weekend, that's the TKGA Conference here in Portland. WHOO HOO! My tickets came in the mail this week, along with my name tag, raffle ticket for a doorprize, and a ticket to turn in for my goodie bag from Coats & Clark (I'm hoping for some of their new yarns to try out). I'm not taking any classes; I'm saving money for OFFF, but I will be taking my camera so my next post should be much prettier to look at!

Oops, it's past my bedtime, and the dog needs to go out before we hit the hay. See you next week!