How did I do?

It's Carolina Fiber Fest this weekend, and I ended up with ten items to enter in the competitions, although I forgot to take a photo of the final one, which is one of the knit-along cowls:

Categories AK7 and AK8, respectively.
Knit from a pattern and design my own pattern.

Category AK6 - Knit from handspun yarn.  This is the back.

Category AC10 - Crocheted from handspun yarn.  I clipped
the leftover bit before entering, of course!

Another Category AK7 - The Giverny Shawl of Junction Fiber
Mills' colourway for 2025 Maryland Sheep & Wool

Hat is Category 12, because I designed the pattern, and the
scarf (which is upside down, oops!) is Category AC13, the
annual crochet-along.

:

Two baby blankets in categories AC11 and AK8 respectively.

And these are the results; I have not read the comments cards:

The other items did not win ribbons.  I am well enough pleased with what I accomplished and actually thought I'd get a couple thirds instead of seconds.  I'm not completely surprised that the baby blankets didn't do better.

I was doing VERY well not buying yarn, although I bought some "box bags", and several flavours of tea, and picked up a few books and a box of oddments in the used equipment sale.  I felt very good that I managed to not buy another spinning wheel.  As I was able to get a couple of breaks, I saw many pretty yarns, but avoided buying - until right at the end, just before closing, when I spotted this at a favourite vendor who was right behind our setup:

  

Luckily they had only one left.  I see hat and mitts in my future!

It's Trad

Off today for the North Texas Irish Festival.  Weather is supposed to be warm and rainy, although now Sunday may be sunny.  Better than the icy years!

Mom is worried because of terrorists and flying in storms and because it's the first time I've traveled away from her since Dad died.  We'll see how we manage.

I've packed a small bag, but overfull of items, including a green WFMT sweatshirt (because the buildings are always chilly) that I forgot to include in this photo:

Three days, three yarn projects - right?  One a hat I am designing to go with the Carolina Fiber Fest Crochet Craft-Along scarf; one the CFF Knit-Along pattern (and I just saw they've posted a second option); and one the Shamrock Cowl from Kelbourne Woolens, because that seems appropriate.

Baseball Knitting.

As one does:

Started at Sloan Park - we saw two Cubs games, they lost both.

White Sox winning at Camelback Ranch

The group is scheduled for Cubs games on Friday and Saturday.  Opening Day game is against the White Sox; two years ago the Cubs won, this year the White Sox won.  On Saturday the Cubs lost again.  Sunday the group doesn't have a plan, so people can golf, go to the spa, lie around the pool, or pick up another game.  My tradition is to go to the White Sox home park, which is older and smaller and a very different experience.

I continued working on the Sidewinder Beanie on the way home, measuring progress against the book I am reading, which I'd started on the previous trip two years ago and somehow never finished:

I started the knitting craft-along for this year's Carolina Fiber Fest on the trip out, and made no other progress, so I'll have to work on it in the next week:

A couple non-knitting photos from the parks:

Fiberuary 1-7

In the past, some people have celebrated February as "Fibruary", with adventures in all things having to do with the world of fiber: dyeing, spinning, knitting, crocheting, weaving, and so on.  Or, posting about things you're doing with no specific requirements of a craft.  I haven't seen any prompts or challenges for this year, so am making my own record of fiber-related activity.

1:  Finished the scarf for Carolina Fiber Fest's Crochet Craft-Along.  Many, many ends being woven in require bright light because the colours are Red Heart Super Saver in "Turqua" (turquoise) and Big Twist Value in black, my only yarn purchase in January.  Started a Melt-the-Ice hat for bestie in Patons Classic Wool in "Bright Red".  Online meeting of KnitTalk people.

2:  Continued work on bestie's hat.  LOTS of 1x1 ribbing, and it's a work day, plus the first day of a mini-MBA program.  Not much time for knitting, but I managed to get the ribbing to 5".

3:  Ribbing on red hat to 6.5" and two inches of the top part done.

Finished hat.  I used twisted ribbing instead of plain
so it twists a little.  Hat was photographed unblocked.

4:  Red hat for bestie finished, and mailed.  Started a second hat, about 1.25" done during SciFi book club.  I am using a different pattern for this one, but flipping it because I didn't want to do something fiddly during book club.  By bedtime I'd finished 2" of ribbing and started on the plain part.

5:  Second red hat is past the 6" of body and I did the second round of decreases (every fourth row) before bedtime.  I also found a skein of handdyed yarn to wind and knit at the Twisted Threads Guild meeting on Saturday, since I feel awkward working on acrylic items there.

6:  Second red hat done but I'll have to get a photo after it's out of the wash.  I keep faffing about deciding on a yarn to use for the Carolina Fiber Fest knit Craft-Along pattern.  I thought I had a good yarn, a tonal instead of the multi used for the model, but it's rather dark and then I decided it coordinates well with a DK sock set from M1 Yarns so........

7:  I located the UFO sweater!  And wound an extra hank of yarn so I could start alternating.  At the fiber group meeting, I realized I'd fastened (with a safety pin) the end of yarn on the body, so I could work the sleeves then use the remaining yarn for the body.  I started and about ten rounds in I realized the colour was spiraling on the sleeve, so I decided to alternate the two balls and see how it goes.  Less obvious.  So I will continue, and maybe make bracelet-length sleeves.  I also realized that while the sweater fits nicely across the back, there is a gap at the front, so if I want it to close I'll have to add bands to each front,  I'll see how much yarn I have after making the sleeves.

Of course, while looking for the sweater I kept finding other yarn possibilities, and want to start other things, but other than the replacement hat I'll try to keep focused on the sweater for a bit.

Not so cocky.

I ended up entering four items in the Carolina Fiber Fest competitions, and only one received a ribbon - third place for the Camellia Cardigan.

    

Brown Sheep Sunflower pattern.

   

Above is the bamboo sunhat I crocheted for myself while on the trip last summer.  Handy because it stuffs into a pocket but covers my face and neck well.

Mittens of Knitting Buddha handspun yarn.

  

No feedback on any of the items so I don't know why the others didn't place, or why the cardigan scored so low.  Now I don't know if I'll try entering it into the State Fair in the fall.  I guess I was too used to scooping up ribbons on everything I entered in the Berlin Fair in Connecticut, and last year getting a Second Place ribbon on the item I quickly crocheted to have something to enter.

I looked at most of the other items, although only with eyes.  These I thought interesting:

My Niece #2 and I wandered around to look at everything; she achieved much inspiration but no yarn.  She surprise purchased a t-shirt for me, and I purchased some cute stitch markers for her.  She did some more wandering while I helped to staff the guild table:

Jane at the booth.  Items made by Guild members.

In addition we celebrated my mother's birthday and after the festival closed my parents and I went to the North Carolina Opera's 15th Anniversary Gala.  Today was much quieter overall, just the cinema class and online fiber groups, since we had waves of storms wash through, complete with thunder and tornado warnings.

Gifted and Grifted.

I went to three fiber people groups this week.  On Monday, the Triangle Fiber Guild met, and in the meeting reminder we were told that the topic was planning for Carolina Fiber Fest and the beginning of making triangles for banners to decorate the guild's display and information table.  I decided to take a box of leftover bits, mostly from a friend's holiday knitting of facecloths, because I have less use for cotton yarn.  The person who was supposed to bring yarn didn't attend, so my box was welcomed and well-rifled by the end of the meeting.

On Wednesday it was Yarn Buddies at the community center.  Somebody who couldn't come in the evening is moving and sent a pile of books and yarn with a friend.  At the end of the evening, the others decided that I should take the remaining books and leaflets:

Also, the remaining yarn:

I've turned some of it into pennants, along with some of the cotton yarn that people didn't select:

I also finished a hat this week.  All still need to have ends
run in - and there are a lot on the sock yarn beanie.

Next up, I am going to try to crochet a pennant.  The pattern is only for knitting, but should be easy to convert.  This shows the group is not only knitters.

On Thursday I went to the Twisted Threads Fiber Arts Guild.  It was a show-and-share of fibers, and since I didn't take any and my wheel is out of commission, I came away without anything new.  I wound some yarn while I was there, to make something for myself, likely a shawl.

ЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖЖ

And for the Grifting:  Somebody I knew in Connecticut, whom I supported through his formal conversion to Judaism (which he said was a 'reversion' because he found Jewish persons in his family's history), then we drifted apart, asked if I could help him get to California to visit a seriously ill cousin.  He told me the ticket cost $400 but he has only $200.  I've helped people get on flights in the past, when I can due to my flight credits, so I said yes, and asked which part of California.  Of course, it's Los Angeles, which has been under wildfires and flights can be questionable, or full of relief workers.  I pointed out that this might be complications.

However the fires have died down and he found out the cousin is at home (still very ill) and which airport is closest.  I checked and flights this week - of course, short notice! - are closer to $1,000 for that airport.  Maybe another would be cheaper, but he wants to get to the one closest to her.

I had a rough night of berating myself for agreeing to help before I knew the true cost.  And it's the second time for him, although the other was a much cheaper ticket.  As a rule, I limit people to one gift ticket, but I know how much family means to him since his mother died and he's not sure about his father.  (I met his parents during the conversion process, and attended his mother's memorial.)  So he managed to talk me out of a second ticket, and I tossed most of the night dealing with my responses.

Part of it is that he hasn't been in personal contact for most of the last two years, and when I scrolled back, the last message I have was when he was on the trip for the first ticket.  He has mentioned me in some public posts, but checking I saw that he hasn't responded to mine.  I think he's one of the people I've left on my feed out of inertia, or sympathy, and I just let myself get suckered.

This morning, I sent him a message that I would live up to my side of the bargain, because I am a woman of honour, but that it is the absolute last time.  Late in the day, he replied "Fair" and we've tried to connect to finalize his plans.  What he doesn't know is that once this is over, I don't care how much he claims I mean to him personally - I'm blocking him.

Recapping Lent 2024

There is a stress when you limit yourself, by whatever means.  I really wanted to start some new things, especially when I didn't have a small easy-to-knit project when going to the theater this week.  I ended up repurposing a project for the evening, even though it ended up with a bit of a flaw.

Of the items I quick-started on Fat Tuesday, all have been completed:

Instead of two scarves, the Ferris Wheel in "Evergreen" became a scarf and a hat.  I decided to convert the started bit of knitting, then tried to knit the pattern during part of a theatre show, which did not go well:

Restarted and knitting with light and when I could pay attention, I was able to complete the pattern properly.  Then knit up to make the crown, and since it was long enough, just a bit of garter stitch to finish the bottom edge.

How did I do on the UFO pile?  Progress made, but there are still items in the pile.  I didn't finish the Raven Wings socks, nor the mitts, although I decided to restart the mitts with a skein of yarn I bought at the Carolina Fiber Fest which I thought would look better than the stash yarn.

That reminds me, I should post the things I purchased.  I tried to keep to one smallish fiber bag, but one vendor put their items into a drawstring bag that I like, and the kits at the end didn't fit:

Walnut-dyed on the right.

 

Buy three, third one is 50% off, so.....

 

I might skein and dye these.  Maybe just one of them.

Handspun yarns.  I do have plans for most!

  

The grey for the Raven Wings Mitts.
These are all handdyed on a commercial base.

Non-yarn items I couldn't resist.  Felt is for shoe lining.

These were in the fundraiser fiber tools sale.

As for completing UFOs, I finished the Ghost Ranch Cowl and will partly frog the hat and reknit it in the same stitch pattern, so they are more closely a set:

Another set finished is from a skein of hand-dyed acrylic I purchased at DFW Fiber Fest two years ago.  I bought two skeins from this dyer, and one made a scarf that I donated last year, with a hat from the leftovers that is going to the Blue Elves.  So I made a hat and scarf of this skein, having left it at my friend's house in North Texas, so it was an in-progress item:

I almost finished the blue baby blanket, other than not having enough yarn for the edging.  It's no longer made so I have requests out for people to check in their stashes for the yarn or something similar:

I made only a little progress on the Caledonian Cardigan, because I had trouble with the sleeve decreases, but with time to focus I hope to get it finished.

Something I didn't report as a commitment, but which I'd made, is to write out as many Thank You cards for the military as possible.  A friend of mine is a social worker attached to the Navy at Pearl Harbor, and she asks people to send handwritten cards that she can distribute to the troops.  I'd done a bunch in December and decided to try to write five a day during Lent.

I stocked up at dollar stores, and the cards come in packets of four, six, or eight.  I bought as many of the last two as I could, naturally, and since I have two messages decided it was easier to write a pack a day.  Some days I did more, a few days I had to catch up, and when I was writing at the North Texas Irish Festival during some downtime a couple asked if they could buy some of the cards to give to bands.  I gave them three.

My total through March 31st was 337 cards written.  I fit in another 42 so the mailed box contains 379.  Of course I've begun the next one.  And out of curiosity I checked what the postage would have been if I hadn't used a Flat Rate Box.  The machine said it weighed 9 pounds, 13.2 ounces.  According to the USPS site, the cost would be $33.20 for USPS Ground and $51.95 for Priority Mail.  The flat rate box cost $18.40, definitely the winning choice!

Carolina Fiber Fest 2024

I am not getting to much of the event this year, because I want to get back to Dallas for a show (or two) and several of the days are work days, which I cannot take off right now.  I debated about classes, and whether to go to the Friday event, and whether to try entering items in their competition.

In the end, I decided "no" to the Friday event, partly because it is just a hangout and I may be more comfortable after I know more people in the local fiber groups, and partly because of the difficulty I had on Thursday evening when I drove to enter the one item I decided to try.  There's a lot of road construction in that area, and my car navigation didn't acknowledge the Expo Building, then my phone navigation didn't handle the construction detours.  I got there with about twenty minutes to deadline (then had to find parking, and hope I didn't get towed for slipping into a "permit only" slot which appeared reserved for the next day), but managed to get the submission done.

This is what I entered:

Pattern is called "Granny's Not Square Cowl".

It's Category YC32, the Crocheted 2024 Craft-Along Pattern.  I did a slight variation by adding a row of single crochet at each edge.  Yarn is Louisa Harding "Amitola Grande", a silk-wool blend, in 'Tangerine Dream', an oddball purchased from a store in the DFW area.

Another lady was also entering her item (a lovely felted abstract picture that appears to be in natural colours of various wools, brown and black and cream) just then, so I felt better not being the only person to skid at the end of Thursday.  Items could also be entered on Friday morning, but I had to work.  If you are coming to the opening of the event, it's handy to deliver your item then.  While classes begin on Wednesday and run through Sunday, the vendor hall and other events are on Friday and Saturday only.

I thought about entering more items (you can only enter ones made between March 2023 and March 2024) but I cannot be there on Saturday afternoon for pickup.  They offer an option to mail it to you, but I didn't want to risk the box not being correctly calculated.  One cowl in an envelope with several stamps shouldn't be an issue.

Given my schedule I wasn't sure which workshop(s) to take.  I am very interested in the one to do a felted sheep or peacock table mat, but in the end decided on a beginning drop spindle class.  I keep trying to learn and hope that someday I'll get it to work.  Maybe this time?

I chose the early Saturday session, which ends just as the vendor hall opens.  I hope I can get in there and while I don't want to buy much, I expect I'll find a few interesting items.  I also want to browse the Used Equipment Sale and maybe find somebody who can help me get my wheel back in service.  I've had an offer to help balance it, but the pedal needs work also.

After Report

More report later, when I have time to take photos of the things I purchased: buttons, a magnet, lots of yarn.  And I think I've figured out drop spindle!

Plus I got to see my cowl on display:

Finishing Things

In addition to the cowl, I finished one of the scarves I had in my quickly-begun pile.  As I semi-suspected, one cake was not enough, so I included most of the second one.  This means there will not be another green scarf, although I might have enough (in the two bits in the middle of the photo) to make a hat to accompany it.

I worked on the scarf through the North Texas Irish Festival and it drew a lot of attention.

I also finished the Ghost Ranch Cowl:

I'd done the hat first, and am thinking about frogging it and reknitting in the stitch pattern so they match more closely.  It will wait until after Easter as that's not a started thing.

Speaking of started things, I decided that the second mitten of a pair doesn't count as a new start, but the progress is not encouraging:

The yarn isn't even thickness, so the new mitten is smaller than the other despite the same number of rows.  I may remove this bit and start further down where the yarn is thicker again.  Or I may reknit the hand with extra rows.  I am leaning towards the former so I can get to some bright colours more quickly.  Definitely fraternal mittens, whatever happens!