Adventures in fiber heaven, part 4: The Loot

The loot:

Above, from top to bottom: Tess' Designer Yarns Superwash Merino; Cloverleaf Farm merino/tussah roving; Brooks Farm Solana; STR Lightweight, 2 skeins; Tilli Tomas Beaded Silk; Tilli Tomas Demi Plie; Greenbridge Pottery teabag holders.


Above, from top to bottom: Tilli Tomas Beaded Silk; Tilli Tomas Demi Plie; Greenbridge Pottery teabag holders.


Above, from left to right: Brooks Farm Solana; Tess' Designer Yarns Superwash Merino; Cloverleaf Farm merino/tussah roving.

The Fold (Barn 3)
Blue Moon Fiberarts Socks That Rock Lightweight

Below: STR, colorway Highway 30.


Below: STR, colorway Pebble Beach.

Levin & Raja (Barn 3)
Border Leicester half-fleece, opal with fawn tips, 1 1/2 pounds ("Opal")

Tilli Tomas (Main Building)

Below: Beaded Lace, Sahara.

Below: Demi Plie, Natural,

Tess' Designer Yarns (Outside)
Superwash Merino, pale celadon green

Cloverleaf Farm (Main Building)
70/30 Merino/tussah roving, yellow

Greenbridge Pottery (Barn 5)
Teabag holders

Brooks Farm (Outside)
Solana, camouflage green

Adventures in fiber heaven, part 3: Rock stars

Lucky me, I got to return to MdS&W for a second day this year, thanks to The Boy. G assured me that he was joining me on this less-crowded, less-hectic, less-distracted (on my part, theoretically at least) second day because he wanted me to be happy. And that may even have been part of the reason. But I think the major factor was the knowledge that he would have access to roasted lamb products and other delicious fair foods. Whatever the reason, the important thing was that I got to go back.

Brooks Farm Yarns

My main goals were to track down the hand-turned 1-yard niddy noddy that I had regretted not buying the day before and to purchase a matching/coordinating skein of Tilli Tomas Demi Plie lace-weight silk yarn to go with the old gold Tilli Tomas Beaded Lace (colorway Sahara) I'd already bought. Oh, and if I got a chance, to find my Ravelry sticker and to meet the Ravelry rock stars.

Though these goals were at the forefront of my thoughts, my overriding concern was to make sure G would enjoy himself. I already knew my sister, L, would find some way to keep herself entertained, as she had the previous day. I also knew that I'd have to find some way to keep G happy - so that he would assent to making this an annual tradition. The lamb lunch helped (though I think we'll have to try different vendors next time to find the one that's just right). So did looking at all the different animals (who knew there were so many different breeds of sheep, G sure didn't, until S&W!).

At first, I was concerned about G and his level of enjoyment, which diminished my level of full enjoyment somewhat. However, I was soon distracted by whatever remained at my favorite booths - and by the booths that I hadn't had a chance to visit the day before. Unfortunately, the niddy-noddy I'd noticed was all gone, but I did manage to score some Tilli Tomas lace-weight. Unfortunately, no Ravelry sticker - but yes Ravelry rock stars! See?

All in all, it was a pretty successful day. Now only have to wait one more year 'til the next one!

Adventures in fiber heaven, part 2: Opal, etc.

In the next part of my adventure, I came thisclose to buying a sheep. Well, not exactly. There was really no question that I wouldn't be leaving with a new living, breathing pet. Again, I exaggerate.

As we drove to the Howard County Fairgrounds, I had semi-jokingly commented to my companions that a main goal was to avoid leaving with any purchase that breathed. Well, I came closer than I'd anticipated to not meeting that goal.

After we left The Fold, clutching our precious STR loot, my sister L and I stumbled upon the Levin & Raja booth, which was piled high with plastic bags filled with fleeces. The very nice Betty Levin took the time to chat with us about them. She took the time to teach us a little bit about shopping for fleeces, spreading out a pale blue flat sheet and pulling out a very pretty silver-and-tan fleece for inspection.

She explained that she would not return to S&W next year because of training for sheepdog trials, but that if any of her clients wanted to purchase fleeces from her in the future, they had only to call and ask - she keeps meticulous records and notes of every single fleece she's ever sold. Though tempted by the pretty silver-tan fleece, I demurred and returned outside to meet K and T as they rejoined us.

Once I caught a glimpse of K's new acquisition - 6 skeins of deep red Tilli Tomas Demi Plie lace-weight silk for The Shawl - I became determined to visit the Tilli Tomas booth... After getting the girls' advice re: the fleece.

Above: Opal - Border Leicester fleece from Levin & Raja. Opal with fawn tips.

We engaged Betty in another extensive conversation, this time about the ewe from which the fleece had been sheared. She spoke about the sheep as if she were a much-loved pet, so T asked her name. With a confused look, Betty said, "Y33." She concluded with a set of rough instructions for post-purchase fleece handling. Essentially, I would have to wash the fleece, then card it into spin-ready shape, both activities I haven't tried before.

Well, long story short, I am blessed to be friends with sincere enablers, so of course I walked away with the gorgeous 1-1/2 pound opal Border Leicester half-fleece with fawn tips. I figured (and K agreed) that 22 bucks was a small price to pay for a valuable learning experience. (Betty must have known she had me when she saw us approach her booth for a second time. )

Clutching my impulse buy, I approached the Main Building with my friends. As I read the accompanying index card aloud, with its "opal" color designation, my friends suggested naming the fleece "Opal." And so Opal she became.

Our next stop was the Tilli Tomas booth. As I walked, my head swiveled from side to side and my eyes darted around frantically as I drank in the sights and sounds of the festival. The Tilli Tomas booth was, predictably, crowded. I entrusted Opal to K as L and I plunged into the fray.

Above: Tilli Tomas Beaded Lace in Sahara.

I spoke with the proprietress (Tracy, I think her name is) about a non-beaded silk lace to match the blue of the Beaded Lace in exclusive Stitch DC colorway Equality. She didn't have any, but offered to dye up a batch for me - and to give me the special festival price of 10 bucks a skein (a true bargain!).

An agreement having been reached, I returned to my perusal of the booth. L immediately selected a very pretty pink skein of Rock Star (a steal at $25), while I, predictably, oscillated between various colorways and yarns. Ultimately, I selected a pale gold-ish Beaded Lace (colorway Sahara). (I would return the following day to purchase a non-beaded silk lace in a natural color to mix & match with the beaded Sahara.)

Above: Tilli Tomas Beaded Lace in Sahara on the left, Demi Plie in Natural on the right.

Then it was back outside to some of the outdoor vendors. First up was a favorite of mine, Tess' Designer Yarns. I discovered Tess' last year, attracted initially by the crowds swarming like bees to honey, then captivated fully by the riot of soft, subtle colors painted onto soft, touchable yarns. Heaven, indeed.

This year, I was less overwhelmed by the booth (then again, I was less overwhelmed in general), and wasted no time zeroing in on exactly what I wanted - a long, luscious skein of pale celadon green Superwash Merino. I had to fight off a couple of equally determined fiber enthusiasts to get to it, but I managed. Okay, so "fighting off" didn't really involve any aggression or even a hint of violence, just a firm statement of my desire to purchase the last skein of that yarn in that color. It was totally fair; I spotted it first, I got to it first. And I was polite. (L & T pointed out a few tiny spots of bright yellow hidden deep within the skein of pale green, but as that was the last available one, I decided I could live with those imperfections. Small flaws add character, right? Especially the unobtrusive ones.)

Above: Tess' Designer Yarns Superwash Merino.

After Tess', we moved across the way to Misty Mountain Farm - another favorite and the site of my final purchase last year, an impulse buy of super soft natural-colored merino roving. After purchasing my Opal, I didn't really feel a burning desire to purchase more fiber. After purchasing my Tilli and my Tess, I didn't really feel a burning desire to purchase more yarn. So I browsed. And I looked. And I stood in line whilst K shopped. (It was only fair, especially after my buddies had stood in line for me at Tess'. Turn and turn about's fair play, or however the saying goes.)

When K and I blinked our way out from under the tent into the emerging sunlight, we found L had returned from a quick trip to the Ribbon Chips booth, bearing a very welcome gift - food! I highly recommend Ribbon Chips, a plate piled high with thinly sliced ribbons of potatoes, quickly deep-fried into crispy goodness and topped with the works - melted nacho cheese, cool sour cream, snipped chives, bright bacon bits, and pickled jalapenos. Pure deliciousness. The four of us devoured our little mid-day, pre-lunch snack.

We then decided it was time to make a quick pre-lunch return trip to the car to drop off our loot, with a quick detour at J's Court to say hello. We walked through the Rabbit Building, where the Ravelry meet-up was scheduled to take place. It was packed with bodies, everyone eagerly waiting for a Ravelry royalty appearance. Speak of the devil, as we approached the Western Ravelers' home base, we encountered a pleasant surprise - a glimpse of the Ravelry celebs (Ravelebs??) themselves, just as they were departing J's Court. As we readied ourselves for our stroll back to the car, we saw a trio of women carrying Ravelry tote bags filled with Ravelry buttons and descended upon them en masse. (As it turns out, we were lucky to get to them when we did, because all 700 buttons were gone in no time.)

Once we'd deposited our purchases thus far in the trunk of K's car (cracking open Opal's bag so she could breathe) and downed some cold lemonade (thanks to K's forethought), we returned to the festival for lunch. We settled our butts onto a patch of grass by Barn 1, positioning ourselves strategically close but not too close to the performance stage to munch on our lunches. (I thoroughly enjoyed my sliced lamb sandwich, yum! And no, I suffer no qualms or twinges of guilt about cooing over cute lil woolly lambs and then turning around and eating a lamb lunch.)

Above: Cute little Scottish Blackface lambs.

Speaking of, there were many, many adorable sources of fiber-y goodness.

There were cute little lambs...

Above: These particular 6-week-old lambs hopped around - literally!

And there were goats...

And there were alpacas...

Above: A pair of alpacas, whispering sweet nothings to each other... And laughing??

There were also llamas and rabbits, but I didn't take pictures of those. I didn't even see the bunny rabbits this year - where were they?? I was tempted to come home with one last year... Good thing I didn't though, Mom would've flipped out, the dog would've gotten over-excited, and the house would be filled with bits of fluff, at which point it would've been Dad's turn to flip out.

But I digress. After lunch, we wandered through the vendor-filled barns and then returned to the Main Building, where I sought out a couple of spindle-makers: Golding and Journey Wheels. I gave a Bosworth Midi spindle a, well, spin, but opted against adding to my spindle collection this time around.

I also checked out some of the niddy noddies that were available for purchase, including the ubiquitous Ashford, Louet, and Kromski. At The Spinnery booth, I was attracted to a 1-yard niddy noddy hand turned by artisan/craftsman Michael Holcomb. I moved on, however, thinking I wanted a longer skein. (Before long, I would come to regret not snatching up one of these beauties when I had the chance.)

Above: Michael Holcomb hand turned niddy noddy at The Spinnery.

T and L got to step into the role of enablers (again), when K, intending to play enabler, led me to the Cloverleaf Farms booth. There, she pointed out the lovely braids of merino/tussah blend roving. I had a hard time selecting my favorite among the shades of blues, violets, and greens. Finally, I settled on the lemon-gold yellow, after K expressed interest in the same colorway as well. We decided to conduct a "scientific" experiment: she would spin her braid of sunny yellow 70/30 merino/tussah roving on her wheel, while I would spin mine on my drop spindle. And that turned out to be my last purchase of the day.

By the time 2:30pm rolled around, all of us were dragging a bit. Even so, we wove our way around some of the outdoor booths we'd overlooked previously before finally making our way back to the car around 3:30 or thereabouts. Of course, we had to stop by J's Court to pay our respects and share our MdS&W loot before taking our leave.

And thus ended - quite successfully - Day 1 at the 2008 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.

Adventures in fiber heaven, part 1: Intro to MdS&W'08

My entire body feels like it's been thoroughly beaten. Eight hours of mucking about with domesticated animals will do that to a girl. I am truly exhausted... But I am also truly content! This weekend was my second annual birthday celebration, aka the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.

Okay, back up a bit. So I wasn't exactly mucking about. It was more like me, strolling about the Howard County Fairgrounds, drinking in the sights, fondling the soft things, and doling out the cash in exchange for said soft things. Oh, and eating. I was in heaven.

Last year was my first trip to S&W. In retrospect, I'm glad my first time was alone. (Okay, on some level, that sounds totally wrong. And weird. But anyway...) I was there from around 8:30am until around 5:30pm, walking around, gazing around, mostly in a daze, buying a few things here and there, touching more than a few things here and there. I gradually familiarized myself with the atmosphere, the layout, and the sheer spectacle, slowly but surely. And that one day was enough. Sort of.

Fast forward to 2008. This year, I was at S&W both days. A full weekend of fiber-y goodness. What a way to celebrate my (gulp) 28th birthday, right?

Saturday was the serious day - serious exploration, serious shopping. I went with a couple of knitting friends from Ravelry (and my local meet-up), K and T, and my sister L, leaving the house around 7:30am and arriving at the Fairgrounds by 8:30am. We lucked out and got a great parking spot relatively close to the entrance, perfect for a mid-day trip back to the car to deposit Treasure, part 1.

Above: Standing in line at The Fold with an arm "full" of STR... In the spirit of full disclosure, Two of those skeins of STR are T's. I felt inadequate with my single skein, so she let me borrow hers for the photo.

Almost as soon as we began walking towards the entrance, we spotted another fellow Raveler, J. J was set up literally across the (goat) path from the entrance. And I do mean set up. Her vehicle, sporting a large "Western Maryland Ravelers" banner, occupied one parking space, and right behind it was a circle of folding camp chairs, where J lounged comfortably, holding court. J and her contingent had arrived at 6:30am, early enough to stake their claim to the small plot of prime real estate they called home base. I was in awe. I wasn't even snoozing the alarm clock at 6:30am, much less awake, on the road, or at the Fairgrounds! Consider me duly impressed; J is officially one of my heroes.

As it turns out, I was the only anal, obsessive one in my little group to have done extensive research and created a (mostly) comprehensive Excel spreadsheet - sorted alphabetically and geographically! - of this year's vendors. I had a sort-of plan of attack, but somehow, after I'd mentioned stumbling across and photographing the perennial line at The Fold the previous year, we ended up at their booth.

Above: Standing in line at The Fold.

At 8:30am, there was not yet a line to get into the booth to explore the three makeshift walls filled with skeins of STR, only a line to pay for the loot. I didn't see any harm in just looking, so T and I entered the booth while K and L staked out a place in the pay line. I was remarkably restrained, thoughtfully selecting a single skein of the STR Lightweight, in colorway Pebble Beach, after rejecting Farmhouse, which I'd admired & coveted on the Blue Moon Fiber Arts website some months before. Meanwhile, T selected a couple of semi-solid skeins of the Heavyweight. As we waited for the clock to strike 9 o'clock, the registers to open, and the shopping to begin, we agreed that K and T would explore some of the options for lace yarn (for K's wedding shawl) while L photographed livestock and I waited in line.

Above: Some of the many reasons for the increasing-by-the-minute line at The Fold.

As I waited, I had the opportunity to observe the S&W world around me... And my jaw dropped as I witnessed the incredible line of people waiting to purchase t-shirts. It just went on and on and on and on...

Above: T-shirt line, Building 1.

Later on, I read on Ravelry that some people waited a couple of hours to get their t-shirts! I was glad I hadn't been one of those people, not that I would have been, for the very simple reasons that (a) I'm not deeply committed to t-shirts that are emblazoned with logos, brand names, slogans, etc (other than college t-shirts, those are the exception to the rule); and (b) I don't relish standing in line. Oh, and (c) my preference would be to save the money for more fiber-y goodness. Different strokes :o)

Above: More STR.

Back to my line. As I waited to get to the register, my sister waltzed in for a look-see and added another skein of STR to my "pile" (of one). STR skein #2: Highway 30. I debated the merits of the two colors until L came up with a Solomon-esque suggestion to purchase both. Pure genius! I congratulated myself for my restraint (while simultaneously fighting down a surge of envy) as I glanced around me at women whose arms were filled with skein upon skein of STR. My sister, in the meantime, selected a skein of the Heavyweight in colorway Brick, a semi-solid red that she declared to be the epitome of "Nantucket red."

Above: My STR purchases; Highway 30 on the left, Pebble Beach on the right.

We finished up at The Fold before 9:30am, so L and I strolled through Barn 3... And so continued my adventures in wool.

The Mother's Day (Not-So-)Secret Gift

My mother is always asking me about various WIPs that are intended for her. Like the Blaze sweater that's been snoozing for, well, years. Or the chunky vest that's been snoozing since the weather started to warm up.

So when I came up with the idea of knitting Eunny Jang's Print o' the Waves stole for this year's Mother's Day gift, I decided to keep it a secret, just in case. Just in case I wasn't able to finish it in time. Just in case it turned into another snoozer. Just in case my dearest, darlingest mother felt like nagging me again about my knitting and knitting and knitting... And not finishing.

I did pretty well keeping the secret under wraps, nearly all the way through the 17th repeat of Chart A (also the halfway point). And then my mom walked up to the open doorway of my room and asked what I was working on. I stammered a brief reply and made her promise to forget she'd seen the WIP that is her intended Mother's Day gift.

On the bright side, I now have more flexibility as to when and where I work on the stole. On the less bright side, there's a whole lot of pressure now to finish the project in the next 13 days, because if I don't... There will be questions. Many, many questions. Chop chop, better get to it!

My eco-friendly FO

Well, I assume it's eco-friendly. There's the whole debate about how much it costs to produce these so-called eco-friendly products and the like, but I choose to believe that: (a) Kollage Yarns Hope organic cotton yarn really is eco-friendly, and (b) I will be making an enormous impact on the environment (in a positive way, of course) by carrying my hand knitted, itty bitty market bag to the market. Where I will only be able to fit narrow and/or small fruits and vegetables, like bananas, asparagus, plums, and possibly the smaller varieties of apples, through the minuscule opening.

I exaggerate, but only a little. The circumference of the opening is probably about 12 inches, which translates to a diameter of a little under 4 inches. Give or take. The rest of the bag is nice and stretchy. The attached i-cord opening, not so much. Fan-bloody-tastic.

I realized this as I was attaching the first i-cord. The opening of the bag seemed to be shrinking by the picked-up stitch. Did I stop? Oh no. I kept going. I had stopped, frogged, and re-started this darn bag so many times that by the time Day 3 of the adventure came around, I was not about to stop. For anything short of major disaster. Like accidentally dropping every single one of the 66 stitches off my circulars. Something like that might have stopped me. Possibly.

So I can only fit small items (like balls of yarn) in my market bag. Big deal. Maybe this'll encourage me to spend less cash on non-essentials. Like jugs of milk and boxes of cereal and the like. (Says the girl who just spent 50 bucks on makeup she will never wear, because there's a HUGE sale going on at E.L.F. - everything's a buck, people, can't pass up a good deal!)

The point is, folks, it's DONE! The Elisa's Nest Tote has officially transitioned - from frog pond to UFO and back - and is now officially an FO. An eco-friendly FO, no less! It's time to go celebrate. With the Scooby snack pouches I had to take out of the box and place in my market bag one at a time in order to get 'em to fit.

Ribbit. Ribbit ribbit.

I assume "ribbit" is how you spell the sound that a frog supposedly makes.

Why is this relevant? I have done a loooooot of frogging the past two weeks. First, there were the Jaywalkers. The legs were done, I'd turned the ankle, and the feet were part way done. On both of the socks. Then I realized I couldn't fit the darn things over the ankles, and poof, ribbit they went. Then came the Leah Tunic. You can read about the whole saga in my previous blog post, but essentially, I made it way too small, and they went to the frog pond. And then came the market bag.

Now, I made a huge amount of progress on the market bag in a single day. Ten inches of glorious lacy market bag-ness. And then I glanced at the remaining bit of yarn and groaned internally. I dug out the tape measure, only to discover the bag-in-progress was 11 inches across rather than the 8 called for by the pattern. Lovely. So my Kollage Hope yarn took a nosedive into the frog pond.

After a little one-on-one time with Excel (ahh, my dear friend MS Excel), I re-cast on, only to discover I would need a second set of circular needles in order to knit in the round. So I trotted over to my friendly local Michael's for a set of size 10 circular needles (16" ones, as it turned out), but I don't like 'em. Too dull. I like sharp lil critters, including my knitting needles.

So... Long story short, it looks like I will have to cast on 58 sts onto 2 sets of US 10 circulars, with 1 extra st on each of the two circular needles as selvedge sts (to compensate for the yarn overs). Fingers crossed... I'm not terribly fond of the ribbit pond!

Numbers never lie / math is infallible

I'm knitting. That's nothing new, of course; what a silly thing to say (write, err type).

I'm knitting the Leah Tunic from Purl Bee, or rather, a modified version of Leah. I don't like the untidy hem of the original Leah, so I'm using a deep garter stitch border at the hem. I'm also shortening from the tunic length so that the bottom hits right below the waistband of my jeans.

I've also substituted in a yarn with a significantly tighter gauge than called for in the pattern: 8.6 sts/in rather than 7 sts/in. The yarn is a new 100% silk lace ribbon yarn from Karabella called Manipur. More on that later.

After doing body measurements, gauge swatches, and a bunch of calculations, I cast on the required number of stitches for the middle size - even though the numbers said to cast on for the larger size.

I am now done with the first skein of Manipur and a few rounds past the second decrease round. I can now take some kind of semi-accurate measurement of the piece. As expected, 14 inches across for a circumference of 28 inches. I want/need it to be 15 inches across/30 inches around.

Umm, yeah. Why am I surprised? The gauge swatch, measurements, calculations - all indicated that with the medium size number of stitches, the piece would measure about 13.9 inches across (circumference 27.8 inches). Numbers never lie. Math is infallible. Why, oh why did I cast on 119 sts (each for front & back pieces, total 238 sts) rather than 130 (260 total)?!? I am an idiot, that's why.

So now I'm faced with a dilemma. Do I keep going, figure out a way to compensate for mistake, and hope for the best? Or do I grit my teeth, kick myself in the ass, frog and reknit?

I think I may have to go with the latter option, much as the prospect pains me... Because Manipur is a drapey silk that wouldn't look so great with negative (or in this case, borderline super negative) ease.

Oh, and for the record, Manipur is a great yarn to work with (minus the twisting, but that's to be expected with ribbon-y yarns), but a nightmare to wind. The skein is about 2 feet around, which makes it impossible to fit onto my swift. Oh, and it tangles like no other. I am SO not looking forward to winding anymore skeins of the stuff! Then again, I might prefer even that to frogging and reknitting :oP

(More) Ravelry adventures

I've been getting rather a lot of knitting done lately. This increase in my level of productivity can be traced back to December 20, 2007. Ooh, an exact date, are you impressed? No need to be, December 20, 2007 is also known as the day I joined the online community / (un)controlled substance known as Ravelry, and the date is recorded for all the (Ravelry) world to see, right there in my profile.

The amount of time I spend (some, mostly non-knitters, would say "waste") on Ravelry is roughly proportional to the amount of knitting I get done - and inversely proportional to the amount of blogging I get done. This is only a theory, with no hard empirical data to support it, but I feel fairly confident in setting it forth as a sound one.

Before I discovered Ravelry (or did it discover me??), I resolved to record my adventures in knitting right here on my blog. Not long after that, however, I got sucked into the alternate universe that is Ravelry, and well, let's just say that this is only my second or so blog entry since Christmas-time.

Not a lot of blogging, quite a lot of knitting.

However, this blog entry is not about all the amazing knitting I've done in the past 3 months (I've done a bit, not all that much, and not all that amazing). There will be no rhapsodic descriptions of this or that bit of lace, no step-by-step progress journals of my recent projects, finished and started (you can find that on Ravelry, if you're so inclined). Nor will there be an in-depth discussion of the merits of cuff-down vs toe-up sock construction (now that I have experience with both, I can say with total confidence that I'd go with toe-up any day). Not even a sentimental recounting of how connected I feel to the community of knitters, thanks to Ravelry. (Btw, I heartily agree with the Yarn Harlot's assessment of how the non-knitting world views said community: "It is my experience, that people don't have a clue about knitters. They think that everything we do is pretty nutty. If you don't believe me, rent a mini-van and drive to another country for a sheep and wool festival with four knitting friends. Hell, just say you have 'knitting friends' and watch ordinary people glaze over.")

No, there will be none of that. This blog entry will be about how Ravelry has connected me to the real world and my very real life, in the form of memories past, experiences present, and adventures future.

It's easy to get lost in the Ravelry experience, a neat, relatively tidy world of FOs, WIPs, and queued projects, and like-minded people with whom to discuss them. The Ravelry forum, in particular, is a nifty place to communicate with this community of kind, giving people remarkably like yourself.

People who...

• understand your obsession, indeed, are unabashedly fiber/yarn/knitting/spinning/crocheting addicts like yourself.
• educate themselves on the various types of knittable fiber and their merits.
• get ridiculously excited about the prospect of adding to their stash.
• know that stash refers to yarn, not illicit substances - though I suppose some may consider yarn an illicit substance.
• make detailed plans for a yarn crawl.
• start mapping out their next trip to MdS&W almost as soon as this year's is over.
• know that MdS&W is shorthand for the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival and that it occurs annually during the first weekend of May (aka right around/after my birthday - see, it's fate, this May Day baby was destined to make MdS&W her annual birthday blowout).
• who inspect the construction of a sweater with as much intensity as an engineer inspecting the construction of a building for safety.
• who commiserate with you when you realize you dropped a stitch 5 inches of complicated lace-knitting ago, you wish it were anatomically possible to kick yourself for not having put in a life-line at a reasonable point, and you gaze at the I-thought-it-was-perfect-and-almost done shawl, frantically brainstorming ways to correct your mistake without ripping back, all the way back.
• are filled as much with advice and helpful suggestions as with sympathy and understanding winces.

People who...

Okay, okay, so I got sidetracked (almost immediately) into waxing poetic about how connected I feel to the community of knitters. That's just because knitters are a kick-ass awesome bunch, and Ravelry is a great place to encounter bunches of them! The point I was aiming to make, before I got sidetracked, is that forums are not only a great way to communicate with said awesome individuals, but also a great starting point for reminiscing, musing, daydreaming about things past, present, and future.

Today, on the DC/MD/VA Fiber Arts discussion board, I came across a thread entitled, "Inexplicable Knitting Behavior in Annapolis 4/7," which is related to the Yarn Harlot's upcoming visit to the Borders in Annapolis for a book signing in a week or two. The Yarn Harlot had recently posted the guidelines and point breakdown for a Sock Picture Scavenger Hunt. In response, a creative Raveler posted the DC version in honor of the Yarn Harlot's book signing visit. (You should check it out, there are a lot of fun ideas on there. Ooh, I should even add to the DC list - at the Tidal Basin during the Cherry Blossom Festival, with tourists wearing "Washington, DC" t-shirts, etc etc. The possibilities are endless.)

And then, a very astute Raveler made the very good point that perhaps there should be an Annapolis version, since the Yarn Harlot would technically be there and not in the immediate DC Metropolitan area.

Now, as those of my friends who have been my friends for the past several years probably know, I have an on-again, off-again relationship with Annapolis that goes back years and years. And as I brainstormed activities to add to the Yarn Harlot Sock Picture Scavenger Hunt, Annapolis Version, the memories came flooding back - the good, the bad, the ugly, and the just plain bittersweet. Many of these memories hadn't entered my mind in years. A few of them, I had actively and resolutely pushed aside in the immediate aftermath of their occurrence, for whatever reason (usually negative and breakup-related). In some cases, I had trouble recalling certain key details because I hadn't thought about these things in so long. Google, Wikipedia, and the USNA website became my research assistants as I compiled my list of scavenger hunt locales.

First, the list from a fellow Raveler:

At the State House (exterior)- 1 point
At the State House (interior)- 2 points
With your local representative (for Maryland residents)- 5 points
With a pint of beer from Ram’s Head Tavern (local beer)- 2 points
At the Naval Academy- 1 point
With a Middie (Navy cadet)- 2 points
At the Middleton Tavern- 1 point
With a crab cake - 1 point
In a crab net- 1 point
At the harbor- 1 point
At St. John’s (college)- 1 point
Near a boat- 1 point
On a boat- 2 points
On a boat in the Chesapeake Bay- 10 points
At the Kunta-Kinte/Alex Haley memorial- 1 point

And then, my additions (with the gentle admonition to avoid calling the Naval Academy Midshipmen Middies, because they hate that, according to all the Mids I have ever known):

At the Naval Academy:

• In front of/at Gate 1, 1 point (5 points if one of the MPs that check ID is in the picture, 15 points if you convince one of the MPs to hold your knitting)
• Anywhere on the Yard, 1 point
• At the Visitor Center, 1 point
• In front of Herndon Monument (obelisk monument), 2 points
• In front of the Tecumseh Statue, 2 points (15 points if it’s been painted)
• In front of Bancroft Hall (the dorm that houses all 4000 Midshipmen), 2 points
• In front of Bancraft during the noon mealtime formation, 5 points
• Along the water right beyond the gift shop/visitor center, 2 points
• Inside Dahlgren Hall, 2 points (10 points if the ice rink is still there)
• In front of the Chapel, 2 points

In Downtown Annapolis:

• City Dock, 1 point
• At Aromi d’Italia (yummy gelato), 1 point (with gelato in hand, 5 points, because I love their gelato ;o)
• At City Dock Cafe, 1 point
• In front of the harbor cruise sightseeing boat/Harbor Queen, 1 point (10 points if you’re on it)
• At Chick & Ruth’s Delly, 1 point (15 points if you’re there during the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance)
• At one of the many restaurants/bars/pubs, such as Griffin’s, McGarvey’s, Buddy’s, Chart House, Riordan’s, O’Brien’s, etc, 1 point each

There are countless other potential scavenger hunt tasks, I am sure, but those are the ones that I could come up with at that moment. [I guess I could've proposed awarding points for getting a sock knitting picture while wearing a Mid's cover, after all, those boys would've been all too eager to assist. However, they would then have tried to convince the lady knitters of the tradition/legend that says a gal must reward a Mid with a kiss in exchange for wearing his cover.]

As I pondered potential scavenger hunt tasks, occasionally groping for the name of this restaurant and the location of that place, I paused often, bombarded with quick flashes of memory, recalling moments, people, places, and things that were far too personal and far too me-specific to be included in a general scavenger hunt.

My longtime friend's graduation from the Naval Academy in an awe-inspiring ceremony, which was my introduction to the Academy and the culture that surrounds it, as I watched the graduating Midshipmen toss their covers into the air. The time I spent in Bancroft Hall, aka "Mother B" (illicitly, as it turns out; civilians aren't allowed beyond the Rotunda and Memorial Hall). The chilly mid-May afternoon two companions and I watched my then-crush and his fellow plebes attempt to scale a 21-foot phallic symbol coated in hundreds of pounds of lard in the traditional Herndon Climb. The magical afternoon we naive kids then spent sitting along City Dock, shyly holding hands. The even more magical evening we sat silently but companionably along the sea-wall, still hand-in-hand, watching the sun set and the stars appear. The awkward, hesitant goodnight kiss we shared on the walkway between Dahlgren and Bancroft moments later - our first. My first visit to Aromi d'Italia, where I joyfully consumed the most delicious gelato I'd ever had. The evening I attended the Marine Corps Birthday Ball and ended up meeting a lifelong friend and kindred (though non-knitting) spirit. The week-long foreign affairs conference at the Academy I attended a couple of years later, with its round table discussions, speeches from various dignitaries, and activities, both official and extracurricular, the latter of which mainly consisted of touring the local pubs with my drinking companions for the week - the tall, handsome, witty officer-and-gentleman moderators of my round table and the neighboring one. Being abandoned to my not-yet-bf's entire extended family mere moments after meeting them for the first time during his Commissioning Week - and then in the course of an afternoon and evening, falling hopelessly in love with them. Floating into Dahlgren Hall on his arm as his date to his Graduation Ball, my slinky black satin evening gown setting off to perfection his pristine white uniform. Sharing a pub beer with him and his parents afterwards, still in our formal wear, still falling in love with all of them. The start of a summer fling, as we wandered Annapolis & environs together and hung out with his buddies in DTA (Downtown Annapolis) as they waited for their first post-graduation assignments. Saying a painful goodbye as he went his way and I mine when the summer ended, and with it, the romance. Leading my high school friends on a tour of DTA bars the night before our classmates' wedding.

So many memories, so many moments, and still only the surface of all I experienced and of all I remember. Annapolis is a place I will always associate with my coming of age, with learning and painful realization, with magical moments, with good people, with well-intentioned but not-yet-mature boys on the verge of manhood, with laughter, joy, and pain. I'll always be fond of Annapolis. It is a pretty town, with a decidedly unique character, one shaped irrevocably by its proximity to the sea, its long history, and its association with the Academy. Who knows, maybe there will be more moments - good and bad - to add to my mental catalog of memories.

Right now, all I know is, Ravelry has helped give me back the moments I'd forgotten, intentionally or not - and I'm glad of it.

Malabrigo March Madness... And other adventures in chance

I have never won a thing in my life. Well, nothing that required chance and not skill to win, anyway.
Even so, hope springs eternal, especially where yarn-y goodness giveaways are the prize, so... Thanks to Ravelry, I'm going with my optimistic nature.

Here's a good one, with Malabrigo at stake!! I just recently purchased my first bits of Malabrigo during a trip to NYC - 3 skeins of Malabrigo Lace at Knitty City for just $10 a skein! There's plenty for a beautiful shawl for my mom's Mother's Day gift (sshhh, don't tell). I hope (a) I finish it in time, and (b) she likes it.

So, Malabrigo March Madness is quite simple to enter. All you have to do is leave a comment with the link to your first blog entry. (Tell 'em Junebug sent you! :o)

The trouble with Ravelry

The trouble with Ravelry is that I have been neglecting my blog. Again. Yes, I know, blog neglect is not an unusual occurrence with me (kind of like personal correspondence neglect - so much for new year's resolutions!), but I think I may be better about posting to my blog if I didn't have Ravelry to express all my fiber-related euphoria. Maybe. BIG maybe.