7.13.09 Bag Squared

Hemp for Knitting is a yarn. Hemp is not the easiest yarn for knitting but you can knit with it. Here is the evidence. I think it could be a great farmer’s market bag. The pattern is the Shop til you Drop Bag by Lanaknits. The yarn from The Yarn Lounge in Richmond!

Bag craziness continues. A few weekends ago Caroline and I happened upon a sale at the local quilt store. Of course we did. (Well, we went to the shop on purpose, they just happened to be having a sale….) I bought some Kaffe Fassett fabrics. (I also scored some Amy Butler fabrics but we will get to that another time.) I also bought a couple of bag patterns. I made one of them this past weekend. It is “The X Bag” and is an interesting design. When sewn together the folds created in the main fabric pieces create pockets inside the bag. I do need to finish the tab closure.

Happy sewing, knitting, weaving and ironing!

6.28.09 Summer Fun

Summer used to be my favorite season. Outdoor activitites are no longer on the calendar because of the heat and humidity here and my intolerance of it. In past years there were water related activities to be added into the mix but we no longer belong to an outdoor pool association so that is not an option. AND, the sun rashes I get are hideously ugly. I will spare you the pictures I took of myself with a rash after the week at the beach even though I wore TONS of sunblock and a hat.

The family beach week was enjoyable for the most part, but I don’t think we will be doing that again for quite a while. Suffice it to say, the family members have diverse interests, not all of which are enjoyed or even tolerated by the other family members. A week was too long.

I did manage to find nice yarns at the Outer Banks. There is a lovely yarn shop in Southern Shores called Knitting Addiction. In all of my years vacationing in the area I have never been to this shop! I came home with a pattern for the Omega Wrap by Chris Bylsma and the yarns to complete it and a hank (now a ball) of Mango Moon Rayon Ribbon. I have tried to get gauge for a small bag with it but it hasn’t worked out yet. The Omega Wrap is almost finished but even getting gauge I have had to add in another color stripe. This is not my usual type of project or yarn: I almost never work with 100% cotton yarns.

This past Friday and Saturday I spent with friends old and new. We gathered to celebrate Wendy’s book signing trip to Richmond. Of course I could not leave the Yarn Lounge on Saturday without some goodies. I thought I had a plan for the wool but it turns out I can’t decide.

Here are some of the other things that have occupied my weeks since my last post.

Books have been read

Fiber has been spun

Socks and sweaters have been knitted

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coppacabana/3668003085/" title="IMG_2210.JPG by sheeprulealiceknits, on Flickr">

The Guardian of the Loom (which is warped for a rug that is as yet unwoven).

I hope you are having a fun Summer and I am so glad to see Carin’s blog back in action!

12.11.08

By Alice

I went to the Yarn Lounge yesterday! I am feeling much better from my respiratory trials and am glad to be back in the world again. It was weirdly hot and humid and not a day that you would expect for December. Of course I came home with something I didn’t intend to come home with along with my intended purchase (secrecy here): a 400 yard hank of some squishy soft singles hand dyed by Plain and Fancy in Texas.

I am a little disappointed that I didn’t get my picture taken with the cute penguins but they were really busy, which is a good thing in a yarn shop.

Last Sunday I went to the new weaving studio that Cherri has opened. Can you imagine moving 11 looms in one weekend? I can’t. But she and some loyal friends and family did just that. I don’t have any pictures of my piece but when I return I will get a picture of it and the studio. In the meantime, if you are interested in weaving at Cherri’s studio go to Rivercityweaves and send her a message! The studio is full of weaving in progress, lots of supplies and of course instruction should you be in need.

Oh yes, I got tagged by Centerweave for the picture tag going around. Thanks Susan ~ I wish I had a sister with a house in Maine!

So I followed the instructions:
*Go to your sixth picture folder and pick your sixth picture.
*Pray you remember the details.
*Tag five others.

This is it. It is a crafty picture!

This is a picture of my daughter Caroline’s knitting project the Tree Jacket done in Knitpicks superwash worsted. She is an accomplished knitter, and though she doesn’t knit every day, she has knitted many beautiful things. She is a college student and I am sure there are things to do that take precedence over knitting!

Now for The Five:
rivercityweaves
HocAge
chrisknits
The Weaving Studio (he has lots of good pictures!)
bonaircat

3.6.08 What a Beautiful Day!

There I went again. Tripping through central VA. I journeyed to Charlottesville to meet up with Lara and Linda from Lynchburg (Hi!) to take my drum carder to it’s new owner Lara. We met at Stony Mountain Fibers outside Charlottesville VA and after the transaction was completed we ventured inside the shop owned by Barbara Gentry. Stony Mountain Fibers has EVERYTHING you would probably ever want in the way of spinning fiber, knitting yarns, coned yarns, wheels, books, a couple looms and of course Barbara. I realized when I was there that it actually was Barbara who sold me my first wheel in 1991 or so! Her shop was then on the downtown mall in Charlottesville, in the old Hardware Store. Now her shop is at her home.

Here are some pictures of my journey.
The highway:

The byway:

I am getting really good at taking pictures out of my car windshield whilst driving! The scenery in Virginia is almost as beautiful as England. I am sure of it. Just not as green.
See, this is England. It is definitely greener.

Anyway, I then put my camera away and took no more pictures til I got home. That was dumb. There would have been good pictures. I was too busy having a long overdue fiber feast. Here is a sample of the things I brought home!
A couple of cones, a couple of magazine back issues, a Kundert spindle (maple)

12 oz. of cotswold/coopworth fiber, died with natural dyes.

some english longwool dyed locks and some “firestar” fiber (who knew I would buy glitter???)

and last but not least some Chasing Rainbows merino/tencel roving.

What does this all have to do with my works in progress??? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I just had a great day! And I left out the parts about lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise and the knitting shop It’s a Stitch. Oops.