My First Rhinebeck

What a great weekend! I was invited by some local knitting friends to go along for the ride to the NY Sheep and Wool Festival. Since I had been planning on attending as a civilian anyway, this worked out great. Unfortunately, I did not take too many pictures, and the ones I have, such as they are, are on my phone, which is out of juice.

Here are some highlights of my Virgin Rhinebeck experience:

Beautiful scenery for the drive--both ways. Lots of laughs with Steven, Lisa, and Kelly in the car. Great soundtrack.

Steven A (http://bitchesgetstitches.wordpress.com/) and I made a pact NOT to buy a fleece. I did, however, get a free merino/lincoln fleece from my mom. The long-awaited "Pedro Fleece." It is a very pretty brown color. I am hoping for some hot dry weather soon so I can process it outside. I also have a black Romney Bond fleece from Castle Farms Fiber Fest that I have not touched yet, and a few pounds of washed, but not carded Romney from MDSW. Hence the No New Fleeces rule.

I got to see my mom and brother Dave yesterday morning for a few hours. It was nice to walk the festival with them. It was such a gorgeous day, and Dave seemed in good spirits and enjoyed the frisbee dog and herding demos. I had to leave around 12:30 yesterday, but I think the two of them stayed to take in the rest of the show.

I went 3 times to look at and spin on the Pocket Wheel. http://www.pocket-wheel.com/ I am kind of in love with its ingenious design and the uniqueness factor. I am attracted to things that not too many people have. But do I really need another wheel? I bring my Majacraft Suzie Pro on trips already, as she is quite portable. But a 6 lb wheel that I could lift with one finger or put in a small tote bag? Hmmm...*IF* I put a deposit down, I could have a nice cherry wood Pocket Wheel in about 6 months. I probably would not get the Woolee Winder right away. I liked the people who recently bought the company from the original designer, and it is a pretty good price for a cute little wheel. I will think about it for one more day and ask a couple of my trusted fiber advisors.

Speaking of spinning goddesses, I had a few impromptu spinning lessons this weekend. I have only been shown what to do on my wheel once, by my spinning hero Beth Smith from Spinning Loft in Howell MI. Besides that, I have just been conducting solo experiments, with the occasional youtube video or reference book consultation. I learn from doing, though, and I got a couple quick hands-on pointers that may just change my life by allowing me to make cuter yarn.

The Ravelry meet-up on Saturday and party on Saturday night were really fun. It is so cool to meet other fiber enthusiasts. I am so grateful to be a part of this funny little yarn world. And it's my job!

My Hampton Cardigan in Mountain Meadow Wool 2 ply sport turned out nice. I loved the comments and compliments I got from random knitters and friends. It is so much more gratifying to wear your handknits to a fiber festival than in real life. And the chilly weather made the whole event a fashion show worthy of the ages.

I kept my spending under control. Besides meals (the lamb kabobs were excellent,) I only bought a bottle of NY dry table wine, 4 oz SW merino roving from Fiber Optic in Coffee #9 (browns so rich it looks like it should smell like really good coffee,) 4 oz SW BFL and 8 oz targhee from Spirit Trail, a lovely hand-turned nostepinne, and I think that's it, not counting the possible wheel purchase. Lucky for me, these are all work-related expenses.

Liked the llama and alpaca parade, saw cute farm guys, saw a lot of semi-famous knitting personalities and designers. None of them know who I am, but because Steven A is on a lot of people's radar because of his blog and his hotpants, I glommed on and at least got to stand near them and say hi. We also saw Uma Thurman going in to the fest when we were leaving Saturday afternoon. She looked beautiful even with no makeup. Steven got a picture of her backside, but we were too shy to say anything.

That's all I can remember for now. I will upload my few pictures soon.

Hiya Hiya Needles and Accessories

The needle and notions line that I am lucky enough to represent is Hiya Hiya. Especially hot the last year have been the Interchangeable Circular Needle sets. They come in Small (US size 2-8 tips) and now the long-awaited Large (size 9-15.) You can have 4" or 5" tips, and the sets come with this pretty and handy case, with 4 cables to give you 16", 24", 32", and 40" needles. You can also order additional cables (there is a 60") and extra tips. I own 2 sets of the small. They are my needles of choice, and I loved them before I started selling them. They are light, have a smooth join, and a super-flexible cord.

Of course, Hiya Hiya also offer regular steel and bamboo circs and dpns, as well as crochet hooks. They go down to the very wee 6-0 in both the steel circulars and double points! How about US size 10.75? Check. Several of my retail partners have taken the needles for a test-drive and have liked them so well they have decided to replace their incumbent needles. Their customers are happy with the value--high quality steel circular needles in the $8-11 range? Pretty cool. If you own a shop in my area, let me know your favorite size and I will get some in your hands so you can see for yourself.

When I show the Hiya Hiya line to LYS owners, I end up saying "cute" several times. And it is a line that contains a lot of cuteness. The Puppy Snips. The yarn ball stitch markers in a Dumpling Case. The Small Project Bags or Sock Sets. Load up on these items for fall and holiday. They are irresistible. And why not save some money on Locking ring stitch markers, cable needles, stitch holders, and point protectors? Your customers will appreciate the great value for the price, and will have more money left over to buy yarn!

Jul Silver part 1

Jul Silver is one of my tremendous creative partners. I really had never been inspired to make a felted bag before, until I fell in love with this handle (the Amazon Explorer) and the Noni Nomad bag pattern. Now I can't wait to do more bags!

All of the leather handles are designed by Laura Bellows of Jul, and HAND MADE by the DESIGNER in her Savage, MD studio. Only the highest quality leather is used. this one is called the Big Sexy Handle. The 2.5" steel rings give a very "rock-and-roll" look. These are hot and come in 24" or 30" lengths.

This is the Earth Explorer Hinged handle. I can't imagine using a lower-quality handle to finish a piece I have made. I have gotten so many compliments on my first bag. I have also seen cheaper handles in shops. They are usually really thin leather wrapped around a fabric core. I have seen them crack when touched. What would happen when you actually use the bag?

You may not have seen the different colored leather for the handles. This is the Botanical Explorer handle. The rivets are cool looking and make the handle very sturdy. You can also rivet right through your knitted bag to attach the handle. Jul offers a home riveting kit, or knitters have told me that they take their bags to a shoe repair person who can attach the handles for them.

Here is the handle that started it all for me. If you own a LYS, please let me know if you would like to see the collection in person. If you make a sample bag for the shop, your customers can special order their handles. Why not do a felted bag class? Felted bags are only "over" if you let them be over. Take a look at the Noni Fall collection with the Jul handles and you can see how current and sophisticated knot felted bags can be. It is a great way to sell patterns, yarn, and bag hardware (handles, decorative items, and don't forget the bag feet--see above--to extend the life of the bag) which come in a wide range of prices.

My single, from 2 oz Spunky Eclectic 80 BFL/ 20 silk. Am experimenting with drafting methods and am trying for softer, loftier singles.

I think the above mentioned experimenting is giving me softer, loftier yarn, although right now at the expense of evenness.

Yarn Hollow fiber 2 ply

I absolutely love the colors dyed by Rita at Yarn Hollow.

Tour de Fleece 2010

I am having so much fun with all of this spinning practice, and also it is helping me learn how to get better at the tech processes of uploading pictures to Ravelry (forums and stash) and hopefully to the blog. It has been my experience that if I am only doing these tasks once a week or so, I forget how to do it each time. A great idea, suggested to me by some helpful friends, is to write down the steps as I do them, so then when my brain is not working I can just go check the notebook or the computer file. Eventually, I will remember how to do the things, or maybe there are easier ways that I don't know about yet, that will not seem like so many clicks and steps.

HPKY Scarf In a Scarf Kit

I got an email this morning from Rex and Bjorn from Hand Painted Knitting Yarns, or HPKY. In addition to their very popular Giant Skeins, we offer this Scarf In a Scarf Kit, which retails for around $60. It is 4 hanks of 60/40 merino wool/silk 2 ply which has been hand painted with a 100% silk scarf. The pattern (included) could not be easier, so these are perfect for the beginning knitter or for anyone to whip up some quick gifts.

Here is my sample earlier this spring with my lilacs. Well, technically, they are my neighbors' lilacs, but they are hanging over the fence, so these few branches are "mine." Funny how my sense of ownership works. You can thread the scarf through the eyelet holes down the middle of the scarf, or wrap around the sides. People who are great with scarves can probably come up with many ways to wear this piece.

Here is one of my favorite "stylings." I love the jewel tones of this colorway.

And now there are "light-to-dark," in one color, versions. So pretty! Or go with wild multicolored handpaints. Either way, the silk scarf will be dyed to match. LYSO's, the best way to introduce these in your shop is to order a case of 20, tell your customers that they will be unveiled on a certain day and time, and then keep them under a sheet until then. Have a drumroll or some sparkling wine and "Voila!" pull the sheet off and watch your customers dive in. These are selling like crack.