How did this happen? And by the way what am I going to wear??? Right now I should be reading books to the kids...... but I am panicking over our Rhinebeck wardrobe! This is serious people!!!
What brought on this panic you ask? I put my husband in a hand knit sweater I made and my jaw dropped to the floor how handsome he looked in it. Now I know if I never make it as a Brooklyn Tweed designer my husband can be a model for Brooklyn Tweed men's sweaters. It is a Brooklyn Tweed pattern and I must say he looks dashing in it. I am going to have to prep him for answering the question he is going to get a hundred times this weekend "The pattern is Chesterfield by Brooklyn Tweed". Ladies he's mine keep your hands off. I promise to take pictures :) I'm lucky I got him to try it on if I asked for pictures that would be going over the top tonight. This weekend however he doesn't have a choice.
Brady has a hand knit sweater...
and I of course can't decide what I am wearing. That leaves Tiny hand-knit-less. Oh the horror. I am a very fast knitter, but I don't have enough yarn in my house to knit him a sweater tonight..... I do have one half done but he told me he will NEVER wear a blue sweater, so I won't even entertain finishing that one for him.
The weather in Rhinebeck this weekend looks like 54 degrees. As a knitter I am doing that fun jump and clicking my heels that I can wear a warm wonderful hand knit sweater. Tiny told me he will settle for a new hand knit hat. I don't even bite my nails.... but I can totally picture us sitting on the hill by the apple cider donuts getting a family picture in all our hand knits. Somehow I will make it work!!!! This is a nail biter! I can get it done I know I can!
Last week I participated in Spinzilla. For those of you who don't know about Spinzilla it is a fundraiser for TNNA. From October 5th - 11th you spin as much yarn as you can and to over all improve your spinning skills. You can either be on a team or you can be a rogue spinner. I signed up for a team since it is more fun to spin with buddies.
Unfortunately Spinzilla fell during alpaca breeding and halter training time. So much of my time was spent on the farm with the alpacas and not spinning. However I did take as many opportunities as I could to sneak a few pictures with the herd.
I ended up spinning over 4,000 yards of yarn. It came out to over 2-1/4 miles of spinning. My Ashford Traditional got a good work out! My bedroom which had a whole corner filled with fiber is now EMPTY! Fiber takes up much more room than yarn. During Spinzilla I got the question over and over why don't I just buy yarn. The answer is the same why don't I just buy a sweater. The fiber I spun during Spinzilla had a lot of meaning to me. I spun white cormo and gray cormo. That came from a farm in PA.
We see them at Maryland & Rhinebeck every year. I love to watch them show their sheep and I get so excited for them when they win blue ribbons and even color champion. Reflections of Roclans is a husband and wife team that manage their own herd, show their own sheep and man their booth at the festivals. I know it is a lot of work and I know when I buy fiber from them I am helping them feed their sheep. The same sheep we love to come see each year and pet and get lots of pictures with. I also enjoyed spinning some merino that I bought at my very first fiber festival that has been sitting for way too long. It is what inspired me to start spinning. Then I loved working with the yak, silk, merino blend that I bought at Rhinebeck last year from a booth who was set up for the first year. They were a family run farm and so eager to show off their hard work and I was so happy to support them. Then to finish off spinzilla I spun of some fun colors from Dragonfly Fibers. It was a polworth silk blend. That is one of my favorites to spin, but it is slower to spin so I saved it for last. I was so drawn to the colors of that fiber and when I was in line at Rhinebeck last year buying it..... it was a very very very long line.... I made so many connections with the people in line. I ran out of business cards in that line and I think I made about 40 friend on Ravelry. I know some people complain about the lines, but I say take it all in and enjoy people watching! Fiber junkies are good company to have!
I really love being able to control the quality of yarn I make by spinning it myself. I also love that fiber costs less than yarn already spun. So I can save cost by getting higher quality fibers and spinning them myself.
I did also finish a few hand knits during the past week! I knit at the bus stop and at the gas station and any other time I have to wait. I got a hat finished using my handspun yarn from my alpaca Blue, but I don't have pictures yet.
So in no particular order here are some pictures to go along with my past week.... and a few from Rhinebeck & Maryland.
Oh Yes that is my pattern as Miss Bab's booth!!!!!
Meanwhile back at the farm...
Don't forget to stretch during Spinzilla. Treasure has no clue what is going on.
Spinning during breeding of CCNF Smoke Ring & Vauneese (can you see the little girl thinking what in the world is happening???).... there is going to be a Spinzilla baby born next year. There is voting going on what the baby's name should be. I'm leaning on Vaunzilla for a girl or Smokezilla for a boy. Feel free to cast your vote... we might even give a prize.
My kids got their half yellow belts. They are AWESOME!
Mr B on the left (age 8) Tiny on the right (age 6).
Tiny is really living up to his nickname.
Coco had her first halter training / hand spun yarn modeling training.
She excelled A++
The girls helping show off my hand spun yarn.
I got a present from a wonderful knitting friend. I think she knows me well!
The kids :)
Do I have to say... desk job or see these faces everyday????
I'll take these guys everyday of the week.
Fun yarn!
4,000+ yards later.
I'll be camping out at Rhinebeck from Friday to Sunday!!!!!!!!! I am so excited my head might explode. Now I must go and knit Tiny a sweater!!! I hope to see you there!!!!!!!
Maybe I'll be wearing one of my new patterns...... and yes this will be a FREE pattern. It takes two skeins of Briar Rose Sea Pearl.
If you are thinking you might want to got Rhinebeck this weekend, but can't because of your kids.... bring them it is a FAMILY FESTIVAL! Hope to see you there!
8 comments:
Oh my goodness, I LOVE the sweater!! Awesome, awesome pattern!! The t-shirt is perfect, do you know where your friend got it from?
Lovely pictures! I love your sweater as well! What an exciting time :-)
Wow - you definitely got some spinning done for Spinzilla! I'm excited about Rhinebeck and the chilly weather they are predicting. I'm still not sure what I am wearing yet either - I didn't knit a sweater for it but I have plenty to pick from.
WOW! that sweater at the end... gorgeous!
Argh, you are making me wish I hadn't decided to stay home this year :-o. Have fun!!!
hehehehe, you have very handsome boys, all three of them. can't tiny wear something of brady's, that he has outgrown?? but now that i type that, i remember tiny is bigger than brady. well, you have a few days, i know you will figure something out!!!
and there was a red counter in the bags with my scarf, i will return it to leanne the next time i am on the farm!!!!!
and your sweater is GORGEOUS!!!!!!!
a hat is the perfect solution!! a nice hat is going to be a great choice. And I love that photo of you doing a headstand, and treasure is totally giving you the once over because of it.
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